i5-6600K Overclock [Increase Your CPU Performance 2024]

Overclocking is the process of extracting the last bit of performance out of the CPU and utilizing it in the best way.

For an 8-year-old CPU, the small changes are massive for the i5-6600K and can give a significant boost to your productivity, gaming, and memory management.

In this article, I’ll show you the most effortless and safest way to overclock the Intel 6th gen Skylake processor and increase the CPU performance.

So, let’s begin.

Can You Overclock Intel i5-6600K?

Yes, you can overclock the Intel i5-6600K processor. The suffix K at the end of the CPU model indicates the processor is unlocked, and you can increase the default multiplier from 35 to 46 to safely overclock the Skylake processor up to 4.6 GHz.

The base clock of the 6th generation Intel i5-6600K is 3.5 GHz, and in the turbo speed, it can go up to 3.9 GHz.

Depending on your system, you can push your processor up to 4.8 GHz. But, in most cases, the performance is unstable and has a huge possibility of burning your CPU.

Therefore, it’s suggested to overclock the CPU to 4.6 GHz for maintaining a stable performance.

Before starting, you must consider having some components and setup to secure the overclocking process.

Here are the required components for overclocking:

• Overclock supported Motherboard.
• Decent cooling system.
• Power Supply Unit (PSU).

If you don’t have a proper idea about the overclocking requirements, consider reading the passage below.

Motherboard

To overclock an Intel processor, you must have an overclock-supported motherboard. There are lots of motherboards in the market which are suitable for the Intel i5-6600K processor. But, not each of them is capable of overclocking your Skylake CPU.

For overclocking the Intel K series processor, you need to use a Z series motherboard. Also, you need to ensure the support of the Z170 chipset in the motherboard.

There are many Z170 chipset-supported motherboards and Gigabyte Z170, MSI Z170a, and Asus Z170i Pro Gaming are popular among them.

Also, it’s better to use the updated BIOS version for ensuring the latest compatibility.

Cooling System

With the increased performance of overclocking processors, the CPU temperature also rises significantly compared to the stable state.

Also, it’s mandatory to use a good cooling system with an overclocked CPU. The liquid cooler is more suitable for the overclocking processor than the air cooler.

A 240 mm AIO liquid cooler is good for your Intel i5-6600K processor. But depending on geographical location, you can use a 360 mm AIO liquid cooler to keep the CPU temperature in control.

Additionally, you can change the fan speed to increase the cooling system of your computer.

Power Supply Unit

The max TDP of Intel i5-6600K is 91W. Additionally, other PC components will require power to give a backup to your computer.

You need to calculate all the required power for your computer and use a PSU that can handle it to supply the necessary power.

After ensuring all the component availability, you can start to overclock your Intel i5-6600K by following the procedures from the passage below.

How to Overclock Intel i5-6600K

By changing the default multiplier from 35 to 46, you can overclock the 6th generation Intel i5-6600K processor. Also, you can keep the core voltage to Auto to keep the performance stable or increase it to achieve even more performance from the 4.6 GHz.

The most stable performance you can get from the 14 mm Skylake is at 4.5 to 4.6 GHz. You can go beyond the limit, but they are very unstable and don’t provide good performance in the long run.

Here, we will overclock the Intel Skylake processor up to 4.6 GHz by keeping the processor safe and stable. To accomplish the process, we are using the following config:

Overclocking can reduce the lifespan of a processor and hamper your PC components. If you want to continue doing the overclock, read the procedures below carefully.

Follow the steps below to overclock the Intel i5-6600K processor:

• Restart your PC.
• Press Del to enter the BIOS.
• Click on F7 to enter the Advanced Mode.
• Navigate to the Ai Tweaker tab.
• Press the drop-down menu from CPU Core Ratio and choose Sync All Cores.
• Click on the 1-Core Ratio Limit and type 46.
• Press on Exit.
• Select Save Changes & Reset.
• Click on OK.

The above process will overclock your Intel i5-6600K processor to 4.6 GHz. You should keep the CPU Core/Cache Voltage Auto to maintain stable power management.

The value in the core ratio value is multiplied by 100 and sets the new core frequency. For example, the value 46 will multiply by 100 MHz and set your frequency to 4600 MHz or 4.6 GHz.

After the process, you need to check the overclocking state and do a stress test using the Prime95 or AIDA64. It will show you the performance of your overclocked processor and how it works in the long run.

Though it’s not recommended, however, if you want to push your CPU further, you can change the CPU core voltage and increase the CPU frequency.

You can navigate to the BIOS, select Manual from the CPU Core/Cache Voltage, and increase the value by 0.1 to increase the CPU performance.

Once you’ve overclocked the processor, read the following passage to check the benchmark score of the Intel i5-6600K OC version.

Intel i5-6600K Overclocked Benchmark

Overclocking the Intel i5-6600K processor provides a significant boost in the synthetic and gaming benchmark. It can give up to a 25% performance increase in the Cinebench score and give an 8.5% performance gain in most games at maximum setting.

We’ve tested the Intel 6th gen Skylake processor with the Cinebench R15 in both stock and overclocked condition.

The synthetic benchmark showed a massive boost after overclocking the 4-core Intel i5-6600K CPU. It scored 751 with the OC, which is 141 more than the stock version.

However, the real-life benchmark is a lot different from the synthetic scoring. We’ve tested the OC version and compared it with the stock i5-6600K in different games.

To test the games, we’ve used the GTX 1070 8 GB and run all games in ultra settings and provided the results below.

In all games, the overclocked i5-6600K performed better than the stock variant. After testing various games, we’ve got up to a 9% performance increase in the OC version.

On a side note, you should know that overclocking the CPU might cause damage or introduce some technical issues such as artifacting or stuttering.

Frequently Asked Questions

How far can I overclock an i5 6600K?

You can overclock the Intel i5-6600K up to 4.8 GHz. But 4.6 GHz is the limit to safely overclock the Skylake processor.

Can I overclock Intel i5-6600K?

Yes, you can overclock the Intel i5-6600K processor. All the Intel K series processor is overclockable.

Is overclocking unhealthy?

Yes, overclocking can damage your CPU, decrease the processor lifespan, and sometimes harm your motherboard and ram.

Conclusions

The 6th gen Intel i5-6600K is quite old compared to the current generation processor. But, with the overclocking process, you can decrease the generational gap and can increase CPU compatibility.

This article has provided the easiest and safest way to overclock your Intel i5-6600K processor and give your PC a performance boost.

If you find this article helpful, don’t forget to comment in the comment box below.

Cheers!