I want to OC my 9950 and have many questions ...

[mihow]

I have searched and found many guides on how to OC but I have many questions that I would like to ask you guys. First, what is the best guide/faq out there for me? Also, I have absolutely no knowledge about how to OC. I literally know nothing. I put my pc together and am very happy about this accomplishment so this is where I stand as far as being technologically aware. Also, aside from a guide ... any/and everything that you guys have to tell me as far as advice and tips go would be appreciated. My first real in-depth question is about my MOBO: Am I even able to OC on it or should I not? Reading the reviews on it most said to not try such a thing...


* AMD Phenom 9950 (Quad Core) AM2+ 4MB Cache Agena
* BIOSTAR A770 A2+,PCI-EX, 1GB LAN (quad support)
* 4GB (2x2GB) PC6400 DDR2 800 Dual Channel
* ATI Radeon HD 4850 512MB PCI Express 16x dual head, tv out
* 320.0GB Western Digital 7200RPM SATA2 UDMA 300 16m cache
* Samsung LightScribe 20x DVD Recorder Dual Layer +R/RW -R/RW (black)
* Antec Nine Hundred Black Case, Side Window, front USB & iEEE
* Dual Case Fans 120 mm Extra Quiet DC fan (two fans)
* Antec EarthWatts 500w Extra Quiet ATX Power Supply SLI Ready
Vista 64-bit

Thanks in advance!

Mihow

 

[ninong]

you might want to get a different motherboard..if i'm not mistaken, than CPU is 140W TDP(?) and most AMD 770-based chipset mobos cannot handle 140W phenom processors even at stock settings, some even complained of their mosfets/pwm getting friend even with just 125W phenoms.

you are better off getting an AMD 790FX or 790GX -based motherboard which has at least a 4-phase PWM

 

[mihow]

Hmm...my fault I wasn't clear enough. I have had these components for 2 months now and am thinking of OCing ... w.o the purchase of anything extra.

 

[saintones]

If your applications/games run fine I wouldnt bother practicing with a new rig, or you may end up with having to get alot more than a new motherboard. Gl bro..

 

[jitpublisher]

Your Phenom is not much of an overclocker in the first place, you are only going to be able squeeze a little more out of it, and you need a more substantial motherboard. Unless you want to pry open your wallet for a better motherboard and cooling setup, I would suggest that you just be happy with it the way it is. It should be plenty fast to do what needs to be done. Only thing it won't do is benchmark as well as some of the other higher clocked rigs, which really shouldn't mean a thing to you.

If you wanted big benchmark numbers, or wanted to play around with overclocking, well hate to say it but you should have went with Intel......ughhh. The parts you have are not exactly what someone who is going to overclocking would have picked out.

But hey, whether it overclocks or not, or cranks up big benchmarks or not, you still have a really nice rig. Enjoy it.

 

[antiacid]

if you really want to overclock for the fun of it, push your FSB higher by 5mhz increment until it doesn't boot anymore. Reset your CMOS, go back down 5mhz and see if it is loading windows. If it isn't or only seldomly, you can either push up the voltage 1 notch (.1v ish or less) and try again or reduce the FSB some more. Usually, you can get 5-15% on stock voltage or close to it and that will def not burn any components. If you start pushing the voltage much higher than .3v you might end-up with problems though (esp. if your core temperature goes too high = keep in mind your stock temperature and try to stay around 5-10c of that).
remember to go in small increments and you should be fine.

Good luck!