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Some General Overclocking Questions

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Hello all,

I have a couple questions on overclocking and I am new to overclocking.

I desire to overclock my AMD Phenom II x4 965 BE (stock 3.4 GHz) and wasn't sure what my first goal to overclock should be? Also, what is the typical clock speed of an overclocked Phenom II x4? (btw I have done a little research on this but just wanted to get some opinions).

I also have some questions on cooling. I need to acquire a new cpu heatsink/fan but I am inexperienced in aftermarket coolers. However, I have seen that the CoolerMaster Hyper 212 and the Hyper 212 EVO are good and affordable coolers. Are there any other coolers I should research? Also, is there a big difference between the Hyper 212 EVO and the Hyper 212?

Finally I just had a general question. I have read guides that inform one how to overclock using the unlocked multiplier. However, is this the only way to efficiently overclock? Or is it more advantageous to increase the base clock speed rather than just the multiplier?

Sorry for all these questions I just wanted to get some opinions from this great community. :) 

Thank you very much for the help


P.S: My system build:


GIGABYTE GA-970A-UD3 AM3+ AMD 970 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard

XFX HD-687A-ZHFC Radeon HD 6870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16

AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition Deneb 3.4GHz Socket AM3 125W Quad-Core

G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800)

CORSAIR Enthusiast Series TX650 V2 650W ATX12V v2.31/ EPS12V v2.92 80 PLUS BRONZE

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Overclocking Expert

A Deneb chip should reach 4Ghz on air relatively easily,
although some just won't shift past 3.8GHz no matter how you try and some can reach 4.6GHz (Not on air though:p )
There is the black edition guide up the top of this section and that deals with multiplier clocking,
you can adjust refclock but this affects other things which need to be balanced out or its Bsod city and frustration time for you,
I can't say on the coolers differences as I'm W/c, so I don't keep up with each iteration of aircooolers, but the 212 is one I see often recommended in any of its forms
but research is the key, google 'Amd 965 clocking guide' 'Deneb overclocking' 'Black edition overclocking' and other terms similar,
theres a lot of learning to do first while you wait for that cooler to arrive :) 
You can also read the Amd overclocking club thread here, theres a few tips passed between members in there
Moto
Overclocking Expert

^+1
I ran my Phenom II X4 955 @ 4ghz and it was stable
From what I've seen on the forums many 965 users seem to be able to hit 4.2ghz.

The cooler on my Phenom was the Kuhler 620 (closed loop water cooling) but it is equal to the Hyper 212 EVO.
Overclocking Expert

AS long as its a C3 chip 4-4.2GHz is around the max for a 955/965 on air the old C2 around 3.8-4GHz. The 212+ is the old version of the 212 EVO, the 212+ has higher CFM fans (according to the collermaster website though I have seen reviews that disagree) but the 212 EVO has heatpipes that don't have gaps, I have no idea which cools better the only comparisons I have found are a few Cs different in favour of the EVO. The 212 not + or EVO has not been around for years as far as I know and would assume is not as good.
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Thanks everyone for your replies. I will continue do to a little more research so I know exactly what I'm going to be doing once the cooler arrives.
Also, is it necessary to completely remove the thermal paste residue before reapplying thermal paste? If so, what is the best way to do that?

Thanks again everybody.
Overclocking Expert

Dapake said:
Thanks everyone for your replies. I will continue do to a little more research so I know exactly what I'm going to be doing once the cooler arrives.
Also, is it necessary to completely remove the thermal paste residue before reapplying thermal paste? If so, what is the best way to do that?

Thanks again everybody.


I personally use cotton swabs (good ones that don't leave lint behind) and isopropyl alcohol to clean the surface of the CPU. You could also use coffee filters instead of cotton swabs. Then once the surface is clean, apply a small pea sized amount of whatever thermal paste you are using on the middle of the CPU. DO NOT spread it, just install the heatsink and when you lock the heatsink in place it will spread it out for you. You will know if you put too much thermal paste if it oozes out of the heatsink base when you lock it in.

- Happy Holidays :) 

Thanks for the quick reply. It makes sense to do that. Although I was always under the impression that you should take a card or some other object to spread it evenly around the CPU surface.
Anyways, my holidays will indeed be happy with the enhanced performance gain that I will soon achieve.

Happy holidays to you too!
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