Maximum PC

So I've never built a computer before and I'm going to really soon. It's a fairly decent computer, with a 2600K, a Maximus IV Extreme, an H70, and a GTX 580, so I really don't want to screw everything up by overclocking the CPU beyond its capabilities. What I'm asking is how far will an Intel Core i7-2600K on an ASUS Maximus IV Extreme board cooled by a Corsair H70 go? I've heard of people who pushed it all the way to 5.2GHz without breaking a sweat, but I'm not sure if it's true. Could someone please tell me what the best balance between safeness and speed is?

Thanks!
David

Overclocking is never an exact science. Two systems with identical hardware may vary considerably in their potential to reach high speeds. You've chosen quality hardware for your build. I myself run a Corsair H50 in a mini-itx rig. With an i7 860S OC'ed to 3.8Ghz I hit high 60's, so for a closed loop liquid cooler they're not bad. The general rule of thumb when overclocking is to start modestly, monitor temps and stability, and increase gradually. If the system should at some point become unstable, adjust the memory divisor to lower the RAM speed, or if the BIOS supports it, run the RAM unlinked from the BCLOCK altogether. If the CPU is still running cool when you reach instability you can always opt to bump the voltage a bit. Grab yourself a free tool like HWMonitor to record temps and push the system as long as you are comfortable with the results. Sooner or later you'll find the happy medium between performance, stability, and temp.

Doesn't the Maximus IV Extreme have UEFI instead of BIOS? Would that have a memory unlinking option too?