OCing a 965 BE! Help Please

[jasonp12]

So I have read the guide and very much understand how to do it.....

but i cant seem to get a clear answer on the best way to do it? (should i do it through bios or AMD Overdrive?)

anyways my system is

Phenom II X4 965 BE (currently at stock settings)
ASUS M489GTD 890gx Mobo
Patriot G-Series sector 5 2x2gb 1600mhz (its 1600mhz but mobo only reads upto 1333mhz but actually tells you just to goto bios and set it to 1600 which i did and it auot adjusts the voltage accordinly... stock voltage is 1.65v its now at like 1.6532v)
Nvidia 9800GTX+ 1gb (gonna be grabbing a 6850/6870 soon)

now as for cooling
HAF 922 case
Hyper 212+

I am going to be adding another 200mm fan for intake on my 922 and another CM 120mm Bladerunner on my Hyper 212+ for push pull...

currently with my setup as it is i idle around 26C or so (though its gonna keep dropping a bit i heard, as i installed the Hyper 212+ yesterday, and as of yesterday it was idling around 28-29 and its already dropped to 26-27 idle)

anyways so my questions

1) best way to OC and AMD Black edition 965, through bios or AMD Overdrive
2) What are average safeish/stable temps for a 965? Ive heard some say it shouldnt go over 60C others say a lil less around 57-58C and ive heard others say upwards of 65C (and from what most overclockers are saying dont go over 1.55v on the CPU even less to be safer)

 

[AllanCameron]

Hi,

I can tell you how I go about my overclocks (only have done three so far).

First, get an idea what speed you want to settle on. As you can see from here, most folks hit 4.0 GHz without too much trouble.

Next, you have to research what is called the heat load. That refers to how much heat the overclocked setup will generate when you are taxing your system to the max (all cores being used running something like the Prime95 program, for example).

Determining the heat load (in watts) will determine what type of cooling solution you need. Low heat loads can be handled with simpler air-cooled solutions. If the heat load is a bit higher, you'd need a water-cooled solution (with different refrigerant additives possibly) that circulates through a cooling loop. High heat loads for very fast overclocks require more elaborate cooling schemes, such as the Single Stage Vapor Change setup that was being discussed to build the 5.0 GHz Gulftown system I was thinking about building (but in the end, I just went with a prebuilt offering on the web.)

As for me, I try to keep all of my overclocks from reaching 55 C, because I know there are occasional spikes where the cooling system doesn't react as fast (cycling during low load and an unexpected multi-core request is made which heats up in a hurry) and then can add another 5 C or more before the cooling drops it back down.

As for the voltage settings, that depends on your cooling implementation. If you go sub-zero (like my system at -40) you can exceed the published spec, which is usually only for nominal cooling solutions. If you google around a bit, you can see that those who use very high overclocks get close to 1.9 V on some of their more radical arrangements. But, you should really stay far below that if this is your first attempt.

I would agree to stay below 1.55, maybe even 1.45, if this is your first stab at it. Fry the chip, and your quest is over.

 

[jasonp12]

ok thanks for the help....

but tbh i have my cooling solutions down if you read my post lol.....

haf 922 with addtional 200mm intake fan
hyper 212+ (in push/pull)

i was asking if i should use AMD Overdrive or the BIOS (or even this tool that comes with the mobo Asus Turbo V Evo)

and was asking what the avg temps were which you answered thanks!!!!!

 

[unclefester]

Your far better off to OC via the BIOS!!!

Although you can use AOD as a tool for finding some of the perimeters of your Core-Multiplier and FSB frequency (this can save you from having to clear the CMOS repeatedly on OC failed attempts).
Before you use it you will need to *hard-set a couple of the voltages in the BIOS (ie...core and NB, you already set the Memory voltage) Also, you will need to hard-set Memory Timings. I suggest you loosen them below rated timings to aid in CPU speeds when OC'ing (ie.... set them to 9-9-9-30) Then after finding a good stable OC on the CPU go back and tighten the timings on you memory.


*Hard-setting voltages: Whenever making adjustments to Hardware voltages always Start Small !!! Stress for a least 15 to 20mins. while monitoring temperatures. "Do Not" add more voltage if you are close to or exceeding Manufacturers recommended specifications!!

 

[jasonp12]

whats the advantage or disadvantage of using Bios vs. AOD?

btw im not looking for massive overclocks just a moderate OC be nice to get it ti 4.0ghz but id be happy with 3.7-3.8

 

[jasonp12]

Best answer selected by jasonp12.