[jimbo1qaz]

I'm running a i5 3570k on a h70 core cooler with cheap fans.
I used the ET6 that came with my Gigabyte Z77X-something motherboard software, the 1 boost that increased the CPU clock to 4.08 ghz, the voltage to 1.2 volts, and the base clock to 102 mhz.
Is the voltage too high? I'm new to OCing, and I just want better performance. After some light research, I heard that I don't need 1.2 volts and that it's not good for the CPU.
Is this really bad for my CPU? How do I overclock it manually?

 

[Forceman]

I would not use the Auto overclocking feature, but instead just overclock straight in the BIOS. Reset ET6, go into the BIOS and reload the optimized defaults, and then change the Turbo Multipliers (or CPU Ratio, whichever you prefer - they do the same thing on Gigabyte boards) to the speed you want. 40~42 should be no problem with everything else on Auto, if you go above that you may need to tweak some other settings.

 

[jimbo1qaz]

When I change the multiplier from Auto to 4, it stays at 4 forever and never underclocks to 1.6. I need the power when playing Dolphin emulated games, but I don't want to waste power during idle. How do I get it to OC up to 4 if neccesary?
How should I configure the turbo boost?

 

[Forceman]

Make sure you have EIST and C1E enabled in the BIOS, and that you have Balanced set for the Windows Power Plan. My guess is it's the power plan setting.

 

[jimbo1qaz]

Oh it was the EIST. But does C1E matter?
I already had the power plan set to Balanced, it worked until I overclocked it, then the dumb BIOS disabled EIST, so it broke. But turn it to always-on fixed it!
What does C1E do though? I don't have it on and nothing seems to be different. Is it a less visible difference? Is it important?
Am I asking too many questions? (how ironic...)

EDIT: Do I need to explicitly enable C3/C6, CPU thermal monitor, etc.?

 

[Forceman]

C1E controls the voltage in conjunction with EIST, I believe. It is best to enable them both. It is also best to enable (manually enable, not auto) C3 and C6 unless you run into trouble with crashes when they are enabled.