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How far can this Phenom ii x2 555 BE can go?

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  • Overclocking
  • CPUs
  • Phenom
Last response: in Overclocking
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August 20, 2013 7:24:02 AM

Hello,

I haven't OC anything the last 11 years so I need your advice on this because many things have changed since I've been short-circuiting my ceramic AMD 1200
Mhz.

I will be waiting for the steamroller to upgrade but until then I want to stretch this unlocked Phenom II x2 555 BE. I have been using it with all 4 cores unlocked and at 3.4Ghz a couple years now but I need some extra power now to be more productive with Photoshop. I process many big raw files. I don't play games any more.

I've been running Prime95 for about 45mins successfully at 3.6Ghz but I would like some more speed in photoshop. Also C&Q is enabled with no problems and all motherboard settings are set to auto/stock except multiplier.

More details about my rig:
What you probably can't see in the pictures is that I use a Corsair A50 cooler. The case is a CoolerMaster Storm. Also the Corsair dimms are PC XMS3 2 x 2 GΒ DDR3-1600 PC3-12800 CL9 (CMX4GX3M2A1600C9).

Screenshots are when Prime95 has been running for about 30mins.






Windows Task manager reports 3.4Ghz when Prime95 is running while CPU-Z says 3.6Ghz. It should be 3.6 since that's my bios setting.

So the Question is, is it worth trying to OC this old thing or I will be wasting my time? If yes how should I approach this? I have read many different opinions, like lowering NB frequency and stuff like that.
Thanks in advance
Dags

More about : phenom 555

a b K Overclocking
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August 20, 2013 7:30:13 AM

id say more ram for photoshop and overclock as far as you can while watching the temps.


it all depends on your mobo and how far you can go. best step is to raise the multiplier up a notch and increase the voltage in the lowest steps possible till it is stable. eventually you can raise the fsb for even more speed but thats sometimes harder to get stable
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August 20, 2013 7:46:57 AM

So i.e. I should try set it to 4Ghz and then lower the voltage to find the minimum stable setting?
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a b K Overclocking
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August 20, 2013 7:49:58 AM

The temps seem high

I can not tell for sure but the top fan is it an intake fan? it looks like it is blowing into the case.
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a b K Overclocking
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August 20, 2013 8:00:57 AM

cant see the screen shot for some reason but you could try lowering the voltage and getting a cheap cooler
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August 20, 2013 8:12:29 AM

Temperatures are while Prime95 was running and case was open for pictures so there was no proper flow in the case.
The top fan is 200mm and blows from inside to outside the case. I did that so the cpu fan blows up to that top fan which in turn takes the hot air outside the case.
Why get a cheap cooler? that corsair is not good? It seems big enough to me.
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August 20, 2013 8:12:32 AM

Temperatures are while Prime95 was running and case was open for pictures so there was no proper flow in the case.
The top fan is 200mm and blows from inside to outside the case. I did that so the cpu fan blows up to that top fan which in turn takes the hot air outside the case.
Why get a cheap cooler? that corsair is not good? It seems big enough to me.
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a b K Overclocking
a b à CPUs
August 20, 2013 8:22:29 AM

I would say your cooler is fine, I was just asking to confirm the flow of air.
These cores that were unlocked usually give of bad temp readings and sometimes require a lot of extra voltage.
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August 20, 2013 8:55:47 AM

Ok after a few blue screens (I love the new sad face blue screen of windows 8) I run Prime95 without crashes at 4GHz. I only boosted the cpu voltage from 1.375 to 1.425. System already seems more responsive somehow and working with RAW files is indeed faster now. I think I will stick with that setting for now. Thanks for your replies everyone.
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