Overclock Phenom II x4 965BE ok but programs give errors afterwards...

[ymo1965]

I managed to overclock a Phenom II x4 965 BE to 4.09ghz and with the use of some newly applied MX-4 paste,
got the temps down a good 10c. Everything seems ok and even 'Core Temp' managed to stress test without error
(although i only tested for 6 hours because its the only pc i have and needed to do some work).

Everything ok until i run a game like Borderlands 2. Get to the menu but when i launch the saved game i get an
desktop error telling me 'this program has stopped working'. Funny thing is, email program (thunderbird) and
google chrome all work fine until i get the error with gaming, and then other programs fails as well, where
they worked before. If i drop the overclock down to a previously tested 3.68ghz i get no problems at all.

Could this be a ram issue? (Crucial 2GB DDR3 1333MHz/PC3-10600 Memory CL9 1.5V)

Could it be this ram is not good for overclocking? i know its cheap but puzzles me why stress testing didnt raise
any errors.

Is it possible i could overclock the cpu and NOT the ram, or do they have to be both o/c? just seems odd why i get
no issue, like heat, with the cpu but running programs gets real iffy. I test the ram in 'core temp' as i have 8gig of
ram. No errors returned.

Thanks for your advice..

 

[ymo1965]

Btw, have these if it helps...

Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro rev 2

Asus M4A87TD/USB3 Mobo

 

[catshannon]

Is your BIOS fully updated?

 

[ymo1965]

Certainly is. In fact there isn't a newer BIOS to try. I will add also that i dropped back to stock CPU speeds because i was getting odd colours showing in screen with things like winamp. The whole player went all multi-coloured and i wasn't sure if this was due to overclocking. Saying that though, i thought artifacts/weird colours was due to pushing your GPU too much, not regular CPU overclocking.

What are your thoughts on strange on-screen colours with programs?

many thanks..

 

[catshannon]

A list of the rest of your components would be helpful, I have done a overclock to destruction tests for myself in the past to see what it really takes for catastrophic failure, usually strange on screen colours occur when your GPU is not OC'd correctly or is suffering from overheating.
I can also only assume you have Overclocked through the BIOS but if you havent I suggest removing what ever software you used to OC your 965.
This could be a power fault (PSU not being efficient), but what i can tell you for sure is your Mobo is not really cut out for OCing tbh.
OR if the issue is just overheating try Enabling/Disabling the Load Line Calibration in bios (LLC). (asus have alot of BS stuff in the BIOS)

I need more info on your system and your overclock method eg did you adjust the voltage and multiplier or HT Ref or both.

 

[ymo1965]

Ok, sorry about the vagueness..

Windows 7 Professional 64bit
Phenom II x4 965 BE
ASUS M4A87TD-USB3 Mobo
SoundBlaster X-fi
Crucial 8GB DDR3 1333MHz/PC3-10600 Memory CL9 <- click for more info

Anything else you need to know?

I admit the ram is mega cheap. Maybe not suitable for overclocking? wouldnt be surprised if you said no. But would that cause similar issues to what i'm getting?

I overclocked using 'TurboV' (only because i'm a total noob and not confident to mess with voltages etc). If you know of a really good guide for folk like me
then i would be most appreciative.

I managed to get it to overclock to roughly 4.1ghz. TurboV basically tried a few overclocks until it got a BSOD then rebooted and picked the last overclock that was
stable at the time. Just got little strange things like the odd freeze but mainly programs were doing strange things eventually like going weird colourful, caused other
programs from not working until i lowered the O/C. I can say though that the CPU was fine and watching the temps made me be quite sure it wasn't a CPU issue.

The only other more stable (of sorts) O/C was a mild 3.7ghz and that wasnt half as problematic as 4.1ghz. What i want to know is, how does TurboV come to its conclusion when overclocking? it cant really check memory fully to know if its stable enough long term. Just a quick and dirty tweak. I know serious rig builders probably hate apps like
TurboV, and i can sort of understand why. I did read recently that it has a tendency to whack the cpu's v-core voltage up a little too much. If i did an o/c trial again with
TurboV, should i just lower the voltage down .5v? or something to try or should i leave well alone?

If the ram is a possible issue then can i overclock the CPU and NOT the ram if its unstable? or do you need both to run both overclocked?

Either the mobo is on its last legs or the ram is just plain 'bin' material. If the mobo wasn't suitable for overclocking then why do asus give o/c functions in the bios
and provide applications?

 

[ymo1965]

Few items i forgot to add...

Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro rev 2
Xenta 700W 12cm Fan PSU - 1x PCI-E 2x SATA
ADATA 120GB S510 SSD - 2.5" SATA-III (boot)

 

[catshannon]

This is why you should OC in the BIOS lock your ram speed @ 1333 and go back to the default timings on them (that should rule out ram)

http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/forum/274820-11-black-edition-overclock-raising-multiplier-guide Long Guide providing you have a Black edition its a bit of a jaunt to read but everyone did at some point.

I have my 965 at 4.1 by having High voltage (not recommended but its working stable for me and quite cool even under Prime95 also i adjusted the HT Ref and Multiplier and have an after market cooler)
Follow this guide and you wont go far wrong, prepare for issues like BSOD or general balls ups until you've tuned your OC remember every CPU is different so there is no clear settings only close to truth recommendations.

Answer for your voltage (should i just lower the voltage down .5v? or something to try or should i leave well alone?) one of the keys to OCing is getting the voltage right and as low as possible while being stable so you check it in increments i strongly recommend using your BIOS instead of TurboV as i said uninstall it.

 

[catshannon]

if you are using the on-board Graphics I think they're 760g's correct me if im wrong the Temperature of the cpu would affect that causing the trippy screen.

 

[ymo1965]

Oops sorry Cat, i forgot to add im using an Asus GTX 560.

Also, that option you mentioned (LLC). There are two in my bios.

CPU LLC
CPU/NB LLC

Both are set to auto. What are they and should i try disabling them? do they impact on overclocking? Many thanks for the guide link btw. Will check it out for sure

 

[catshannon]

Anyway what is the reason for you wanting the 965 over 4ghz it is the best AMD am3 (FM2 A10 5800k) CPU imo for a budget, stick it at about 3.7ghz and you will see its a reliable AK47 of a processor runs bf3 on ultra no issues good frames even on 1080p ultra online good luck with your OC bro any more questions fire away.

 

[catshannon]

Oops sorry Cat, i forgot to add im using an Asus GTX 560.

Also, that option you mentioned (LLC). There are two in my bios.

CPU LLC
CPU/NB LLC

Both are set to auto. What are they and should i try disabling them? do they impact on overclocking? Many thanks for the guide link btw. Will check it out for sure

As I said you need to experiment read the guide and then try enabling and disabling, some people set a higher vcore and turn it off for better temps under load, some people turn it on for more stability at a lower vcore, your best bet is to try it on and off and see how it works for you.

I use LLC on highest setting and leave CPU/NB LLC on auto, you may want to disable them but when i had the stock cooler I disabled them and adjusted the vCore its not a Art more a what works for you.

 

[ymo1965]

There isnt a specific reason why i wanted to go over 4ghz. It just happened to be the speed that TurboV settled on. Something for nothing i guess.

Btw i just checked about LLC and now know its to do with vdroop and people are saying disable it for 45nm cpu's which the 956 is.

I will say that the v-core of my 4.1 o/c was near to max and i'm wondering if disabling LLC would be better switched off and try again.

Sorry to ask so many questions. Genuinely interested in learning about all this. Many thanks for your time.

 

[catshannon]

It has an impact on OC due to Vcore, disable them and try your OC in the BIOS i believe your cooler is more than efficient i will confirm this once ive had more coffee.
Also this is almost FO-SHAW why TurboV's OC wasnt stable as it will interfear with VCore if i remember correctly.

 

[catshannon]

Your cooler is fine

 

[catshannon]

The most common oc to 4.1 on a 965 i think is change the Multiplier to 20.5 and put the Ht Ref on 200 (default) and crank up the voltage, i will test this over clock for you now so bear with me.

 

[ymo1965]

Still awake (just)

Thanks for doing this. The main issues in the BIOS for me are the ram settings when overclocking and the voltage settings. Not confident in that dept :lol:

 

[catshannon]

I will run prime95 and cinebench 11.5 and do some gaming and report on this OC tomorrow

 

[ymo1965]

Ok cheers, will check back with you then.

Time for bed ZZzzz

 

[catshannon]

Sorry I am not at home and couldn't get on the net (various distractions) I found 3 stable clocks Best performance is LLC disabled on all, Ht Ref 215 and Multiplier is 19 (runs a bit hot but ok) next best was 20.5x200 runs the coldest and the hottest is 17x242 all the volts are about the same at 1.45v

 

[catshannon]

Sorry I am not at home and couldn't get on the net (various distractions) I found 3 stable clocks Best performance is LLC disabled on all, Ht Ref 215 and Multiplier is 19 (runs a bit hot but ok) next best was 20.5x200 runs the coldest and the hottest is 17x242 all the volts are about the same at 1.45v

 

[catshannon]

Ok cheers, will check back with you then.

Time for bed ZZzzz

Sorry I am not at home and couldn't get on the net (various distractions) I found 3 stable clocks Best performance is LLC disabled on all, Ht Ref 215 and Multiplier is 19 (runs a bit hot but ok) next best was 20.5x200 runs the coldest and the hottest is 17x242 all the volts are about the same at 1.45v