First OC / AMD Athlon 64 X2 BE-2300 / Need Help

[trents]

Looks like TMPN0 is your CPU socket temp reading and it is in close agreement with your core temp readings so that means your core temp readings are probably reliable. So now just start increasing your CPU frequency and your vcore (as needed to restore stability) until you hit a core temp wall of 55-58c or until you can no longer get it stable. Also keep an eye on your HT Link speed and adjust your multiplier to keep it at or below 1000. That's pretty much the long and short of it. Let us know how it works out.

 

[diox]

So now when I go and increase CPU Frequency by for example another 10Mhz (or 5?) I should increase vCore voltage right away too (to the next increment)?
And how should I know when I need to adjust HT Link Speed (lower it to 3x?)? By looking at CPU-Z HT Link value (at them moment it's 840.2Mhz)?
Or how is HT Link multiplier calculated?
Oh, and there's no need to touch RAM speed anymore (until CPU-z DRAM Frequency reaches 400Mhz? [at the moment it's 332.5Mhz])?

Uff, sorry, just got so many questions

 

[trents]

Wanted to add, once you encounter stability that you cannot correct because you have hit a temp/voltage wall, put things back to the last stable configuration and do a long Prime95 test, at least 1 hr.

The other thing you might look at is the CPU multiplier, currently at 9.5x. To make better utilization of your ram capability you might be able to lower the CPU multiplier and increase the CPU frequency to bring the ram closer to its rated 800 speed while keeping t he CPU speed at stable levels.

 

[QuietIce]

So now when I go and increase CPU Frequency by for example another 10Mhz (or 5?) I should increase vCore voltage right away too (to the next increment)?
And how should I know when I need to adjust HT Link Speed (lower it to 3x?)? By looking at CPU-Z HT Link value (at them moment it's 840.2Mhz)?
Or how is HT Link multiplier calculated?
Oh, and there's no need to lower RAM speed anymore (until CPU-z DRAM Frequency reaches 400Mhz? [at the moment it's 332.5Mhz])?

Uff, sorry, just got so many questions

Your RAM speed is good to 240 MHz and your HT Link speed is good to 250 MHz so until you get to those speeds you don't need to change anything there. When you get ready to go above 240 MHz drop your RAM down another notch. When you go past 250 MHz change the HT Link speed to 3X.

You increase your CPU speed then test for stability (5-10 min of P95 or OCCT). If the stability test is good you increase CPU speed again (I like using 5 MHz but with your multiplier 7-8 MHz is OK). When you fail the stability test then you increase vCore one notch and test for stability again at the same speed you just failed. You increase speed or vCore then test - you never do both at once.

Wanted to add, once you encounter stability that you cannot correct because you have hit a temp/voltage wall, put things back to the last stable configuration and do a long Prime95 test, at least 1 hr.

The other thing you might look at is the CPU multiplier, currently at 9.5x. To make better utilization of your ram capability you might be able to lower the CPU multiplier and increase the CPU frequency to bring the ram closer to its rated 800 speed while keeping t he CPU speed at stable levels.

The KISS method is better at first. Plenty of time later to play with RAM.

And don't forget this is a K8, not a K10, so the RAM has a funny method of getting to it's speed - it's not just a simple linear increase like the K10 ...

 

[trents]

So now when I go and increase CPU Frequency by for example another 10Mhz (or 5?) I should increase vCore voltage right away too (to the next increment)?
And how should I know when I need to adjust HT Link Speed (lower it to 3x?)? By looking at CPU-Z HT Link value (at them moment it's 840.2Mhz)?
Or how is HT Link multiplier calculated?
Oh, and there's no need to touch RAM speed anymore (until CPU-z DRAM Frequency reaches 400Mhz? [at the moment it's 332.5Mhz])?

Uff, sorry, just got so many questions

Don't increase the CPU voltage unless you encounter instability when you increase the frequency. The goal is to keep the CPU v as low as possible while insuring stability. Raising the CPU v contributes to heat increase more than anything else.

Don't automatically decrease the HT multiplier. Just watch it in CPU-z. Right now its well below 1000.

See my other post about ram speed and CPU multiplier adjustment.

 

[diox]

trents, already checked and I can't change my CPU multiplier.

QuietIce, so basically DRAM Frequency at CPU-z will go down by little bit not up? (So good until 240MHz?)
And same with HT Link (will go down and good till 250Mhz)?

Now I'm little bit confused now about RAM and HT Link speed as how they will change and when to change their value (up/down?)

At least I got it about vCore when to change it .

[Edit] So I need to watch DRAM Frequency and HT Link at CPU-z after each CPU Freq. upping, so they don't go over 400Mhz (RAM) and 1000Mhz (HT Link) ?
[Edit2] What's KISS method QuietIce?

 

[QuietIce]

With a 4X multiplier the HT Link speed won't get back to 1000 MHz until you have 250 MHz on the clock (250 x4 = 1000). So, just before you increase the clock past 250 MHz you need to set the HT Link to 3X (250 x3 = 750 MHz) so it'll stay below the 1000 MHz mark. Trust me, you'll never see 333 MHz on the clock - there are very few boards that will run that high.

RAM is similar, though more complicated. For simplicity, when you get to 240 MHz on the clock your RAM will be back to 400 MHz. (It will really be 380 MHz but we're keeping all that simple for now.) Just before you get ready to push the clock past 240 change the RAM to DDR-533 in BIOS. That will keep the RAM below 400 MHz for the rest of your overclock.

 

[diox]

Ok thanks QuiteIce, I think I got how it +/- how it works and what I need to do .

And about changing CPU Voltage, system becomes unstable, it means while I test it with Prime95 for example, it will crash or shut down, so then I will need up it to the next increment, right?

And if I get the same beeping (PC won't start) and I will need to reset BIOS again, it's best to again go by little CPU Frequencies (by 5/10) each time not to just jump to that, for example, 240Mhz which I had last stable system?

 

[trents]

Ok thanks QuiteIce, I think I got how it +/- how it works and what I need to do .

And about changing CPU Voltage, system becomes unstable, it means while I test it with Prime95 for example, it will crash or shut down, so then I will need up it to the next increment, right?

Yes

And if I get the same beeping (PC won't start) and I will need to reset BIOS again, it's best to again go by little CPU Frequencies (by 5/10) each time not to just jump to that, for example, 240Mhz which I had last stable system?

Don't start all over again, just go back to the last stable setting and make some change like increasing the CPU voltage to create stability again. Realize at some point you will hit a wall and that will be your max overclock.

 

[diox]

Well ok, big thanks to you guys, now I will try to oc my old cpu at least to something better thant it's now, and hoping for success.

Of course will post back little bit later about how it's going etc. .

 

[trents]

Great! Please include temp and CPU-z "CPU" and "Memory" pics.

 

[diox]

So far got till CPU Frequency of 230Mhz (and decided to post my results so far) with just increasing it ( each time by 5Mhz and testing with Prime95 for about 10 minutes ), but probably soon will need to increase little bit of vCore too.

Temperature while idle is about 25-28 °C (ambient temp. is ~25°C).
Temperature while testing with Prime95 reaches max of about 45 °C, average is about 40-43 °C (screenshot below).

[Edit] Ok, now it's 235Mhz and will test with Prime95 now.

Screenshots with 230Mhz CPU Freq..

 

[trents]

Yep, you seem to have the hang of it now. Watch your HT speed. You're approaching 1000 now. Thanks for being a good poster.

You're vcore is still pretty low at 1.2. I think you have some headroom there. The rated stock max vcore for your CPU is 1.25v.: http://www.cpu-world.com/CPUs/K8/AMD-Athlon X2 BE-2300 - ADH2300IAA5DD (ADH2300DDBOX).html

It's not a problem to exceed that somewhat as long as your core temps stay below about 58c. Core temp is the critical parameter of CPU safety.

 

[diox]

At 235Mhz HT Speed is 941.1Mhz, so I think I shouldn't change it to 3x yet, maybe when I will be at about 245-250Mhz then I will need to change it ( and RAM Speed ( 372Mhz now ) too I guess about at the same time ).

Seems that HT Speed is going up for about ~20Mhz each time I go up 5Mhz CPU Freq and RAM speed is going up at the same time for about 6-8Mhz.

Or better to change those both faster than at 245-250Mhz CPU Frequency?

Screenshots with 235Mhz CPU Freq. (temps with Prime95 on).

 

[trents]

You're doing fine. Don't lower your HT multiplier just yet. Something else may limit you first and you want to keep the HT as near 1000 as possible. I can tell now by your reporting you're getting the theory of it all pretty well.

Don't be afraid of the blue screen. It won't hurt anything. If you do this in small increments, even when you get a blue screen you should be able to get back into bios and make necessary adjustments without having to reset everything to default with the cmos jumper.

 

[trents]

By the way, are you using the stock OEM cooler?

 

[diox]

Same thing for RAM - change to lower after I'm as close to 400Mhz RAM Speed as possible?

Now I got it, if I change RAM Speed and HT Speed now, for example, and something else goes wrong, I won't know right away which part was that which one screwed something up .

[Edit] Yeah, stock cooler, at least for now. Basically if I would want to go higher, if, for example, high CPU temps would hold me back, better cooling system would be the right way?

 

[trents]

It is also quite possible your ram may give you a little more than 400 mhz. if necessary, especially if you give it one voltage bump (vdimm). What brand is it?

 

[diox]

Both RAMs are Kingston (KTC1G-UDIMM).

 

[trents]

Now I got it, if I change RAM Speed and HT Speed now, for example, and something else goes wrong, I won't know right away which part was that which one screwed something up .

True

[Edit] Yeah, stock cooler, at least for now. Basically if I would want to go higher, if, for example, high CPU temps would hold me back, better cooling system would be the right way?

Significantly improving cooling generally gives a higher overclock. Heat increases electrical resistance and creates instability. Reducing temps and heat has the opposite effect. How much difference it would make in your situation is impossible to predict. Maybe 0.1-0.2 ghz increase in CPU speed with high end air cooling. You would have to decide if the expense was worth it.