Upgrade Mobo to OC, worth it?

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Gx3

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Dec 19, 2013
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So I just updated my rig from my old Phenom II 965 to the FX8350 (got a killer deal), and my 6870 GPU to a Gigabyte 7950. I ended up having to get a new PSU (got the Corsair TX750M) and I added 2 x 8gb of corsair ram. THEN I was having problems with it getting hot so I added 2 Cooler Master Jet Flo fans (these are loud but they work great!).

Anyways, the computer is running really good now (used mostly for gaming). However, I'm limping along on my Gigabyte 970a-d3 mobo, which I don't want to OC my 8350 at all with this mobo.

SO, my question is this: Would it be worth it to update to an Asus Sabertooth 990FX so that I can OC my 8350 to the 4.6 ghz range?

Thanks in advance!
 
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U
Hold it. Don't let me be the person that doesn't let you overclock. Now that I know that you have good cooling and a decent motherboard, I can start to tell you the basics.
First off, I am not AMD professional but I think that the basics should be the same.
Step 1: Clear CMOS
Step 2: Head into BIOS and find the following things: CPU Multiplier, Ring Bus (also known as cache) Multiplier, CPU Core Voltage, CPU Ring Voltage

The CPU Multiplier decides your final CPU frequency. I believe the value called CPU Bus Frequency is set to 100MHz and should be left that way. Lets say you have a multiplier of 46, 46*100=4600MHz or 4.6GHz.

Step 3: Find a value called CPUVIN (some boards have Initial and Eventual and in that case set them both to...
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Umzipumzi

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Nov 28, 2013
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It depends. If you are planning on overclocking, you will need a good cooler above anything else. You also will need a board with great VRMs. So yes, if you want to overclock you should get the Sabertooth. I honestly would not be expecting much higher gaming performance. If the games are already running great, you will not get a noticeable difference only about 5-7 FPS.
 
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G

Gx3

Honorable
Dec 19, 2013
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Oh yea I forgot to mention I have a liquid cooling system on my CPU as well, the heat was coming from my GPU and the air not getting pushed out/in from my case and PSU fans.

Yea for 5-7 FPS that's not worth it to me. Thanks for your input!
 
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Onus

Onus

Titan
Jan 27, 2006
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Overclocking is never a sure thing.
What does not perform as well as you'd like? Your mobo isn't known for problems, according to https://spreadsheets.google.com/spreadsheet/pub?key=0AgN1D79Joo7tdE9xMUFlMEVWeFhuckJEVF9aMmtpUFE&gid=3 but it does throttle when hot and may not handle your chip very well. If you got a really good chip, you may be able to undervolt it which will help keep temps down; or get something like an Antec Spotcool and aim it at the VRMs to keep them cool.
I would not pay $200 for another AM3+ motherboard; if you're going to spend that much, I'd put it toward a new i5 or i7 system. Remember when you change motherboards you also typically need a new Windows license (unless yours is Retail rather than OEM), adding another $80+ to the cost. It looks like everything else you have could be moved into a new system, so a midrange Z87 board with an i5 (and maybe Windows) would be the only new pieces you'd need to buy.
 
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U

Umzipumzi

Honorable
Nov 28, 2013
79
0
10,660
Hold it. Don't let me be the person that doesn't let you overclock. Now that I know that you have good cooling and a decent motherboard, I can start to tell you the basics.
First off, I am not AMD professional but I think that the basics should be the same.
Step 1: Clear CMOS
Step 2: Head into BIOS and find the following things: CPU Multiplier, Ring Bus (also known as cache) Multiplier, CPU Core Voltage, CPU Ring Voltage

The CPU Multiplier decides your final CPU frequency. I believe the value called CPU Bus Frequency is set to 100MHz and should be left that way. Lets say you have a multiplier of 46, 46*100=4600MHz or 4.6GHz.

Step 3: Find a value called CPUVIN (some boards have Initial and Eventual and in that case set them both to the same value) and set it to 1.8 volts
Step 4: Turn the CPU Multiplier for all cores to 45.
Step 5: Set the CPU Core Voltage to 1.33v, you will have to reduce this so don't try to get a low voltage in the first shot
Step 6: Find the Ring Bus Ratio (also known as cache) and set it to 35.
Step 7: Set Ring Bus Voltage to 1.25v
That should be it. DO NOT restart your computer between these steps. Doing so could be erm, problematic.
After you get this done. Install some sort of reliable temperature monitor and install Prime95.
After that, increase fan speed to what you would call the most you can bear. Then just run the Small FFT test for 20-30 mins or until temps seem to have leveled out. Again, not all chips will be great overclockers. If you do not find stablility, head to the BIOS and add CPU Cache and Core voltage in small increments until you find stability. And then, congrats, you have overclocked!! :)
 
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