I just experienced the worst scare yet with my build trying to OC my ram. Win8, Corsair Vengeance 2x4GB 1600 (Custom Timings)

So I was following a post on Tom's about different timings for my Corsair Vengeance C9 1600 DDR3s. I proceeded to boot into BIOS and set all settings to default, then I adjusted my ram speed to 1600 from the default (Auto), my timings to 7-9-7-10 as suggested by the tom's post i referenced, and adjusted my DRAM voltage from 1.5v to 1.6, again, as the post suggested. Now I totally understand that every board is different and different hardware match-ups yield MUCH different results, I'm new to OCing but not in the least bit new to computer building/ tweaking and such.

Next, the scare. I boot my computer after each increment and run MaxxMem to confirm performance boost/loss. My rig POSTs and runs through the usual splash screen, no sign of safe mode or the like....then the monitor turns off and back on, signifying that its loading the GPU drivers...goood, good...and then...NOTHING. The HD is being read, my hard drive disk access light is going wild on my case, so things are happening. But, nothing onscreen.

I calmly unplug my case and sit it on top of my desk, pop off the side and ground myself as i pop the ram out and reseat the DIMMs. I put the back of my hand on the NB and SB heatsinks...yea, there pretty hot. Not scorching, but pretty warm....my CPU is doing fine as is my GPU....but when I put my hand on my PSU, its the hottest to the touch. I let my rig sit open and cool down, then pop the side back on and plug it in and power it on. The splash screen has changed to a different Win8 screen that instead of just the win8 logo and the loading circle, I see "Please Wait" below the logo and loading circle. The resolution is also a bit lower which tells me its probably going into recovery mode. The screen comes up for windows installation recovery. I select advanced options and then 'fix OS' (paraphrasing ....but its the one on the bottom left with the <...> symbol, I believe) It says that it cannot repair the OS. So I attempt to go back to a previous restore point. After about 10 minutes, I'm booting back into Windows, the screen clicks off and on after POST and I'm in business. PC is A-OK now.


TLDR: I write all of this to ask this question: What did I do wrong?? I described my process as best I could and omitted nothing. I am very new to OCing anything, but i scour forms (mainly toms and overclick.net) for days and weeks before ever touching my BIOS, as I believe you should be as best informed as you can be before tinkering with timings, multipliers, VOLTAGES, and the like.... My build is listed if you hover/click on my avatar. I look forward to hearing any constructive criticism or advice anyone has!

Thanks!

You are running an AMD system so XMP profiles will not be available in the bios.
Download CPU-Z . run it and click on the SPD tab on the top.
Here it will show you all supported speeds and timings for your modules.
First set it to the fastest supported speed and voltages and test using Prime 95 torture test Blend mode. (XMP profiles are Intel optimized).
If all is good then change 1 (ONE) value at a time in bios and retest.
Change 1 value and retest.
Change 1 value and retest.
When it fails go back to the last good value and move to the next value and repeat .
Example

9-9-9-27-36=good
8-9-9-27-36=good
7-9-9-27-36=fail
8-8-9-27-36=good
8-7-9-27-36=good
8-6-9-27-36= fail
8-7-8-27-36=good
8-7-7-27-36=fail
8-7-8-24-36=good
8-7-8-21-36=fail
8-7-8-24-32=good
8-7-8-24-28=fail
8-7-8-24-32 would need to be thoroughly tested with at least 7 passes of MemTest86 and 24 hours of Prime95 blend torture test to be considered stable. Although I have seen machines pass these tests and still be unstable running Folding @ Home which maxes everything to its fullest.
Seems like a lot of work but if you want to do it right it is the only method to ensure complete stability when overclocking.
I have had the overclocking bug since 1996 ant there is no known cure.

Our systems are similar if you hoover you mouse on my avatar you can see mine.