SOLVED Overclocking an AMD Athlon 64 3200+

[Crazy_Catz]

OK, I know my CPU is probably something Abe Lincon used and I have parts for a new mod coming. Until then, I was wondering if i could possibly get enough juice out of this thing to at least run something like BFH until I complete my mod. Also, seeing as Im fairly new to OCing, though it might my good to get alittle more experience before trying it on a Intel i7 970.

CPU ID screens.(dont know if you need to know all of that, just posted whatever I thought might be useful)

Using the stock cooler and Coretemp is reading about 35 idle and 40-45ish load.

Any help/links appreciated

Crazy

 

[trents]

How are you creating the "under load" condtion? What are you monitoring your temps with? The standard we use around here is running the "Prime95" blend test for 10-15 minutes. If you haven't done that, please do so and report back to us what "HWMonitor" says is your max temp. If you want to overclock this CPU your max "core temps" will need to be under 55C. Not sure, however, if your CPU has a core temp sensor so we may have to make due with CPU (socket) temps. HWMonitor displays both CPU socket temps and core temps. This is a single core CPU, correct?

 

[Crazy_Catz]

How are you creating the "under load" condtion? The standard we use around here is running the "Prime95" blend test for 10-15 minutes. If you haven't done that, please do so and report back to us what "CoreTemp" says is your max temp.

Ok, will do. I just went a rendered a big OpenSCAD file and recored the peak temp. Will post Prime95.

Crazy

 

[Crazy_Catz]

Ok, I ran the "blend" test for 12 minutes. Core temp is still reading about 43-46C under 100% load.

Crazy

 

[trents]

Yeah, you've got some head room termperature-wise to overclock. So here is what I would suggest, assuming you have these options in bios:

1. Move your ram speed divider back from 200 (=DDR 400) to 166 (=DDR 333). That way as you increase the front side bus (fsb) you won't exceed the speed capability of the ram. That is to say we will be starting it at a speed lower than what its rated for and then overclocking it upward back toward its rated max speed (200 mhz=400 mhz DDR mhz).
2. Give your CPU one small bump in voltage.
3. Increase the fsb (="CPU frequency") in 5 mhz increments until it won't boot anymore.
4. Decrease the fsb to the previous stable frequency
5. Run Prime95 blend for 10-15 minutes with HWMonitor open. If Prime95 test fails before completion or the machine locks up, or you get BSOD, go back into bios and give the CPU voltage another small bump and retest, always monitoring temps. Once you have hit 55 C you are at what we consider to be the limit. Beyond that you will encounter a stability wall and much beyond 55 C the safety of the CPU comes into question. Temps more than voltage are critical to CPU safety. You don't want to fry the thing.
6. Report back with your experience, pics of CPU-z tabs: "CPU", "Memory" and "SPD" as well as max temps.

Basically, the process is an incremental repetition of increasing fsb to speed up CPU, increasing CPU voltage to restore stability, and monitoring temps to ensure safety. At some point the increasing CPU voltage will drive temps up the 55 C target and you are through. There's a little more to it but do this much and we'll chat more later. Got to start getting ready to turn in for the night now.

Any questions?

 

[Crazy_Catz]

Yeah, you've got some head room termperature-wise to overclock. So here is what I would suggest, assuming you have these options in bios:

1. Move your ram speed divider back from 200 (=DDR 400) to 166 (=DDR 333). That way as you increase the front side bus (fsb) you won't exceed the speed capability of the ram. That is to say we will be starting it at a speed lower than what its rated for and then overclocking it upward back toward its rated max speed (200 mhz=400 mhz DDR mhz).
2. Give your CPU one small bump in voltage.
3. Increase the fsb (="CPU frequency") in 5 mhz increments until it won't boot anymore.
4. Decrease the fsb to the previous stable frequency
5. Run Prime95 blend for 10-15 minutes with HWMonitor open. If Prime95 test fails before completion or the machine locks up, or you get BSOD, go back into bios and give the CPU voltage another small bump and retest, always monitoring temps. Once you have hit 55 C you are at what we consider to be the limit. Beyond that you will encounter a stability wall and much beyond 55 C the safety of the CPU comes into question. Temps more than voltage are critical to CPU safety. You don't want to fry the thing.
6. Report back with your experience, pics of CPU-z tabs: "CPU", "Memory" and "SPD" as well as max temps.

Basically, the process is an incremental repetition of increasing fsb to speed up CPU, increasing CPU voltage to restore stability, and monitoring temps to ensure safety. At some point the increasing CPU voltage will drive temps up the 55 C target and you are through. There's a little more to it but do this much and we'll chat more later. Got to start getting ready to turn in for the night now.

Any questions?

Not really, great explanation. I'll get to work on this tomorrow, really late here on a Sunday. Will report with success/failure.

Thanks again

Crazy

 

[Tech Tweaker]

Strangely, I recently tried to overclock that exact same processor.

I got mine up to 2400MHz from the stock 2000MHz, and it would boot into Windows, but it wasn't stable enough to run Prime no matter what I did. Actually, it failed Prime95 almost immediately every time I tried at anything over 220MHz FSB.

Didn't seem to like anything over 2200MHz near as I could tell for whatever reason. Something with the chip itself I think, because it's not the RAM or the HT Link Frequency (the RAM is stable to DDR480 or higher at 3-3-3-8-1T, and I'd already lowered the HT Link multiplier).

I hope you have better luck on your chip than I had on mine.

 

[trents]

Tech Tweaker reminded me of something I should have said and that is to keep the HT Link speed (See CPU-z tab: "CPU") as close to 1000 as you can. Not sure if you even have an adjustment for this in bios. If it gets much above 1000 you will get instability.

 

[trents]

These are the bios options you need to be concerned with.

 

[trents]

Some more.

 

[Crazy_Catz]

Ok, thanks for that. I will watch it. Also, two quick questions before I try this.

1:How much would a "slight bump" in voltage be for this processor?
2:How often should the voltage be bumped in this case? Only the once?

 

[trents]

Ok, thanks for that. I will watch it. Also, two quick questions before I try this.

1:How much would a "slight bump" in voltage be for this processor?
The smallest increment or if it is an open ended thing where you type in the voltage try .025v increments
2:How often should the voltage be bumped in this case? Only the once?
No, until you hit the 55 C core temp limit.

 

[Crazy_Catz]

Alright. Will try and post here.

 

[Crazy_Catz]

Hrm... I couldn't find where to lower my RAM speed. but I bumped the voltage and frequency on the CPU fine.

Does that HT link seem to high above 1K, it increase about 20 from whawt it was orginally. Core temp also reads about 5C higher then before. Also, .2v seems kind of high for a bump to me. But there was no way for me to input a value, I either could enable more CPU voltage or disable it. :/

 

[Crazy_Catz]

UPDATE:

Ok, I slowed down my RAM. So thats working fine now. I also added another 5MHz, and a pattern seems to have appeared. With every 5MHz that I increase the CPU speed, the HTLink goes up by 25.

Coretemp after running prime for 10 mins.

 

[trents]

Read my previous post. I didn't say a .2v increase in CPU voltage, I said .025. Core temp will start to rise with voltage increase. That's why you need to monitor temps with each increase.

Keep your HT Link speed between 900 and 1050. No higher. That adjustment I believe is "SB to NB Frequency" in bios. The speed will be a a multiple of you fsb speed. Currently your HT Link multiplier is 5x and your fsb is 205. 5x205=1025. Where do I get the 5x? Look at the values in that section of the bios. They are all multiples of 200, the default fsb. To figure out the multiplier, divide the values there by 200. So, 200/200=1x; 400/200=2x; 600/200=3x . . .1000/200=5x . . . 1200/200=6x, etc. So, choose 800 Mhz (4x) in that section to keep your HT Link speed within stable range for now.

There is a way for you to input CPU voltage value. First you have to set it to "Manual" and then you should be able to enter a value with number keys. Look at post #10, the left screen shot pane. I have it highlighted for you. Did you look at that those bios pics yet?

 

[Crazy_Catz]

Read my previous post. I didn't say a .2v increase in CPU voltage, I said .025. Core temp will start to rise with voltage increase. That's why you need to monitor temps with each increase.

Keep your HT Link speed between 900 and 1100. No higher. That adjustment I believe is "SB to NB Frequency" in bios. The speed will be a a multiple of you fsb speed. Currently your HT Link multiplier is 5x and your fsb is 205. 5x205=1025. Where do I get the 5x? Look at the values in that section of the bios. They are all multiples of 200, the default fsb. To figure out the multiplier, divide the values there by 200. So, 200/200=1x; 400/200=2x; 600/200=3x . . .1000/200=5x . . . 1200/200=6x, etc. So, choose 800 Mhz (4x) in that section to keep your HT Link speed within stable range for now.

There is a way for you to input CPU voltage value. First you have to set it to "Manual" and then you should be able to enter a value with number keys. Look at post #10, the left screen shot pane. I have it highlighted for you. Did you look at that those bios pics yet?

Yeah, sorry bout that, guess just didn't look long enough to completely memorize in BIOS. Will go change the voltage.

 

[trents]

Its okay. Most people new to overclocking feel pretty nervous about it. You look at stuff but you don't really see it, you know?

 

[trents]

Perhaps it would help to print out Posts #9 & #10 to look at when you are in bios.

 

[RollingThunder]

Perhaps it would help to print out Posts #9 & #10 to look at when you are in bios.

Trents,

My experience with these A64 chips (3500 and Opteron) is that is a LOT of vcore he has and temps go up quickly from about 1.375V on a stock cooler.