How to overclock?

looking at the title im sure u can see that i am very new to this...

i just built a machine and i would like to overclock the cpu and gpu and hopeful unlock the other two cores of my dual core processor.

Im looking for very general info so i hope this is the right sub forum.

basically ive been messing with the BIOS and after changing some settings and turning things on and off and stuff i was able to get my cpu that originally read as a 3.66ghz dual core to come up as 3.34 ghz quad core. but then after switching everything back to what i believe was default its only coming up as a 3.2 dual core now. Ive got a closed loop liquid cooling system and im running cold right now so i figure i should be able to get a nice boost.

I read this somewhere and it summarizes what im looking to be able to do.
ran it stable @3.7oc under Prime95 torture test, with only a small upgraded cooler ran @48c under load with occasional spikes to 51-52 but then fan kicked up a notch and cooled back down. The 4th core became unstable higher than 3.7, but I know i could lock it back up and run with the original 2 cores or maybe the 3d unlocked at over 4.0.

basically i need some instructions on the whole process in general, what steps i should be taking or at least someone to point me in the right direction as i have not really been able to find step by step instructions on how to get into all this.
I also seem to be missing something with prime95.. it doesnt look like its doing anything

Ive got a MSI 880GM-E43 AM3 AMD 880G HDMI Micro ATX AMD Motherboard, which means AMD chip.. but i posted this under general cpu instead of AMD because im not so much looking for help with my board specifically as i am looking for info about the general process.

ok im still tinkering and i found out that the 3.66 i reached was on an overclock... the processor is a stock 3.2 dual core

i see now that unlock cpu cores is just an on off switch in the bios but that it doesnt do anything until u enable advanced clock calibration. i see that i can calibrate each core separately but ive only got a range of -12% to 0% to +12% and im not really sure how to use that.. they are all preset at -2% and i assume i can run each core at diff speeds safely..? what about CPU FSB freq/CPU ratio/CPU-NB ratio, what should those look like?

can i do irreversible damage by playing with these settings?
how do i test stability? i cant seem to get prime95 to do anything. whats a good program for monitoring temps during stress and stability tests?

i also have 2 other options, the first is OC Genie Lite which i can enable (brought me from quad core 3.2 to quad core 3.63) disable or "with igpu" which only says that it will auto set the gqu freq to 660, so i dont really know what thats all about..
the next is Multistep OC booster.. it has disable/mode1/mode2
mode1 says low freq thru the OS initialization (90%) and mode2 say medium freq thru the OS initialization (80%)
have no idea what to do with those...
but i just tried them both and mode1 dropped my cpu speed a bit and mode2 dropped it alot

How long are you running prime95 for? From what you say it sounds like not long enough if it doesn't seem to be doing anything; the tests just take a while to run. I'd recommend running it for at least 20 minutes on the "Blend" test (or small FFT's, some people recommend that as well), though I personally use Blend; ideally run it for 1 hour or more though if you have the time to, maybe run it overnight when you're sleeping and not going to be using your PC.

For temperature monitoring I would personally recommend (in order of my preference) HWMonitor, Core Temp, or SpeedFan, because they're all fairly good programs. I just like the interface on HWMonitor a little better, that and it tracks things like lowest and highest temperature and voltage.

It's hard to say what CPU FSB freq or CPU ratio or CPU-NB ratio should look like without you posting your exact CPU model number or part number.

I don't think you could actually run individual cores at different speeds, I think it's more an all or nothing kind of thing (or on/off); can't really think of why one would want to run them at different speeds anyway though, that just seems like it would get confusing and could possibly cause the CPU to wear out more quickly (as opposed to running at the same speed) with different cores accessing resources at different speeds-though that's just a theory and I could be wrong.

I don't believe you could damage your CPU with the specific settings you mention (unless say your processor overheated and fried, but your temps sound decent so I don't see that happening). Mainly irreversible damage would only happen if A. you used WAY TOO MUCH voltage and fried the chip that way, or B. overheated for an extended period of time, there may be other ways to cause irreversible damage though.

My main tips are to take it slow, and if possible start out on a CPU and/or other hardware you're prepared to replace when you're first learning how to do it, or just with hardware you're not as afraid to damage, in case something should go wrong.

Anyone else, feel free to chime in if you feel like it.

ok so very generally speaking what are safe operational temperature ranges for idle/load?
If prime95 is running a blend test is that considered to be 'under full load'?
how many threads/workers do i want running?
Advanced clock calibration has a range of -12% to +12% that i can choose from... what does that do?
when i turn on 'OC Genie Lite' it overclocks to 3.68 but the 'CPU voltage' goes from auto to 1.435 and its red which is listed as 'not recommended'
finally i have a physical 'overclock FSB' switch allowing me to increase processor freq speed by 10 15 or 20%... whats that for?

DrJosephBell said:

ok so very generally speaking what are safe operational temperature ranges for idle/load?
If prime95 is running a blend test is that considered to be 'under full load'?
how many threads/workers do i want running?
Advanced clock calibration has a range of -12% to +12% that i can choose from... what does that do?
when i turn on 'OC Genie Lite' it overclocks to 3.68 but the 'CPU voltage' goes from auto to 1.435 and its red which is listed as 'not recommended'
finally i have a physical 'overclock FSB' switch allowing me to increase processor freq speed by 10 15 or 20%... whats that for?

Click to expand...

An exact model number would be very helpful, as I've already said. So, what do you have, an Athlon II or a Phenom II?

Generally for most AMD CPU's you want to look for idle temps in the high 20's to mid 30's in degrees Celsius, and you want to try to stay below 55°C (ideally at load you should be around 47-52°C max at full load).

Yes, prime95 blend test would be considered full load. Ideally you want all threads/all workers running the test so that you can fully test your processor and your system's stability.

Assuming you're using an Athlon II or Phenom II processor it does little to nothing from what I've read, apart from helping you to unlock cores. I'd just leave it at either Auto or 0 if I were you. It used to be used for helping to get a more stable overclock (back in the Phenom I days).

I wouldn't use that software overclocking if I were you, they tend to over-volt the CPU with more voltage than necessary, as you seem to be describing. Overclock through your Bios if your board supports it, you can fine-tune your voltages and FSB (Front Side Bus) speed, and Northbridge frequency, (for those more in the know, did I miss anything?) more so there than you can with a program such as the one you describe.

"Overclock FSB" does exactly as it says, it overclocks your Front Side Bus by whatever percentage you so choose, thus raising your CPU's operating frequency (as well as your NB frequency (aka HT Link speed), and RAM speed).

Hey there, if you want to get a good handle on what you're doing you should check out Dolk's guide to the Phenom II found here http://www.overclockers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=596023

This is the guide in the AMD section most of us swear by and covers the Phenom II/athlon II line and the Thubans.

AMD makes a few chips so temperature and OCing capability is dependent on the processor family. Without more info I'd say the "safest" operation temp and condition is at stock settings. But that's not why you're posting here is it. Unfortunately we are not good mind readers.

ok thanks everyone

I have an AMD Phenom II X2 555 Black Edition Callisto 3.2GHz Socket AM3 80W Dual-Core on an MSI 880GM-E43 AM3 AMD 880G HDMI Micro ATX AMD Motherboard

Tech Tweaker
OC genie lite is an option in my BIOS menu... everythign i have described so far is all off a page of my BIOS menu.. but i cant find anything else in there relating to this stuff.. Overclock through your Bios if your board supports it, you can fine-tune your voltages and FSB (Front Side Bus) speed, and Northbridge frequency, (for those more in the know, did I miss anything?) more so there than you can with a program such as the one you describe.... i dont see it

so for the FSB switch... should i kick it up to 10% and test it or what? what should i even be looking for, i dont really understand what it does

Alright prime95 has been running a 2 thread blend test for about 14 hours and it doesnt say anything bad... it put up a similar message every minute... is there an end or is just gunna run till i say stop.. how will i know if there is a problem?

according to HWmonitor my cpu has not gone above 33*C in the 14 hours of testing (that ive seen anyway.. is there a way to display/record high and lows?) so what is my next step?

Sigs are pretty easy.

Be logged in to the forum.

Across the top of the forum is a button shown as 'user cp'. Click that button.

On the page that loads are a list of options down the left side of the page.

Under the Settings & Options menu area is a Edit Signature listing. Click on that listing.

Clicking Edit Signature opens another page. In the middle of that page is where you Edit YOUR signature.

Enter your information there and at bottom of the window you are entering your signature is button for either Preview Signature or Save Signature. Do save and you will have your signature incorporated into the forum in each of your posts. Of course Preview Signature will let you see 'how' your signature would appear in the forum. But in the end the Save Signature must be clicked to save it to the forum.

You can look at my signature for a template of some good stuffz to put in one's own signature when seeking help.

Good luck man.

done, thanks

DrJosephBell said:

ok thanks everyone

I have an AMD Phenom II X2 555 Black Edition Callisto 3.2GHz Socket AM3 80W Dual-Core on an MSI 880GM-E43 AM3 AMD 880G HDMI Micro ATX AMD Motherboard

Tech Tweaker
OC genie lite is an option in my BIOS menu... everything i have described so far is all off a page of my BIOS menu.. but i cant find anything else in there relating to this stuff.. Overclock through your Bios if your board supports it, you can fine-tune your voltages and FSB (Front Side Bus) speed, and Northbridge frequency, (for those more in the know, did I miss anything?) more so there than you can with a program such as the one you describe.... i dont see it

so for the FSB switch... should i kick it up to 10% and test it or what? what should i even be looking for, i dont really understand what it does

Alright prime95 has been running a 2 thread blend test for about 14 hours and it doesnt say anything bad... it put up a similar message every minute... is there an end or is just gunna run till i say stop.. how will i know if there is a problem?

according to HWmonitor my cpu has not gone above 33*C in the 14 hours of testing (that ive seen anyway.. is there a way to display/record high and lows?) so what is my next step?

Click to expand...

Oh, okay, I thought you were talking about a program from within the OS.

The menu you should be looking for in your bios looks like this:


If you're going to overclock, I'd recommend you do it from there, as you'll have greater control over your speeds and voltages.

Only reaching a max of 33°C seems unlikely. CPUID's HWMonitor should record and display your highs and lows by default. What kind of cooling are you using?

im using a corsair closed loop water cooler.
That is almost exactly the screen im looking at except replace 'auto overclock tech' with 'OC genie lite'.. the issue is that i cant alter/dunno what to alter on this screen..

Now i ran prime95 for about 2 hours 4 times in a row with the other 2 cores unlocked at 3.2ghz (so still not OCed) and there is clearly something wrong with the way this monitoring software is operating on my machine.. in all 4 tests the temp did not change from idle to full load so already there is a problem. the first was 17*C then 0*C then 18* and 19*... obviously there is something wrong here, the part that is confusing me tho is that HWmonitor, speedfan, and speccy are all recording the same temp at the same time.. wth is going on?

DrJosephBell said:

im using a corsair closed loop water cooler.
That is almost exactly the screen im looking at except replace 'auto overclock tech' with 'OC genie lite'.. the issue is that i cant alter/dunno what to alter on this screen..

Now i ran prime95 for about 2 hours 4 times in a row with the other 2 cores unlocked at 3.2ghz (so still not OCed) and there is clearly something wrong with the way this monitoring software is operating on my machine.. in all 4 tests the temp did not change from idle to full load so already there is a problem. the first was 17*C then 0*C then 18* and 19*... obviously there is something wrong here, the part that is confusing me tho is that HWmonitor, speedfan, and speccy are all recording the same temp at the same time.. wth is going on?

Click to expand...

That is because when you unlock hidden cores through enabling ACC it disables the temperature monitoring features, so, yeah, if you unlock hidden cores don't expect to be able to monitor their temps.

ok, so how do i overclock it and then how can i know whether its operating at a safe temp?

DrJosephBell said:

ok, so how do i overclock it and then how can i know whether its operating at a safe temp?

Click to expand...

You increase your overclock by raising your Front Side Bus (FSB) where it says "Adjust CPU FSB Frequency," or with this being a Black Edition processor you would first try overclocking it via raising it's multiplier (since it is unlocked) under the area where it says "Adjust CPU ratio" and then increasing your CPU voltage under "CPU Voltage (V)". I would err on the side of caution with increasing your CPU Voltage though, since assuming this is your main PC you don't want to burn up your CPU, and I personally wouldn't go much over 1.45V with that CPU.

For stability sake you also want to try to keep your Northbridge (aka HT Link Speed) and DRAM/RAM frequencies at or below their rated specifications, as this will give you more headroom for your overclock and will limit the number of variables that could cause instabilities in your system later.

Also, read Dolk's Guide to the Phenom II.

As for temps, there's no reliable way to monitor them with ACC enabled and extra cores unlocked. If you want to monitor your temps you'll have to run your system without unlocking the other cores.

I believe there are some other guides I have in my bookmarks/favorites at home, if I remember I'll try to link some of those when I get home.

so then how do the people who have unlocked cores know whether or not there systems are running at safe temps? is there a formula or something for the extra cores? if it runs at X* with 2 cores you can expect an X% increase in temp with the addition cores.. something like that?

Overclocking, for some, seems too good to be true, but it is very possible (and sometimes fun) to do. However, overclocking can have its consequences. When done improperly, damage may result in your system, and in the worst case, a complete system failure. This guide will focus completely on PCs, though it is possible to do on Macs as well. Also, if you have absolutely no idea of the overclocking fundamentals, it is suggested that you read this first (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overclocking)
related thread at:
http://www.techyv.com/questions/cpu-processor-and-memory-overclocking-0