AMD Phenom X4 9550 O/C

ok i got mine stable @ 243x11 @2.66 stock 2.2.
but i noticed that alot of sig's show higher multi. and lower fsb.
to where i keep upping tha fsb instead of lowering it and upping tha multi.
so should i b upping tha multi and lowering tha fsb for a higher o/c ?

It depends on how you use your computer. Higher fsb gives better performance with memory intensive tasks. An example would be file compression and I think some photo editing programs can be memory intensive. Most other kinds of computing don't benefit much from fast fsb speeds and since just raising the cpu multiplier makes overclocking much simpler and easier a lot of folks just do that. One advantage of overclocking with just the cpu multiplier is that it doesn't add additional strain to the integrated memory controller (NB/HT).

scoot0073 said:

ok i got mine stable @ 243x11 @2.66 stock 2.2.
but i noticed that alot of sig's show higher multi. and lower fsb.
to where i keep upping tha fsb instead of lowering it and upping tha multi.
so should i b upping tha multi and lowering tha fsb for a higher o/c ?

Click to expand...

You found the button!
Or am I being foolish and remember the wrong guy?


Are the sigs you're seeing showing a 9550 or a 9950?? Big difference there! I wasn't aware the 9550 came in a Black Edition? If not, the only way you can overclock it is with the clock as you've been doing. I always say if you've got a 20% overclock then you're doing good - you're already at 21%!


But if you want to see if you can push it higher have you browsed through this thread yet? http://www.ocforums.com/showthread.php?t=555058
Overclocking the 9550 is almost the same as a K8, the main difference is you'll need to address the northbridge speeds and voltage as well. A minor difference is the RAM speed calculations.

What are the specifics of your OC right now:
243x11 - OK
vCore? (CPU voltage)
NB multiplier? (Does your board let you change that?)
NB voltage? (Again, does your board let you change that?)
HT Link multiplier?
RAM speed? (Divider and stock speed)
vDIMM? (RAM voltage and stock voltage)


All these work together to make or break an OC ...

I used to run mine at 246x11. It was the highest that I could get 24/7 stable.
Here's my old thread http://www.ocforums.com/showthread.php?t=591865

243x11@ 2.647.1
Temp idle@30-31 loaded@ 56-57 3hr. test
CPU Volt @ 1.3250 adjustable
MEMORY Volt @ 2.100 adjustable
CHIPSET Volt @ auto adjustable
HT Volt @ auto adjustable
NB HT Speed @ 200 adjustable
NB HT Width @ auto adjustable
CPU-NB DID @1 adj.
CPU-NB FID @ 05 adj.
CPU-NB VID @ 18 adj.
CPU DID @ 0 adj.
CPU FID @ 06 adj.
CPU VID @ 18 adj.
AMD CPU Steppings @ P0 adj.
RAM Timmings @ 6-6-6-18-24-2T adj.
DCTs Mode @ ungaged adj.
DRAM Freq @ 481.3
FSB DRAM @ 1.2
NB Freq @ 2165.6

hope this info is helpfull everything in tha Bio's is adjustable. i can boot up and load windows fine @ 246x11 but i kelpt getting graphics blotchs or lines. so i drop it back to 243x11 where it is stable.

: )

Well, the reporting of the clock speed is a little off. The calculated numbers make it 241 - interesting, but not fatal in any way.

If you're getting graphics errors try increasing the PCIe clock to 105 maybe 110 MHz (maybe even more). It's actually better if you can slightly over-clock your GPU core - but I'm not qualified to instruct someone on how to do that. I've managed it because I needed to for an OC but I'm a n00b in that department.

Are those the stock timings for your RAM? If so, try lowering your RAM speeds down to DDR2-666 levels ...

no the stock timings is 5-4-4-15-cas lat 5

the 6-6-6-18-24-2T is what the bio's put it at. should i manually do it to the stock timmings for better performance?

yea tha bio's says 243 fsb , but at boot it says 241 X 11? cpu-z says 243

The 5-4-4-15 cas latency 5 is if you are running the ram at 200 mhz. You have it jacked up to 243 mhz. It may not run at those quick timing with the speed set that high.

scoot0073 said:

no the stock timings is 5-4-4-15-cas lat 5

the 6-6-6-18-24-2T is what the bio's put it at. should i manually do it to the stock timmings for better performance?

yea tha bio's says 243 fsb , but at boot it says 241 X 11? cpu-z says 243

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I was going to suggest you loosen the timings but BIOS already beat me to it!

But I do suggest you go in and set as many of those on manual as possible. As you've found out, the BIOS has a tendency to change settings in BIOS when you OC. Sometimes this is a good thing, sometimes not - and you never know which side of the coin you'll get. Better to have the settings on manual where the BIOS can't change the game in the middle of something ...

ok i tried tha ram stock timmings 5-4-4-15-24-2T and tha comp would not boot to bios so i had to clear cmos. so u saying tha timmings that tha bios has chosen for me 6-6-6-18-24-2T is good to leave alone?

ok i came across a problem, last night i was playing C&C for about 2 hrs. & tha comp AKA "windows" stoped tha game and said that windows has encountered a critical error! so i started tha game back up & and again same windows error pop up again.
so i quiet tha game and to get online "O/C forum" and i had no internet connection.
so i checked tha lines and tha router and everythin was good . so i booted up n bios to change tha ram timmings witch failed to boot afterwards but i cleard cmos and booted up n stock settings just to c if that had any affect on my ethernet controller and whala i had internet. so the O/C will affect tha ethernet controller too or i was haveing a diff problem?

Yes, the 6-6-6 RAM timings were good. I would have tried changing them to stock just to see but I wouldn't have expected it to work.

I've never heard of the HT Link speed affecting the PCI components like that but it's possible. I keep my HT Link down around 1000-1200 so I don't have much experience at those high speeds. If you don't have SLI you need a high HT Link speed anyway and if you're still using the on-board video you certainly have no need for it. At a clock of 240-250 I'd turn the HT Link down to 4 or 5x ...

Your problem with the LAN port may not be related to your overclocking at all. It could be a bug in the driver or in Windows. I was having an intermittent problem with the LAN port on my Gigabyte board (I'm running an ASRock now) in Windows but if I would boot into Ubuntu Linux it worked fine.

trents said:

Your problem with the LAN port may not be related to your overclocking at all. It could be a bug in the driver or in Windows. I was having an intermittent problem with the LAN port on my Gigabyte board (I'm running an ASRock now) in Windows but if I would boot into Ubuntu Linux it worked fine.

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yea; well when i clock it back up again and it happems again then it would b my O/C causing tha onboard ethernet to stop working. easy enough to diag.

QuietIce said:

Yes, the 6-6-6 RAM timings were good. I would have tried changing them to stock just to see but I wouldn't have expected it to work.

I've never heard of the HT Link speed affecting the PCI components like that but it's possible. I keep my HT Link down around 1000-1200 so I don't have much experience at those high speeds. If you don't have SLI you need a high HT Link speed anyway and if you're still using the on-board video you certainly have no need for it. At a clock of 240-250 I'd turn the HT Link down to 4 or 5x ...

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HT Link!! as in tha multipher "X11". ? yea im useing tha onboard Graphics right now for my O/C till i get money saved for a high end card.

QuietIce; heres what i came up with for multiphers.
my bio's shows these's does this look correct?

CPU DID = 0 = x11
1 = x5.5
2 = x2.75
3 = x1.3
4 = i did not bother with.

u said to change my Multipher from x11 to x5 or x4. even if i set it to x5.5 id have to up my FSB to 400mhz to get back at 2.2 cpu default. which means to get it back to 2.6 i would need this [email protected]? is this what u r telling me i need to do? thanks

You may be getting the max out of your memory at 243 and have it be stable as you are using only DDR2 800 which is based on a 200 mhz speed. Can you post some screen shots of your bios? It sounds like we are not talking about the same thing at times when you mention multipliers. These things can be difficult to communicate with inexperienced overclockers when you can't actually see what they are looking at. From the info on multipliers you have given us it looks like you can't go higher than 11 and that your CPU multiplier may be "upwardly" locked.

In fact, I just did a little research and the 9550 is not a "black edition" cpu. That is, it does not have the unlocked multiplier:

http://products.amd.com/en-us/DesktopCPUDetail.aspx?id=400

So, you cannot go higher than 11x. 200mhz. x 11 = 2.2 ghz. You are stuck with manipulating your front side bus which also overclocks your memory and that is why you are having a problem behond the point you have reached. Your ram speed is maxed out. If you had DDR2 1066 you could push your ram more.

trents said:

You may be getting the max out of your memory at 243 and have it be stable as you are using only DDR2 800 which is based on a 200 mhz speed. Can you post some screen shots of your bios? It sounds like we are not talking about the same thing at times when you mention multipliers. These things can be difficult to communicate with inexperienced overclockers when you can't actually see what they are looking at. From the info on multipliers you have given us it looks like you can't go higher than 11 and that your CPU multiplier may be "upwardly" locked.

In fact, I just did a little research and the 9550 is not a "black edition" cpu. That is, it does not have the unlocked multiplier:

http://products.amd.com/en-us/DesktopCPUDetail.aspx?id=400

So, you cannot go higher than 11x. 200mhz. x 11 = 2.2 ghz. You are stuck with manipulating your front side bus which also overclocks your memory and that is why you are having a problem behond the point you have reached. Your ram speed is maxed out. If you had DDR2 1066 you could push your ram more.

Click to expand...

ok, let me get some screen shots and ill post them.

so ...im stuck with [email protected] till i get some 1066 ram

Trents;

here is what my bio's is currently

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To respond to the big question, yes, you are probably stuck at your current overclock unless you get faster ram. Your ram is doing real good for DDR2 800, though. Personally, however, I think you would be better off investing in a black edition CPU and staying with your ram. You would get more overclocking mileage with a black edition CPU than with faster ram while keeping your current cpu. You might go to EVGA's web site and see what CPUs your motherboard will support with the latest bios.

Thanks for the screen shots. That really helps. One curious thing I see is the PCIE Clock set to 105. Did you manually set it that way? It needs to be 100. The PCE/PCIE bus does not tolerate much deviation from stock at all. To do so usually creates instability very quickly.

Also, your K8<>NB HT speed is set to auto. When you overclock the front side bus to increase CPU speed as you have done you need to realize that both the NB (North Bridge) and the HT (hyper transport link) speeds increase along with the increase in bus speed. They will not tolerate much increase above stock so it usually helps stability in overclocking to adjust their multiplier downwardly as you raise the fsb. Leave the HT width alone but lower the HT Speed. It may be expressed as a multiplier, i.e. 7x, 8x, 9x, or it may just give a speed like 1800 mhz. But however it is expressed, take it off "Auto" and adjust it to keep it around stock speeds which I believe in this case would be 1800 mhz for both (200 mhz. x 9). At 243 x 9 you are running them at 2187 mhz which is pretty high. Also, as you overclock it helps with stability to raise the CPU voltage. What is the stock voltage for your CPU? In you bios it says 1.325 as the current reading. Is this an adjustment from stock? As long as your temps remain mid 50's or below under load you could safely raise your CPU voltage. They need more voltage push to go faster just as a car engine needs to be fed more gas in order to go faster. Is any of this helping?

Here's the link for the latest bios for your board. It says it adds support for the Phenom IIs http://www.evga.com/Support/Drivers/default.asp?switch=2