I'd like to play with my new setup

[Undefined]

Hi all,

I've never really tried overclocking any of my systems so I'm a relative newbie at this. I've just put together a new setup that should be perfect for playing around with. I'll list the relevant specs:

Thermaltake Element S VK60001N2Z Black Mid Tower Case
Asus M4A89GTD PRO, AMD 890GX
AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition 3.4GHz
Zalman CNPS10X Extreme CPU cooler
OCZ 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 1600MHz AMD Black Edition CL8(8-8-8-24)
Real Power Pro 1250W PSU

I had a llittle read around and played a bit with AMD Overdrive to get aquainted with the idea and bumped the CPU multiplier up from 17x to 18x to get to 3.6ghz with no issues at all, though going to 18.5x and running a benchmark caused a bluescreen so I stopped there.
What advice can you give for someone just getting started with this setup?
From looking into the components before buying them they should be highly overclockable and work very well together.
I'd be especially interested in the memory since I have no clue at all when it comes to squeezing some extra speed out of it.

Thanks for any advice.

 

[jeff77789]

in my opinion, My amd is hard to overclock as is with all the other amd's compared to intel's.

To get into overclocking, amd overdrive in the OS won't get you very far. You would have to rely on the bios and that you would have to mess with the FSB and the Multiplier there and a whole bunch of other stuff too. (it's mainly trial and error though so it will take you a while)

Also, as a last resort if all else fails, use the advantage of your power supply to amp up the voltage up to 1.55v MAX to help.

Long story short, there is a special way to overclock AMD's because they are so hard to overclock.........i thought my cooler was bad.......but anyway just overclock it in the bios and you will get a little farther

 

[Undefined]

I've always been a little concerned about adjusting anything but the multiplier, in what way will increasing the voltage help?
Playing with the voltage has always been something I've steered clear of since I don't understand it and lessons learned in life tell me too high voltage = fried electronics.
My power supply is one of my favourite purchases though, even if it is like trying to squeeze an apple into an egg cup when using it in a midi-tower case, so if there's a way I can make better use of it I'm game!

I've tried reading a few guides to overclocking, but they all seem to assume basic knowledge I don't have.

I also assumed the AMD black editions to be better for overclocking, or is it simply worded in such a way because they've made overclocking easier rather than more effective?

 

[jeff77789]

check with AMD too see about the max voltages and max Temps........i think the max temp is 60 degrees celsius on the website........the max safe voltage i would go to is 1.5 volts...voltage is secondary always....voltage just helps stabilize the overclock once you get it but will produce more heat and use up more electricity (that will be ok since you have a really good psu)

Black Edition just means that you can adjust your multiplier