First Time Over Clocker..seeking opinions

[//:mC.n]

New to over clocking...I used a program that came with my Asus mobo so I could see what numbers it focused on...It ended up blue screening at 3.9 Ghz and reset back to 3.78Ghz...I figured that number was fair and left it at that instead of resetting to default and going through BIOS.

Have been running Prime95 for 8 hours without error and my temp has peaked at 52C. What I am wondering is if I should proceed with pushing my overclock higher..and how much difference in performance am I looking at if I can get it to 4.0 - 4.1Ghz. Don't know why, just feels like good numbers. My friend asked me what my voltage was....When I said 1.4 close to 1.5 he looked at me like WTF! Should I be content or keep pushing?

BTW.....my specs are in signature...but I am running AMD Phenom 2 x 4 BE 125W, 16gb Ripjaw 1600, and Cooler Master V8..Any information, suggestions, advice are welcome...THanks!

 

[caddi daddi]

welcome aboard
please download a copy of cpuz hardware monitor.
you want to pay attention to the "core temps" in this program.
it also provides us wih a lot more information that will help us help you it is the standard here.

earthdog, asus ai suite cpu temp in actualy socket temp. does coretemp give actual core temp?

 

[EarthDog]

Or just use Coretemp for temps to keep it simple. THere isnt anything in Hwmonitor that we need really (his CPuz ss have it).

Anyway, you want to keep that CPU under 60C when stress testing. I wouldnt go over 1.5v for daily use, but that is fine. You wont notice a difference between 3.8Ghz and 4.1Ghz really. I say stay where you are at personally.

 

[Mandrake4565]

The Asus software is overclocking your system using the FSB. Which not only changes your Core speeds it also changes the speeds of your HT Link, NB Frequency and Dram Freq. While this is not bad and it seems to be running stable, for a beginner OC'er you are better off in my opinion using the unlocked multiplier that your 965 BE has. I would get familiar with these two posts and learn to use the BOIS to overclock it. I would think you could get a higher OC using less Core Voltage doing it manually.

http://www.overclockers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=596023
http://sites.amd.com/us/Documents/AMD_Dragon_AM3_AM2_Performance_Tuning_Guide.pdf

 

[trents]

The Asus software is overclocking your system using the FSB. Which not only changes your Core speeds it also changes the speeds of your HT Link, NB Frequency and Dram Freq. While this is not bad and it seems to be running stable, for a beginner OC'er you are better off in my opinion using the unlocked multiplier that your 965 BE has. I would get familiar with these two posts and learn to use the BOIS to overclock it. I would think you could get a higher OC using less Core Voltage doing it manually.

http://www.overclockers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=596023
http://sites.amd.com/us/Documents/AMD_Dragon_AM3_AM2_Performance_Tuning_Guide.pdf

Ditto. Look what raising your fsb has done to your ram speed. It's up to 892x2 or 1784 mhz. Remember, CPU-z reports the DDR memory bus frequency, not the DDR3 transfer rate. To figure he DDR3 transfer rate from what CPU-z is reporting to be your current memory frequency then just multiply by 2. Your ram is only rated for 1600 mhz so you are significanlty exceeding it's 1600 mhz rating.

Also, most Deneb core CPUs are not stable when the ram is run at 1600 because the Integrated Memory Controller (ICM) is weak. The ram capability is not the issue. It's the controller built into the CPU that is not as capable as the ram.

Try overclocking with the manual bios controls. Disable your oveclocking genie. Take the main overclocking control off of Auto and put it to Manual.

Leave the fsb (aka, "CPU Frequency" or "HT Referency") at the stock 200 mhz.

Put the CPU core voltage back to stock.

Lower the memory speed to 1333.

Disable Cool N Quiet and C1E in bios and in Windows Control Panel Power options configure it to High Performance.

Start raising the CPU multiplier (maybe called "ratio" in your bios) in .5x increments. Stress test with Prime95 blend for 20 minutes at the front end of the overclock process after each .5x multiplier increase. Download and install "HWMonitor". Have it open on your desktop whenever you stress test. It's far superior to Speedfan. When you first fail the 20 minute stress test, increase the CPU core voltage by .025 and retest. Repeat the cycle adding a small increment of vore whenever you fail the test.

Watch core temps. They will rise with increaes in core voltage. If they begin to exceed about 55c you will start to encounter instability. When you seem to have reached your max overclock run a longer Prime5 blend test of at least 2 hrs. to confirm stability. Tweak CPU core voltage some more or lower the multiplier if still unstable.

 

[//:mC.n]

Thanks for the advice...I must say, this site seems to represent the community well. Have yet to see a "smart a$$" reply to any question I have asked, or read. Thanks again!

 

[trents]

Welcome aboard. Thanks for the complement. Most of the regulars are pretty decent folks who enjoy helping and learning from others. Once in a while we get a jerk or two drift through but they seem to come and go.

 

[tikithorsen]

Thanks for the advice...I must say, this site seems to represent the community well. Have yet to see a "smart a$$" reply to any question I have asked, or read. Thanks again!

You're so right about that!

On top of what what the lads already told you, my humble suggestion would be to set the CPU @ 3.8GHz 1.375v/1.400v and the CPU-NB @ 2400MHz 1.225v/1.250v and so you can use the XMP profile of your RAM to have it @ 1600MHz 9-9-9-24 1.50V.
That should be a decent starting point.

Merry OC'ing!

 

[//:mC.n]

I set it back to default...Adjusted whats Trents said through the Bios. The only thing I had to adjust was the CPU Ratio. I initially set it to equal 3400 mhz and then increased it by .5. Rebooted - and ran the stress test for 20 minutes. I went all the way through with no errors and stopped at 4 Mhz and ran the stress test as I ended up falling asleep. Woke up and it was still running and my temp maxed out at 50c.

I do notice quite a difference in how it is running compared to the previous oc method I used. I didn't see a need in going higher than 4.0 Mhz other than curiosity of how high I can go.

So is there anything else I need to do? That almost seemed too good to be true with no errors from 3.4 Mhz to 4 Mhz only adjusting the ratio and nothing else...Ram is even running at the level you said it should.

 

[trents]

Excellent! Good job! My only suggestion would be to consider increasing the CPUNB frequency (and raising the CPUNB voltage to support the higher frequency) as this significantly improves ram performance. The CPUNB may show up in your bios just as "NB" as it does in CPU-z. Stock is 2000 mhz and try for 2400-2600 mhz and 1.225-1.25 volts is generally a good amount. The frequency adjustment may show as a multiplier like 10x. 12x would be 2400. 13x would be 2600 mhz. Don't confuse the CPU "NB" with the chipset "NB" as in some bioses they use "NB" to speak of both and you have to look at the context in bios to figure which is which.

 

[caddi daddi]

nice overclock guys...... you still have temp headroom to try for 4100 if you have a mind to.
I am now working my 955be through testing at 4400.

 

[//:mC.n]

I adjusted the cpu/nb frequency to 2400 mhz and the Voltage which was set to auto changed to 1.3....Should I switch it to manual and lower it to 1.25?

 

[Dlaw]

I adjusted the cpu/nb frequency to 2400 mhz and the Voltage which was set to auto changed to 1.3....Should I switch it to manual and lower it to 1.25?

I would, the worst that will happen is it will crash, but you stand to keep the CPU cooler if it doesn't (and it probably will be fine at 1.25)

 

[//:mC.n]

Which one am I changing? I tried to change the cpu/nb offest voltage, but when I took it off Auto the lowest I could change it to was 1.3???

 

[trents]

I think you can change the "CPU & NB Voltatge" main header from Offset Mode to Manual or something where you can enter an actual desired final value rather than an offset amount. Just changes the way you change it but I like to be able to enter the acual amount you want.

 

[danielbourdon]

I have the amd Phenom 2 x4 975 BE running at 3.6ghz. I think my cpu is one model higher than yours. Just a warning! If you have the stock cooler like me, then be careful with the multiplier. It won't tell you if your cpu is going to frie. with my stock cooler, my 3.6ghz 975 is so loud during gaming, I like to use my over the ears headset, so i dont hear the fan. At 3.6ghz, my cpu temp during gaming sometimes gets up to 160"F. In my opinion, that is as high as I feel is safe for my cpu. So if you want to go to 4.00ghz, then be sure to watch the full load temp, and try to keep it around 160"F or lower.

 

[//:mC.n]

Okay..Got it to 1.25...Set it to manual...the hang up was I thought the number I was changing was ADDING to the current number...when in fact it was just starting at 0 and working its way up.

My temps are pretty consistent for being at 4.0 ghz...on normal loads I stay in the 42c range....ran prime 95 for about 6 or 7 hours and my temps peaked at 50c on max load. I use the Cooler Master V8 cooler...so far so good with the temps

Is there a way I can get my RAM to 1600mhz while maintaining the clock speeds of 9-9-9-24 on 4.0Ghz instead of dropping down to 3.8?

 

[trents]

Okay..Got it to 1.25...Set it to manual...the hang up was I thought the number I was changing was ADDING to the current number...when in fact it was just starting at 0 and working its way up.

My temps are pretty consistent for being at 4.0 ghz...on normal loads I stay in the 42c range....ran prime 95 for about 6 or 7 hours and my temps peaked at 50c on max load. I use the Cooler Master V8 cooler...so far so good with the temps

Is there a way I can get my RAM to 1600mhz while maintaining the clock speeds of 9-9-9-24 on 4.0Ghz instead of dropping down to 3.8?

Not sure what you are asking. You have a black edition CPU so you should be able to manipulate the ram divider indepently of the CPU clock multiplier. You can go into bios and set the ram frequency to 1066, 1333, or 1600 or whatever without affecting the CPU speed. the 9-9-9-24 numbers are the "timings" of the ram and they can also be manually manipulated in bios by taking that header off of Auto. As I said, most Deneb core CPUs have a weak memory controller so they typically won't be stable with the ram at 1600 mhz. Didn't we plow that ground already? There is a possibilty that if you relax the ram timings, give it some extra voltage over stock and increase the CPUNB voltage you could be stable with the memory at 1600 but I can tell you ahead of time that benchmarking shows there is little to nothing to be gained by doing so from a performance standpoint. If you want to run ram at 1600 mhz you ought to move up to a Thuban core or bulldozer since those CPUs have stouter memory controllers.

 

[//:mC.n]

Copy that....sounds good to me....Computer is running smooth @ 4Ghz so I'll leave it at that....Thanks guys!!!! I look forward to exploring the site and seeing what else I can learn!

Have been waiting for the perfect opportunity to use this...haven't yet, but with a successful overclock...I'm using it!