SOLVED Unsure on whether to uprade CPU or overclock current one.

[blado22]

My current specs are:

AMD Phenom II X6 1075T Thuban 3.0GHz
AMD 6950 2GB version
Gigabyte 870-ud3 revision 2.1
8GB (2GBx4) DDR3/1600MHz Dual Channel Memory
Asetek 510LC Liquid Cooling System 120MM Radiator & Fan
Azza Solano 1000 Full-Tower Advance Cooling Case w/ Dual 230mm Fan + Extra 3 Fans

I'm been contemplating what to upgrade in preparation for Rome 2: Total War, and just for future games in general. Since I have revision 2.1 of my motherboard, I don't believe it supports the new AM3+ CPUs. This is the main thing holding me back from getting the AMD FX-8350, as I have absolutely zero experience in replacing a motherboard. The only thing I've ever replaced is a video card and a PSU. Also, it will cost me extra to buy a new motherboard that supports AM3+, which I'm not really looking forward to.

I'm also considering the possibility of overclocking, at least as a short term solution, but I have no idea how. If you guys have any advice on which decision to make, or possibly other options I haven't considered, that would be great. Thanks for any help.

 

[Mandrake4565]

Overclock it! Read this thread first then download Cpu-z, Hwmonitor and Prime95. Before you overclock it, open Hwmonitor and run prime95 "blend torture test" for 20 minutes. Then post individual pics of Hwmonitor and the following tabs in CPu-z, Cpu, Spd and memory. I would also, if it hasn't been done already, clean the case get all the dust out and make sure the wiring isn't blocking airflow.

Just an FYI with an FX 8350, they are great processors but they require very good motherboards to run properly on. You will need to spend, if buying new, at least $140.00 on a motherboard in order to run that chip properly.

Here's how to post pics

 

[caddi daddi]

+1 mandrake.

 

[blado22]

That should hopefully be all of the information

 

[trents]

Is your CPU a "black" edition? That is to say, does it have an unlocked core multiplier?

 

[manu2b]

Yep, take it to 4GHz, sell your 6950 (that might unlock to a 6970) for $160/$170, and get a 7970 like this one http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125413 for $400 and you'll have a rig that will play all the games@1080p for the 2 coming years.

 

[blado22]

Yep, take it to 4GHz, sell your 6950 (that might unlock to a 6970) for $160/$170, and get a 7970 like this one http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125413 for $400 and you'll have a rig that will play all the games@1080p for the 2 coming years.

My computer is from christmas 2010, so I think I have one of the original 6950s. I never flashed it then due to my experience, and I heard it went horribly wrong for a few people.

My cpu is not a black edition.

 

[LoganG]

no need for either or, you can overclock the CPU and buy a new one

 

[blado22]

So I should overclock the CPU, use said money to buy a new GPU, and then sell my old 6950?

 

[manu2b]

Sure you'll find a good guide to unlock this 6950 And with the BIOS switch, if anything goes wrong, you just switch back to original BIOS.

Your CPU not being a BE is not really an issue. You can overclock it through the FSB, as explained in the thread Mandrake pointed out to you.

 

[trents]

Okay, a little research revealed those 1075Ts are not BE and the multiplier is locked. You will need to use the main system bus frequency to overclock it. This is also referred to as the FSB (front side bus) and officially, the HT Reference. In many bioses it is called the "CPU Frequency" and stock is 200 mhz. The big idea will be to start increasing this frequency in small increments (say 5 mhz at a time), stress test for stability with temp monitoring monitoring after each increase and then add voltage to the CPU when you encounter instability.

After each increase in the FSB, run a 20 minute Prime95 "blend" test to check for stability. If you pass (no blue screen, restarts, lockup or none of the Prime95 core workers drop out) increase the frequency by another 5 mhz. When you first fail the test, add .025 to the CPU voltage and begin to retest. Don't let your package temps in HWMonitor exceed about 55-60c and don't let your TMPIN1 temp reading (which I believe is your CPU socket temp) exceed 60-65c. Looks like you have about 10-15c of headroom temp wise to overclock.

Before you do any of this, lower your Memory frequency to 1333 mhz to give some headroom there and increase the CPU/NB voltage to 1.225. Then also disable Cool N Quiet, Turbo Boost and C1E. Go into Windows Control Panel Power Options and change the option to High Performance if it is not already.

The best way for us to help you is to have you take digital camera pics of the bios sections that deal with Frequency and Voltage adjustment and attach them in a post so that we see what you see and so that we can use the same terminology that you see in bios.

 

[blado22]

Thanks for the help. I'll attempt this stuff later on after I eat. Also, do you think 4.0 GHz is possible without a black edition. Also, what kind of performance increase can I expect in ,say, Shogun 2.

 

[trents]

Whether or not it is a black edition has no bearing on whether you can get to 4.0 ghz. Having a black edition just makes overclocking easier. Whether or not you can get to 4.0 ghz? Possible but your cooling will likely hold you back. 3.8 would be more likely.

 

[Mandrake4565]

Is it me or is the Cpu LLC bumping the V core up too much for stock?

 

[trents]

Is it me or is the Cpu LLC bumping the V core up too much for stock?

Looks like he may have the green stuff still enabled.

 

[blado22]

Looks like he may have the green stuff still enabled.

What is this green stuff you speak of?

 

[trents]

Green stuff: Cool N Quiet, Turbo Boost, C1E. And Windows Control Panel Power Options should be set to High Performance.

 

[blado22]

Here are a few pictures of my BIOS as requested. I haven't changed anything on it at all yet.

 

[trents]

Disable Cool N Quiet and Core Performance Boost. Take the red highlighted things off of "Auto". Set Memory Clock to 1333 mhz. Post back with bios pics again of "Intelligent Tweaker" so we can look at the changes. On second thought, leave HT Link Frequency and CPU NorthBridge Frequ. on Auto for now.

 

[trents]

Look for C1E and disable it. May be found in either Advanced Bios Controls or Power Management. It may not be visible if you have already configured Windows Power Options (in Control Panel) for High Performance.