970 ASROCK Extreme 3 overclocking guide

[Mandrake4565]

Like does cooling help with that a lot?

Yes, these 8 series Fx Cpu's run hot at stock settings. When overclocked, they make great space heaters.

I only say this cause my AMD FX 8 chip is running at the current moment at 28c

As Gonester said the temp sensors are inaccurate at idle, mine idles at 5-10c in a 22c room, which would be impossible, unless I was using sub ambient cooling, which I am not. We only care about load temps and if this statement is true,

and on full load i get about 65 to 75c when i play games

depending on which temperature you're reading you are already about as high or higher then we would recommend you pushing.

So i would like to think i am good with CPU cooling since it is liquid cooling

You may be singing a different tune if and when you really start pushing it. A single 120mm radiator may not cut it, the majority of us running over 4.5 are using either all in one units with dual 120mm radiators or full custom loops.

 

[isogamer]

Yes, these 8 series Fx Cpu's run hot at stock settings. When overclocked, they make great space heaters.

As Gonester said the temp sensors are inaccurate at idle, mine idles at 5-10c in a 22c room, which would be impossible, unless I was using sub ambient cooling, which I am not. We only care about load temps and if this statement is true, depending on which temperature you're reading you are already about as high or higher then we would recommend you pushing.

You may be singing a different tune if and when you really start pushing it. A single 120mm radiator may not cut it, the majority of us running over 4.5 are using either all in one units with dual 120mm radiators or full custom loops.

well the 920antec cooling that i has two 120mm fans. And in bios i think it read it as 62c overall? Not sure.. but would make sense if so.. cause ya i wonder sometimes like how low my cpu temps are, cause right now i see it as 40c.. which is very low..

But i think i am going to go as high as 4400mhz before i get a asus sabertooth mobo.. 4400mhz with my liquid antec 920 cooling i should be fine no?

 

[RGone]

We have no idea if it will be just fine no? Here is how you tell for any AMD FX processor and any motherboard.

By Mandrake4565 at the link below. And is SO for all FX overclocking. Period.
http://www.overclockers.com/forums/showpost.php?p=7603641&postcount=16

I read through the posts above and this is what I'm thinking. First off I agree with the statement Trents stated, trying to push these Fx chips on low end motherboards is usually a tough task. Inadequate, power sections usually require more Cpu V for X Mhz which in turn causes a lower end board to throttle the Vrm section to save it's own life. . I feel your best bet would be to start from square one again using Prime 95 blend to test. Trying to overclock to a certain mhz target and just plugging in numbers can be a very frustrating way to overclock, one can easily get lost trying to find a stable overclock.

What I would do is go back to default settings then set your Cpu V manually to 1.40 and your Cpu Nb Voltage to 1.2, then start bumping the multiplier .5 and run prime 20 minutes until it fails prime, ie BSOD, Freeze or a lost worker. At that point I would test for true stability, passing 2 hours of prime, by doing the following. Back the multiplier down .5 and run prime, if it fails then raise the Cpu V until it either passes or you reach 70c on the Cpu or 62 c on the package.


RGone...

 

[Mandrake4565]

We have no idea if it will be just fine no? Here is how you tell for any AMD FX processor and any motherboard.

By Mandrake4565 at the link below. And is SO for all FX overclocking. Period.
http://www.overclockers.com/forums/showpost.php?p=7603641&postcount=16

I read through the posts above and this is what I'm thinking. First off I agree with the statement Trents stated, trying to push these Fx chips on low end motherboards is usually a tough task. Inadequate, power sections usually require more Cpu V for X Mhz which in turn causes a lower end board to throttle the Vrm section to save it's own life. . I feel your best bet would be to start from square one again using Prime 95 blend to test. Trying to overclock to a certain mhz target and just plugging in numbers can be a very frustrating way to overclock, one can easily get lost trying to find a stable overclock.

What I would do is go back to default settings then set your Cpu V manually to 1.40 and your Cpu Nb Voltage to 1.2, then start bumping the multiplier .5 and run prime 20 minutes until it fails prime, ie BSOD, Freeze or a lost worker. At that point I would test for true stability, passing 2 hours of prime, by doing the following. Back the multiplier down .5 and run prime, if it fails then raise the Cpu V until it either passes or you reach 70c on the Cpu or 62 c on the package.


RGone...

Damn Gonester Mr Clean thought he was having flashbacks or something.

 

[RGone]

Not a flashback but a finger saver...

That was the most complete with least words how-to I have seen. Saved to text file so I can just copy and paste. Good wording man.
RGone...ster.

Damn Gonester Mr Clean thought he was having flashbacks or something.

 

[Mandrake4565]

That was the most complete with least words how-to I have seen. Saved to text file so I can just copy and paste. Good wording man.
RGone...ster.

Thanks Bud, I owe it to the Rodeo!

 

[isogamer]

Try 4.4Ghz and see if it will go and be stable for two hours of P95 Blend testing. Just check and ensure the socket temps stays about <72c and the core/package temps stay <62c during the testing with P95 Blend. U have to give it some cpu voltage to get on up there though.
RGone...

Hey SUP Rgone, just want to give you and update and let you know where i am at with OC.

So right now i am at 4.4ghz at volts at 1.3625v.. i am okay at that level? SO far no crashes and games like BF4 ran fine with cpu temp being high has 67c..

Would you recommend to bring my volts higher? Also i didn't mess around with the North Bridge overclocking.. since that brings my temps high and i get some slow downs so i left those settings stock.. i am not throttling by any chance?

 

[Mandrake4565]

Isogamer, we usually consider 2 hours of Prime Blend stable. Have you run Prime Blend and passes two hours? From what you posted, it sounds as if you set the overclock to 4.4 and ran BF4 for stability.

So right now i am at 4.4ghz at volts at 1.3625v.. i am okay at that level?

It's your rig and if you're happy with the performance of it and are staying below the specified temperatures then yes. That said if you haven't passed 2 hours of prime blend you may run into problems. Looking at your screen shots, your Ram is overclocked so testing for stability would be a good idea. Your running the Ht Link below spec as well as the NB Frequency. If you're looking for the the best performance you can get out of the system you need to get these settings up. First thing is first, if you haven't run Prime Blend 2 hours yet you may want to.

Please edit your signature so we know what components are in the Pc. This way we don't have to go back to the first post every time to see what's in it.

 

[isogamer]

Isogamer, we usually consider 2 hours of Prime Blend stable. Have you run Prime Blend and passes two hours? From what you posted, it sounds as if you set the overclock to 4.4 and ran BF4 for stability.


It's your rig and if you're happy with the performance of it and are staying below the specified temperatures then yes. That said if you haven't passed 2 hours of prime blend you may run into problems. Looking at your screen shots, your Ram is overclocked so testing for stability would be a good idea. Your running the Ht Link below spec as well as the NB Frequency. If you're looking for the the best performance you can get out of the system you need to get these settings up. First thing is first, if you haven't run Prime Blend 2 hours yet you may want to.

Please edit your signature so we know what components are in the Pc. This way we don't have to go back to the first post every time to see what's in it.

Hi, thanks for the response.. now i did what u said i up the NB freq at 2400mhz from 2200mhz and the NB volt at 1.625 bit higher.. and it crashed..and how much clock for HT? I put it at 2200mhz and that too made my pc crash...

right now it sits at 4500mhz at 1.4 volts.. i should be okay on that?

 

[Mandrake4565]

It is very difficult for us to help someone via the internet, we cannot get hands on to your pc to see what it's doing so understand this when I respond to you. First off the Nb Voltage shouldn't be set at 1.625 if that is where you set it im surprised the motherboard still lives. In an earlier post it was suggested that you raise the Cpu NB Voltage to 1.2-1.25v. Now, overclocking can be a very frustrating task when too many parameters are changed at once. If a user is just plugging in numbers and hoping for the best it also makes it very difficult for us to help you. When done methodically, it can be a very easy task.

You still haven't answered if you have passed prime blend for 2 hours, so me answering this question

right now it sits at 4500mhz at 1.4 volts.. i should be okay on that?

I will give you the same response as my last post. "It's your rig and if you're happy with the performance of it and are staying below the specified temperatures then yes." If it was my rig unless I can pass 2 hours of prime blend with the overclock settings I have set, then it is not stable. From what I am reading you are making it much more difficult on yourself by just plugging in numbers. If that isn't what you're doing then forgive me for saying that. What you have set now is for lack of better words a dirty or non efficient overclock. Having the Ht Link Speeds and Nb Frequency increased will give you better performance. I will re-iterate what RGone posted earlier and it is what I feel you should do.

What I would do is go back to default settings then set your Cpu V manually to 1.40 and your Cpu Nb Voltage to 1.2, then start bumping the multiplier .5 and run prime 20 minutes, if it passes bump it again and re run prime blend 20 mins, until it fails, ie BSOD, Freeze or a lost worker. At that point I would test for true stability, passing 2 hours of prime, by doing the following. Back the multiplier down .5 and run prime, if it fails then raise the Cpu V until it either passes or you reach 70c on the Cpu or 62 c on the package. Make sure at all times your watching the temperatures. If they go above 70c on the Cpu or 62c on the Package stop the test

 

[isogamer]

It is very difficult for us to help someone via the internet, we cannot get hands on to your pc to see what it's doing so understand this when I respond to you. First off the Nb Voltage shouldn't be set at 1.625 if that is where you set it im surprised the motherboard still lives. In an earlier post it was suggested that you raise the Cpu NB Voltage to 1.2-1.25v. Now, overclocking can be a very frustrating task when too many parameters are changed at once. If a user is just plugging in numbers and hoping for the best it also makes it very difficult for us to help you. When done methodically, it can be a very easy task.

You still haven't answered if you have passed prime blend for 2 hours, so me answering this question I will give you the same response as my last post. "It's your rig and if you're happy with the performance of it and are staying below the specified temperatures then yes." If it was my rig unless I can pass 2 hours of prime blend with the overclock settings I have set, then it is not stable. From what I am reading you are making it much more difficult on yourself by just plugging in numbers. If that isn't what you're doing then forgive me for saying that. What you have set now is for lack of better words a dirty or non efficient overclock. Having the Ht Link Speeds and Nb Frequency increased will give you better performance. I will re-iterate what RGone posted earlier and it is what I feel you should do.

oh ya that was bad what i did to my mobo?

ya for primeblend i haven't done it as of yet since i had lots of work that i needed to do on my comp.. so i am just making sure i have time to do that then i can post the results..

ya i didn't plug in number i started with 4200mhz to begin with and then moved up the volts a bit each time i moved up in mhz.. where eventually now with 4500mhz and i think i am at 1.4volts right now and there is no issues.. i am playing crysis 3 like butter and same goes for BF4.. but when ever i move up the NB a bit same goes for the volts then my pc crashes.. same goes for HT.. i might just moving up the MHZ for the HT next time instead of the NB OCing.. but everything else is left at auto.. For now i will just do the primeblend test and then keep you guys posted to where i am at.. thanks for the updated help!

 

[isogamer]

It is very difficult for us to help someone via the internet, we cannot get hands on to your pc to see what it's doing so understand this when I respond to you. First off the Nb Voltage shouldn't be set at 1.625 if that is where you set it im surprised the motherboard still lives. In an earlier post it was suggested that you raise the Cpu NB Voltage to 1.2-1.25v. Now, overclocking can be a very frustrating task when too many parameters are changed at once. If a user is just plugging in numbers and hoping for the best it also makes it very difficult for us to help you. When done methodically, it can be a very easy task.

You still haven't answered if you have passed prime blend for 2 hours, so me answering this question I will give you the same response as my last post. "It's your rig and if you're happy with the performance of it and are staying below the specified temperatures then yes." If it was my rig unless I can pass 2 hours of prime blend with the overclock settings I have set, then it is not stable. From what I am reading you are making it much more difficult on yourself by just plugging in numbers. If that isn't what you're doing then forgive me for saying that. What you have set now is for lack of better words a dirty or non efficient overclock. Having the Ht Link Speeds and Nb Frequency increased will give you better performance. I will re-iterate what RGone posted earlier and it is what I feel you should do.

Hi i may have miss typed earlier about my NB Volts... but when you said you were "surprised" at my volts being 1.1625 for NB.. thats actually what the stock reading is.. and i left it at that cause when ever i move it a bit up that when my windows crashes.. like i can't even log into windows unless i bring it back to stock settings and put it at 1.1625.. do i need to bring it lower?

And to keep u posted so now running my 4500mhz OC speed and played crysis 3 again.. it crashed.. so i think i am going to stick with 4400mhz ant the cpu volts r at 1.325

 

[Johan45]

Do yourself a favour and test that thing with P95. Every other word is crash. It won't matter how much work you get done when you've crashed your OS to the point of no return!

 

[RGone]

And to keep u posted so now running my 4500mhz OC speed and played crysis 3 again.. it crashed.. so i think i am going to stick with 4400mhz ant the cpu volts r at 1.325

Sounds like your best move since the 970 ASROCK Extreme 3 is not noted for being robust enough for much faster overclocking stabily with a 6 or 8 core AMD FX processor. Stable being the operative wording of the situation. Stable to the most of us means the ability to pass at least 2 hours of Prime95 Blend testing without failure or exceeding the temps most often considered as safe.
RGone...

 

[kmo_9000]

This motherboard is great for 6 cores but I wouldn't use it for an 8 core, especially if I was overclocking.

 

[isogamer]

This motherboard is great for 6 cores but I wouldn't use it for an 8 core, especially if I was overclocking.

ya the only reason why i got it cause it was 79.99 plus 30 buks rebate and it says it supports 8core.. so i had no choice but to get it.. and it was with in my budget.. but i still have i think about 10days to return it back to the store.. if i can do that then for sure i am going to get the sabertooth mobo.. but if not then i maybe stuck with this mobo..

but for now i am at 4400mhz OC and everything seems to be stable.. i am going to run the stress test and see how it goes in the long run..

But since i am more towards gaming i think my next move should be is to upgrade my GPU.. since i only have a 560gtx ti.. that should be bottle necking my pc a bit? or am i fine? I did OC my GPU Card..

 

[RGone]

ya the only reason why i got it cause it was 79.99 plus 30 buks rebate and it says it supports 8core People in positions of authority tell us what we WANT to hear.. so i had no choice but to get it.. and it was with in my budget.. but i still have i think about 10days to return it back to the store.. if i can do that then for sure i am going to get the sabertooth mobo.. but if not then i maybe stuck with this mobo.. Sabertooth 990FX R2.0 is probably 5 to 6 times more robust than your current mobo.

but for now i am at 4400mhz OC and everything seems to be stable.. i am going to run the stress test and see how it goes in the long run.. Remember you have less than 10days to make for a better board on RMA.

But since i am more towards gaming i think my next move should be is to upgrade my GPU.. since i only have a 560gtx ti.. that should be bottle necking my pc a bit? or am i fine? I did OC my GPU Card..Bigger, better, faster video cards always are on people's buying list for sure.

RGone...

 

[isogamer]

RGone...

Thanks for your help so far.. ya i think i might be stuck with this mobo for some time.. But with my current OC settings you think it will end up as RMA? I mean i am not pushing it to that to an extreme?

Also right now in bios i see my Spread spectrum is enable and AMD Turbo is enable as well..should i disable both?

 

[isogamer]

ya the only reason why i got it cause it was 79.99 plus 30 buks rebate and it says it supports 8core.. so i had no choice but to get it.. and it was with in my budget.. but i still have i think about 10days to return it back to the store.. if i can do that then for sure i am going to get the sabertooth mobo.. but if not then i maybe stuck with this mobo..

but for now i am at 4400mhz OC and everything seems to be stable.. i am going to run the stress test and see how it goes in the long run..

But since i am more towards gaming i think my next move should be is to upgrade my GPU.. since i only have a 560gtx ti.. that should be bottle necking my pc a bit? or am i fine? I did OC my GPU Card..

 

[isogamer]

hey how about my spread spectrum and amd turbo in bios? Should i turn both of them off?