9950 BE , first time OCer

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ashenwings

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Aug 18, 2009
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Okay, first off I am very new to overclocking. I've always been scared of potential damage from it and have never adjusted anything but my GPU past standard settings.

this is my rig, and temps

Case: Antec Nine Hundred (revision 1)
MB: ASUS M3A78-T (august '08 bios, never got a flash drive)
CPU: AMD Phenom X4 9950 BE
GPU: ASUS 4870 1GB (oc'd to 670mhz gpu clock, 990 mhz mem clock)
PSU: Antec Quattro 850W
RAM: Corsair 4gb (2x2048)
HD: WD 500gb + WD 500gb external

Idle CPU temp: 45 c (putting in a heatsink soon, it's using stock cooler at the moment)
Idle GPU temp: 42 c

Case fans include two 120mm at the front blowing inwards, a 120mm on the side blowing inwards, a 120mm at the back blowing outwards, and a 200mm on top blowing outwards. All are set to medium.



My goal is to overclock the CPU from 2.6ghz to 3.0ghz. I am being honest when I say I have no idea how the voltages etc work , and the very idea of changing my BIOS settings for my 'ram timings' baffles me.
So, I registered here to ask for help. Any info, pictures of the rig etc, will be supplied if I can get it for you. I have CPU-Z, GPU-Z, CCC, and Core Temp installed if you need postings from those right away.
 
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mindless728

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if you are using he stock cooler don't OC, you won't get very far because of heat

when you get a better cpu cooler (aka Sunbeam core Contact Freezer):
1) everything stock, use cpuz to find the normal voltage of the processor, reboot
2) in bios set the cpu voltage manually and change the multiplier to 15x
3) test cpu with prime95 overnight to check stability
4) if not stable, up voltage the smalest amout allowable on the motherboard (i think .0175v) go to step 3
5) if stable check temps, if too high back the OC down to say 2.9GHz and go to step 3
 
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ashenwings

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Aug 18, 2009
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I got a look at my heatsink I bought, it's called the Reeven RCCT-0901SP.

I'm going to install it with a friend before I carry forth any overclocking, but i wanted to mention something weird:

See my idle temps up there? When I have Crysis running in windowed mode (Medium/High settings) they only increase by 2 or 3 degrees. The fan speed of the GPU is forced at 50%, I don't know if that plays into it.
 
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AsAnAtheist

AsAnAtheist

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What are you using to measure the temperature... If you get AMD overdrive, it comes with a pretty darn accurate CPU temperature measurement... Also theres no way it increased by only 2-3 degrees.... Most likely the CPU temperature software you got is highly inaccurate... or maybe your not running on Cool And Quiet ?


OFF TOPIC: BTW you should be able to get enthusiastic settings on Crysis :p (im running enthusiastic at like 23 fps~ on a XFX HD 4850 1gb on this setup)

Phenom II x2 550 BE, 3.6 ghz OCed @ 1.375v
2gb DDR2 800 mhz <-- upgrading soon to 3gb DDR2 1066 mhz
HD4850 1gb (XFX)
HDD 5400 RPM <--- upgrading to a velocirapter...
400w NZXT PF400 power supply.
Windows XP SP3 32 bit
 
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OvrClkr

OvrClkr

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Jul 2, 2009
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Don't waste you money on a Raptor when you can buy dual 7200 RPM drives and raid them, you will end up with more disk space and it will run faster than a Raptor. Just FYI.... ;)

PS, not to mention the money you will save by doing so.....
 
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OvrClkr

OvrClkr

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The Agenas are not considered good overclocking CPU's so dont expect 3.0Ghz to be an easy task...

Normally the most stable clock for a 9950be is normally around 2.8Ghz....
 
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AsAnAtheist

AsAnAtheist

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Thanks, your right about this. I looked up several bench marks. So yeah I am definitely picking up 2 7200rpm 1TB HDDs soon.
 
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4Ryan6

4Ryan6

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Apr 14, 2002
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Well my 9950 BE is running solid and stable at 3.2G, she went to 3.4G but I had to take my Vcore to uncomfortable levels on air cooling to get there, You're right its not an easy task to get there.



To the OP; No Offence but you have a lot of learning to do before your fears become past history, OCing the AMD BE CPU is a juggling act between the multiplier and the Vcore (CPU Voltage) to find the exact sweet spot the CPU will run at a higher voltage, thus seriously requiring an extremely good CPU heatsink cooler to keep the CPU as cool as can be.

Because the Danger increases as the Voltage does, excessive voltage is a component killer, so you need to discover first of all what your CPUs spec voltage range is to start with, so when you go outside of that range to reach the OC you're after, you can compare other successful OCs voltages to gain an insight on what your particular CPU can take.

You need to educate yourself on OCing the 9950BE, in relation to the particulars your M/B may display towards OCing in the first place, if someone here gives you their exact BIOS settings it doesn't mean you'll get the same results, thats why if you're new to OCing, you need to learn what you're doing first then Do It.

As far as your Memory Fears, your memory needs to be locked in to its spec timings and slot voltage, once you learn what you're doing juggling the CPU Multiplier and Vcore settings, you can play with memory later.

Look here at THGF for OCing Guides and Google some OCing guides and study them, and take responsibility for your own Bragging Rights or Failures, wheres the gain for you, in someone else taking you by the hand and telling you exactly what to do?

Ryan
 
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ashenwings

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To AsAnAtheist:
I use Core Temp v 0.99.3 for the CPU, and GPU-Z + Catalyst to confirm the GPU.
Anyone that plays shooters knows you need a constantly high fps or your aim suffers, and while this holds true more in multiplayer games, I hate stuttering.
I run at a reliable 30 fps on Natural Mod settings, but if I am in certain levels it can go as low as 10..which is why I sometimes go to Low to enjoy the bang, not the flash.


To Jofamang: Take a look. It has me confused too. Both of these were taken when the GPU is not under load (ie. just firefox open) http://img8.imageshack.us/img8/3705/66709853.jpg . Is there a possibility that the Catalyst setting is actually underclocking the 4870?

To 4ryan6: I understand this, I want to do it but need to be absolutely sure of what I'm doing first. When I have the time I will do a daily lookup on all the terminology and the procedures. The heatsink I purchased is still not installed, I've been kind of busy lately, but factor that in as well.
 
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JofaMang

JofaMang

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Check the GPU-z sensor tab. It will show the change in frequency from 2d/idle to working. In my case, my GPU-z sensor tab will either show 500 or 810hz (my current OC). I have never experienced any other clocks showing on my CCC or GPU-z. Not sure what to make of it to be honest, heh.

I just noticed that you CCC has different limits from mine. My CCC is also 9.8, but only allows 850 as max GPU clock, and 1200 as max memory speed. Now I am really confused.
 
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JofaMang

JofaMang

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Perhaps you accidentally adjusted it downwards? It is downclocking to 500mhz in 2D, as does mine. 4870s run at 750 stock, so you might be interested in setting it there to see your performance. Again, your CCC limitations confuse me, being 900/1300. The Asus model might be the reason, allowing higher overclock settings than my sapphire, but I haven't encountered this before.
 
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