Can I Overclock

thewizard174 · Jul 13, 2014

I want to overclock my CPU and wondering if my system supports overclocking. I've never overclocked so i just wanna make sure i am able to actually do it before i start. I have an AMD FX-4300 CPU and a Gigabyte GA -78LMT-S2 mobo.
Thanks.

theonerm2 · Jul 13, 2014

GA-78LMT-S2 isn't very good for overclocking. My source is here... http://www.overclock.net/t/946407/amd-motherboards-vrm-info-database

thewizard174 · Jul 13, 2014

theonerm2 :

damn... what mobo would you recommend that around $60-$80

byza · Jul 13, 2014

A lot of people like this Gigabyte for it's 8+2 VRM
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-970A-UD3P ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($74.99 @ Micro Center)

thewizard174 · Jul 13, 2014

byza :

What things are important on the motherboard when it comes to overclocking?

byza · Jul 14, 2014

For a more in-depth answer you're going to have to read into it yourself, but power and heat management are what you need to look for.

Motherboard companies don't tend to say exactly which parts they use, and sometimes are downright misleading e.g. they will say they use high quality capacitors as a selling point, but in reality only a few of these capacitors will be used and the rest are lower quality capacitors. So in that regard, it is hard so say exactly what to look for. Usually your best option is to look up reviews of the boards you want, to see if they are good at overclocking.

The advantage the Gigabyte UD3P has over other boards in the same price range is the 8+2 VRM (Voltage Regulator Module), which should provide more stable voltage management. This, as the article the theonerm2 posted, may be misleading, but I know a lot of people get either this Gigabyte, or the Asus M5A97 LE R2.0 for overclocking.

It really depends what the rest of your build is, as to whether it's worth spending the money on a new motherboard. If you have a rubbish PSU, it's going to affect your overclocking ability, and if the CPU isn't bottlenecking then I also don't see a lot of reason to overclock. I don't know what your build is, but i'm wondering if spending $75 on a new mobo is going to be worth it for you, unless this is just the first step of an upgrade path.

thewizard174 · Jul 14, 2014

byza :

For a more in-depth answer you're going to have to read into it yourself, but power and heat management are what you need to look for.

Motherboard companies don't tend to say exactly which parts they use, and sometimes are downright misleading e.g. they will say they use high quality capacitors as a selling point, but in reality only a few of these capacitors will be used and the rest are lower quality capacitors. So in that regard, it is hard so say exactly what to look for. Usually your best option is to look up reviews of the boards you want, to see if they are good at overclocking.

The advantage the Gigabyte UD3P has over other boards in the same price range is the 8+2 VRM (Voltage Regulator Module), which should provide more stable voltage management. This, as the article the theonerm2 posted, may be misleading, but I know a lot of people get either this Gigabyte, or the Asus M5A97 LE R2.0 for overclocking.

It really depends what the rest of your build is, as to whether it's worth spending the money on a new motherboard. If you have a rubbish PSU, it's going to affect your overclocking ability, and if the CPU isn't bottlenecking then I also don't see a lot of reason to overclock. I don't know what your build is, but i'm wondering if spending $75 on a new mobo is going to be worth it for you, unless this is just the first step of an upgrade path.

Well I have a 650w psu and I feel like my computer isn't as smooth as it could be. I really don't want to upgrade motherboard's right now since I just got a new gtx 750 card.
What if I got a heatsink and didnt upgrade mobos would that help at all?

byza · Jul 14, 2014

Yes and no. Your motherboard only supports TDP up to 95w, and your CPU has a TDP of 95w.
This means that under normal use, your motherboard is fine, but under heavy load it and possibly gaming, the motherboard is overheating. This overheating is either going to result in the motherboard shutting down, or more likely, throttling your cpu.

Adding an aftermarket cooler is going to keep your chip cooler, thus reduce or stop the throttling, but any attempt to overclock, which makes the chip hotter, will just cause you to reach the TDP sooner and enable throttling again.

thewizard174 · Jul 14, 2014

byza :

Guess a new motherboard is probably worth it then.

byza · Jul 14, 2014

Before you go and buy another mobo, you should run some CPU benchmarks to check if your CPU is under-performing compared to other 4300's.

thewizard174 · Jul 14, 2014

byza :

And if it is?

byza · Jul 14, 2014

If it is, your motherboard is likely throttling it, so yes another motherboard would be worth it.

thewizard174 · Jul 14, 2014

byza :

Alright thanks for the help.

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