OCing Advice AMD FX-8350 & Asrock 970M Pro3

[Merlins Beard]

Hello Guys,

First time poster, long time overclocker. I have tinkered with PC hardware, building, customisation for well over 16 years now, but there is always been something I have searched for time and time again and used multiple rough guides on.... and that is overclocking, specifically my motherboard as i am mostly familiarised with CPU OCing as it is generally straight forward. I am looking for advice, or guidance if you will.

Will post Build and Specs with Current OC

FX-8350 Stock 4.2GHz - OC 4.73GHz @ 1.5375V Multiplier X21.5 Cooler - NZXT X52 240mm AIO
AsRock 970M Pro3 CPU Bus OC 220MHz - NB OC 2.42GHz @ 1.2750V
16gb Corsair VenganceLP 1600 Mhz - OC 1760 Mhz With Timings 10-10-10-27
Asus Strix 1060 6GB Stock 1.5GHz - OC 1.88Ghz VRAM @ 9GHz

2.5
2 SSDs
1 HDD

All wrapped in a Corsair Crystal 280x with front and bottom intake and AIO mounted roof exhaust

Any advice or pointers on all this would be amazing !

Regards
Merlins Beard

 

[EarthDog]

Welcome!

I hate to say it, but good luck. I say that because you have a small board with a generally weak vrm and want to overclock their flagship cpu. You'll likely want to get some active cooling around the socket/vrm to prevent throttling...especially with the aio/no airflow from an heatsink right around there.

That said, give it a whirl. In my signature is a link to our bulldozer overclocking guide. Give it a read l, twice, and start! Were here to help!

 

[Merlins Beard]

Thank you for your reply EarthDog ! this is what i have currently in a stable state. i was wondering about the Mobo can you recommend me a better Mobo at all ? FYI i know im due an upgrade to DDR4 but im going to ride this DDR3 out for a bit longer before upgrading.

 

[EarthDog]

It isn't the memory that is the problem with that system. You need a full upgrade. I wouldn't put a penny more into that platform but instead save for new.

Offhand I dont know of any matx boards that are good overclockers...someone else who knows more will help.

 

[Merlins Beard]

Oh yeah i understand man ! i need a DDR4 upgrade. Inbound in a year or two, but for any cost effective improvements i can make to this build to help sustain for the time being would be great ! on another note any input on voltages i currently have set ? FX-8350 max voltage is 1.55V and i cant seem to find any guidance on my Mobo limits

 

[EarthDog]

Oh yeah i understand man ! i need a DDR4 upgrade. Inbound in a year or two, but for any cost effective improvements i can make to this build to help sustain for the time being would be great ! on another note any input on voltages i currently have set ? FX-8350 max voltage is 1.55V and i cant seem to find any guidance on my Mobo limits

If you are forced to stick with this for now, I would get active cooling around the VRM (back side of the motherboard too) and try overclocking further.

You're at 4.7 GHz and 1.53V already (sorry, somehow I missed that earlier, lol). Can you push higher (aren't you voltage limited already)? What are load temps? Are you seeing any throttling? This is what tells you the limit of the board when it starts to throttle and become unstable. The cooler you keep those VRMs, the better off you are.

From what I see, your system is pretty tweaked/maxed already (again, AMD, old AMD, in particular, isn't my forte). Not sure anything is going to give you a tangible boost in performance outside of pushing that CPU further, if possible, as most everything is overclocked. Any additional efforts will take a lot more time than yield noticeable increases.

 

[PolRoger]

This is what i have currently in a stable state. i was wondering about the Mobo can you recommend me a better Mobo at all ? FYI i know im due an upgrade to DDR4 but im going to ride this DDR3 out for a bit longer before upgrading.

Oh yeah i understand man ! i need a DDR4 upgrade. Inbound in a year or two, but for any cost effective improvements i can make to this build to help sustain for the time being would be great ! on another note any input on voltages i currently have set ? FX-8350 max voltage is 1.55V and i cant seem to find any guidance on my Mobo limits

I'm not really sure of any cost effective upgrades for the FX platform? As Earthdog mentioned... Keep saving for an upgrade to a new Ryzen setup.

Also... Ryzen 3 is supposed to come out later this year.

IMHO... For the FX series the ASUS Crosshair V Formula-Z and the ASUS Sabertooth 990FX R2.0 motherboards were probably two of the best.

 

[Merlins Beard]

The thing is i am somewhat uninformed when it comes to things relating to the motherboard i understand what the NB, SB, VRM do but my experience OCing and dealing with cooling issues with it and its thermal and voltage limits and some what new to me, like what can i do to help, when you say "active cooling" on the VRM what can do for this ?

In terms of my CPU this is pretty much my limit for this if i try hitting 4.8GHz it Blue Screens when Stress Testing but under load with current settings max temp hits about 52C but fluctuates down and up when using Prime95

 

[JLK03F150]

Edit: to the Forums!

Here's a picture of my Sabertooth @ 4.6GHz with 'active cooling on the VRM'. The fan is simply hung there with a wire tie, plugging into the CPU fan header on the motherboard. The fan is blowing down toward the heatsink. I also have a fan on the CPU socket (back side), but that involved cutting 70mm holes in the motherboard tray & back case side and installing a thin 70mm fan.

 

[trents]

You have the vcore set to 1.55 on that motherboard? Have you done any real stress testing? I would be very surprised if the VRM (Voltage Regulation Module) on that motherboard would stand up to that much vcore.

 

[JLK03F150]

I just ran a Prime95 blend test with CPUID HWMonitor open. You might want to do the same & see what the temps are doing. Also watch the CPU clocks & see if you are throttling.

 

[Merlins Beard]

Hmmmm okay it looks like i need to grab some VRM Fans and do some more research.... I Shall Return !

 

[Merlins Beard]

I have a question :/, on HWmonitor my CPUTIN is always completely different to my CPU Cores and Package temps. can anyone advise me on this ?

 

[Mr.Scott]

CPUTIN = socket temp, which is directly related to VRM temp.

You're not ridiculously hot yet, but 60c is about my limit on VRM. Get a fan on it and one on the backside of the socket.
You're flirting with disaster on that 4+1 phase board. Volts are a little high for the clockspeed. Ram is a little loose for speed also.
On your cooling orientation, AIO should be intaking from the front. Top should be just exhaust fans.
Maximize to control your temps and you'll get a little more life out of that board. The board is the weak link.

I'd like to see CPUz tabs just to see what you got going on.

 

[Merlins Beard]

CPUTIN = socket temp, which is directly related to VRM temp.

You're not ridiculously hot yet, but 60c is about my limit on VRM. Get a fan on it and one on the backside of the socket.
You're flirting with disaster on that 4+1 phase board. Volts are a little high for the clockspeed. Ram is a little loose for speed also.
On your cooling orientation, AIO should be intaking from the front. Top should be just exhaust fans.
Maximize to control your temps and you'll get a little more life out of that board. The board is the weak link.

I'd like to see CPUz tabs just to see what you got going on.

Do fill me in, any input is valued. It would appear there are some things i am not aware of with overclocking. i altered some things and lowered voltages after testing my CPUTIN Maxs at 75-73c i ordered an 80mm noctua im going to mount above my VRM

Also i fitted in a temp 120mm Phanteks fan to cool my VRM for now lol

 

[trents]

M's Beard, looks like you're supplementing the base clock. It should be 200 mhz at default, not 210. Because the CPU/NB (aka, NB, which is the memory controller bus) and the Memory frequency are linked to the base clock, they will change with it. I would not do that to start with. It makes overclocking life more complicated. Just use the multiplier.

 

[Merlins Beard]

M's Beard, looks like you're supplementing the base clock. It should be 200 mhz, not 210. Because the CPU/NB (aka, NB, which is the memory controller bus) and the Memory frequency are linked to the base clock, they will change with it.

Yes i know its intended lol

 

[trents]

I would not do that to start with. It makes overclocking more complicated. Use the multiplier instead.

 

[Merlins Beard]

I have always found OCing with a plus 10 or 20 on the Base give me better core performance when overclocking

 

[trents]

It can do that, indeed. And if you are an experienced overclocker then go ahead. I just didn't realize that was the case from what you had already posted.