Phenom II x4 920

[xxwolfsrainxx]

How do i overclock this processor, Phenom II x4 920.?
Processor: Phenom II x4 920 (stock 2.8ghz)
Motherboard: Foxconn A7GM-S 2.0 AM2+ / AM3 Ready
I go into bios and i go to settings and i try to change the CPU speed but it won't let me push it past 2800 mghz (2.8ghz). Do i need a program to overclock it? Is this because of the motherboard or because of AMD?

 

[OptyTrooper]

How do i overclock this processor, Phenom II x4 920.?
Processor: Phenom II x4 920 (stock 2.8ghz)
Motherboard: Foxconn A7GM-S 2.0 AM2+ / AM3 Ready
I go into bios and i go to settings and i try to change the CPU speed but it won't let me push it past 2800 mghz (2.8ghz). Do i need a program to overclock it? Is this because of the motherboard or because of AMD?

I hate to be a RTFM guy but read the manual for your board thoroughly.

Read this:http://www.digital-daily.com/motherboard/foxconn_a7gm_s/index5.htm

and Dolk's excellent guide here: http://www.overclockers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=596023

If your looking for a ready-mix overclock you'll likely be disappointed.

 

[QuietIce]

to Overclockers.com!

How do i overclock this processor, Phenom II x4 920.?
Processor: Phenom II x4 920 (stock 2.8ghz)
Motherboard: Foxconn A7GM-S 2.0 AM2+ / AM3 Ready
I go into bios and i go to settings and i try to change the CPU speed but it won't let me push it past 2800 mghz (2.8ghz). Do i need a program to overclock it? Is this because of the motherboard or because of AMD?

If you're talking about changing the CPU multiplier you won't be able to do that because the 920 isn't a 'BE' (Black Edition) CPU. You'll need to use the HTRef (reference clock), which some boards label as 'CPU Frequency'. There are plenty of other labels for it but they all have a default of 200 MHz, which is also the lowest value allowed.

To overclock you'll need to increase the HTRef upward from 200. Note that you will be increasing the speed of everything else in the system as well since both the RAM and HT Link get their base speed from the HTRef. I suggest you reduce your RAM speed to one lower than the specification (i.e, DDR2-800 to DDR2-667) but manually set the RAM timings for the higher speed. The HT Link multiplier can be set to 6-7X for now to get it out of the picture. When you're comfortable with the CPU overclock you can come back and increase it.

From there it's just a matter of increasing the HTRef a little, doing a quick check for heat and stability then increasing it again. Prime95 & CoreTemp OR OCCT are good programs to use for measuring load core temp. You'll need to use CoreTemp while Prime95 is running and OCCT has it's own temp reading when active.
OCCT
Prime95
CoreTemp

I'd start with a vCore (CPU voltage) of 1.35 and see how far you can get with that. Try an HTRef of 210 MHz to start then increase by 5 MHz increments and test after each bump. If your load core temp is still under 55°C when you start having problems you can increase to 1.40 vCore. Load core temp is the key here and it'll let you know how far you can push the vCore. Stay at or below 55°C on the load core temp.


Good luck - we'll be looking for updates (or more questions) ...!