Overclocking i5-2500K with Stock HSF

[AdamK47]

That was the standard 1024MB test in Intel Burn Test and running for just a few minutes. Put the memory to maximum and run it for an hour and see what happens. The more memory Linpack uses the higher the temps.

 

[grkM3]

That was the standard 1024MB test in Intel Burn Test and running for just a few minutes. Put the memory to maximum and run it for an hour and see what happens. The more memory Linpack uses the higher the temps.

I know I wasnt trying to get a max stable oc on the 2600k(I know what it can do from running 6gb of ram and linx)I was having stability problems with my ram and was streesing the memory controller and figured since Im moving this into a new build I wanted to see what this chip does with the stock cooler.

 

[RussianSensation]

I will never hit these temps on daily tasks,actually right now the chip is at 35c and will maybe hit 70c tops running games or doing anything other than linpack that uses 100000% of the cpu.

That's key right there. Each computer user runs different types of programs. Games don't really have the ability to even peg an i7 870 at stock speeds to 100%, nevermind a 2500k @ 4.8ghz to 100% at this time (perhaps Arma series is the sole exception). Therefore, depending on the workload, a stock heatsink may actually be sufficient for some overclocking.

Having said that, I am sure there are plenty of users who perform video transcoding, run distributed computing project, do video rendering for hours/days a time, which all have the ability to put a 99-100% stress on all cores. I am not going to suggest that it's mandatory to ditch the stock heatsink -- it simply depends on your budget, your noise tolerance and your specific workload.

What I don't want to happen is people cranking 2500k to 5.0ghz on 1.45V on stock cooling, running such a system at 95*C load and then 6 months later filing warranty claims on either their mobo or their CPU because they read on a forum that it was safe. That's just negligence for which we collectively all pay one way or another.

 

[86waterpumper]

what is the top stock rpm on the intel fan? Even when I set mine to 100 percent speed in the bios mine only runs to about 2000 rpm which is still very quiet?

 

[RussianSensation]

what is the top stock rpm on the intel fan? Even when I set mine to 100 percent speed in the bios mine only runs to about 2000 rpm which is still very quiet?

Even among the same generation, the stock Intel heatsink size varies significantly. The heatsink on the Core i7 920 is almost 2x larger in size than it is on the Core i7 860!

BTW, many would not consider 2,000 rpm on the stock cooler to be quiet

My experience with the stock cooler on the i7 860: ~2300-2350 rpm was the maximum in my system (See my Post #61).

In this thread, a user is getting 2400-2700 rpm on his 2600k.

People in this thread are accepting results on Anandtech without understanding the details. Those overclocks Anand posts on the stock cooler aren't Prime95/LinX stable with 100% load on all 4/8 threads!

For instance, he reached 4.0ghz on Core i7 860 with stock cooler .... but that's with only 1 core loaded. With 8 threads loaded, the stock cooler on the 860 already struggles to keep the processor below 80*C, and that's just with 1 Turbo bin to 2.93ghz.

 

[86waterpumper]

well mine is the 2500k. At 2000 rpm or under I don't consider it loud, even with the case open and it right up on my desk, but then I have no vid card, mech. drives hooked up yet, nor any case fans, and my power supply is fanless, so that's the only noise period. I will say that compared to the stock hyper 212 fan at full speed it is VERY quiet. Anyway I am going to run some tests using handbrake and some gaming and see where my temps fall under "normal" use. I am going to buy a new cooler regardless, but depending on what I find I may be doing it sooner than later. I am not going to let it run 80c plus that's for sure...

 

[dac7nco]

my power supply is fanless, so that's the only noise period. I will say that compared to the stock hyper 212 fan at full speed it is VERY quiet.

Your fanless PSU will be upping your heat, with the case closed. Not under forum browsing, for sure, but the only reason IMO for a huge 24/7 OC is if time is money. Get a great PSU where the fan only powers up when you are either gaming or encoding/transcoding/rendering (Seasonic/Kingwin/Corsair AX series). PSUs are underlooked as a source of heat exhaustion.

The best "midrange" CPU cooler I've ever seen is the CM V6... but it's about the size of a Megahalems in push-pull... you can make it nearly dead silent, and it's a lot cheaper.

Daimon