Guild Wars 2

I’ve just invested in a new computer.
Specs are:
i5 3570k
Asrock z77 ex4
8gb 1333 ram
2gb Hd6970
Win 7×64

I’ve taken GPU and ram from my old computer which was a Phenom II 550. I think the processor was holding me back on a lot of games and music recording programs.

I’m just wondering if I should expect a boost in performance from GW2? Or should I not get my hopes up…

Also, as there seems to be many tech savvys here, what would you OC the i5 to? I’ve heard 4.0 is stable for most people. Will this give a boost in GW perfs or is OCing processors still not helping?

You will see a HUGE difference, you will be able to play @60fps constant, apart from when you turn quickly in a new zone (which is a memory leak/bug). Lion’s Arch you will probably get around 50-55ish in crowded areas.

You can easily OC that CPU to 4.2, remember to increase the multiplier not the baseclock. Disable C1E and Speedstep. Leave the CPU phase control at optimised and leave it at t-probe for thermal consistency. LLC (load line calibration) should be ultra high and you can probably get away with 1.24ish as vcore. Leave the rest.

There seems to be problems with superhigh causing problems, but 4.2 is just about right for everyday gaming etc.

Zelta.6829:

You can easily OC that CPU to 4.2, remember to increase the multiplier not the baseclock. Disable C1E and Speedstep. Leave the CPU phase control at optimised and leave it at t-probe for thermal consistency. LLC (load line calibration) should be ultra high and you can probably get away with 1.24ish as vcore. Leave the rest.

Heavens above. You lost me after 4.2. I think I might just leave it alone for a bit, lest I start a fire.

Is there a guide to OCing for people who are really simple in the head?
Maybe this is too far OT though.

http://www.overclockers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=708438

The images in post 1 should be all you need.

I personally would leave vcore slightly higher than required, since you are new to OC, because if the system fails to boot due to low voltages, you might get worried and make things worse.

Or you can just use the built in auto-OC system, but that’s kind of lame. Make sure you have sufficient cooling, as pushing the voltages above 1.25ish spikes the temperatures quite a bit.

TBH, 4GHz should be plenty for most games, and you can do it on stock cooling.

Zelta.6829:

You can easily OC that CPU to 4.2, remember to increase the multiplier not the baseclock. Disable C1E and Speedstep. Leave the CPU phase control at optimised and leave it at t-probe for thermal consistency. LLC (load line calibration) should be ultra high and you can probably get away with 1.24ish as vcore. Leave the rest.

Chill on that LLC@max, its not really healthy unless absolutely necessary. Vdroop is a “feature”, not a “bug”.

Here’s a good starting point:
http://www.overclock.net/t/1198504/complete-overclocking-guide-sandy-bridge-ivy-bridge-asrock-edition

IPunchedyour family.7294:

Also, as there seems to be many tech savvys here, what would you OC the i5 to? I’ve heard 4.0 is stable for most people. Will this give a boost in GW perfs or is OCing processors still not helping?

OC always helps. Ivy, however, generally doesn’t OC as well as Sandy but I would start at 4.77 (heh…nostalgic) and run diags from there. Don’t guess: prove your hardware’s stability before installing the “real” build with IBT, Heaven, Prime95, etc.

Personally, I keep to stock voltages as I like the power (heat) savings and the increase in voltage (heat) wasn’t worth the small gain and risk of instability popping up later. Finally, you don’t have to disable power-saving features (SpeedStep, C1E) to OC SB/Ivy.

a tad out of topic but my 2500k at 3.3Ghz boosted at 4Ghz is remarkably stable at 1.13V. Low power and low heat

@IPunchedyour family.7294, you can even start by trying the auto-overclock features of your motherboard. That should give you a nice performance boost even if you don’t have the time to read through all o/c stuff.

I have my i7-2600K@4.5GHz with every power-saving feature on, LLC at just one notch above minimum and -0.045 Vcore offset (yes, minus). In the end, it all just depends on the silicon you get.

Going form AMD to a good intel .. Yes you will see an improvment

as for simple OC’ing, i would just up the multiplyer till your stock vcore causes the OC to fail. Asuming it isnt on ‘auto’ vcore.. otherwise it will keep giving u more and more vcore. (and more than you need to, which will cause heat issues)

Tweeking voltages manualy requirs some knowledge ..you need to know the limits. The voltages are the thing that can cause damage to your cpu so be carefull with them. last thing you want to do is put the decimal in the wrong place and pop your cpu :P

As someone has said, Ivybridge procesor wont overclock as well or as easily as a Sandybridge. So dont expect massive OC’s without some hassle. Do make sure your cooling is up to the task.

My advice is to install it as normal, install some monitoring programs for temperature and vcore. I like Aida 64 personaly, but its not free..you have to buy it or ‘aquire’ it by other means :P

Then go back to bios and start tinkering. You cpu will automaticaly turbo up to 3.8 so OC’ing to 4ghz should not be a problem on stock vcore.