I have been taking it slow since this is my first time overclocking. I have been trying for 4.2 and thought I had it stable at an offset of -.65v which has cpu-z reading the voltage as 1.168v under load. My problem is that while the system seems stable during prime95 and intel burn test, I have been getting random black screens in game. When I set it to stock it stops. Do I need more voltage even though it seems stable in prime95/ibt, or is it another issue? I just want to play it safe since I have seen a few people say that it is better to keep it under 1.2 if you want the cpu to last a few years. (Games are Borderlands 2 max settings and Skyrim on Ultra with some eye candy mods)
If this is your first time overclocking, I would highly recommend not overclocking using offset mode. Offset is a little more tricky than just straight overclocking.
Make sure you've turned Vdroop off and disable all of your power saving functions. You should be able to increase your voltage all the way up to 1.5V as long as temperatures stay below 80C, but I wouldn't recommend going above 1.45V. You should be just fine with 1.45V and under as long as temperatures are ok.
You might also want to look up an overclocking guide for your specific motherboard so you know which settings to disable and enable in order to get the most stable overclock possible.
I assume that you mean Intel Speedstep when you say power saving functions. When you mean turn vdrop off, do you mean the cpu load line calibration? Is fixed ok for 24/7 use if I keep the voltage low? Thanks for the help.