Overclock Phenom II X6 1090T with a Cooler Master N520?

PeteG_22

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Jun 17, 2011
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I want to overclock the Phenom II X6 @ 4.0 GHz, do you think it's possible with the N520?
I know that the Hyper 212 Plus is bigger, BUT I already bought it, and I don't want to return it, if it's not neccesary.

Is there such a HUGE difference between the two?

I bought the N520 at $34, and I wanted to spend less than $50 in an aftermarket cooler.

This will be my configuration:

CPU: Phenom II X6 1090T
Thermal Compound: Artic Silver 5
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper N520
Mobo: Asus M4A89GTD PRO/USB3 Socket AM3 AMD 890GX/SB850
RAM: Mushkin Enhanced Blackline 2 x 4GB DDR3-1600
VGA: EVGA GeForce GTX 560 Ti 2GB
PSU: Corsair Enthusiast Series 650W 80 Plus Bronze

Also my case will be a modest one, a Cooler Master for $40, and I choose the N520 for the 92mm fan, because I don't know if a 120mm will fit in my case and my motherboard.
 
First off, its possible to hit 4.0Ghz with that CPU but not especially likely. As they say, your mileage may vary. That cooler isn't the worst, but its not the greatest either. I'd consider it ok for the price. However, the Hyper 212+ is an excellent cooler in its price range, which I can regularly find for around $30. Phenom II's are generally capable of hitting 3.8Ghz with no problems, 4.0 is harder.

If you want to do some serious overclocking (and hitting 4Ghz is serious business) then you will have to spend some money on a top air cooler. Also the quality of the motherboard, ram, etc will have an effect. I see no problems with your current equipment.

The Hyper 212 will fit most mid-towers.

Overclocking has a lot to do with your components. There's also skill involved, although its pretty easy with an unlocked multiplier. And some of it is luck, snagging a good chip, finding a gem of a motherboard, or just a good balance of parts that work well together.
GL
 

r3xx3r

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Aug 31, 2009
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i have been having trouble hitting 4.0GHz with my 1090T and water cooling (coolit eco a.l.c.) it wont get hot, just doesnt get stable. i would test it out and see though, cause each cpu is different