First Attempt at O.C

[sirestryder]

My first real attempt at overclocking and wanted to make sure I did things right. Looking to see what i should do next.

MOBO: M4A88T-V EVO/USB3
CPU: Amd Athlon II X3 450 3.2ghz
Ram: 4gb DDR3
PSU; 750w
Unlocked a core with motherboard and now it has a new name.After i unlocked it I used Prime95 overnight to test it and there were no problems with the unlocked core.

The only thing I changed was the CPU Ratio from 200->220. After I changed it the ram was 1467 from 1333. The ram was 1600 when i bought it but I never changed it and left it at the default 1333. Also the ram voltage is 1.605 but i don't know if it automatically changed since I never messed with it.

I ran prime95 for 3-4 hours with no problems.
Idle temp using CoreTemp is 38C and highest it reached during Prime95 was 64C. I would like feedback if this is to high and in addition I have a Hyper 212 and can put another 120 fan in the case.

Any feedback will be appreciated and i can post more info if you need it.

 

[natefostersr]

I didn't know u could unlock and x3 thats pretty sweet.
Your temps are low most people say as long as your don't go over 80 in benchmark your good.
I know people usually like to get x4's up to about 4.0 but i'm sure its already fast enough.
I like to keep my voltages on auto seems to work good for me.

 

[sirestryder]

Well I wanted a small to medium overclock and wanted to make sure that the voltages are correct. I actually think I got lucky with the unlocking because this was the first computer I built and there were no problems.

 

[henydiah]

congratulations on unlock core, should be tested
again by prime95 for 8 hours, the longer you test it
and without any error message, the better for the
system

 

[simon12]

64C is a bit high, are you using the stock cooler? If so I suggest you upgrade it to the Hyper TX 3 if this is all the overclocking you will do or a 212+ if you want to overclock more. I suggest you put the frequency back to 200 and increase the multiplier instead and set the memory to 1600MHz and the RAM voltage to the manufacturers specification.

 

[sirestryder]

No i'm using a Hyper 212 and I can't change the multiplier because this is an Athlon II X3 450 but after I unlocked the core the name changed. So if 64C is a bit high what is the safe temperature?

 

[natefostersr]

my personal opinion if u ran prime for and hour and all you got was 64 degrees i think its low, after i turn off hyperthreading i get 70 on mine and i read its ok unless you dont go over 80.
However im getting a water system in a week or 2

 

[sirestryder]

Well I bought another 120 fan that I will install just to be safer.

 

[HansVonOhain]

my personal opinion if u ran prime for and hour and all you got was 64 degrees i think its low, after i turn off hyperthreading i get 70 on mine and i read its ok unless you dont go over 80.
However im getting a water system in a week or 2

Intel chips can last through higher temps. Do not feed some other processor's temps down some one's throats.

 

[natefostersr]

thanks for the lesson franz
heres a link to the actual data sheet
and your sorta right
http://www.cpu-world.com/CPUs/K10/AMD-Phenom%20II%20X4%20945%20-%20HDX945WFK4DGM%20(HDX945WFGMBOX).html

 

[sirestryder]

Best answer selected by SireStryder.

 

[transgenic452]

Some words of warning regarding CPU temperatures...

Anyone who thinks the temperatures reported by any arbitrary system are accurate to within 5C, and in some cases even 10C...is fooling themselves.

If you want your CPU to be as safe from overheating as possible, I would take your sensor that consistently reports the highest "CPU" temperature, and add +10C offset to it, and use THAT figure as the reported CPU temperature to assess whether you're nearing the specified critical temperature for the CPU, and to trigger alarms, increase fan speeds, etc.

There are too many uncertainties in the process; from the sensor type used, the location of the sensor, the BIOS algorithm used to translate the data to the "right" temperature, then the reporting program's algorithm to interpret the data passed to it by the hardware/firmware (Some temp reporting programs have used the wrong manufacturer's max temp specification for a given CPU. Note that it varies from CPU to CPU), whether the sensor used is even the one matched to the spec'd critical temperature (e.g. if the critical temp is spec'd at the case then you have to use the case sensor data...if it's spec'd at an on-die sensor, then you have to use an on-die sensor data), etc.

In some systems, I've seen "CPU" temperatures reported that are as much as 10C BELOW the coldest case air-ambient found inside the case (the air ambient was accurately confirmed with lab equipment in addition to the motherboard's built-in "ambient" temperature sensor). That result is impossible with any cooling system that doesn't use an cooling assembly external to the system and in a cooler location, or uses active cooling (like freon). And, that assumes you're even looking at the "right" CPU sensor as mentioned earlier. Are you looking at a case sensor, a die sensor, a thermistor vs. diode sensor, a motherboard sensor under the CPU, etc.

For the X3-450 and GA-880GMA-UD2H mobo as one specific example (I have seen similar discrepancies with other CPUs and mobos) this is apparently NOT a trivial consideration, and different programs can report vastly different numbers...so for a given configuration you have to verify WHICH is the right sensor and whether you have to assign an offset to it. That is in fact why decent programs provide the ability for the user to add or subtract an offset to the displayed temperature(s).

For example, on a Gigabyte GA-880GMA-UD2H ver2.1 mobo I've got in the lab right now, "Open-Source Hardware Monitor" (OSHM) provides THREE "CPU" temperatures. One of them at idle is 10C lower than the other 2 readouts (e.g. when they report ~44C, that one sensor is reported as being at ~34C. Note: it doesn't track quite linearly w/r the other 2 temp sensor data. There is slightly more latency. However, testing confirms it IS a sensor located at the CPU itself. Other temp reporting programs report the same temperature anomaly. There is no explanation yet for this 10C anomaly.

For this never unlocked and never overclocked Athlon II X3 450, the respected program "CoreTemp" reports only ONE of those 3 available temperatures (ID'd as "CPU#0"). As it turns out..."CoreTemp" reports the "CPU#0" sensor datum at the same 10C below the other two (as seen in OSHM).

Importantly, "CoreTemp" also bases ALL its CPU overheating safety control features on this single reported datum. If that datum is reported as 10C below what it really is, then "CoreTemp's" CPU protection actions will be based on flawed data, with potentially disastrous results for the CPU. "CoreTemp" also shows the specified maximum "TjMax=67C" for the X3 450. As a result of these findings, for conservative CPU safety while using OSHM or "CoreTemp", I now have manually added an +10C offset to the reported temp for the appropriate sensor in order to assume "worst-case".