Need some 1on1 guidance ocing Haswell on UD4H

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EzeroMobile50K

Limp Gawd
Joined
Apr 2, 2012
Messages
262
Hey I really need some help seeing how far my chip can go on a 212+. I can work with open case and really low ambient, just for the sake of testing the chip.

If anyone has a lot of experience ocing on z87x-ud4h, I would really appreciate some one on one.

I will be available some time in the afternoon tomorrow to give it a shot, and I'll bump the post at that time, or we can work in PMs.

My goal is to see how far I can take the chip between 1.2-1.25v, I'd prefer to stay at a 24/7 safe voltage.

I can only seem to get about 4.0-4.1ghz @ 1.2~v temps are fine on realtemp, around 70-74c, but I find this motherboard very confusing coming from asus p8p67 pro, thus hoping for a little 1on1 from an experienced pro.

Thanks in advance! :D
 
On Monday I'm playing with a Z87x UD4H. In meantime search for download of Modded F7 bios.
 
SonDa5 said:
On Monday I'm playing with a Z87x UD4H. In meantime search for download of Modded F7 bios.
Click to expand...

Was just looking at some of your ocing results and was pondering PMing you for some help a little while ago. :D Gotta get to bed, will in the morning. What's special about this modded bios?
 
follow this guide:

http://www.overclock.net/t/1401976/the-gigabyte-z87-haswell-overclocking-oc-guide

use this template

An Easy 4.4/4.5/4.6GHz Template:
Here are the settings I used; you can use them as a template for your settings:
Profile #1 Basic Profile:
CPU VRIN Override LLC: Set to Extreme (this is to make sure VIN doesn’t droop)
CPU VRIN Override Voltage: 1.7-2.0v (reduce if temperatures too high is causing instability, increase if temperatures are fine and you are unstable)
VCore: 1.24-1.34v
Ring Voltage: 1.15 or 1.2v
CPU Multiplier: 44x-46x
BCLK: Auto
Turbo: Auto
C1E, C3, C6/C7, and EIST: All Disabled (There is a table in Step #1 which describes the behavior or different power saving features and what to enable/disable to get the behavior you want.)
Click to expand...

I suggest starting out with Vcore @ 1.2V and seeing what is the max OC you can get with 1.2V then start increasing Vcore once you think you've reached your CPU's OC cap for 1.2V.

I haven't really touched the VRIN or VRING on my UD4H. For non-OC settings, my UD4H chose 1.8V for VRIN & 1.15 for VRING which I manually specified for my OC.

I don't do extensive stress testing so interpret my overclocking results however you want:

currently have a 4.7GHz OC on a 4770K @ 1.212V which goes up to 1.224V during the heaviest loads.

using H80i on Performance mode & max P95 temps are 83/82/78/72 with HWMonitor showing 113.28W for max on the Package.

HT is off. DDR3 RAM is @ 1333 instead of 1600 because I found out there's performance degradation in Uniengine Heaven when I try to force the XMP 1600 profile, so I'm just going to revisit my RAM later once I'm satisfied with an OC.

for stress testing, use Uniengine Heaven to benchmark and make sure the FPS #s are in line with past benchmarks. Run OCCT 64 bit LINPACK for 30 minutes but don't use AVX because that drives up temps to 85+ in less than a minute and I don't really care to burn my CPU. Use Prime95 for 2 to 3 hours before I decide to bump up speeds or increase Vcore if a BSOD or instability occurs.

Once I've settled on an OC, if I run into any stability issues in real world usage, I will just decrease multiplier by 1 & repeat the process until stable.
 
EzeroMobile50K said:
Was just looking at some of your ocing results and was pondering PMing you for some help a little while ago. :D Gotta get to bed, will in the morning. What's special about this modded bios?
Click to expand...


It's the most up to date BIOS thanks to STASIO at tweaktown forums.
 
I recently got a UD4H and a 4770k. Using a 212 Evo to cool it right now until my Noctua NH-D14 gets here. I'm out of town for the week so I can't look at my exact specs, but I think I was stable @ 4.4/1.25 on mine. Trying to up the clock speed any was a no go without more voltage, but at 1.25v I'm topping out around 90c while stress testing with Prime95. Hoping to be able to push it a little farther with the Noctua cooler next week. I'm probably also gonna go ahead an delid at the same time.
 
SonDa5 said:
It's the most up to date BIOS thanks to STASIO at tweaktown forums.
Click to expand...

In about 2 hours I'll download and install that bios and check it out.

Udgnim, I believe that guide is where I started, and had very little success due to confusion between different bios versions. I couldn't find hardly any of the settings talked about. But I'm going to give it another look.

Thanks for your help guys. My goal is to see if this chip is worth keeping before I go back to Microcenter in a day or 2 before my return policy expires. I plan to either replace mobo with asus z87-pro, maybe the z87-a though unlikely, or the msi gd65. But I kind of get the impression the MSI is a cheap paint/tape job designed to grab the attention of the "gamer" crowd with more money than sense, even though the board's price isn't bad. I just feel like it's not as quality as some other mid-range offerings. MSI GD65's network chip they boast really isn't going to do much of anything for me and requires additional drivers I'm sure blah. And as for the improved audio, I'm pretty skeptical. Generally improved onboard audio requires some sort of addition software to be running. Honestly I'd rather just spend like $50 on a nice asus sound card and have a lot more options and quality available to me.

The physical components of the ud4h are great. I just can't get past the bios/programming done by gigabyte. Maybe this altered bios will change my mind. :)
 
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I forgot to mention the BIOS thing. I was having all sorts of random BSODs until I updated to the F7 BIOS. That seems to have remedied things.
 
Chime said:
I forgot to mention the BIOS thing. I was having all sorts of random BSODs until I updated to the F7 BIOS. That seems to have remedied things.
Click to expand...

I was having a horrendous time at first. Updated to F7 and the bios was much easier to navigate. I still don't like it. But I eventually found out that the UD4H really doesn't like some of the older sandforce controllers, like the one on the SSD I was using. Popped and intel ssd in there and now my only problems are caused by cpu instability.
 
Having a hard time locating this moddified f7 bios, I see where he posted a link to download the regular f7 bios. Unless it's moddified and just not stated?

GA-Z87X-UD4H BIOS F7 mod2 posted by Acebmxer? Over at tweaktown..
 
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Udgnim said:
follow this guide:

http://www.overclock.net/t/1401976/the-gigabyte-z87-haswell-overclocking-oc-guide

use this template



I suggest starting out with Vcore @ 1.2V and seeing what is the max OC you can get with 1.2V then start increasing Vcore once you think you've reached your CPU's OC cap for 1.2V.

I haven't really touched the VRIN or VRING on my UD4H. For non-OC settings, my UD4H chose 1.8V for VRIN & 1.15 for VRING which I manually specified for my OC.

I don't do extensive stress testing so interpret my overclocking results however you want:

currently have a 4.7GHz OC on a 4770K @ 1.212V which goes up to 1.224V during the heaviest loads.

using H80i on Performance mode & max P95 temps are 83/82/78/72 with HWMonitor showing 113.28W for max on the Package.

HT is off. DDR3 RAM is @ 1333 instead of 1600 because I found out there's performance degradation in Uniengine Heaven when I try to force the XMP 1600 profile, so I'm just going to revisit my RAM later once I'm satisfied with an OC.

for stress testing, use Uniengine Heaven to benchmark and make sure the FPS #s are in line with past benchmarks. Run OCCT 64 bit LINPACK for 30 minutes but don't use AVX because that drives up temps to 85+ in less than a minute and I don't really care to burn my CPU. Use Prime95 for 2 to 3 hours before I decide to bump up speeds or increase Vcore if a BSOD or instability occurs.

Once I've settled on an OC, if I run into any stability issues in real world usage, I will just decrease multiplier by 1 & repeat the process until stable.
Click to expand...

How does your voltage automatically adjust for load? Obviously you're not setting it to auto, because it would set something stupid like 1.5v vcore, like it does for me. Something like adaptive voltage? But I couldn't find that anywhere in bios. Not really sure how to do the special voltage touches like that in this bios. It's new to me. :|
 
Kueller said:
So...you're that guy.
Click to expand...

I don't understand the hate behind the whole "I exchanged my cpu that I PAID EXTRA for in the form of the K SKU because it has poor o/c'ing/thermal performance"...I mean if the "K" series SKUs cost the same as the standard 46/4770s, then that would be one thing..But if the store/vendor offers a 100% satisfaction guarantee, then why is it wrong for the customer to take advantage of it?:rolleyes:..
 
EzeroMobile50K said:
Having a hard time locating this moddified f7 bios, I see where he posted a link to download the regular f7 bios. Unless it's moddified and just not stated?

GA-Z87X-UD4H BIOS F7 mod2 posted by Acebmxer? Over at tweaktown..
Click to expand...

You could just install gigabytes App Center program as well as their bios app. It can automatically pull the f7 BIOS from their servers and do the update from within windows.
 
ccityinstaller said:
I don't understand the hate behind the whole "I exchanged my cpu that I PAID EXTRA for in the form of the K SKU because it has poor o/c'ing/thermal performance"...I mean if the "K" series SKUs cost the same as the standard 46/4770s, then that would be one thing..But if the store/vendor offers a 100% satisfaction guarantee, then why is it wrong for the customer to take advantage of it?:rolleyes:..
Click to expand...

You pay extra for the unlocked multiplier, nothing more. If you want another chip, buy the intel overclocking protection and burn up your first one.
The store guarantees 100% satisfaction, as in the part will work as designed and advertised. It does not guarantee 110%, or 130%@1.2vcore or whatever every customer happens to wish. Once that CPU has been opened it cannot be sold as "New' again, the store has to take that loss, and Microcenter sells most of their CPUs at or below cost to begin with.
 
I actually have a good system right now with the regular F7, so I'm curious what's so special about this modded BIOS in the first place.
 
Mav451 said:
I actually have a good system right now with the regular F7, so I'm curious what's so special about this modded BIOS in the first place.
Click to expand...

Better compatibility and added performance. By default, most manufacturers don't put the latest ROMs, vBIOS, GOP drivers, etc. because it takes additional validation. So you get people like us who incorporate those and can get a nice "boost" without having to wait for the manufacturer to do it for us (which they rarely ever do).
 
On-topic: As far as I can tell, at least for sure on Gigabyte boards, you cannot adjust the adaptive voltage setting that is engaged when AVX or AVX2 loads are put on the CPU.

Re: Microcenter: they'll just do whatever it takes to make more profit in the long run. If that means gaining goodwill by offering a superior CPU return policy then that's what they'll do. If not, they'll adjust their policy. I for one would continually support a store that offers such a warranty by making my other purchases there as well. (but I'm in Quebec Canada and such awesome stores do not exist here :(
 
Cmustang87 said:
Then we have a vicious cycle started.

1. People return stuff
2. Microcenter changes policy
3. People bitch
Click to expand...

I understand. I'm not someone who would repeatedly return a cpu until I got a good one. Micro Center is 45 minutes away! I'm VERY LIKELY replacing this UD4H, and if I am I would like to see if my chip is garbage or not. If it is, may as well swap it. Not like I'm being super picky. I just want slightly over the average overclockability. Something like 4.2-4.4ghz. Being stuck at 4.0 on a haswell is kind of a disappointment. Should I be expected to be stuck with a disappointed purchase? I think not. :\
 
Modded F7 bios is in place. Looks pretty identical to regular F7. Going to start tinkering with cpu from default settings. Where should I begin? (UD4H) CPU clock ratio multiplier on main performance tab? And cpu voltage under voltage tab?
 
Started off with a cpu clock ratio of 4.0, left cpu voltage on auto. Idling around 35c @ 1.156v according to realtemp / cpu-z. 4000 Mhz.Going to briefly run prime to check temps and some stability.

There is really a plethora of voltage/power settings for haswell that may as well all be in latin for me. It's a little daunting.
 
running a clock ratio of 42 atm on manual 1.225v, stressing right now. sofar stable. However, if I leave voltage on auto, it shoots up to like 1.35. I want to enjoy the energy saving benefits of leaving voltage on auto so it ramps down when not in use, but it shoots up too high. Anyone know how to do this on UD4H? I read that Gigabyte's "offset" voltage is the same thing as adaptive voltage? Mm, well in any case for now I guess I'll leave it on manual voltage while I test clocks.

Also there are 3 tests available on prime95 which one would you guys recommend for this?

Small FFTs (maximum FPU stress, data fits in L2 cache, RAM not tested much)
In-place large FFTs (maximum heat, power consumption, some ram tested)
Blend (tests some of everything, lots of RAM tested)

CPU seems to run a little hotter on the first option. Don't think I want to run the 2nd.
 
My 4770k will do 5 ghz with z87x-oc and soon I will find out how good UD4H is. I think it will do fine.
 
SonDa5 said:
My 4770k will do 5 ghz with z87x-oc and soon I will find out how good UD4H is. I think it will do fine.
Click to expand...

Hey just got done trying 4.4ghz, unstable at 1.275v temps just above 90c. Bumped voltage up to 1.85v, which is a little higher than I would like. It seemed to run prime95 without crashing in the first 15 seconds like it did with 1.275v however temps breached 100c. What do you think? Chip requiring 1.85v to reach 4.4ghz? Worth hanging onto? I can always greatly improve thermal situation. I'm going to add a 2nd intake fan and upgrade cpu cooler drastically. And if the chip is good I may considering delidding it. But compared to these people getting 4.5-4.6 @ 1.2v-1.25v? :\
 
EzeroMobile50K said:
Hey just got done trying 4.4ghz, unstable at 1.275v temps just above 90c. Bumped voltage up to 1.85v, which is a little higher than I would like. It seemed to run prime95 without crashing in the first 15 seconds like it did with 1.275v however temps breached 100c. What do you think? Chip requiring 1.85v to reach 4.4ghz? Worth hanging onto? I can always greatly improve thermal situation. I'm going to add a 2nd intake fan and upgrade cpu cooler drastically. And if the chip is good I may considering delidding it. But compared to these people getting 4.5-4.6 @ 1.2v-1.25v? :\
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absolutely no go unless you mistyped there? 1.85V is WAY WAY WAY over recommended. Should have nothing higher than 1.35-1.40 MAX for a daily use cpu.
 
Jeremy C said:
absolutely no go unless you mistyped there? 1.85V is WAY WAY WAY over recommended. Should have nothing higher than 1.35-1.40 MAX for a daily use cpu.
Click to expand...

LOL whoops 1.285v.

I want a 24/7 safe voltage that will never affect the life of the cpu, or at least be very unlikely to do so. I couldn't find any validated numbers but I feel like anything 1.3v or higher probably doesn't fall into that category. What would you say?
 
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EzeroMobile50K said:
running a clock ratio of 42 atm on manual 1.225v, stressing right now. sofar stable. However, if I leave voltage on auto, it shoots up to like 1.35. I want to enjoy the energy saving benefits of leaving voltage on auto so it ramps down when not in use, but it shoots up too high. Anyone know how to do this on UD4H? I read that Gigabyte's "offset" voltage is the same thing as adaptive voltage? Mm, well in any case for now I guess I'll leave it on manual voltage while I test clocks.
Click to expand...

It should clock down and and turn the voltage down automatically on manual voltage, as long as you leave the C-states and EIST enabled in the BIOS. You also need to have Windows' Power Options set to Balanced.

I have my Vcore manually set to 1.2 V in the BIOS (running at 4.3 GHz), and this is what CPU-Z reports at idle:
Rb9IYtb.png


Though I think for the really low voltage (like the 0.168V in my screenshot above) you have to manually set "C6/C7 power state" to "Enabled" in the BIOS, instead of just "Auto".

Anyway, you don't need to use offset or adaptive or any of that stuff to save power. Just set a manual voltage and make sure the C-states are on Auto or Enabled.
 
Joga said:
It should clock down and and turn the voltage down automatically on manual voltage, as long as you leave the C-states and EIST enabled in the BIOS. You also need to have Windows' Power Options set to Balanced.

I have my Vcore manually set to 1.2 V in the BIOS (running at 4.3 GHz), and this is what CPU-Z reports at idle:
Rb9IYtb.png


Though I think for the really low voltage (like the 0.168V in my screenshot above) you have to manually set "C6/C7 power state" to "Enabled" in the BIOS, instead of just "Auto".

Anyway, you don't need to use offset or adaptive or any of that stuff to save power. Just set a manual voltage and make sure the C-states are on Auto or Enabled.
Click to expand...

Mm excellent one moment, changed from performance to balance, going to cet c6/c7 to Enabled.
 
Enabled Balanced Mode in windows, enabled C3, C6/C7, and EIST Function. cpu clock properly clocks down to 800mhz after about 20-30 seconds after bootup. And generally whenever cpu isn't stressed during usage. Looks good, however voltage never flinches according to cpu-z. Just sitting at 1.282v. (Set to 1.285v) in bios. What's preventing my voltage from ramping down with clock?
 
Dropping back to 4.2ghz for safe temps until I improve cooling solution. What would you guys recommend for an air cooler around the performance of an h100i. Not really sure I want to use a closed loop water cooler. Unless you guys think it's really worth it? Frightens me. Pretty pricey too. And the thought of all that weight from a noctua d14 hanging on the motherboard also frightens me. What do you guys think?

Seems stable at 1.250v 4.2ghz going to try lowering voltage a bit see where I get. 4.2ghz isn't really where I'd like to be, but 4.4 requires at least 1.285v, I MIGHT be ok with that, would have prefered not having to go over 1.25v. But need to improve thermals to see if it's even fully stable at those settings.

What voltage do you guys think is 100% completely safe for 24/7 usage, with no harm to the cpu?
 
EzeroMobile50K said:
Enabled Balanced Mode in windows, enabled C3, C6/C7, and EIST Function. cpu clock properly clocks down to 800mhz after about 20-30 seconds after bootup. And generally whenever cpu isn't stressed during usage. Looks good, however voltage never flinches according to cpu-z. Just sitting at 1.282v. (Set to 1.285v) in bios. What's preventing my voltage from ramping down with clock?
Click to expand...

Hmm, actually, after updating to the latest version of CPU-Z (1.65), I'm seeing the same thing. It might be a bug. Especially since in the BIOS, if I manually set Vcore to 1.200 V, the side bar in the BIOS reports 1.212 V (slightly higher). The old version of CPU-Z (1.64) also reported 1.212 V at load (and showed lower voltage at idle). The new version just has 1.199V and never moves.
 
Joga said:
Hmm, actually, after updating to the latest version of CPU-Z (1.65), I'm seeing the same thing. It might be a bug. Especially since in the BIOS, if I manually set Vcore to 1.200 V, the side bar in the BIOS reports 1.212 V (slightly higher). The old version of CPU-Z (1.64) also reported 1.212 V at load (and showed lower voltage at idle). The new version just has 1.199V and never moves.
Click to expand...

You think it's a bug with the newer cpuz? That would be nice, that my voltage were actually ramping down, and that it wasn't an issue with the mobo not ramping voltage down.

Either way I'm going to replace UD4H with Maximus VI Hero, because I was going to get the Asus Z87-Pro, but good god is it ugly as sin. And the hero has better audio, will save me from having to go with aftermarket sound card. (I hope.) it's for my girl and she's not really a turbo audiophile. And the hero is only about $10 more than the pro. And red/black matches the rest of the theme.

At the same time I will be adding a 2nd front intake to the Fractal R4, and I haven't yet decided what to replace the hyper 212+ with. H100i? Kinda pricey. Any alternatives that perform similarly for less $$? Been reading comparisons for a week but it's all so wishy washy. Nothing impactful. The noctua has my interest but alas I think its ugly factor is a no go, and having all that weight hanging on motherboard worries me. :| What's a man to do!?

Edit: I think what I want to go with, is an air cooler a little smaller than the noctua so that I don't have nightmares of it tearing a chunk of motherboard out as it comes crashing down onto the gpu during an earthquake or something. And preferable in less ugly colors. But would still like to maintain excellent cooling. Something far superior to a 212+/evo. Any ideas?
 
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EzeroMobile50K said:
Edit: I think what I want to go with, is an air cooler a little smaller than the noctua so that I don't have nightmares of it tearing a chunk of motherboard out as it comes crashing down onto the gpu during an earthquake or something. And preferable in less ugly colors. But would still like to maintain excellent cooling. Something far superior to a 212+/evo. Any ideas?
Click to expand...

Your air heatsink looks like it is doing fine for your voltage and clock speed.

Sorry I haven't been able to play with my UD4H yet. I had a change of plans for the day. Hope to help you and myself out soon.
 
SonDa5 said:
Your air heatsink looks like it is doing fine for your voltage and clock speed.

Sorry I haven't been able to play with my UD4H yet. I had a change of plans for the day. Hope to help you and myself out soon.
Click to expand...

I ended the night at 4.2ghz on 1.2v pretty stable ran prime for a few hours no problems, temps at 90c max. 212+ did acceptable there. However when I tried to keep 4.4ghz stable at 1.285v temps frequently rose above 100c. So if I'm going to push any harder I'm going to need to do something. Tonight I'm going to open the case up and aim a fan at the board and pump the ac to drop ambients really low, just for the sake of seeing what voltage I need to keep 4.4ghz stable. Tomorrow I will be going to Micro Center and buying a 2nd chip to bring home and compare. Keeping the one that performs better in the range of 1.2-1.275v I don't think I want to go above that if I don't have to. Then afterwards if I have a nice performer I'll be delidding that sucka and improving cooling to drop the temps as far as I can.
 
I recommend H110, does 70s at 4.5 on a stock 4770K with lid intact. As far as voltage/clocks not dropping with all C-states enabled, bios F7 fixed that for me.
 
Sorry wasn't around much today. Was a busy day, had a lot of stuff to build in the yard, got stung in the jugular by a really fucking aggressive asshole bee. Had to go to the hospital on account of being allergic and all.

But I did call Micro Center and they were kind enough to extend my return policy another 5 days so I have a little time to figure things out. And maybe Wednesday they will get some Maximus Heros in. I can't find them in stock anywhere for normal price.
 
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