OC Atlhon II X3 440

[Sylphyd]

hi all!
I'm new here and i'm wanting to OC my Atlhon II X3 440.

The reason for this is that a friend of mine, got me a Sapphire 6950 2GB GDDR5 from the classified forums of this site and i'm afraid that this card is goig to create a bottle neck in my system.

My Specs are:
Atlhon II X3 440 @ 3.0Ghz
MSI 785GM-P45
2X2GB OCZ Gold Edition 1333mhz
HDD1: 500GB Samsung Sata 2
HDD2: 1TB WD Green Sata 2
ATI Radeon XFX 4770 512mb GDDR5
XFX Platinum 600w

I'm wanting to OC my CPU with the stock cooler, to get the maximum performance out of my system.
I believe that i have to unlock the 4th core, since my mb allows me to do it.
What do you think? how can I OC my system?

 

[trents]

Please add to your specs information about your case and case fans. We want to get an idea about your case ventilation since that is very important to keeping temps down and that is important to overclocking.

You do realize don't you that successfully unlocking a core is not a given. It may or may not be a viable core. It may be defective and won't unlock at all or it may unlock but not be stable. Also, with the stock cooler even if you can unlock the fourth core the cooler may not be adequate to dissipate the extra heat that creates and then if you try to overclock on top of that . . . well you get what I'm saying don't you? You are not in a good place for overclocking if you are using the stock cooler. The stock coolers are barely adequate for covering the heat when everything is at stock. Overclocking requires raising frequencies and voltages, both of which make more heat.

The first thing to do would be to download some stress testing and monitoring software tools and then check where your temps are at stock speeds and voltages. That will give you an idea of how much overclocking headroom you have from a temp standpoint. Temps are critical in overclocking. So, download and install:

1. HWMonitor
2. CPU-z
3. Prime95

Then:

1. Open HWMonitor on the desktop
2. Run the Prime95 blend test for 20 minutes
3. Report back to us what are the maximum core temps reached. If the core temps exceed 70c, stop the test.

 

[Sylphyd]

I'm aware that the 4th core in my CPU can be unlocked because i did it a few months ago, just to try the performance.
i had some troubles with my win 7, so i locked it again, believing the troubles came from there, but i was wrong.
When i get home i'm gonna download those apps and do the test
Thanks!!

 

[trents]

So we'll start with it as a 3 core at stock voltages and frequencies and check temps as outlined above. Then if there seems to be temp room I'll have you unlock the fourth core and do the temp test again.

 

[Sylphyd]

Let me show you hoy my pc is right now:

I only have the stock cooler from the vga and the cpu, no aggregated fans... for now.

These are the results:



Uploaded with ImageShack.us

 

[trents]

Way too hot! You're risking damaging your CPU. You need to back off on the CPU voltage until you get a better cooler. What is your CPU core multiplier set to now?

By the way, it is apparent that TMPIN0 is your CPU socket temp.

 

[Sylphyd]

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[trents]

Obviously, from looking at your "800 mhz" CPU frequency and the "x4.0" multiplier and the 1.088 CPU core voltage in CPU-z "CPU" tab you still have Cool N Quiet on. Disable it and C1E as well. Go into Windows Control Panel Power Options and set it to High Performance. Can't tell anything from our pic because the "green" power down technology is lowering everything at idle. Then please repost with pics of CPU-z tabs: "CPU", "Memory" and "SPD". Need all three tabs.

 

[Sylphyd]

The CPU-Z screens after the Cool And Quiet option been disabled (C1E was already disabled):
CPU


Memory:


SPD Slot #1:


SPD Slot #2:

 

[trents]

Everything looks appropriate but the temps. You should not need 1.448 core voltage for that little bit of overclock. High core voltage is the main culprit in high core temps. Start with stock voltage which should be closer to 1.35. Test with Prime95 for 20 minutes while monitoring temps as I outlined in post #2. Was there something you didn't understand from that that I could explain?

 

[Sylphyd]

no, it was perfectly explained.
I'm a pc enthuiast, so i know about this, only that i've never oc'ed anything, and i don't wanna screw it jajaj

 

[trents]

The 20 minute Prime95 blend tests are time efficient with regard to the initial stages of the overclocking effort but not sufficient to guarantee stability across a wide range of computing use. When you have gotten more or less dialed in on the final max overclock capability of the system using the 20 minute tests it would be necessary to run a longer Prime stress test: at least 2 hours to confirm that the settings have indeed resulted in a reliable, stable overclock. There is some tweaking toward the end involving the CPUNB frequency and voltage that also helps with stability and memory performance as well.

 

[Sylphyd]

i tried to modify the vcore values, but it's set to "Auto" and it can't be changed =/

 

[trents]

Try clicking on that line and then hitting the "+" or "-" key.

 

[Sylphyd]

i did that, and the lowest that i can put it is 1.414v
=/
I'm basically screwed, aren't I? jaja

 

[trents]

MSI is no longer a top tier motherboard manufacturer. We hear more problems about MSI boards without a doubt on this forum than any of the other enthusiast motherboard makers. Having said that, do you have the latest bios installed? You should be able to reduce your vcore as much as you want. Something is wrong there.

Your other option is to get a better CPU cooler. Be careful what you get, however, as the tall tower ones based around 120mm fans may not fit in your case. If the case is not 8" wide across the top panel you better look at 92mm fan-based coolers.

Looks like you are running your puter with the case side off. Any reason for that. That's a good tactic when the case has poor ventilation but it may have the drawback of eliminating air flow across the motherboard.

Can't tell from the pic but is the computer located in a closed space where it cannot get fresh air very well?

 

[Sylphyd]

This is my desk:



I Have the left panel out because is much easier when i have to put a disk on my pc to retrieve a backup from someone or test it..

I was thinking in a cooler similar to this:
http://articulo.mercadolibre.com.ar/MLA-148898995-cooler-thermaltake-big-typhoon-vx-_JM

 

[trents]

It wouldn't be my first choice but it should be better than the stock cooler. What country are you in? For about the same money (in the US at least) you might look at the Coolermaster Hyper 212+ evo. It will cool better but is about 30mm taller.

 

[Sylphyd]

I'm in Argentina... AR$300 are about 66 Dollars

I've checked and i have the latest bios available for my mb