Need help overclocking AMD CPU

techpie123

Honorable
Nov 4, 2012
3
0
10,510
Hi everyone i need help to overclock my CPU...

My specs:
CPU: AMD Athlon II x4 640 ~3ghz
Ram: Kingstom 2x4GB 1600mhz (9-9-9-27-36-2T)
Motherboard: ASRock 880GMH/U3S3
 

Z1NONLY

Distinguished
Here's a cut-n-paste from a how-to I posted for a phenom.

It details the process of speeding up the reference clock and then slowing down all but the CPU so that the end result is an overclocked CPU.

.........................................


I have my 1045t OC'd to 3.4 Ghz with all 6 cores running. It could go higher but, I'm limited by heat because I can't fit a bigger cooler in my case.

I recommend getting some free software first. CPU-Z and HWmonitor, and prime95.

CPU-Z will show you frequencies, voltages and ram timings.

HWmonitor will show you temps. *Be warned* HWmonitor was showing my core temps 10 degrees lower than they actually were. The temp labeled "TMPIN2" was actually tracking perfectly with the core temps shown in AMD Overdive. So look for the highest temperature other than your video card. (many video cards can safely run at hotter temps than your CPU.) The hottest one on my Gigabyte 990 fxa ud3 (other than the video card) is the core temp. Try to keep it below 55C under full load.

Prime95 is the program that will stress test your computer to see if it can remain stable and cool under load. 2hrs of the blend test with no errors and no overheating is a general rule of thumb for a stable OC.

Now for the fun stuff.

Go into your BIOS and lower the multiples for your CPU and your Ram by a few steps. (The 1045t won't let you increase the multiplier above stock)
Then disable turbo (aka "core performance boost" )
Then find your CPU Host clock control and set it to "manual"
Then You should be able to change the "CPU Frequency" (I'll call it FSB) (This is before the multiplier, so it will be low. Mine started at 200)
Now increase that variable by a bit.

I recommend balancing your FSB and your "memory clock" (RAM) multiplier to a point where your ram is back down to stock speeds after you bump the FSB. So raise your FSB to something like 250 then adjust your RAM multiplier down so that your RAM us running at or near stock speeds.

Now move on to your CPU clock ratio. With the faster FSB, you will be able to run your CPU at higher frequencies with a lower-than-stock multiplier. I eventually took mine all the way back up to 13.5 with a final frequency of 3.4 Ghz.

I would recommend starting with a lower multiple that gets you just a couple hundred Mhz boost over stock at first. Then test for stability and heat. Run prime 95 for at least 30 minutes if you want to see your hottest temps. The blend doesn't get things hot until about the third bank of tests.

If things look good, go back into the BIOS and bump the multiplier some more and re-test.

My MB got rather ambitious with the voltages when I left it in auto, so use CPU-Z to keep an eye on core voltages. Many recommend just staying under 1.45 volts. I recommend not going any higher than you need to for a given clock speed. This will help keep heat down. I ended up using a negative offset "CPU voltage control" of -0.075 volts. This brought my core voltages down to about 1.344v at full load.

*note* I'm scraping the floor on voltage with my particular chip/speed. One notch lower and I get BSOD. You may be able to go a little lower or you may need a little more voltage for your chip and clock speed.

Now just test and adjust and repeat.

Generally speaking:

BSOD means you need more voltage, and/or less speed.

Overheating means you need less voltage and/or less speed. (or a better cooler for your CPU.)

If you get to the point where your temps are good and your computer is sable, and you still want to go faster (than ~3.4Ghz), you can go back and bump up the FSB. But remember to adjust your RAM multiplier back down to stock-ish speeds.

You can OC your RAM later, but that gets a little more complicated as you may have to adjust CAS timings and RAM voltages to make it work. Keeping your RAM at stock speeds should give you one less thing to worry about while you probe the limits of your CPU.

Good luck!
 

techpie123

Honorable
Nov 4, 2012
3
0
10,510
This is how the overclocking bios looks like:
http://i.imgur.com/ZnMmN.jpg
The main problem here is that i cant exactly OC correctly with this...
If i bump up the cpu frequency the NB Frequency changes... and when i set it to stock so it would match its stock Voltage it still doesnt help...
I mean i tryed a few combinations... but only the *Turbo mode* (which i hadn't had on) managed to enter OS but got killed by prime 95 testing (not stable)
Also the RAM settings also change... its a weird ass motherboard... The values on the picture are the default stable ones... RAM at 1600 mhz

Turbo settings:
http://i.imgur.com/TiPEQ.jpg
Now... i'd be happy enough to run on turbo... if it was stable... but its not...
it also messes with RAM Setting... but its only on the surface... 1600 mhz down to 1532 mhz (doesnt touch the ram clock rates and outher stuff stays at 9-9-9-27-36)

Once i touch the CPU Frequency it changes The HT Bus Speed and RAM mhz... Tryed setting them to Stock resulted in instant BSOD on boot...
Heck i might as well just settle for the Turbo setting if there's a way to make it stable...tryed uping the voltage from 1.400 to up to 1.4500 and the turbo is still not stable...
dunno if its safer to go more than 1.4500 volts... dont want to fry it...
 

Z1NONLY

Distinguished
It looks like you have to go "manual" everything in order to adjust voltage.

Try using the "auto" setting for the first variable on the bottom group of variables. "multiplier/voltage change".

It's probably going to give you too much voltage so go in small steps and see what your NB frequency does.

FWIW, the NB frequency will change even when the board "automatically" controls it. I noticed that my NB frequency would go up, up, upuntil I reached a certain point , and then it would go to a point below stock speed and start working its way up again as I increased the OC step by step.

I suspect "auto" just selects a multiplier for the NB that allows the NB to fall within a range.

If you have to, you should be able to manually adjust the HT, NB and RAM multipliers to keep them near stock specs. It's tedious though.
 

techpie123

Honorable
Nov 4, 2012
3
0
10,510
okaay something new that i didnt notice... apparantly i have the convenience of setting clock speeds and outher stuff from within windows...
By the way... you have any chating program...? Steam , Xfire <--- these preffered...