Overclocking ram or cpu

[botwere158302e5]

this is my system in order to get more fps in cs2 i want to overclock one of them can you guide me citay?

 

[citay]

First, you need to urgently update your BIOS to the latest version from https://www.msi.com/Motherboard/MAG-Z790-TOMAHAWK-WIFI/support

Since you have a true 13th gen CPU, this is very important for the longevity of your CPU, as it needs the latest microcode 0x12F applied.

Then, for your RAM, you can do a very simple tune-up. Enter the BIOS, set Advanced View F7, go to OC -> Advanced DRAM Configuration, and set tREFI to 65536. This takes care of extracting the most RAM performance without too much risk.

For the CPU, you can follow my Guide: How to set good power limits in the BIOS and reduce the CPU power draw, this is the most beneficial thing you can do. You can do a Cinebench run and then show me the fully expanded HWinfo sensor window from afterwards, I can check the status quo and give a suggestion. Please also tell me your CPU cooler model.

 

[botwere158302e5]

So, I upgraded my BIOS to the latest version. I also tried adjusting the tREFI setting; however, when I set it to 66,000 it didn't populate the value automatically. I tried 99,000 and then it gave me something like 26,2xx. Do I also need to adjust the RAM timings such as CL, etc.? I set the long and short duration power limits to 170W(first i tried 180W and then 175W but 170 seems the furthest from 90+ degrees or close to it). My CPU cooler is a BeQuiet 240mm AIO. Those are the stats in Mid Bench. Also, do I need to undervolt or do anything else for overclocking, or is my AIO not powerful enough for that?

 

[citay]

Try holding the + key for tREFI, if it's really maxed out already. Tuning this value gives the most benefit for DDR5. If you were to tweak other settings like CAS Latency etc., then you would also most likely need to increase certain voltages and do lots of stability testing. That's why raising tREFI (Refresh Interval) is the best method for the "easy gains". Not much stability testing required and gives a nice improvement, because the RAM spends less time refreshing itself. Usually this is no problem.

For the screenshots, if you click on the <-> arrows on the bottom left of the sensor window, you can expand the sensors to show almost everything at the same time. From what i can see so far, the fan curves need to be optimized, see my Fan Curves guide. What i assume to be the case fans (on SYS_FAN2, 3, 5), they barely react to the CPU temperature. From 42°C to 85°C they run almost at the same RPM, this makes no sense, they have to ramp up and do some work when it gets hot. Then maybe you have more potential for raising the power limits a bit.

We will come to the undervolting once the rest is set up properly. For sure you can and should undervolt, according to step 2) of my guide, but first let's dial in step 1) more, starting with proper fan curves in the BIOS.

 

[botwere158302e5]

This is what chatgpt suggested me what do u think?

ChatGPT said:​

Alright — here is a safe but aggressive 7000 MT/s preset specifically for your hardware:

• MSI Z790 Tomahawk
• i7-13700KF
• Hynix A-die (Corsair 6400 CL32)
• 1.40–1.45V range

Note:
7000 MT/s on 13th-gen is silicon-lottery dependent.
Most 13700KF IMCs can run 6800 easy, but 7000 requires:

• A very good IMC
• Lower SA voltage (counter-intuitive but correct for Raptor Lake)
• High VDD/VDDQ
• Correct VDD2/IMC/VCCSA balance

This preset is the most stable 7000-profile typically achievable on your hardware.

---

7000 MT/s Stable Preset (Hynix A-Die, MSI Z790)​

Frequency: 7000 MT/s​

Voltages to set FIRST:​

These are critical.

Voltage	Value
DRAM VDD	1.45V
DRAM VDDQ	1.45V
Memory Controller VDDQ (CPU VDDQ 0.9V rail)	1.35V
System Agent (SA)	1.20V (do NOT go higher)
IMC Voltage (VDD2 CPU)	1.35V

✔ These values have the highest 7000 success rate on MSI Z790 + 13700K/KF
DO NOT use SA above 1.25V — it makes 7000 less stable.

---

Primary Timings for 7000 MT/s​

Timing	Value
tCL	34
tRCD	40
tRP	40
tRAS	38
tRC	78

These are stable for A-die at 1.45V.
If unstable, raise tRCD/tRP → 42.

---

Secondary Timings (Stable + Optimized)​

Timing	Value
tRFC	520
tRFC2	380
tRFC4	260
tREFI	65535 (start here)
tRRD_S	4
tRRD_L	8
tFAW	16
tWR	52
tWTR_S	4
tWTR_L	12
tRTP	12

---

Tertiary Timings (MSI-friendly values)​

Timing	Value
tRDWR	24
tWRRD	1
tWRRD_dr	1
tWRRD_dd	1
tRDRD_SG	8
tRDRD_DG	8
tWRWR_SG	16
tWRWR_DG	16

These will give you much better latency and stable training.

---

✔ Memory Training Settings (EXTREMELY IMPORTANT)​

MSI often fails training at 7000 unless these are set:

Setting	Value
Memory Context Restore (MCR)	Disabled
Power Down Mode	Disabled
High-Efficiency Mode	Disabled
Memory Fast Boot	Disabled (first boot only)

Once stable, you can re-enable Memory Fast Boot.

---

Expected Performance (7000 vs 6400 XMP)​

CPU-bound games:​

• +12–18% FPS (Valorant, CS2, Fortnite)
• +8–12% (FiveM, Tarkov, Siege)

Latency:​

• 6400 CL32 → ~64–66 ns
• 7000 CL34 → ~58–60 ns

This is a real improvement.

---

Stability Testing Order​

1. TM5 @ anta777 ABSOLUT profile (20 cycles)
2. Karhu RAM test → 5000–10000%
3. Y-Cruncher VST → 30 minutes
4. Play a game for 1 hour (Tarkov/CS2)
5. If crashing → raise:
   • tRCD/tRP → 42
   • or IMC VDD2 → +0.02V

---

If you want, I can create a "MAX PERFORMANCE 7000" preset​

This would be:

• tCL 32
• tRCD/tRP 38
• tRAS 34
• tRFC 480
• tREFI 100000+

But that is only for golden IMC chips and would require 1.50V.

 

[botwere158302e5]

Try holding the + key for tREFI, if it's really maxed out already. Tuning this value gives the most benefit for DDR5. If you were to tweak other settings like CAS Latency etc., then you would also most likely need to increase certain voltages and do lots of stability testing. That's why raising tREFI (Refresh Interval) is the best method for the "easy gains". Not much stability testing required and gives a nice improvement, because the RAM spends less time refreshing itself. Usually this is no problem.

For the screenshots, if you click on the <-> arrows on the bottom left of the sensor window, you can expand the sensors to show almost everything at the same time. From what i can see so far, the fan curves need to be optimized, see my Fan Curves guide. What i assume to be the case fans (on SYS_FAN2, 3, 5), they barely react to the CPU temperature. From 42°C to 85°C they run almost at the same RPM, this makes no sense, they have to ramp up and do some work when it gets hot. Then maybe you have more potential for raising the power limits a bit.

We will come to the undervolting once the rest is set up properly. For sure you can and should undervolt, according to step 2) of my guide, but first let's dial in step 1) more, starting with proper fan curves in the BIOS.

The fan curves was set by a technician i brought my pc to it's like this (how should i set it up like?)

 

[citay]

This is what chatgpt suggested me what do u think?

Questionable, unless you want to get into full-on RAM tweaking and doing tons of RAM stress testing.

For the fan curves, the CPU one is ok, but as I said, check the ones for SYS_FAN 2,3 and 5, those are the ones that are barely reacting.

 

[botwere158302e5]

Questionable, unless you want to get into full-on RAM tweaking and doing tons of RAM stress testing.

For the fan curves, the CPU one is ok, but as I said, check the ones for SYS_FAN 2,3 and 5, those are the ones that are barely reacting.

Here are the sys2,3 and 5 they are all at the same level i assume that's why they're must not be reacting as u said. Where should i set them to?

 

[citay]

First, select PWM mode on the left, and check if they spin up to maximum speed afterwards, or if they react to a PWM signal when you drag the orange ball up and down. If they all only respond in DC mode, but not in PWM mode, then set them back to DC mode.

Then, enable Smart Fan Mode, and set the fan curves for each one to be more like the CPU curve. Except maybe the highest point at 90°C, also not at 100% for the case fans, it would become too loud, try 70% at 90°C or so, adjust the curve accordingly so it's a smooth upward curve (ascending dominant, as shown in the fan curves guide).

 

[botwere158302e5]

So after doing the thing u said " set the fan curves for each one to be more like the CPU curve" then i booted my pc and it was like this did i do something wrong? (they work like 5 seconds after my pc boots up then stops spinning)

 

[botwere158302e5]

When i set it up to PWM it goes to 1000rpms but when i set it to dc first it works at 300 500rpm then dies down why?

 

[citay]

When i set it up to PWM it goes to 1000rpms but when i set it to dc first it works at 300 500rpm then dies down why?

The voltages are too low, the minimum voltage for the lowest point of the curve has to be determined first. That's the "problem" of 3-pin DC-voltage-controlled fans: Below a certain voltage, they cannot spin.

You have some kind of "be quiet! Pure Wings" fans, can you take a sharper photo of the sticker on one fan? But they should all start around 4-5V. I'm only checking if it might be a PWM fan or not.

But you said, you set PWM control first, then moved the orange ball up and down, but they stayed at 1000 RPM? Then you'd have to use voltage control. Just maybe 4.x - 11.x V, not starting at 1.56V. There's almost no 3-pin fan that will already start to spin with that low of a voltage.

 

[botwere158302e5]

The voltages are too low, the minimum voltage for the lowest point of the curve has to be determined first. That's the "problem" of 3-pin DC-voltage-controlled fans: Below a certain voltage, they cannot spin.

You have some kind of "be quiet! Pure Wings" fans, can you take a sharper photo of the sticker on one fan? But they should all start around 4-5V. I'm only checking if it might be a PWM fan or not.

But you said, you set PWM control first, then moved the orange ball up and down, but they stayed at 1000 RPM? Then you'd have to use voltage control. Just maybe 4.x - 11.x V, not starting at 1.56V. There's almost no 3-pin fan that will already start to spin with that low of a voltage.

when i clicked to pwm i couldn't move anything sorry for not mentioning that the rpm was just ramping to 1000rpm. Here is a clearer picture of my fans i have 2 fans in front and 1 in rear currently i set sys2,3 and 5's fan settings to default again

 

[citay]

Ok, yeah, those are legitimate 3-pin fans, so PWM control will not work for them, you have to use DC Voltage control.

Enable Smart Fan Mode again, and simply make the curve "narrower" in the range. Start with around 4.5V at 40°C for example, next point maybe 5.5V at 55°C, then maybe 7.5V at 75°C and 11V at 90°C. Heck, with those fans, you can probably even go to 12V at 90°C, their maximum RPM is not high enough to cause tons of noise at 12V.

 

[botwere158302e5]

So yeah, i did what u said and then i also did cine bench for 10 minutes these are the screenshots during the bench i started clicking the arrows left to right. (long/short duration power limits are set to 170W is it enough should i add more or go lower)

 

[citay]

170W limits is already a stretch, even with the system fans doing more work now. I'm a bit surprised that things haven't improved more. Do you have a picture of the entire system? I want to see where things are positioned inside the case.

 

[botwere158302e5]

170W limits is already a stretch, even with the system fans doing more work now. I'm a bit surprised that things haven't improved more. Do you have a picture of the entire system? I want to see where things are positioned inside the case.

sorry for the dusts in the case been half a year since last time i cleaned it. there you go.

 

[citay]

Ok. I think something about the cabling might not be quite right here. Because upon further examination, even the CPU temperatures in the BIOS are too high for using an AIO. They should be in the low 30°C range, not around 45°C.

Can you check the AIO (all-in-one water cooler), check where the pump's power cable is going to, as well as the two fans on the radiator at the top?

I mean, in the BIOS, we see one thing on CPU_FAN (which could be the two fans on the radiator, via a Y-adapter cable), and then we see the three case fans on SYS_FAN 2,3 and 5. But the pump unit of the water cooler also has a power cable, this is the one that's wrapped around the two tubes going into the radiator. I'd like to know where this one is plugged into. The pump can usually run at a steady 12V, it shouldn't make much noise, so it's possible that it's on a SATA power adapter cable or something, which they bundled with this AIO.

If everything is cabled correctly, maybe it's just the radiator that's full of dust or something. It's not performing catastrophically bad, but definitely worse than expected.

 

[botwere158302e5]

Yeah i see what u mean but everything is plugged in also i wanted to ask could it be because of this liquid they sent me with aio do i need to replace it? what do u think? or is it all dust idk. it's exactly been 2 years and 2 months since i've been using the aio

 

[citay]

Yeah, it's possible that it needs some topping up.

Personally, I'd start with a thorough cleaning of the radiator and the front dust filters of the case. You can do this with an old paintbrush (to loosen the dust more easily) and a vacuum cleaner held to where you're brushing. Alternatively, if you have a can of compressed air or some kind of air blower, take the whole rig outside or onto the balcony and blow the dust out that way.

So where are things connected? Where do the pump and the radiator fan cables go to?