AMD Build & Overclocking

[jonjon69691]

Hello all...

please bare with me as this is my first post on overclocking. First, here is my build, so were all on the same page:

AMD A10-6800K 4.1Ghz (stock speed) [APU/CPU]
ENERMAX (after-market) CPU Cooler with 120mm Fan [I'd have to remove from MoBo to see model # (sorry)][but this thing is huge!!!]
Corsair Vengeance Pro DDR3 16GB (2x8GB) 1866Mhz 9-10-9-27-2N-1.50v [Memory]
ASUS A88X-PRO (FM2+) BIOS v.0703 (12-30-2013) [MoBo]
AMD Radeon HD 7950 3GB GDDR5 (XFX Pine Grp) Driver v. 13.251.0.0 [GPU]
Kingston 128GB SSDNow (OS, Programs, etc.) [HD]
Hitachi 1GB SATA Disk Driver (Storage) [HD]
ATAPI SATA CdRom Device
HP DVD Writer CdRom Device
ACER G235H (1920x1080@60Hz) [Monitor]
Cooler Master Storm Scout Mid-Tower Case...all running on
Windows 7 Home Premium 64-Bit SP1

As for "overclocking", my friends all tell me I shouldn't OC my rig. No need to. I agree. But, for the sake of argument, I want to see, hear, feel the difference in my rig once it 'is' OC'd. If it all goes well, then, I will leave it OC'd as I game alot on this rig. (WoW, D3, Crysis 3, BF4, TR, DMC, Hitman and FC3 just to name a few).

So my question(s) are/is as follows: If this was 'your' rig, would you OC it? if so:

[1]: OC'ing APU/CPU to 4.4Mhz, would you change voltage? and to what?
[2]: OC'ing Memory to 2133Mhz, what timings would you use? And voltage?
[3]: If the above are OC'd, would you change the NB timings?
[4]: Lastly, would you OC the GPU? If so, what voltage? What GPU Clock? Bandwidth? Etc...

I know this is alot for a first time question, but, I have tried on my own, but afraid I would destroy somethings warranty so I brought it back down to stock speeds. As is right now, NOTHING is OC'd on my rig. I want to though. Any help would be greatly appreciated. If you don't have an answer to my question in it's entirety, please feel free to answer any part of it therefore.

Thank you in advance to the OCerz community. I hear nothing but great things about this site.

Yours truly,

<-----NOOB to the OC'rs World

 

[Mandrake4565]

jonjon welcome to the forum.

So my question(s) are/is as follows: If this was 'your' rig, would you OC it? if so:

This is overclockers, it's what we do. When overclocking two important things you need to worry about. Excessive voltage and heat if you can keep them both under control then you are fine. I will not tell you, if you overclock, that you aren't risking frying something, that said I've had all of my computers overclocked for years and non have died.

[1]: OC'ing APU/CPU to 4.4Mhz, would you change voltage? and to what?

If you're going to overclock you are going to need to figure out what your rig likes. Every setup is different and what works for one person may not work for another. Your best bet is to read this guide and understand the principles of what will be asked of you when overclocking.

[2]: OC'ing Memory to 2133Mhz, what timings would you use? And voltage?

Memory overclocking is a bit tougher then overclocking the processor, I would stick to the APU overclocking first then worry about the memory. As far as timings and voltage same as I said above, every setup is different.

[3]: If the above are OC'd, would you change the NB timings?

Increasing the NB Frequency is helpful when overclocking, so yes but one step at a time.

[4]: Lastly, would you OC the GPU? If so, what voltage? What GPU Clock? Bandwidth? Etc...

Yes, I have all my GPU's overclocked as well and what I said above applies as well.

Start by reading the guide I linked.

 

[Fugu]

Welcome Jonjon, I also have an A10 series APU i've been playing with (7850K). To get it to run at 4.4ghz constantly you'll have to do some adjustments in the Bio's Right now most of the settings are "Auto" so the computer will use more power as needed and overclock as needed and then slow everything down when it isn't needed ( like fan speeds!).

I've gotten my APU up to 4.6ghz running 10c under the max temperature and it is very quick with the benchmarks I throw at it and i'm actually very surprised how it handles games like BF4 and iRacing.com motorsports simulation.

Are you running a secondary graphics card in the computer or are you relying on the APU to do all the graphics?

So if you are interested I can help you get your APU up to 4.4ghz and ensure it's stable! Just say the word.

 

[trents]

jonjon, just so you'll know, it's not considered good forum etiquette to double post, i.e. start two threads on basically the same issue with in the same forum section or across forum sections. Getting answers to your questions may require some patience but double posting won't help.

 

[Fugu]

Just noticed this second thread! I'll post in here if i'm of any help!


Again , i'm running a very similar setup for APU and Mobo , Asus A88X motherboard with a A10 7850K strapped to it. GSkill Trident Ram at 2400mhz and an FX8350 Oem CPU cooler.


First off it seems like my APU only requires a touch of voltage to reach 4.6ghz but doesn't seem to respond at all well to NB voltages or GPU side overclocks. It's SuperPi benchmark calculations to 1M blow my 8 core processor out of the water and it's day to day tasks of navigating the internet and so on are just as snappy and quick as my FX8350 so seeing as how the A10 6800 and 7850 are quite similar you may be able to get some decent jump out of your CPU.


Advanced CPU config in Bios.. Turn off/disable:

AMD PowerNow function Disabled
NX Mode Disabled
SVM Mode Disabled
CPB Mode Disabled
APM Master enable Disabled
C6 Mode Disabled
IOMMU Disabled
Bank Interleaving Enabled
Channel Interleaving Enabled
Core Leveling mode Automatic mode


I've found more success in overclocking my APU using the D.O.C.P profiles provided by Asus. Seems whenever I disable DOCP and go manual the computer will notify me that overclocking failed. So this is something to keep in mind.

Before doing any of this wait for a veteran overclocker to confirm some of this information. I'm fairly new as well and just started playing with APU's so please wait for some confirmation on this.

 

[Fugu]

Oh hey, one more thing to consider. Set a baseline! You say you want to see what your system is capable of or if it will feel different the first thing to do is Bench it as it sits!

BUT let me be the first to recommend utilities for overclocking.

These 3 are the amigo's of OC monitoring utilities, they are a must.

CPU-Z http://www.cpuid.com/downloads/cpu-z/1.68-setup-en.exe
GPU-Z http://www.techpowerup.com/downloads/2340/techpowerup-gpu-z-v0-7-7/
HW-monitor http://www.cpuid.com/downloads/hwmonitor/1.24-setup.exe


When you want to show off what you are doing or testing something and need advice post a screenshot like this. (minus the Prime 95 software lol)
You wan to show CPU , MEMORY and SPD using CPU-z software.




HW-Monitor is used for stress testing your overclock and checking temperatures. A program like Prime 95 allows your computer to run 100% full tilt to show and test stability, this is essential to testing your overclock to ensure it won't let you down in game!

As for setting your baseline these are the most popular bench's and synthetic tests.

Prime95 Stress test benchmark http://www.mersenne.org/freesoft/
Cinebench (CPU and GPU Benchmark) http://www.maxon.net/products/cinebench/overview.html
SuperPi 1.5mod (single threaded speed calculation)http://www.techpowerup.com/downloads/366/super-pi-mod-v1-5/

 

[RollingThunder]

Threads merged and cleaned up.

 

[jonjon69691]

TY for the input...sorry about the dual thread. It only confused me even more ...

I will clean it all up and start with the CPU first...then work my threads toward everything else.

Thanks again