Overclocking CPU

[Welshman25]

I'm considering OCing my Phenom II X3 720 (black edition). I haven't really OCed anything before, so what are some basics, guides, whatever to doing it?

I believe mine runs at 2.8GHz stock.

Also, would it be worth doing? I've got a Radeon HD 5770 (also at stock). Average 40-ish fps in games.

Thanks,
Welshy

[Freddie]

You need to find out what motherboard you have, these days all the big name board makers have really good overclocking options so it's just a matter of looking through google for a decent guide (sorry I don't own an AMD system so I can't help directly). You will need to spend a lot of time reading and learning about this, having a pen, paper and calculator is advisable and I would advise you to start off slowly and increase the clockrate by 20/30mhz at a time and test it for stability with Prime95.

I tend not to bother overclocking the video card, they get hot easily so the fan runs faster and nosier and you don't get the same returns from overclocking the video card as you do with a CPU. Good luck.

[mrcrusty]

The thing is you've got an x3 Phenom, which means it's possible you've got a Quad Core.

Before overclocking, I'd suggest that you find a CPU cooler and unlock the extra core. The stock coolers suck.

As for video cards, it's really your choice. If you're happy with the current performance, then why bother? If you think it'll give a much needed boost, then go for it.

Since you're currently clocked at 2.8 Ghz, overclocking will probably help your performance, but it won't be drastic.

[Welshman25]

I'm pretty happy with my current performance, but maybe with a cpu OC I could turn on SSAO in Empire and get a similar framerate?

[_N8_]

Are You Using the cooler that came with the processor? If so, do not got more than .2 to .4 ghz above the stock setting. It will get too hot and you might blow it up. I have a AMD 6000 OC to 3.2 on stock cooler for 2 years now, no problems. Let me know if you have a different cooler.

Since you have a tri-core processor, does your motherboard support core unlocking? Not all do, so please find out. Plus if you do turn on the core, the amount of OC you can do and be stable will not be as high.

Empire loves faster processor speeds, so you will see some difference.

What kind of motherboard do you have? I can then look up and tell you how to OC it.

[mrcrusty]

I'm pretty happy with my current performance, but maybe with a cpu OC I could turn on SSAO in Empire and get a similar framerate?

Since you are at 2.8 Ghz, overclocking to ~3.5 Ghz would probably see a noticable increase in performance, though, at higher resolutions, that fps boost becomes smaller and smaller. I can imagine maybe a 5-10% increase in fps @ 1080p resolution.

What motherboard and what case do you have?

You won't be able to reach those overclocks on the stock cooling, but many of the tower CPU HSF are pretty big.

[Welshman25]

I have this ASUS mobo and this CM case.

I do get some noticable lag with heavy effects in Fallout 3 and Empire. I play on 1080p resolution.

Would you suggest unlocking the 4th core or just OCing? And I am using the stock cooler right now.

[mrcrusty]

Lol, I've got the same motherboard and my case is the CM 690 II.

Buy a new CPU cooler, it will just fit into the case, but you lose the top side panel fan. You pretty much double your chances at an unlock if you ditch the stock cooling and buy a decent CPU cooler. Unlocking is a matter of chance though, it depends on the chip itself. If you have a decent CPU cooler but it still won't unlock, you'll just have to accept that it won't unlock. Besides, unlocking cores is a bonus, not a feature.

As for unlock/overclock, you can do both. The maximum overclock of the PII x3 720 should still be quite high even if it's unlocked. _N8_ talked about the limits of overlocking with unlocked cores, but it's minimal. My PII x2 555 has a max stable overclock of 3.97 Ghz @ 1.55v with all four cores unlocked, and a 4.11 Ghz max stable overclock when using the default two cores @ 1.55v 1.4v, I probably would've fried it if I were at 1.55v . The 140 Mhz difference doesn't amount to anything in performance though, and the computer will run faster with more cores available, maybe not always in games, but in general use at least.

My fave price/performance CPU cooler, the Xigmatek Dark Knight is currently out of stock @ newegg, so I'd suggest either the Zalman CNPS10X Performa or the Xigmatek S1284 Enhanced Edition cooler.

Another issue may be with the RAM. You may have clearance issues with RAM if your RAM sticks have those tall heatspreader designs that really stick out. What RAM sticks have you got?

Also just a note, don't go for an overclock that high with voltage at that level, the performance difference at that level is just bragging rights and not recommended for daily use unless you're using liquid cooling, or the best air cooling available. I just wanted to see how far I could push it.

[_N8_]

Go here:

http://www.overclock3d.net/gfx/artic...012727760l.jpg

to see your bios on what it will look like when youwant to OC. Press the del key on boot up, right arrow to advanced and change the AI Overclock Tuner to manual and see if the CPU Ratio changes from Auto to a Number. That number X the CPU ration should equal about 2800. This picture:

http://www.overclock3d.net/gfx/artic...012727760l.jpg

shows the answer would be 3400. You will have to make changes to both to find a combination that will work and be stable. If you want to post what your default numbers are, then I could recommend a few possibilites for you to try. And if you cannot afford to buy a replacement processor, then dont try to OC as you are solely responsible if you kill your processor. No one on these forums guarantees anything and if any advice you get, feel free to get a second opinion. In other words, dont blame me My OC is 2 years strong, so I know what I am doing, but not doing it in person is new to me.

[mrcrusty]

14.00 (clock multiplier) x 200 Mhz (clock rate) should be the default speeds for the Phenom II x3 720, I think. The test system in those pics is the Phenom II x4 965.

You have a few options on how you want to overclock. Aside from the tried and true BIOS option, there is also software from Asus and AMD directly, which allow you to overclock manually from the OS. Not really recommended of course, since it defaults on reboot, but it may save time since you won't need to be constantly rebooting and fiddling through BIOS until you have reached a final stable overclock.

[Welshman25]

I have these RAM sticks- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231193

So is the custom cpu cooler pretty much a must if I'm going to OC?

[mrcrusty]

I have these RAM sticks- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231193

So is the custom cpu cooler pretty much a must if I'm going to OC?

Your RAM will be fine then. Just make sure that the RAM is already installed when you put in the cooler because it may be difficult to insert/remove the RAM without first removing the cooler.

No you don't need a new CPU cooler, but you're very limited on stock cooling. Also, your chances at an unlock is very low without a new CPU cooler.

[Awqa Puriq]

The more you OC, the hotter the CPU will get so a new CPU cooler is needed for cooler temperature as you increase the OC. The stock cooler does an OK job with stock speeds as it is, it won't be able to cool down the CPu with an increase.

[Big Boss]

The more you OC, the hotter the CPU will get so a new CPU cooler is needed for cooler temperature as you increase the OC. The stock cooler does an OK job with stock speeds as it is, it won't be able to cool down the CPu with an increase.

It shouldn't increase in temperature that much unless you increase the VCore. That's when temp changes would start making differences.

[Odinarius]

You can probably squeeze some 3-400mhz without raising voltage, so there will be no additional heat.

I`d you want to go more, you`ll be fine for some 0.05-0.1v increase. Then, you have to consider getting a better cooler.

Best bet is to install AMD Overdrive (http://game.amd.com/us-en/drivers_overdrive.aspx) and overclock from desktop.


And don`t be afraid to overclock that graphics card. You`ll probably get more fps`s by doing that. 5770 is a cool little card with lots of overclocking headroom. Through ATI Control Center, you can probably get some 100mhz on the core and 200mhz on the memory without any worries. But go easy after that and monitor temperatures. Don`t go above 60C for the CPU and 90C for the GPU.

[Welshman25]

You can probably squeeze some 3-400mhz without raising voltage, so there will be no additional heat.

I`d you want to go more, you`ll be fine for some 0.05-0.1v increase. Then, you have to consider getting a better cooler.

Best bet is to install AMD Overdrive (http://game.amd.com/us-en/drivers_overdrive.aspx) and overclock from desktop.


And don`t be afraid to overclock that graphics card. You`ll probably get more fps`s by doing that. 5770 is a cool little card with lots of overclocking headroom. Through ATI Control Center, you can probably get some 100mhz on the core and 200mhz on the memory without any worries. But go easy after that and monitor temperatures. Don`t go above 60C for the CPU and 90C for the GPU.

Thanks, I'll check AMD Overdrive out.

I'm not exactly in the position to get a new CPU cooler right now, but soon I might be.

And +rep to all you guys

[Welshman25]

I'm going to try OCing a bit without a new cooler to see how much it effects my fps (using Far Cry 2 Benchmark Tool).

Could you guys recommend how much of an OC to try?

My stock clocks are in the screenshot. I'm using AMD Overdrive.

[mrcrusty]

Disable AMD Cool 'n Quiet before you overclock (in the BIOS). It throttles down your CPU when it's in idle, it's good for power saving and temperature reduction, but it's going to mess with the stability of your overclocks.

Anyways your default clock should be 14 (multiplier) x 200 (clock rate).

Try a simple multiplier overclock, change your multiplier to 15, your processor speed should increase to 3Ghz.

Then run half an hour of Prime95. It's not so much for stability since this isn't your final overclock, but take note of your temperatures before and during the test.

Use HW Monitor to look at the core temps.

Let us know what your temperatures are afterward, AMD's Phenom II range doesn't have the high temperature threshold like the Intel Core i7 processors, 60-70 is the maximum operating limit, whereas 60-70c on an i7 during load would be frosty.

[Welshman25]

Ok, thanks! I'll try it tomorrow.

[♔KillZoneGB♔]

Little Question: does your comp stutter and pause every now and then?


just looked @ your FSB 669? while your Core Speed is 799?.

Try increasing your Memory FSB to = the Core Speed. (800mhz No need to Volt mod)

As your memory is rated @ 1600mhz, should be able to cope.

Do this Via the Bios