9950 125w question

[soonersox]

I've read several threads and I think I learned enough to be dangerous but since my actual question (that I asked in someone elses thread) was never answered I decided to post my own. I originally was asking for directions on doing a 3ghz overclock on my 2.6 9950, I listed all my specs hoping someone would be able to tell exactly what to do. When I didn't get a reply I decided to just go in and change the CPU multiplier from 13x to 15x. I poked around the bios till I found the right spot and made the change, I did not change anything else. Everything booted up fine and I decided to test it by doing what I do most (play warhammer online). Everything worked great for about an hour then my computer rebooted on its own. I gave it another go the next day hoping that was just a one time glitch but the same thing happened after about an hour of playing. My core temps were about 46c while gaming and around 37c at idle. I went back in and lowered the CPU mulitplier down so that I am running 2.9 Ghz and haven't had any other issues. I couldn't find where to raise the voltage to continue trying for 3.0 Ghz so I decided not to do anything else till I understood more about what I was doing.

At this point I may be satisfied with the 2.9 but I am just wondering if it failed because I didn't do something else that I should have done. Any other suggestions for settings to get more out of the overclock would be appreciated. I will list the pertinent info:

I have the Phenom 9950 125w black edition

motherboard: MSI K9A2 Platinum 790FX (AMI bios).

RAM is 8gb G.Skill DDR2 800 (lat 5 with 5-5-5-15 timing). I feel like I understand latency in RAM terms (the lower the faster?) but have no idea how timing affects anything.

air cooling with a Xigmatek dark knight S1283V.

Video is a Sapphire HD 4850 1gb

 

[photonboy]

First, it would fail because:
1) Either the voltage is too low for the frequency,
2) The frequency is too high
3) Too much heat (not necessarily the same as #2)

Large heat sinks help eliminate heat obviously but there is a limit to their effectiveness.

Note:
You should use the Task Manager (CTRL-ALT-DEL) and monitor your CPU usage during games. If you aren't seeing 100% usage on at least one core then your overclock isn't needed. I recommend getting your most demanding games then bring your CPU frequency/voltage down if it's not needed.

Overclocked CPU's wear faster, can sometimes fail quickly and also add to the power/noise even when in Idle mode.

 

[4Ryan6]

Increasing AMD multiplier past a certain point requires increasing Vcore voltage and possibly NB voltage to run stably with memory Timings and Voltage set at factory specs manually.

I just simply told you how to overclock your AMD 9950, even beyond 3.0G with your Xigmatek cooling.

Finding the sweet spot of multiplier/Vcore/NB voltage settings, is a trial and error process, which takes time and patience on your part and a willingness to educate yourself on what you are doing.

I originally was asking for directions on doing a 3ghz overclock on my 2.6 9950, I listed all my specs hoping someone would be able to tell exactly what to do.

Thats probably why you didn't get help in the first thread, we do expect you to take the initiative to learn what you're doing, then we just fill in the blank spaces and clarify things you can't get your head around.

If you intend to overclock but are not willing to jump in the pool, just observe from the sidelines, then you'll never learn anything if the exact settings are given to you.

So when you get your next computer you'll be back here asking the same questions.

 

[soonersox]

Increasing AMD multiplier past a certain point requires increasing Vcore voltage and possibly NB voltage to run stably with memory Timings and Voltage set at factory specs manually.

I just simply told you how to overclock your AMD 9950, even beyond 3.0G with your Xigmatek cooling.

Finding the sweet spot of multiplier/Vcore/NB voltage settings, is a trial and error process, which takes time and patience on your part and a willingness to educate yourself on what you are doing.

I originally was asking for directions on doing a 3ghz overclock on my 2.6 9950, I listed all my specs hoping someone would be able to tell exactly what to do.

Thats probably why you didn't get help in the first thread, we do expect you to take the initiative to learn what you're doing, then we just fill in the blank spaces and clarify things you can't get your head around.

If you intend to overclock but are not willing to jump in the pool, just observe from the sidelines, then you'll never learn anything if the exact settings are given to you.

So when you get your next computer you'll be back here asking the same questions.

While I understand the spirit of your reply, it is obvious you either did not read my first post in this thread fully or have mistaken me for the person who created the first thread I referred to (which was a person named "theL"). I saw where you replied to the poster of the first thread but no one specifically told me anything. Saying that no one learns by being given answers is a very odd way of thinking. In any case after starting not knowing the slightest bit about overclocking I have managed to overclock the CPU (which was very simple), my specific concern at this point was that if I had neglected anything that is normally done with a basic overclock.

 

[1st duke of marlborough]

No one learns by being spoon fed; it's like the difference between teaching a man how to fish and giving him a fish, the former will be set for life while the latter will starve after a few days. The point being the people here want you to read the guides first, give the impression that you've attempted independent research, and then clarify any points you are still not sure of.

As for your voltage, consider reading the motherboard manual or if all else fails try their website, there has to be a way for you to increase the voltage going to your CPU. Since your chip is a black edition, you need not worry about NB frequency or any of that ***.

For clarity's sake, what were your temps when OC'd to 2.9Ghz?

P.S. I Overclocked my Phenom 9750 from a stock of 2.4Ghz to 3.01Ghz after fiddling with the reference clock and all that other stuff, since it was not a black edition and thus had a locked multiplier. My temps don't exceed 70 when at full load and I have a sunbeam CC Freezer. Accordingly, you should have no problem OCing your CPU, which is superior to mine, above 3Ghz, good luck!

 

[soonersox]

Oh I completely understand the spirit of what was said... but I think parables like "teaching a man to fish" are a bit of an exaggeration. I think the fact that someone is actually asking for answers on this msg board indicates that they have at least the bare minimum understanding. My particular need for answers (after reading several posts and guides) is that none of the guides or posts usually ever completely duplicate any particular readers setup so I was concerned that my lack of experience would cause a problem in filling in the gaps. That is why I listed my relevant parts (and why I assume others do as well). And of course I like alot of newbs on this board have some impatience that can be to our detriment.

My impatience, for instance, is the reason why I couldn't find the voltage setting in my bios. I was looking in the right area all along but (and I am almost too embarrassed to admit) I failed to notice the magical scroll bar on the right LOL. Once I actually scrolled down I found what I was looking for but like I mentioned in my first post I am not looking to set records or anything so I decided I would rather keep the cpu multiplier at the setting for 2.9 than increase the voltage (which I assume would increase heat).

As far as the temps go, I alt tabbed out of Warhammer Online (a PVP MMO with pretty demanding graphics) and utilizing AMD's Overdrive utility, the highest I saw was high 40 degrees celsius (can't remember the exact number but somewhere between 46-48). I am using a basic coolermaster centurion case but recently got a good deal on an Antec 900 so when I get my parts transferred over I may have a bit better temps. I want to reapply the arctic silver compound as well, I have a nagging feeling that the application is not as thorough as it could be.

 

[4Ryan6]

Best answer selected by 4ryan6.