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Help OC Phenom II X4 945

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wanner

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Jul 28, 2010
I want to try to OC my Phenom II X4 945

I read Dolks guide (excellent) but im still in need of some help.

This is my first time OC:ing so please excuse my lack of knowledge on the subject.

Hardware
Gigabyte 890gpa-ud3h
Phenom II X4 [email protected] (95W)
Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro Rev 2
Corsair 4GB (KIT) 1600MHz XMS3 (7-8-7-20)

Since the multipliers are locked i need to OC using the FSB (as you are probably aware of).

My first try was to raise the FSB from 200 to 220 (voltage untouched) resulting in:
Core Speed: 15*220 = 3300MHz
HyperTransport Link Speed: 10*220 = 2200MHz
NB Speed: 10*220 = 2200MHz
Memory Frequency: 733.70MHz (which i guess results in 1467.4 MHz)?
Memory Timings: 9-9-9-24-34-1T

The computer seems stable at these settings with a CPU idle temp of 31-32°C
I ran Prime 95 and the CPU temp never went above 54°C. This seems fine since the 945 (95W) has a max temp of 71°C (http://products.amd.com/en-na/DesktopCPUDetail.aspx?id=619).

However I have some questions:

#1: Should i lower the multipliers of the HT Link and NB in order to get as close as possible to 2000MHz again? Or is it fine as long as the system is stable.

#2: I am confused about the memory timings, according to CPU-Z the Timings Table look like this

xnraiq.png.jpg

Should i continue using timings 9-9-9-24-34-1T or should i go for 7-8-7-20-41-2T?
I am not sure why it says Max Bandwidth: 667 MHz. I am concerned that since the memories are considered to be compatible with Intel and not AMD ill run into problems.
 
Last edited:
are those temps from core temp? because if they are even though the chip has a max temp of 71 getting it stable past 55 is rough.

if you do have it stable at that speed though, you could trying to tighten up the timings a bit on the ram and see how it goes.
 
Khan said:
are those temps from core temp? because if they are even though the chip has a max temp of 71 getting it stable past 55 is rough.

if you do have it stable at that speed though, you could trying to tighten up the timings a bit on the ram and see how it goes.
Click to expand...

Yes, its the core temps (reported by HWMonitor). Is it too high?
Also, im wondering if I should increase the voltage on the ram some. Right now its running at auto which is set to 1.5. Havent had any stability issues yet though. Been running various benchmarking tools all evening.
 
Set the ram voltage to 1.65, and if you have Extreme Memory Profile try setting that to auto and saving the settings.
 
I don't know exactly what "Extreme Memory Profile" is but generally, when you are overclocking it pays not to blindly trust "Auto" settings to give you a stable setting or even a reliable default value. Always check it out after you set something to auto to see if it did what you were expecting it to.

As to your other questions, you want to keep NB frequency between 2000-2400 (maybe 2500 on some systems) and HT Link at 2000 or slightly below.

When you post CPU-z pics the three important screen shots are those of tabs: "CPU", "Memory" and "SPD".

Core temps, not CPU temps are the critical ones. You want to keep core temps at a max of about 55C. CPU temp will usually run somewhat higher than core temp. In HWMonitor, CPU temp will be one of the lines labeled "TMP1Nx" if you are curious. The one that rises the quickest when you run Prime95 will be the CPU temp. CPU temp is helpful mostly in cases where the core temp sensors are obviously not functioning correctly (like when cores are unlocked) or when the motherboard has a throttle down setting controlled by CPU temp. To save time and get a ballpark estimate of what max temps will be, do trial runs of 10 minutes with Prime95. That will give you temps within about 2C of max for a longer run.

It is usually helpful to give the ram one small bump (over stock) on voltage when you are overclocking (more that one small bump if you begin to exceed the ram's rated speed) and the CPUNB about two bumps (on that CPU about 1.2v will be about right).

Your are doing well so far. You should be able to get that AII XII 945 to 3.6 anyway but if your core temps are already hitting 54C you may need better cooling to do so. That rated max of 71C is probably not a core temp but a CPU temp.

Please put the system specs you included with your first post in your "sig" for ready reference as the string gets longer.
 
Last edited:
54 in hw monitor is fine, but I wouldn't go higher on voltage without better cooling at that temp.

as for the ram, 1.65v is what most corsair 1600 ram runs at to keep it stable at 1600, AMD does not have an XMP profile, its called BMP and its non existant lol, have to set it all manually.

oh, and if you want to tighten up the timings to get the cas 7 and new to what you need to change, look at that memory tab again and write down the abbreviations (cas, trp, and such) and change them in the bios
that way you don't have to second guess youself.
 
trents said:
I don't know exactly what "Extreme Memory Profile" is but generally, when you are overclocking it pays not to blindly trust "Auto" settings to give you a stable setting or even a reliable default value. Always check it out after you set something to auto to see if it did what you were expecting it to.

As to your other questions, you want to keep NB frequency between 2000-2400 (maybe 2500 on some systems) and HT Link at 2000 or slightly below.

When you post CPU-z pics the three important screen shots are those of tabs: "CPU", "Memory" and "SPD".

Core temps, not CPU temps are the critical ones. You want to keep core temps at a max of about 55C. CPU temp will usually run somewhat higher than core temp. In HWMonitor, CPU temp will be one of the lines labeled "TMP1Nx" if you are curious. The one that rises the quickest when you run Prime95 will be the CPU temp. CPU temp is helpful mostly in cases where the core temp sensors are obviously not functioning correctly (like when cores are unlocked) or when the motherboard has a throttle down setting controlled by CPU temp. To save time and get a ballpark estimate of what max temps will be, do trial runs of 10 minutes with Prime95. That will give you temps within about 2C of max for a longer run.

It is usually helpful to give the ram one small bump (over stock) on voltage when you are overclocking (more that one small bump if you begin to exceed the ram's rated speed) and the CPUNB about two bumps (on that CPU about 1.2v will be about right).

Your are doing well so far. You should be able to get that AII XII 945 to 3.6 anyway but if your core temps are already hitting 54C you may need better cooling to do so. That rated max of 71C is probably not a core temp but a CPU temp.

Please put the system specs you included with your first post in your "sig" for ready reference as the string gets longer.
Click to expand...

I dont know what extreme memory profiles is but i havent seen it anywhere :).

I increased the FSB to 222MHz giving me 3330MHz core speed, lowered the HT Link multiplier to x9 resulting in a speed for 1998MHz and kept the NB Multiplier at x10 resulting in 2220MHz. Tried running Prime95, after 10 min it looked like this: nycvnn.png.jpg

How much do you think i can increase the FSB without touching the CPU voltage?

Khan said:
54 in hw monitor is fine, but I wouldn't go higher on voltage without better cooling at that temp.

as for the ram, 1.65v is what most corsair 1600 ram runs at to keep it stable at 1600, AMD does not have an XMP profile, its called BMP and its non existant lol, have to set it all manually.

oh, and if you want to tighten up the timings to get the cas 7 and new to what you need to change, look at that memory tab again and write down the abbreviations (cas, trp, and such) and change them in the bios
that way you don't have to second guess youself.
Click to expand...

I just bought the Freezer Pro 7 rev 2 (didnt think i wanted to OC when i bought it), unless im able to return it (which i doubt i will be able to since the product is used and the stock thermal paste is removed etc) im not very keen on buying a new cooler just yet :(. However i have ordered 2 more case fans (giving me 4 instead of 2) which should improve the air flow in the case.

The memories are indeed rated at 1600MHz and 1.65v. But at the moment my rams are running at 740MHz (1480MHz) which is somewhat in between 1333Mhz and 1600MHz so im not sure which SPD table to look at when deciding the timings? From what i understand the timings are different if you are running 1333MHz or 1600MHz?

What program should i run to test if the ram is stable after overclock? I see that the Blend mode in Prime95 says "lots of RAM tested", is that enough or should i use something else? Also, should i increase the voltage to 1.65 even though the ram is not running at 1600MHz but somewhere in between 1333MHz and 1600MHz?
 
Last edited:
Looks good so far.
You may get quite a bit of HTref (FSB translated to AMDspeak) before needing more voltage, it's hard to say. Some cpus fall on their face at 205, others will do 240.

If you're using the stock cooler you'll probably need to upgrade before raising the vcore, AMD cpus tend to get unstable somewhere between 55 and 60.
 
Bobnova said:
Looks good so far.
You may get quite a bit of HTref (FSB translated to AMDspeak) before needing more voltage, it's hard to say. Some cpus fall on their face at 205, others will do 240.

If you're using the stock cooler you'll probably need to upgrade before raising the vcore, AMD cpus tend to get unstable somewhere between 55 and 60.
Click to expand...

I am not using the stock cooler, i am using a Arctic Cooling Freezer Pro 7 rev 2. However i was not able to install it in the proper direction due to my motherboard. I had to place it with the fan sucking air from the bottom of the case and blowing it out at the top instead of going from front to the back of the case which would be the proper way. Im hoping that additional case fans will improve this.

Also, i spook to the retailer that sold me the Freezer Pro 7 today and told them i was not happy with it and that i wanted to return it. I explained that the thermal paste on the cooler was obviously gone and asked if she thought it would still be possible to return it. She said that she didnt think it would be any problems (i dont think she knew what she was talking about though).

So im thinking of buying a new cooler, could you recommend me anyone withing a reasonable price range, i want to make sure that it will be able to mount it in the proper direction this time, preferably one made especially for amds.

Thanks.
 
I read in another forum "Keep an eye on chipset temps, as small raises in FSB can add a few degrees in temp.". Which ones should i look at in HWMonitor? And what are acceptable values?
 
wanner said:
I read in another forum "Keep an eye on chipset temps, as small raises in FSB can add a few degrees in temp.". Which ones should i look at in HWMonitor? And what are acceptable values?
Click to expand...

If you were using the IGP (on board Integrate Graphics Processor), you might need to be concerned with chipset temp, particularly if you are overclocking the IGP. Since you are using a dedicated video card, however, don't worry about it. The IGP=NB chip. Your SB chipset isn't working that hard.

More case fans is a good move.

Recommendations for better coolers:

*Coolermaster Hyper 212 plus (Don't buy it from NewEgg, their price is jacked up right now)

*Sunbeam Core Contac 120 (One of the best values around with the NewEgg rebate)

*Thermalright Ultra 120 Extreme revision C

Any of these three will knock a few to several degrees off your temps and all should mount with the fans blowing front to back.

What is your CPUNB voltage right now (Not to be confused with the IGP NB)?
 
trents said:
If you were using the IGP (on board Integrate Graphics Processor), you might need to be concerned with chipset temp, particularly if you are overclocking the IGP. Since you are using a dedicated video card, however, don't worry about it. The IGP=NB chip. Your SB chipset isn't working that hard.

More case fans is a good move.

Recommendations for better coolers:

*Coolermaster Hyper 212 plus (Don't buy it from NewEgg, their price is jacked up right now)

*Sunbeam Core Contac 120 (One of the best values around with the NewEgg rebate)

*Thermalright Ultra 120 Extreme revision C

Any of these three will knock a few to several degrees off your temps and all should mount with the fans blowing front to back.

What is your CPUNB voltage right now (Not to be confused with the IGP NB)?
Click to expand...

Is the Coolermaster Hyper 212 plus really better than my Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 pro rev 2? I thought they were about the same.

Not sure about the CPUNB voltage, will have to check when i get home from work. But i have left all voltages untouched so it should be standard.

Also, i live in Sweden, so NewEgg isnt an option for me :)
 
Yes, the CoolerMaster Hyper 212 plus is considerably better than the AC Freezer 7 Pro. To begin with the Freezer 7 Pro is a 92m fan-based cooler whereas the Hyper 212 Plus is a 120mm fan-based cooler. That translates into a radiator with considerably more surface area. Even if you only lower your core temps 3-4C that will probably be enough to allow you to increase your overclock to 3.5 ghz or so. However, make sure you have enough clearance side to side in your case to fit any of those coolers I recommended inside. Your case would need to be at least 20cm wide or the side panel won't close.

What thermal paste have you been using? You might shave off a couple of degrees by using a better thermal paste like Arctic Silver 5 or MX2 and that's a cheap solution.
 
Last edited:
trents said:
Yes, the CoolerMaster Hyper 212 plus is considerably better than the AC Freezer 7 Pro. To begin with the Freezer 7 Pro is a 92m fan-based cooler whereas the Hyper 212 Plus is a 120mm fan-based cooler. That translates into a radiator with considerably more surface area. Even if you only lower your core temps 3-4C that will probably be enough to allow you to increase your overclock to 3.5 ghz or so. However, make sure you have enough clearance side to side in your case to fit any of those coolers I recommended inside. Your case would need to be at least 20cm wide or the side panel won't close.

What thermal paste have you been using? You might shave off a couple of degrees by using a better thermal paste like Arctic Silver 5 or MX2 and that's a cheap solution.
Click to expand...

I am using MX2. What about the Arctic Cooling Freezer XTREME or the Scythe Mugen 2? Would any of those offer an improvement? Notice also that it is important to me that the cooler is silent. I am very happy with my Freezer Pro 7 at that point.
 
I'm not familiar with the XTREME but the Scythe should offer improvement. You might also look at coolers that will accept a second fan on the back side so as to give a push-pull arrangement. That will shave off another 1-2C.
 
trents said:
I'm not familiar with the XTREME but the Scythe should offer improvement. You might also look at coolers that will accept a second fan on the back side so as to give a push-pull arrangement. That will shave off another 1-2C.
Click to expand...

At the moment my cooler is mounted with the blowout to the top of the case (would only fit that way or the other way around, so this was the best option). I think that by adding a case fan to the top of my case would improve things pretty much.
 
What case are you using? You should put it in your sig.

Yes, a top fan might help. Air flow is important.

One trick we often use around the forum to check to see if air flow is a problem causing high temps is to take the case side panel off and direct a window fan into the open case and then see what impact that has on temps.
 
Last edited:
trents said:
What case are you using? You should put it in your sig.

Yes, a top fan might help. Air flow is important.

One trick we often use around the forum to check to see if air flow is a problem causing high temps is to take the case side panel off and direct a window fan into the open case and then see what impact that has on temps.
Click to expand...

I have a Fractal Design R2 (its in my sig ;)). Good tip regarding taking the side panel off, will try that when i have the time.
 
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