Overclocking my Phenom 2 955? Odd problems

[zeating]

MSI 870-G45
Phenom II 955 x4 c3 3.2ghz
Corsair xms3 2x2ghz 1600mhz ram
Corsair TX650w PSU
Windows 7 64bit
XFX 6950 1gb


I noticed that I cannot push my CPU NB frequency past 2400mhz, i fail to boot, no beep, just black screen. ?

It seems I can get my clocks up to 3.5ghz using the multiplier but anything past that in Prime95 only ONE worker stops working while the rest keep going. My core voltages don't help either. I have gotten it up to 3.8ghz in the past by using core voltage of almost 1.5V + upping the CPU-NB volts to over 1.3v as well as putting the CPU-NB multi up to 13 and I passed a 6 hour prime95 test but I was playing Arma II and after some hours the game completely crashed and acted very strangely and my computer had to be rebooted. I can pass Small FFT stable, but when I do blend its only the one worker that fails. Is this a memory issue? I should also add I ran a 6+ hour metest and got zero errors. What should I do?

Edit: Just noticed that large FFT & blend almost instantly gives me 1 worked stopped but small is stable. Any help is appreciated. I suspect its memory.. again

Edit 2: I bumped my memory frequency down to 800mhz..instead of getting 1 worker stopped, this time i got a blue screen within 20 seconds. BSOD code was 101: which means not enough vcore. I tried it again at 1066mhz and this time I got a fatal prime error and 1 core stopped.

 

[trents]

Please post back with attached screen shots of CPU-z tabs: "CPU", "Memory" and "SPD". CPU-z is a free program which gives lots of info about your system and bios settings.

To post screenies, crop and save the images with Snipping Tool found in Windows Accessories. Then click on the Go Advanced button at the bottom of any new post window. At the top of the Advanced Post window click on the little paperclip tool which will bring up the file browser/uploader tool. The rest is obvious.

If you are running the ram at the full 1600 mhz that could be the problem. The Deneb core CPUs often will not be stable with the ram frequency that high. The integrated memory controller is kind of puny, being only rated for 1333 mhz.

 

[zeating]

With my current settings I was able to run blend test for about 2 hours until 1 worker stopped.

Check attachment for pic.

Thanks for the help!

 

[trents]

Thanks for the pics. You say nothing about what cooler you are using or what your core and CPU socket temps are. Instability is often caused by overheating. Please run 20 minutes of Prime95 blend with the free program "HWMonitor" open on your desktop during the test. Then post back with a pic of the HWMonitor interface.

 

[ice445]

It's very likely that heat is what's limiting you.

 

[zeating]

It's very likely that heat is what's limiting you.

It has not gone over 55c on any voltages or tests. It isn't heat.

I also use a Hyper 212+

Edit: Installed Hardware Monitor as the prime95 test was well over 2 hours + going, no errors yet. Been using coretemp all this time. Screenshot included:
Do you notice anything wrong with my CPUz screen? or any wrong voltages set that could be messing it up?

 

[trents]

Thanks for the additional info. The more info the better. Speaking of that, please put your system info in your "Sig" so that it travels with every post you make. This is a common courtesy on the forum. To create a sig, click on Quick Links and Edit Signature at the top of the page. You can refer to mine for a pattern if you wish. New users have access to the Sig feature within one hour after their second post, or so one of the moderators told me.

Here's what I recommend for your instability: Set your CPUNB frequency to 2400 and your CPUNB voltage to 1.225. Also, bump up your ram voltage from 1.5 to 1.55. See if that doesn't help.

 

[zeating]

I ran a bad company 2 while running prime95 for 3+ hours on my current settings and the game crashed and windows did all sorts of weird errors then I rebooted. Is this overclock unstable or is it just a bad idea to run a game + prime95? Thanks for the tip, i'll try that if this doesnt work

 

[trents]

CPU-z info all looked appropriate. Try the few tweaks I recommended in post #7 and see it doesn't help with stability. The Prime95 blend test IMO is the most balanced of the test options because it simulates real world computing the best and gives the memory a good workout. The tweaks I suggested should help with memory stability.

I wouldn't run Prime95 and a game at the same time.

Your max core temps are at about the limit of what we recommend as far as stability which we commonly see set in when you exceed a core temp of about 55c.

 

[zeating]

Also, those temps are with an uncleaned extremely dirty computer which I just completely blew out with compressed air + rubbing alcohol. Should be MUCH cooler now. Also realized the "stock" timings for the ram that I thought was correct were wrong. I was using 9-9-9-27 and on the DIMM stickers it says 8-8-8-24...could be a big reason to the instability.

 

[trents]

9-9-9-27 represent more relaxed timings than 8-8-8-24 and should not have the effect of creating instability, in fact the opposite is true. Be careful with timings. They are not a static entity and are dependent on the frequency and voltage you are applying to the ram. The CPU-z "SPD" tab reports the timings and voltages the memory manufacturer recommends for the ram at various frequencies. It's info encoded in the memory module by the manufacturer. The CPU-z "Memory" tab reports the current setting in bios. It is also true that appropriate timings may be different for an AMD CPU/motherboard chipset than they would be for an Intel. Perhaps you have seen memory advertised as "Optimized" for certain Intel products.

 

[zeating]

OK I am so confused/frustrated right now. I passed a 13+ hour prime95 test with NO errors and heat not going over 53c...I run Arma II for 15 minutes and the game crashes and has all sorts of weird glitches! then every program thats running starts to crash and glitch out. I can also run prime95 AND furmark at the same time without issue. What is the problem here?

 

[RGone]

I see oddities in your HWMonitor capture...

Strange voltages.

http://www.overclockers.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=110189&stc=1&d=1337509848

 

[nursingZombie]

What is ur current PSU? It seems to be an under-voltage issue with ur video card...amps on the +12V line. Your PCIE graphics card needs a minimum of 28A to prevent crashing in games. You may need to upgrade the PSU as soon as possible to prevent further damage to the graphics card that could be permanent.
__________________
Looks like uR fine running prime...but ur comp is drawing more wen u game.

 

[scrambler]

If the 12 volt rail is reporting less than 12 volts, the PSU might be dying?

 

[zeating]

I have a corsair 650w and its less than a year old. Can I fix the voltages somehow?

 

[RGone]

I have a corsair 650w and its less than a year old. Can I fix the voltages somehow?

Being less than a year old, really means nothing except that it should still be in warranty if found to be failed/failing.

Can I fix the voltage? Yes by getting a working power supply if the supply is truly failing.

You need to get a DMM and test the +12V rail of the power supply while under load. DMMs are not software, reading from a $0.05 chip on the mobo. DMMs are a test meter to measure voltages. Well they measure other things as well but you need to use one to measure your +12V power supply output.

 

[zeating]

Well, this looks OK doesnt it?
Possible software issue then?

 

[scrambler]

It could be the program mis-reading? Try another one maybe? It could also be because there is no load on the line currently, but when you start gaming you push it over and it trips.

 

[trents]

When you run Prime95, which test have you been using? Blend? Small FTTs? Large FTTs? Use the blend. It tests the ram better.