OC'ing the old 6000+ (help!)

[PicodeGallo]

I've had this system for years. Never really wanted to OC much (just a little). Now I want to see what it will do before I upgrade.

CPU: Athlon x2 64 6000+ (125w)
Mobo: Abit AN9-32x
RAM: Corsair XMS2 DDR2 800 (2x1024)
PSU: OCZ 750w
GPU: 2 9800GT's in SLI

The original problem was the CPU getting hot (70c was not uncommon @ stock speeds & cooler). Just installed the Corsair A70 and temps aren't getting above 51. However, something won't allow me to OC the CPU much. Here's what I got:

FSB: 200MHz stock, now at 280
CPU multi: 15 stock, now at 11.5
I left the RAM timings alone, they are at 5-5-5-18 (supposedly capable of 4-4-4-12)
Increased voltages as necessary

I think I could eek out a little more FSB, but N-bridge chip is getting a little warm at 60-65. However, I'm pretty happy with the results FSB-wise. DDR2 800 is running at over 1100 and it shows. Things are so much "snappier." Currently, everything is stable after lots of testing with SuperPi and Prime95.

However, there is a problem: The higher OC I go, the more my fps suffer. FarCry 2 frames are sucking. There is 'jumpiness' in Mass Effect. Something's off. I can tell it's not the RAM, heck, it's the only thing working well. If I raise the multi to 12, I can't get through post no matter the voltage. I'm pointing the finger at the CPU. What's wrong and what do I do?

 

[trents]

Some uploaded screenshots of CPU-z tabs "CPU", "Memory" and "SPD" would be nice.

 

[QuietIce]

to OCF!


For starters this isn't an Intel or an old AMD - there is no FSB. Your 6000 is a K8 system and, as such, running a super-high FSB clock speed does no good at all. All the main components get their speed from the clock times their individual multiplier and that final speed is all that matters. The "clock" carries no data of any kind so running it faster only generates more heat, as you've found out, and eventually creates instability.

If you can run 11.5x280 then you should be able to run 214x15 as well. A lot of RAM will also run that high an overclock without too much trouble and the HT Link is usually safe to 1100 MHz, which is also within the limits at a 214 MHz clock. Give that a try instead of juicing the clock speed and see what kind of results you get.

Here's a little light reading if you have the time. There's a "Cheat Sheet" in post #26 if you don't want to learn the technical stuff ...
http://www.overclockers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=555058

 

[PicodeGallo]

Well, things are on hold now. Something or things are shot. Fired it up today after I got off work and immediately readjusted the multi and *clock* speed.

I went 15x215 for the simple oc, which I've done before, but cpu temps held me back. I got to windows and tried P95, but it error'd immediately. I went back and backed off the clock, then BSOD'd on win load, and that's where the problems began. I could no longer boot due to corrupted tables or some such. Nothing I tried to fix them worked, as I couldn't get to anything that could help me. Win 7 disc would not load (bsod, auto-reboot, etc). Tried to just delete my Raid array (no biggie), and now only one drive is recognized. What a mess, but I figured it's about time for one of these Raptor drives to fail...again. Oh well

 

[93sr20]

I want to also do the same thing but where do I go in my bios to change the settings

 

[QuietIce]

to OCF!

I want to also do the same thing but where do I go in my bios to change the settings

Do the same thing?

What hardware do you have (motherboard, CPU, RAM)? Difficult to say anything without knowing what you're working with.

As for BIOS settings, every board is different. You may need to read up on your BIOS so you can navigate through it ...

 

[93sr20]

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c57/93sr20/cpu.jpg

 

[QuietIce]

With temps like that there isn't much you can do. You're already pushing the limit. You either need a better CPU heatsink or a lot better case airflow. Until you can get the load core temps down into at least the 40's you can't afford to increase your temps by overclocking ...

 

[93sr20]

i did plan to change the heat sink so i will do that first then go from there but as i read more about the bios its locked and you cant change anything with the cpu

 

[QuietIce]

http://www.motherboards.org/reviews/motherboards/1662_5.html