Trying to OC my 1100T

[Jekerdud]

Hello all, I'm new here and new to overclocking, but please bear with me while I spill out the details.

The specs:
Motherboard: ASUS Crosshair V Formula (990 Chipset)
CPU: AMD Phenom II x6 1100T Black Edition
CPU Cooler: Corsair H100 Liquid cooling using push/pull fan setup on the radiator
RAM: CORSAIR DOMINATOR 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800)
Video Card: Gigabyte AMD Radeon 6970
Case: Cooler Master HAF X
OS: Windows 7 Professional 64-bit
PSU: Kingwin Mach 1 1000w

The issues:
A year ago I built the current system I am using, primarily for video game streaming. At the time, I had plenty of time to game, and wanted to have a stable overclock around 4.0Ghz minimum. I tried using AI suite to start setting the numbers (only bumping up the multiplier), then using Prime95 to test it for an hour. After I had a stable run, I would then go to bios and plug in the new multiplier. The highest stable I got at the time was 3800 mhz, using 200 x 19. After about 2 weeks I started to have random lock ups and crashes. So, I set everything back to default and gave up for the time being.

Fast forward to about a month ago, and I have time to stream again. So, I try overclocking again. I do the same thing, only this time I bumped up the frequency to 210, and the multiplier to 18, which left me at 3780. Same issues after about the same amount of time.

I tried setting the RAM to manual and setting the clock to 1066, and setting the CPU voltage to 1.43, and the system wouldn't start up. So I set everything back to default and start looking around for help. I haven't tried anything else since, since I feel I am missing changing something else.

For cooling, when running Prime95 the past few weeks, the highest it got to was 60 degrees Celsius, what that was when I was using AI suite to push it to 4.1Ghz. Idling as I type this, it is sitting at 34 degrees (according to AI Suite's monitor).

Is there a setting I am missing? I would really like to be able to push this CPU to 4.1 ideally, but I'm not exactly sure what specific settings and voltages are "safe" to use. Is there someone here that's familiar with the motherboard's BIOS, and what specific things I could change?

Edit: I added a baseline pic of CPU-Z, in case that helps.

Thanks in advance!

 

[trents]

Disable Cool N Quiet, C1E, and Turbo and make sure the core unlocking feature in bios is disabled. Then go into Windows Control Panel Power Options and configure it to High Performance. This should disable all the "green" power saving, down-throttlng stuff that can create instability in the higher overclock ranges. Make sure also that any and all auto overclocking wizards in bios are disabled and that your overclocking mode in bios is manual. Same with any Windows overclocking software. Disable it.

You say you got max temps running Prime of 60c when overclocked but you don't say whether that was core temp or CPU socket temp. Either way, that seems kind of high for a system being cooled by an H100 if the max core voltage you have used is 1.43 and have a well-ventilated case. With that CPU and that cooling power you should be able to get to 4.0 ghz without a problem and be stable. Let's check that cooling out:

Please put all frequencies and voltages back to stock and change only the bios settings I just mentioned. Then, if you have not, download and install HWMonitor which gives both core temps and CPU socket temp. Open it up on the desktop and keep it open while you run a 20 minute Prime95 blend test. Then post back with a pic attached of the HWMonitor interface. What we are after here is checking core and CPU socket temps at stock conditions so as to get a feel for the potential problem of a water block poorly seated, TIM not applied correctly or poor circulation of the coolant through the lines due to air lock or malfunctioning pump. It there appears to be no problem in that regard we will work with you on the overclock itself.

 

[tungureanu]

PSU?

 

[Anonaru]

1100T, hm..

I'd consider reseating your cooler. You should be able to get to 4.0 no problem. Like they said, start with disabling all power saving schemes, such as Cool n' Quiet, C1E, and set performance profile in Windows.

Does your board have LLC? If it does, set it to very high or extreme.

I also suggest using a higher FSB setting for OCing the 1100, this makes a stable 3.9GHz OC much easier than a higher multiplier OC.

Your NB frequency should be higher, too. Consider using a 225 FSB setting and a 2600ish NB frequency. You'll need a moderate NB voltage bump, but this won't bring yoru temps up as much as simply pumping up your CPU voltage.

I think what I ended up on my friend's Thuban was 3970~ MHz with a 227 FSB. We do need to know what kidn of power supply you're rocking, though

 

[Jekerdud]

My power supply is a Kingwin Mach 1 1000w. It was part of my last system, and is about 2 1/2 years old.

Those temps I mentioned were from AI Suite's reading of the CPU. From what it sounds like, you guys don't trust AIS's temp monitor. I will do the temp test when I get home later today.

The pics above was a baseline set using the "optimized defaults" in BIOS, so voltages are set to auto I believe. Should I set them lower or to normal defaults for this?

 

[Anonaru]

My power supply is a Kingwin Mach 1 1000w. It was part of my last system, and is about 2 1/2 years old.

Those temps I mentioned were from AI Suite's reading of the CPU. From what it sounds like, you guys don't trust AIS's temp monitor. I will do the temp test when I get home later today.

The pics above was a baseline set using the "optimized defaults" in BIOS, so voltages are set to auto I believe. Should I set them lower or to normal defaults for this?

Defaults should be good for intents and purposes. HWMonitor's temp readings tend to be pretty close to the median for most of the other programs (speedfan, coretemp, etc) so I tend to use it the most often.

Your PSU should be plenty for OCing a 1100T, but I still maintain you will most likely need a somewhat hefty FSB / NB / Voltage bump to get to 4.0GHz. Just remember it will be essentially impossible to maintain stability on a Thuban with a NB set over 2800 (I've had bad luck with anything above 2767~).

Feel around a bit and figure out what voltages you need for a stable 225 FSB. Get your NB around the 2600 range, run some tests, and report temps / voltages required.

 

[Jekerdud]

Alright, I set the settings to what trents said. Only thing I actually had to turn off was turbo. Everything else is set at optimized defaults. This is after the 20 minute test:

 

[trents]

Temps look fine at stock. What's your ambient (room) temp like?

My suggested approach is to leave the CPU voltage at stock and see how far it will take you as you stress test with 20 minute Prime95 blend runs after increasing the CPU multiplier in .5x increments. When you first fail Prime 20 minute test, add .025 to the CPU voltage and retest. Before any of that, however, go into bios and set your memory divider to the XMP-1600 mhz level. The Thuban core CPUs can handle the memory at 1600 mhz very nicely. Always have HWMonitor open when you stress with Prime. You want the cores to not exceed about 55-60c and the CPU (socket) temp to remain below 70c. When the cores start to climb past about 55c you typically begin to get temp related instability. Those temp guidelines are also safe temp limits.

When you approach your overclock limit you will need to increase the Prime95 blend runs from 20 minutes to two hours but at the front end of the process passing the 20 minute test ensures you are at least almost stable and is also time efficient.

 

[Jekerdud]

You mentioned the FSB at 225 above, with what you are suggesting, should I increase the multiplier first, or adjust the FSB first? Or will we deal with the FSB later on?

My room temp is 68, we usually keep the house between 66-70.

 

[trents]

No, I'm suggesting put the FSB back to the stock 200 mhz and use the multiplier only. Much simpler and that's the beauty of a black edition CPU. You can adjust the NB and the HT Link frequencies independently of influence from the FSB that way and accomplish the same thing much easier. You don't have to juggle several frequencies at once if you stick to the CPU multiplier and first find out what the approximate overclock ceiling is. Then you can go back and tweak the NB and HT Link.

Some overclockers find they can get away with lower voltage by using a combination of the multiplier and the FSB but that will not always be true.

 

[Jekerdud]

Since my CPU voltage by default is auto, what would be a safe number to manually set it to for the testing? I will be doing all of this tomorrow afternoon, so I should have some results by the evening.

 

[RGone]

1100T V core 1V - 1.475V. Those voltages could be considered default for the 1100T depending on binning and what P state the cpu is running in. It seems from heavy duty g00gling that many boards AUTO set the Vcore to 1.45V. That certainly would be a good place to manually set starting Vcore to begin to test moving the cpu speed faster and faster toward your Max, stable overclock. At some point you might even use 1.525Vcore to get your Max cpu overclock but there is not a thing wrong with setting 1.45Vcore to begin your journey.

 

[Jekerdud]

I just did my first test, went fine I think aside from one thing: I set the settings as mentioned, and set the voltage at 1.45. But when I started running prime95, HWMonitor said that my CPU VCore voltage was at 1.49. Is that normal or did I miss something?

 

[tungureanu]

I just did my first test, went fine I think aside from one thing: I set the settings as mentioned, and set the voltage at 1.45. But when I started running prime95, HWMonitor said that my CPU VCore voltage was at 1.49. Is that normal or did I miss something?

It`s because of LLC. If you have it on 100% it does that. Voltages will always fluctuate as that is just how the physics work. If the voltage droops too far it will cause your computer to crash. LLC is the way of minimizing that droop and the percentage determines how aggressive that process will be , if very aggresive it will add more than what you asked for and you can see the results.Instead of 1.45 you get 1.49. But it is normal. I run mine on 1.3v and because of LLC i get 1.37v.

 

[trents]

My original suggestion was to leave the CPU voltage on Auto, get as far as you can get in the .5x multiplier progressions as the Auto voltage will allow and not add any CPU voltage until you start failing the stress test. That is what I meant by "stock frequency and voltage" of the system. If you want a reference point or a baseline for what Auto was when you get to the point where you need to increase it, just look at what the CPU core voltage readout was at idle in CPU-z "CPU" tab or in HWMonitor when on Auto.

There are a couple of potential reasons why HWMonitor shows 1.49 volts when you set the CPU voltage to 1.45 in bios. One is that software monitoring programs may have some inaccuracy. The other is the bios could be supplementing the voltage with a technology called Load Line Calibration or LLC. LLC can be hidden in the background or it can show up as a bios line item. On your Crosshair V board I'm sure it will show up as a bios line item and be something you can adjust. The intent of the technology is to compensate for the natural tendency for voltage to drop under load, what we call "vdroop" but depending on how it is deployed it can also supplement idle voltage to compensate for "vdrop". LLC allows you to be stable under load while getting away with less CPU voltage at idle when you don't need as much to be stable. Don't worry so much about actual voltage as about the effect voltage has on core and CPU temps.

 

[Anonaru]

No, I'm suggesting put the FSB back to the stock 200 mhz and use the multiplier only. Much simpler and that's the beauty of a black edition CPU. You can adjust the NB and the HT Link frequencies independently of influence from the FSB that way and accomplish the same thing much easier. You don't have to juggle several frequencies at once if you stick to the CPU multiplier and first find out what the approximate overclock ceiling is. Then you can go back and tweak the NB and HT Link.

Some overclockers find they can get away with lower voltage by using a combination of the multiplier and the FSB but that will not always be true.

Its almost always the case on Thuban-- Well I don't know about lower voltage, Thubans do better at higher clocks with FSB addressed as well-- I.E it is noticably easier to break 4 and even 4.2 with FSB and multi vs just multi.

 

[Jekerdud]

Ah, ok. Thanks for those responses. I've done 3 benchmarks so far, with FSB at 200 and multiplier at 19.0 (started at 18). Those were with the voltage set at 1.45 though, should I throw it on auto, or just keep it where it's at? Temps look good so far, highest I've seen was 47 on the cores. So, 3.3 to 3.8 Ghz so far

 

[Anonaru]

Ah, ok. Thanks for those responses. I've done 3 benchmarks so far, with FSB at 200 and multiplier at 19.0. Those were with the voltage set at 1.45 though, should I throw it on auto, or just keep it where it's at? Temps look good so far, highest I've seen was 47 on the cores. So, 3.3 to 3.8 Ghz so far

Your numbers look pretty good. Whats your NB frequency?

 

[Jekerdud]

It's still set to auto, but BIOS says it's at 2000Mhz.

 

[Anonaru]

It's still set to auto, but BIOS says it's at 2000Mhz.

Auto typically doesn't do anything with your NB, same as your HT frequency.

Give your NB a single voltage bump, and set it to 2400. Tell me what happens! (This should give you a performance increase. You should be able to do this up to 26-2700 without a hitch)