Help with overclocking and Vcore voltage

[kr0490]

I am using ASUS Turbo V Evo software that came with my motherboard to do overclocking. Im fairly new to overclocking so i need some opinions on some aspects. I did the autotuning, and it has my CPU runing at 224, which was unstable, so i have it running at 220 mhz. I read that the computer will set the cpu voltage higher than it needs to be, and somehow can shorten the life of the vcore. My cpu voltage is currently at 1.4 volts. Is this too high. Do i just lower it a little at a time to see if it is still stable. What do you recommend. Just for reference, my CPU/NB voltage is at 1.25 volts and DRAM is at 1.545 volts. Thanks for your help.


Motherboard is ASUS M4A88TD-V EVO/USB3
CPU is AMD Phenom II X4 975 BE
and Power Supply is Eagle Voltas 600 watt

 

[Ubrales]

Before you attempt to do anything more, please read up on 'Overclocking' in general from several technical forums. Once you understand the underlying principles, the process will be much easier.

 

[christop]

There is not a sweet spot for ocing a rig you have to find the right volts for your chip.Read up in the forums ...

 

[lowjack989]

Which RAM are you running? 1.4v is safe for that chip. When OC a Rig it is a smart choice to set all voltages manually to the stock settings as leaving the voltages on auto while performing an OC will cause the MOBO to scale the voltage to what it deems the correct voltages...The RAM is the reason that your OC is unstable...Read the guide to OC the AMD Black Edition at the top of the OC page it will show you the way...IMO I would set the multiplier in bios to 20...voltage to 1.4..and see what comes of it...I know people on here frown upon such advice but, I believe that chip will get an easy 4.0 GHz stable OC...Just leave the FSB at 200MHz.

 

[kr0490]

Info screen on my pc while running Prime 95

If there is anything I should increase or change let me know!
http://i208.photobucket.com/albums/bb178/kr0490/infoscreen.png

Here is a link to info on my ram
http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0353218

I am using software to test overclock settings and find a stable setting before i set it in Bios.

PC Specs
-Windows 7 Home Premium 64-Bit
-Voltas X 600W ATX 12V Power Supply
-M4A88TD-V EVO/USB3 Socket AM3 880G ATX AMD Motherboard
-Phenom II X4 975 Black Edition 3.6GHz Quad-Core Processor
-Diamond ATi Radeon HD 6850 1024MB GDDR5 PCIe 2.1 x16 Video Card
-Thermaltake V3 Black Edition ATX Mid Tower Case
-GH24LS50 Super-Multi Internal SATA DVD Burner with LightScribe Disc Labeling OEM
-4GB DDR3-1333 (PC3-10666) CL9 Desktop Memory
-Barracuda 1TB 7,200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive
-4 case mounted fans

 

[lowjack989]

Software is still not gonna give you the stable OC your looking for...I used TurboV on this board when I got it...Its buggy as hell and it does a lot of "auto volting" which isn't wise

 

[lowjack989]

What is your goal for this OC?....How fast to you want it to go?...How long do you want your computer to last?..That chip is already at 3.5GHz...Thats nothing to sneeze at

 

[kr0490]

i fixed the picture.

 

[kr0490]

its stable right now at around 3.9GHZ, unless im reading something wrong, consult the picture link above. I just want to get a little more performance out of it. Maybe get it up to 4.0 GHZ. I would prefer to not have to mess with Bios settings unless necessary. I know Turbo V isnt going to be the most stable OC, thats why im not pushing it to much. I want to keep my default settings, but be able to boost the performance in Turbo V by just switching to it when I need extra performance. Like playing demanding games, or doing video editing, or the such. I kinda want to get just a little more bang for my buck. Thanks everyone, especially lowjack989, for putting up with my ignorance over several posts. Cant you tell im a newb. If i am doing something blatently stupid and being oblivious to it, plz let me know. I mainly want to know if there are any settings in the Turbo V screen, that I need to change or increase, that will help boost my performance, and any risks involved in doing so. And make sure what i have them currently set to isn't dangerous. Thanks

Also you mentioned changing the multiplier to 20X in Bios. How much additional heat output will that add, and are there any dangers to doing it.
Sorry for the huge amount of questions.

 

[lowjack989]

Gotta get to work I will get back to you shortly kr

 

[kr0490]

Thanks for all your help lowjack! (And others too)

 

[lowjack989]

Notta Prob we were all noobs at one time or another

 

[kr0490]

An added question. You asked how long do you want your computer to last. I dont understand what you mean. I want it to last forever. Is doing this overclocking shortening the life of my PC?

btw: fixed link to ram info, look above.

 

[lowjack989]

When you over volt a CPU you are essentially shortening the life span of the chip...All my OCed rigs are still going so how much it take away from the service life is up for debate..My oldest rig is two years old so its an X4 940 running at 3.6 GHz@1.47v w/ a 4870 and its still able to accomplish running Crysis on high settings at 30 fps no problem.....

 

[kr0490]

If i have my CPU voltage only set to 1.42 at the highest, will that really decrease the life that much, or is that more for higher voltages? And also Asus Turbo V says that the voltage is set to 1.406 V and AI suite and CPU Z say the voltage is 1.356 V. Why is that?

 

[lowjack989]

1.42 is only a 50mV bump...so thats great if your stable...As far as a trustworthy program to read volt I trust CPU-Z..1.35v is default maybe TurboV is reading with an offset

 

[kr0490]

Which of the prime 95 tests should i run to determine my systems temperature, and which sould i run for 8 hours for stability. Also, i just remembered lowjack that u siad earlier that "The RAM is the reason that your OC is unstable." What did u mean by this? And do i still need to change something. Also, if i have the voltage maxing at 1.43 and temps maxing at 60 while in prime 95, this will not dramatically reduce lifespan of system components, and is a safe overclock, correct??

 

[lowjack989]

run small fft's for 8 hours, then run blend for 24 hours......Some say stress testing for long periods is not needed as their unrealistic in the aspect that your computer will not be at full load for those periods of time, however...I think that stress testing using OCCT, and Prime95 is like testing a new automobile making sure that it can take prolonged abuse and still perform properly

 

[kr0490]

and in regards to the memory? also, and i know i probably asked this before, just want to confirm, if the highest i ever set my vcore to is 1.43, and my max temps in prime 95 are 60, this is a safe oc and will not dramatically reduce my cpu's life? Thanks for the continued help!

 

[lowjack989]

at 60c for extended period will shorten the life of the CPU...OK the memory thing again....OK...When OCing with the FSB ....when raising the FSB you will also directly raise memory speed and CPU speed...say you have DDR3 1600 Mem modules and you wanted to OC your CPU to 4.0 GHz using the FSB take your RAM down to 1066 MHz--->then set FSB to 250 MHz--->multi. x16...so the OC would be RAM@1599MHz-->CPU@4.0 GHz...I hope this is understandable..its all in the math

 

[kr0490]

Since my computer maxes out at maybe 53 c when playing games, is temp ok as long as I don't run extended stress tests?

 

[lowjack989]

yeah 53c is acceptable temps.....

 

[kr0490]

I may get a better cooler for CPU in the next month or two, If not sooner. What's the cheapest one that's good. Any recommendations. I shop at microcenter, so if u find on on there that's great.

 

[lowjack989]

Cooler Master Hyper 212+ for $35.00 From newegg..price to performance can't be beat...microcenter has it too

 

[kr0490]

found it for $25 at microcenter. Also, what benefits will the memory thing bring. Also, is AMD overdrive reliable, i mean i i click the auto clock button, it wont fry my computer will it? if anyone has any experience with it.