trouble overclocking phenom 1100t

[zoomerzrewl]

Even after setting everything to optimized defaults? I still don't know what speed your memory is rated for.

its corsair vengeance and rated for 1600. but i've heard that some memory doesn't perform equally on amd and intel. maybe this stuff isn't good for amd...?

Well then you need to start increasing the CPU core voltage if your core temps will allow. You haven't given us any information about your temps. Are you monitoring them while stress testing?

i always watch my temps while testing but i didn't know they were actually 10 higher than what core temp readings show. i let my temps go up til they reach 60 then i stop the test... i guess the core temp is actually 70 at that point and probably way too high right?

 

[trents]

They may not be 10 C. higher even though they are reported as below ambient at idle. Sometimes the calibration at the low end is off but more accurate at the high end. Give it the benefit of the doubt and give some more CPU voltage but do it in small increments. Don't assume the where "the wall" is, grope slowly and carefully and actually find it. If you do things carefully in small increments your are not likely to fry anything because your will reach unstable temps before you reach unsafe temps.

 

[zoomerzrewl]

I guess overclocking is a skill that i have to get better at. Like anything else in life, the easiest way to learn is probably just doing it.

However I'm still extremely confused about the issue of voltage. It bothers me to see some people get 4.1 with 1.45 and some people can't even reach 4 with 1.5. Which areas need to be tweaked in order to get the cpu stable at lower voltages? It's a burning question in my mind and it makes me ask "why can't i do it??"

 

[trents]

The HT Link frequency and the CPUNB frequency and CPUNB voltage are the two primary "tweak" items. The Thubans seem to like the HT Link frequency to run above stock so try 2200 mhz and try 2600 mhz on the CPUNB. Then bump the CPUNB voltage up to around 1.225. It also seems to help if you raise the ram voltage a tad, say from 1.5 to 1.55 on the typical low voltage ram sold today.

Hey, one housekeeping item is in need of attention, though. Its time for you to put details about your system info in your "Sig". See mine for a template. Go to the top of the page to Quick Links and droop the arrow down to "Edit Signature". This will cause your system info to travel with your posts. Handy when the threads get long.

 

[Cigarsmoker]

However I'm still extremely confused about the issue of voltage. It bothers me to see some people get 4.1 with 1.45 and some people can't even reach 4 with 1.5. Which areas need to be tweaked in order to get the cpu stable at lower voltages? It's a burning question in my mind and it makes me ask "why can't i do it??"

Don't. That's OCing, there's no gaurantee and results varies from chip to chip. The MB, PSU, RAM, etc will also affect a OC. I've got two nearly identical 955 BE systems. One got to 4.0 GHz with ease, the other can barely manage 3.8 no matter the voltage I throw at it.

The key to OCing is being methodical. Change one variable at a time in small increments. I find most noob want that majic bullet, instant gratification, tried, tested, true and stable settings on THEIR system. Unfortunately it's not that easy. There's some fantastic guides here on this forum. The more time you spend reading and understanding the less frustration you'll experience. And you'll learn some things that will last you a lifetime and through many OCs on virtually any system. Some people like being frustrated and reserve the right to remain ignorant.

 

[zoomerzrewl]

Don't. That's OCing, there's no gaurantee and results varies from chip to chip. The MB, PSU, RAM, etc will also affect a OC. I've got two nearly identical 955 BE systems. One got to 4.0 GHz with ease, the other can barely manage 3.8 no matter the voltage I throw at it.

it's frustrating how overclocking can be so inconsistent. i'm usually not the one to have patience with stuff but it looks like i have no choice

The HT Link frequency and the CPUNB frequency and CPUNB voltage are the two primary "tweak" items. The Thubans seem to like the HT Link frequency to run above stock so try 2200 mhz and try 2600 mhz on the CPUNB. Then bump the CPUNB voltage up to around 1.225. It also seems to help if you raise the ram voltage a tad, say from 1.5 to 1.55 on the typical low voltage ram sold today.

i'll give it a try and see if i can get a decent clock out of it.

when it comes to games, do you guys think that clock speed matters more than number of cores? i've seen comparisons of the 1100t and the fx 8150 and it seems like the extra two cores do basically nothing. i'm kind of thinking of getting a 8150 cause i believe some games framerates are being held back by my cpu. in crysis 1 i get 25 - 30 fps and my card is the gtx 580 classified 3gb so it should be able to play that game at way higher frames i would think...

 

[zoomerzrewl]

ok guys i'm going up 100Mhz at a time and checking for stability. I do an hour long blend to see if it's pretty solid and if it's not, i bump up the vcore by 0.025. if it's still not solid, i try the same voltage but i raise the cpu/nb or ht independently to see how long i can get the blend test to run.

can i get a pretty solid oc with minimal voltage by tweaking this way or will i need to mess around with ram timings and frequency in order to get anywhere?

 

[csimon]

if it's working keep doing it.