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Overclocking Athlon II x250 with Asus M5A78L-M LX

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-Ash-

-Ash-

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Joined
Sep 2, 2012
I have the AMD Athlon II x250 3GHz Dual Core Regor CPU. I can only overclock it by using the "Overclocking Profile" at 10%...whenever I try manual settings the overclock fails.

Specs:
400w PSU
Asus M5A78L-M LX Motherboard
8GB DDR3 RAM (2 4GB Sticks)
AMD Athlon II x250 3Ghz Dual Core CPU
Arctic Cooling Heatsink
HIS HD 6450 1GB DDR3 Graphics [OC to 550 Memory 650 Core]
500GB HDD
Standard DVD ROM Drive
1440x990 resolution monitor
Wireless N Wi-Fi Card



Here are my overclocking settings:


hyGDA.jpg



and



yGBT2.jpg
 
First of all, don't use the Auto Overclock Profile percentage tool. Use the manual overclocking tools. The Overclock Profile percentage tool doesn't manipulate enough variables to give both a significant and stable overclock. Is there a "Manual" setting for the "Overclock Options"?

Exactly which Arctic Cooling CPU cooler do you have. That company makes many models.
 
In the "Overclock Options" tool can you choose "Manual" instead of a percentage?

Not a great CPU cooler. That will limit you. Otherwise, that CPU is a good overclocker.
 
Yes I can choose manual on all of those settings, it then brings up the CPU/NB Frequency thingy which is at default 200, i try and bump it up to 220, 230, 240 etc. but I get overclocking failed.
 
Okay, good. The reason it fails is that when you overclock with the CPU frequency it causes other frequencies to speed up at the same time. The CPU frequency (aka, "Front Side Bus" or just FSB and "HT Reference") is the master frequency of the system. Other frequencies are tuned to it, namely: The memory frequency, the HT Link frequency and the CPUNB frequency. When any of these other frequencies get too high they cause the system to be unstable. Therefore, you need to adjust them downwardly as you increase the CPU frequency. They would all need to be put on manual to do that. The CPU voltage would also need some increase to maintain stability.

Okay, here's what I'd like you to do. Download and install these three helper programs:

CPU-z

HWMonitor

Prime95
 
trents said:
Okay, good. The reason it fails is that when you overclock with the CPU frequency it causes other frequencies to speed up at the same time. The CPU frequency (aka, "Front Side Bus" or just FSB and "HT Reference") is the master frequency of the system. Other frequencies are tuned to it, namely: The memory frequency, the HT Link frequency and the CPUNB frequency. When any of these other frequencies get too high they cause the system to be unstable. Therefore, you need to adjust them downwardly as you increase the CPU frequency. They would all need to be put on manual to do that. The CPU voltage would also need some increase to maintain stability.

Okay, here's what I'd like you to do. Download and install these three helper programs:

CPU-z

HWMonitor

Prime95
Click to expand...


Okay i've installed all of them; here's the current HWMonitor screencap:

3xIaz.png
 
These are the important temps to keep a watch on. The core temp is the most critical but one of the TMPINx lines is also important as it is the motherboard socket temp. Which one it is I'm guessing but looks like it could be TMPIN1 as it's readings are equivalent to the core temps at idle at least.

With all your frequencies and voltages at stock, what I'd like you to do now is to run the Prime95 blend test for 20 minutes with HWMonitor open on the desktop. At the end of that time, post back with a pic of HWMonitor so we can see what max temps were under full load. This will give us an idea if you have any overclocking headroom from a temperature standpoint.
 
According to Core Temp, TMPIN1 is the CPU temperature. OK I'm running Prime95 now. Should i be scared? lol

I just pressed Blend Test, thats correct right? It says Test 1, Lucas-Lehmer iterations of M19922942 using FFT Length 1024K
 
If your core temp exceeds 65c, stop the test. If the CPU socket temp exceeds 70c, stop the test.
 
Looks like TMPIN0 is actually your CPU socket temp line. The program CoreTemp uses "CPU Temp" to mean core temp, which is uncommon.

It is also apparent you really don't have much if any temperature room to overclock at this point. We know from experience that overclocked AMD CPUs typically become unstable once core temps exceed mid-50s c.

Are you in a position to upgrade your CPU cooler at this point?
 
Yes, I'm happy to upgrade my CPU Cooler along with my PSU :)
 
Before purchasing a cooler you need to assess the amount of clearance you have to the side panel of the case. There are some very good coolers available for around $35 US but they are tall and need a case wider than 7.5" across the top measured from the outside edge to the outside edge. Are you in the US?

While we are at it, please create a "Sig" with a summary of your system components. This is common forum courtesy as the Sig travels at the bottom of every post you make and gives those helping you a quick overview of what you are working with. You can refer to mine if you wish as an example of what stuff we like to see there. You have a star under your user name so you should have access to the Sig feature: Click on Quick Links at the top of the page and then click on Edit Signature.
 
I've added my specs to my signature. I'll measure my case at a later date.

By the way, that stress test was done while it was OC'd to 3.3GHz (10% Overclocking Profile)
 
What is the speed of your DDR3 ram, 1600, 1333? Make and model of ram or is it kind of generic? If you could run CPU-z and post pics of tabs: "CPU", "Memory" and "SPD" it would be helpful.

Your case is 185mm wide or about 7.25". You would need to focus your attention on tower style CPU coolers that are based on 92mm fans. Looks like you are in the UK so I'm not sure what venders and what products are available to you. It's different from one part of the world to the other.
 
trents said:
What is the speed of your DDR3 ram, 1600, 1333? Make and model of ram or is it kind of generic? If you could run CPU-z and post pics of tabs: "CPU", "Memory" and "SPD" it would be helpful.

Your case is 185mm wide or about 7.25". You would need to focus your attention on tower style CPU coolers that are based on 92mm fans. Looks like you are in the UK so I'm not sure what venders and what products are available to you. It's different from one part of the world to the other.
Click to expand...

This is my RAM: http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B003OSUU6Y/ref=oh_details_o01_s00_i00

Vendors I usually buy from are (in order of preference):

Amazon.co.uk
eBuyer
Maplin
Overclockers.co.uk
eBay
 
Do you have any fans mounted on the case itself for ventilation? If so, where and how big?
 
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