AMD Phenom II X4 940BE-Never OC-ed in my life

[runnaky]

Hi,i have the stated cpu above and with it a scythe yasya cooler,my cpu temps are 20C in idle and 30 something in load,core temps usually dont cross 48

now,i could probably handle everything with the tutorial on this website,my question is,how far can i OC the CPU with this cooler?

i dont want to burn the cpu or anything similiar due to not having warranty and pc being from 2009,cpu was never oc-ed before,thanks for your help,also any pro tips just post them here

 

[trents]

Please download and install these three programs that are standard helpers here at OC forums: CPU-z, HWMonitor and Prime95.

In citing your temps, you neglect to distinguish between "CPU" (socket) temps and "core" temps. The program, "HWMonitor" recommended above will display both.

Idle temps are not very helpful (unless they are unusually high and suggest the cooler isn't seated properly or the TIM [thermal paste] isn't applied correctly). What we need are full load temps. That's where Prime95 comes in.

Please open HWMonitor on the desktop and leave it open. Then open Prime95 and execute the "blend" stress test for 20 minutes. That will give us a good idea of what max temps are going to be under the most demanding computing application you can imagine.

When the 20 minute stress test is over, leave HWMonitor open and capture a screen image of it. Crop the image first and then save it with Snipping Tool in Windows Accessories (Vista and later, anyway). Then click on Go Advanced at the bottom of any new post window. When the advanced post window pops up, click on the little paperclip icon at the top. This will load the file browser and uplink tool. This is how you use the built-in forum attachment tool.

When we can see the HWMonitor interface it will give us a good idea of how much temp "headroom" you have or don't have for overclocking.

Please tell us about your other components such as make and model of motherboard, ram, PSU, case, video card.

 

[runnaky]

GIGABYTE MA770-UD3 rev 1.0
4GB DDR2 Dual channel 1066MHz Kingmax
Fortron BlueStorm II 500W 80+
CM Elite 370-case(1 fan on top,1 on side,1 on front and 1 in the back)
Force 3D HD5770 1GB

 

[trents]

The lack of a heatsink to cool the VRM (Voltage Regulation Module) will likely have a limiting effect on your overclock.

 

[trents]

okay,so i just changed the multiplier to 16.5 and left fsb on auto control,aswell as voltage,tested in cinebench,got a raise from 3.52 to 3.84

cpu temp rose to 45 and core rose to 55 in the strees test

my cpu max temp is 62c so it says on amd website,does this refer to cpu temp or core temp?

We enjoy very much helping others learn how to overclock but if you ask for help then you need to be willing to take direction rather than going off and doing it your own way. We have to be on the same page for this to work. Our standard tool for stress testing is not Cinebench. Cinebench is intense but the duration of the stress is too brief. Prime95 is our stress test standard.

AMD is coy about whether on not the 62c is a core temp or CPU socket temp max and that is probably due to a variety of factors. Depending on the cooler being used core temp may be the higher of the two or CPU socket temp may be the higher of the two. We know from experience that maximum safe core temps are about 60-65c and maximum safe socket temps are 70-75c but temp-related instability may well set in before either of those is reached.

I want to caution you to be patient and incremental in your approach to overclocking.

[Edited:1530 hr.]

 

[runnaky]

ignore my last post,i reverted everything back,i will do the test now and give you the results

 

[runnaky]

i did the tests as you said,with everything reverted,temps are higher than i usually had when i used prime95 before because before i had my cpu on -0.050V when i had a stock cooler and had temp problems,thankfully i have a cooler now(Scythe Yasya) and Voltage is Auto in BIOS

 

[trents]

With core temps at 61c you have no head room to overclock. We know from experience that temp-related instability starts to set in somewhere in the 55-60c range with core temps. Something is wrong. That cooler you have is huge and should give better temps than that at stock voltage and frequencies which I take to be the meaning of "with everything reverted". I suspect either the cooler isn't mounted properly or the TIM (thermal interface material) isn't applied properly or you have poor case ventilation or some combination of all of these. I note that your min core temps in HWMonitor are 39c for the. That's higher than temps should be at idle. I would expect mid to high 20's.

Is the room the computer in unusually warm? What are the ambient temps like?

Let's try an experiment to check case ventilation. Please remove the case side panel and set a household fan to blow into the open side of the case. Then rerun the Prime95 20d minute blend test with HWMonitor open on the desktop. Post back with a pic of HWMonitor as before.

 

[runnaky]

my room is quite warm,even in winter,radiator is at the opposite side of the room which warms up the room quite good,usually my cpu idle temps are 23-24,and core is 33-35(but thats on cold days with windows opened),cooler is properly mounted,i mean its 2 switches on the sides i dont think i could possibly go wrong, and as for the paste part i just applied it to the middle and pressed down with the cooler and immediately tightened everything

just to be clear,everything regarding voltage should be on auto in BIOS?(in general without overclocking)

here is a picture of my setup just to give you an idea of my room

 

[trents]

It looks like the computer has room to breathe. That is to say it's not in a small, confined area where the case fans don't have access to fresh air.

How hot would you say the air is in the part of the room where the computer is sitting? 75c? 80c? Do you have a thermometer you can place in that area to check that?

It also sounds like you installed the cooler properly and applied the TIM properly.

 

[runnaky]

i can feel the cold air blowing in my feet when i put my leg down,i wouldnt say its a lot hotter than the ambient temp,i just cleaned my entire pc after 2 months and when im typing this my core temp is 31c and cpu is 24(doesnt go down at all if i put it to rest at desktop),basically a bit cooler,windows are opened,i dont know why is the core temp so "high" as you said it needs to be in 20s,my friend has a 1090T x6 and on a stock cooler his core temps are 21C but he has air conditioning in his room,i think its just ambient temperature affecting it,ill do another test now,i changed auto voltage control to manual since it sometimes puts it to 1.45 when the processor should run at 1.35 at stock

NEW TEST screenie

 

[trents]

That's much better but still doesn't leave a lot of room to overclock with core temps at 51c.

Please take the side panel off your case and rerun the stress test. Let's check for case ventilation issues. Post back with a pic of HWMonitor to see if taking the side panel off helps.

 

[runnaky]

I started the test with the side panel taken off like you said and temperatures went above 53 this time after 1 minute,also idle temps were higher than with the side panel attached,so im guessing its not case ventilation,the only thing here could be ambient temperature,well i gave it a shot anyway,i guess its just not meant to be

 

[trents]

Does your CPU cooler have a flat plate for the base or is it the kind where the copper heat pipes are exposed on the bottom?

 

[runnaky]

here

 

[trents]

What brand of TIM did you use? What came with the cooler?

 

[runnaky]

i used the one which came with the cooler,it doesnt say anything on the packaging and on the web about its brand,it was grey though if that helps

i have this one as a spare http://www.amazon.com/Cooler-Master-Performance-Thermal-Paste/dp/B0009PTBZ6,i can get arctic silver 5 but would it really do something or just make a 1-2C difference?

 

[trents]

Do you have any thermal paste left or can you pick up a small tube of Arctic Silver 5 or Arctic Cooling MX2 or MX4? I'd like to see you redo the paste. Do you have any drip coffee maker paper filters and some rubbing alcohol?

 

[runnaky]

i can pick up some arctic silver 5 and yes i have some alcohol and some cotton wool for cleaning the old one

 

[trents]

Well, it may not help but it's certainly worth a try. Remove the heat sink carefully when you redo the paste. Observe the spread pattern of the paste between the heat sink base and the CPU face. If there is a pattern that suggests there was not good contact between the two surfaces then you for sure have identified the problem.

Use the dry cotton wool to thoroughly clean the two surfaces of the old paste. Then finish the cleaning with some cotton wool moistened with alcohol. Wait for it to dry thoroughly. Blow vigorously on the two surfaces after they are dry to make sure no cotton wool fibers remain on the surface.

Apply a small blob to the center of the CPU face. The blob should be about 4 ml across. No larger than a green pea. Then lower the heat sink onto the CPU carefully, trying to center it as best you can. Then apply the clamp. Do not try to spread the paste with your finger or anything else. Let the clamping pressure spread it. Smearing it around with your finger or anything else introduces air bubbles that insulate.