A few general questions about OVERCLOCKING CPU and RAM...

geetaradam

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I just installed an ASUS M5A97 R2.0 in my old-ish pc. Around Christmas time, I'll be upgrading almost every other component of my system. New case, psu, gpu, liquid-cooling, OS, SSD.... The only thing I instead to keep (at least, for a while) is my cpu. I plan to experiment/learn about over-clocking with it. Mainly, I'd rather spend the money on a more powerful gpu. Anyhow, I thought that, until then, I might just try a minimal o/c with my new mobo, just to get familiar with the basics. That said, I have only a 350w psu. I'm not really sure how all this works and don't know if that psu is sufficient for even a minor o/c. Any input on this? Also, I have 8 GB of Corsair Vengeance 1600 mhz ram. Should I try over-clocking it? I've read that anything beyond 1600 is barely noticable. Thanks for any help, in advance!
 


What AMD CPU?
What present CPU cooling?
What Brand and Model 350w Power supply?

 

SirFerret

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This exactly. We would love to help you learn the art of overclocking, but no one can help if we dont even know WHAT chip you are trying to overclock :D.

 

geetaradam

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Indeed, gentlemen. Sorry. Was pretty tired when I posted this and I omitted some pretty important details. The CPU is an AMD FX-4100. The cooling is...heh...entirely stock. The PSU is 350w and I don't know what brand. It's certainly nothing special. I doubt it's even a brand you'd know. It and the case are just the only surviving relics from a build a guy did for me several years ago and the other components have been replaced a couple times. In a couple months I'll have a brand new case, new 735w PSU, and Corsair H55 liquid cooling, so then I'll have all I need, but I was just wondering if you guys thought my current system was safe just to begin experimenting and learning the basics with some very minor over-clocks.
 

Jake Wenta

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Don't get a H55, the Cooler Master 212 EVO would cool just as well, if not then better for almost half the price.
Or go with a phanteks or noctua for ~30 dollars more.

The PSU should be enough for a slight OC-but depends what GPU you have and other components.
(Even the keyboard uses wattage :))

Here's a good guide that got me started with my processor-there are many guides and tutorials and warnings with overclocking.
http://www.overclockers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=688663
 

geetaradam

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Sprinter. Thanks. I had actually originally planed on getting the 212 EVO, but somehow I assumed that liquid cooling was always better. Glad to know. I feel much safer with conventional air cooling. I've read some bad stories about water leaks frying components and such. My GPU is a Radeon HD 6670 w/2 GB ddr3. In the specs, it actually said it requires a 400w psu, if I recall, so I may already be pushing its limits a bit. Anyhow, I appreciate the advice and link. I'll definitely start reading up on that. This shit is too expensive to go changing shit willy nilly, so I really wanna know what I'm doing.
 

Jake Wenta

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Corsair warranty-Replaces everything broken caused by a deficient Hydro.
As for the 6670, is only ~70w if I recall. They say they recommend thatbecause if you're using a 125w TDP CPU, with a mechanical keyboard backlit (~40+W) and stuff, and you don't have a bronze PSU, chances are only a 400w would provide enough power to your system. The R9 280x TDP is 250w, and they want a 1000w PSU for Crossfire :lol: hahaha! (That's just overkill!)
 

SirFerret

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Got my old 4100 up to 4.2Ghz with the stock cooler on a cheap ass motherboard. All I did was up the multiplier till it was unstable. That was on stock voltages as well due to the fact that the board wouldn't post after adding voltage.

Now with your board, adding voltage shouldn't be a problem. It wouldn't be unreasonable to hit 4.5ghz with that chip.
 

geetaradam

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That sounds promising, but I'm still kinda hesitant to o/c on my current system. Had the new mobo installed for a couple days now, and even at stock speeds, after playing BF3 for an hour or so, when I close it, there's often a warning message from my mobo saying CPU temp is exceeding 65 C. I've also been getting a warning about my chassis fan, so I think it may not be working right, making the whole system run hot.
 

SirFerret

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Yeah you probably want to get an after market cooler before overclocking anything. While you can play with the multiplier (only upping voltage creates more heat) to achieve a higher clock speed, it probably wouldn't be to stable at those temps. I would recommend a mid-range cooler like the EVO 212. It will allow for a really nice overclock on your 4100, and can be moved over to your new rig when you build it.