Same rig, new guts, just some heat + OC concerns

loserspearl

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Dec 31, 2007
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So I just replaced all the guts in my rig just yesterday and everything is working well. Here are the specs:

CPU: AMD FX-8350 Vishera 4.0GHz (4.2GHz Turbo) Socket AM3+ 125W Eight-Core
Motherboard: MSI 990XA-GD55 AM3+ AMD 990X SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX
GPU: ASUS GTX680-DC2-4GD5 GeForce GTX 680 4GB 256-bit GDDR5
Memory: G.SKILL RipJaws 2x4gb DDR3 1600 F3-12800CL9D-8GBXL
Power Supply: Rocketfish 700watt
HDD: Western Digital Caviar Black 640GB 7200 RPM + WD Caviar Black 1TB
Case: COOLER MASTER CM 690 Black ATX Mid Tower
Optical drive: Sony Optiarc CD/DVD burner + DVD Drive Combo
Cooling: Corsair Hydro Series H110 Water Cooler
Headset: Corsair Vengeance 1500 USB Connector Circumaural Dolby 7.1

It's a single GPU setup, nothing too fancy, I just wanted something that could actually play Metro and BF3 on ultra over 40 fps and it does that well. I am just having some concerns, since this a decent chunk of change. I normally avoid any type of overclocking just to ensure a long lasting machine but Asus has this GPU tweaker. I haven't done any tweaking yet, but will cranking the GPU boost clock and memory clock void the warranty? (I wouldn't alter the voltage and power target just to be safe) The GPU under stress maxes at 82 degrees Celsius and 1162mV. I know the Nvidia specs say a max of 90 deg C but I don't want to burn anything out.

The MSI mobo has OC genie, which I am also reluctant to use (it also came with a program called catalyst control center, which I will probably just uninstall, since it would void warranty and I already have windows for power plan). Does using the OC genie void the CPU warranty? Many of the game I play utilize all 8 cores and it maxes out at 33 deg celsius under stress with the Hydro Series H110 set up for exhaust on top of case. How exactly does the AMD turbo work? is that automatic?

I just don't build computers very often and just have some concerns and was wondering is these numbers are looking too high.

One thing I need to do is modify the top panel of the case to accommodate the dual Hydro Series fans.
 
Whether overclocking voids the warranty or not depends on the manufacturer.
But here's a tip, if you do somehow burn out the card, they cant tell you'v overclocked the thing. Its not until your modifying the cards BIOS that its detectable. Given that ASUS have their own overclocking software (and it likely came on the driver disc) and sell cards aimed at overclockers, I dont think it will void the warranty.

Catalyst Control Center is the interface for the driver for AMD Radeon cards, I would get rid of it just so it couldnt pose any problems with your Nvidia card (that has the proper drivers correct?).
Again, depends on the company. If your unsure email AMD tech support to find out.

AMD Turbo is basiaclly a function that allows the chip to over and underclock itself based on its work load. If its not doing anything, it will down-clock to conserve power and heat output. If it has to do something, it will overclock to maximise performance. Its an automatic feature.
 

loserspearl

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Dec 31, 2007
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18,510
Alright thanks a lot. I presume my heat values were in good, operable ranges. I haven't heard anything good about OC genie so I'll just avoid using it. All my drivers are up to date: 320.00 beta Nvidia at the moment.