Dolk's Guide to the Phenom II

to OCF!


I'd try setting RAM voltage to stock + 0.05v. If it's "normal" DDR3 that would be 1.55 vDIMM.

You could also try an increase in CPU VDDA voltage from 2.5v to 2.6v. Sometimes that helps with those higher OC's.

Thx quietIce!
I'll try those settings when i get home from work.

After posting my previous msg, I upped the HTT from 2000 mhz to 2200 mhz 200x11 multi and ran P95 blend (not really thinking that would work), but i figured i'd give it a try. I left this morning for work and its been running for 13 hours+. I'm sure when home i'll have BSOD.

I was pretty sure it was the ram or memory controller that needed more volts, but i wanted some other opinions b4 making changes on the ram.

Also, is 1.475 volts @ 4.2 clock too high or is that about right?

Voltage requirements are far from set in stone so I can't really comment on whether 1.475 is too much or too little for that speed. It's all too dependent on a dozen little things and the biggest is simply the differences in the CPU themselves because there's always some variance. It takes what it takes.

eviljab said:

Also, is 1.475 volts @ 4.2 clock too high or is that about right?

Click to expand...

To give you an example, I need 1.575v to reach 4.2GHz on my 1090T.

upping the ht link to 2200 mhz did the trick. 23 hours prime 95 blend with no errors or warnings.

eviljab said:

upping the ht link to 2200 mhz did the trick. 23 hours prime 95 blend with no errors or warnings.

Click to expand...

Usually, keeping the HT Link at or below stock is normal for the X4's but the new ones are clocking so much higher it doesn't surprise me to see some changes in standard practice.

i was on par with you in thinking of ram volts. guess it was sheer dumb luck on my part for changing/test the ht link and it actually working

Asus M4A87TD/USB.
AMD 1090t Phenom II.
Corsair h50 cooler (push pull config x2 Gentle Typhoon 1850rpm fans & 2 shrouds.)
OCZ Vertax 2e SSD 120GB drive.
Zotac Nvidia GTX 480.
Corsair XMS 3 1600mhz 4gb
Corsair TX650 PSU

Hi Dolk, I am at a loss, have read your guide several times & tried every config, to try & reach 4ghz stable.
My main question is, my chip wont reach anywhere near speed unless I am running 1.5v CPU. You guide says 1.475 is the safe limit for 24/7 if I am not mistaken, yet at that voltage I have no chance of getting anywhere near the speed I want.
Other people seem to do this with ease, usually I notice they have a mobo like crosshair IV or similar, does this make a big difference?

I have tried increasing NB/HT voltages & frequencys, which usually leads to unstability & major heat added.
Your guide recommends NB freq 2/3 of CPU freq if I am not mistaken, is how I read it anyway, but mine isnt stable at them speeds or higher volts so stick to 2600 range & 2400 range HT they both dont run in sink.

:

@ eviljab: The HT does not affect the Deneb as much as it affects the Thuban. I find keeping it around 2-2.2ghz keeps the CPU stable. The HT volts do not need to be touched.

@ Lab Rat: Having your temperature in Fahrenheit makes baby kittens cry please change. The question you should ask is what is making the CPU unstable? When it crashes or when the testing program fails, why? Does it BSOD, Black out, or shut itself down?

Dolk said:

The question you should ask is what is making the CPU unstable? When it crashes or when the testing program fails, why? Does it BSOD, Black out, or shut itself down?

Click to expand...

If I raise Multiplier or FSB to around 4ghz, going from 3.97 stable,which I am at now @ 1.50v. One or two more digits FSB, then run a Intel Burn, it will either show up unstable very quick or BSOD.
usually BSOD is always my problem.
Doesnt matter how I do it, in so many different ways ive tried, only way would be raising the voltage even more & your guide says 1.475 is the limit for 24/7 so Im not going to raise it anymore.

3.97 I can play games all day & OCCT @1.5v.

That means its memory. Whats your SPD say for your memory?

Dolk said:

That means its memory. Whats your SPD say for your memory?

Click to expand...

I installed another 4gb today, making it 8gb total.

I don't know why the Memory says it needs to be at CR 2T, but try it at 1T.

before anything i want to thank Dolk for this OP guide.. and i want to apologize for my bad english im from a country in southamerica and learned english playing video games? o,O xD

Dolk with your guide i have managed to get an OC of 25% being a complete noob with OC xD i never did an OC before... its a pitty that i have already reached the heat wall with that OC but here the amb temps are high 34º and 40º humidity... 55º already stressing cpu with prime95 but its ok for 100uss proc eh? xD

my rig is the next:
cpu: phenom ii x2 545 @ b45 3.75ghz (Vcore: 1.44 CPU/NB: 1.25)
cooler: noctua nh-u12p se push pull with cooler master fans
mobo: Asus Rog Crosshair IV formula
ram: 2x2gb corsair xms3 platinum series 1333 9-9-9-24 1.5V
vga: XFX radeon hd 5870 with msi bios (is there a how to for vga OC? =) ?)
psu: Corsair TX750w
storage: maxtor 16mb 7200rpm sataII 160gb + seagate 16mb 7200rpm sata II 500gb
case: Thermaltake Armor+ fulltower

http://valid.canardpc.com/show_oc.php?id=1637551

well i just wanted to say thank you very much for the guide it is really OP and Dolk dude you are the DUDE
thank you dude and keep with the OP work

Why isn't this pinned? Most useful post/thread seen on this board!!!

/iam said:

Why isn't this pinned? Most useful post/thread seen on this board!!!

Click to expand...

It's listed in the single sticky that is pinned. Think of it as a super sticky, containing links to all the other useful threads.

Hi Dolk,
I just wanted to add my thanks for your guide. I've successfully overclocked a Phenom II X4 820 form 2.8GHZ to 3.5 GHZ with your help. I could probably go further, but I'm more interested in a solid long lived system than breaking records.

I've put more info about my efforts in another thread: http://www.overclockers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=667886

Thank you!

-hank

Just wanted to say thank you for all the information in this post.

My first attempt at overclocking

CPU-Z Build:
http://valid.canardpc.com/show_oc.php?id=1639096

AMD Phenon II X6 1090T w/ (Stock AMD CPU fan)
GA-890FXA-UD5 Motherboard BIOS flash is F5
Memory was some junk Hynix memory I had laying around

BIOS settings: (If not stated left at default settings)
MB Intelligent Tweaker Settings
CPU Clock Ratio [x19]
CPU Northbridge Freq: [x11]
Core Performance Boost [Disabled]
CPU Host Clock Control [Manual]
CPU Frequency(Mhz) [200]
HT Link Frequency [x11]
System Voltage Control [Manual]
CPU Voltage Control [+0.050v]

Advanced BIOS Features
AMD C1E Support [Disabled]
AMD K8 Cool&Quiet control [Disabled]
HDD S.M.A.R.T. Capability [Enabled]
Full Screen Logo Show [Disabled]
Init First Display [PEG]

Integrated Peripherals
OnChip SATA Controller [ACHI]
OnChip SATA Port4/5 Type [As SATA Type]
Onboard GSATA /IDE Mode [ACHI]
Onboard ESATA Mode [ACHI]


Ran Prime95 for 5 to 10 minutes, and according to Core Temp 0.99.8 the CPU was hovering around 53-57C so I stopped Prime95 CPU dropped to 30C

Now to investigate better heat dissipation.

Dolk you say is my memory causing my BSOD. I have tried changing the command rate from 2T to 1T & doesnt make much difference. Is there anything else I could try?
Thanks.

Hmm, didn't catch this before. You have 4 sticks instead of 2. This causes a lot more problems when trying to OC the CPU. You are going to have to play around with the CPU-NB and Memory a lot to find a stable setting. I like to work my way down the list. Try something like a 3000 MHz on the CPU-NB and see if that works. Than slowly move down, making sure that your HT stays with your CPU-NB. All your sticks of RAM should be kept at default timings and ratio. You are really pushing a lot on the CPU-NB with 4 sticks at 1600.

Actually.... Make sure that your Board supports 4 sticks at 1600. If I'm not mistaken, most AMD boards can't handle that timing without some major overhaul on the CPU-NB.