struggling badly overclocking fx8120 w/asus fx990 board

[scottie86]

Hello all, let me preface this with I am really overclocking for the first time, but if you read what I am about to post, maybe you will understand why I am totally in the dark.

First, I searched all over for people stating that they are overclocking their cpus, and it seems like everyone can do different speeds at different voltages, and no matter how I try to copy them, when I launch prime95 and run a blended test, I fail within 15 minutes one core at a time (or if the voltage on one setup 1.487500V on the CPU, the cpu gets too hot and force off.

I guess where to begin is I am trying to do this through the extreme tweaker settings in the UEFI BIOS. Ive looked at tons of guides and followed the parameters and it seems like I can't get their results in a stable fashion.

I have 3 programs ive been using to monitor my hardware (CPUZID,HWmonitor, and AMD Overdrive). Here is a link to my CPUZID readings from stock to get you all the info you might be looking for: http://imgur.com/a/YdTSF

The only successfuly blend prime95 test ive run is stock bios settings for hours, any changes i make and it fails within 15minutes. The error is always the same:

"FATAL ERROR: Rounding was 0.5, expected less than 0.4
Hardware failure detected, consult stress.txt file."

Plus, I can't find this stress.txt file in the directory of prime95, so I have no clue what specifically it is pointing to.

I've tried baby stepping voltages to my cpu anywhere between 1.34-1.487500, moving.02 V at a time, always errors eventually.

I have a 850w power supply: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817153043

My case: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129021

my GPU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150549

my Heatsink (replaced the stock): http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103099

my memory: 2x http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231460 (which is clocked at 1600 right now

And ofcourse the zambezi 8120 8 core processor and the asus crosshair formula v fx990 mobo.

Example of an overclock setup ive tried and failed : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AaB7sjs1UKw (note, this makes my system too hot when i full load it with a prime95 blend test, forcing itself off to protect it, last temp i saw was 75C).

What am I doing wrong? Why is everything failing except stock? I am so frustrated with myself and this process because I can't make sense of it.

 

[Jake Wenta]

Try this:
http://www.overclock.net/t/1140459/bulldozer-overclocking-guide-performance-scaling-charts-max-ocs-ln2-results-coming

And what changes do you make?
Have you made sure to have everything turned off?
Do you change bus frequency?
Did you make sure to install the heatsink properly without too much or too little thermal paste?
Have you changed the LLC to high or very high?
Have you changed NB, CPU NB and NB voltages when raising the BLCK?
Have you tried just adusting the multiplier?
When taking baby steps, you do not take baby steps with voltage, you raise the CPU up one increment at a time until you fail. Once you do, you raise the voltage, rinse and repeat. Every cip is different, one might have a cooler chip whilst another requires more voltage. What OC you can achieve varies from mine and someone elses. And 1.48 voltge IS HIGH. Safe limit is 1.55, but high voltage can and will fry/kill your CPU.

 

[Jake Wenta]

As for the Prime95 test, I use
options>torture test>custom>memory-as much you have free, Min FFT-4096.
I would uninstall overdrive, and for changes-I hope you are doing them in the BIOSas software conflicts with BIOS settings and create problems. It's more for fine tuning, but make sure to make the changes in the BIOS when you hit the right spot.
You have an Asus motherboard, so you can use Thermal Radar and also Turbo to look at your settings and make fine adjustments. (In AS Suite)
I personally use OpenHardwareMonitor.

 

[scottie86]

Try this:
http://www.overclock.net/t/1140459/bulldozer-overclocking-guide-performance-scaling-charts-max-ocs-ln2-results-coming

And what changes do you make?
Have you made sure to have everything turned off?
Do you change bus frequency?
Did you make sure to install the heatsink properly without too much or too little thermal paste?
Have you changed the LLC to high or very high?
Have you changed NB, CPU NB and NB voltages when raising the BLCK?
Have you tried just adusting the multiplier?
When taking baby steps, you do not take baby steps with voltage, you raise the CPU up one increment at a time until you fail. Once you do, you raise the voltage, rinse and repeat. Every cip is different, one might have a cooler chip whilst another requires more voltage. What OC you can achieve varies from mine and someone elses. And 1.48 voltge IS HIGH. Safe limit is 1.55, but high voltage can and will fry/kill your CPU.

I see, so how I should start from my stock is to slowly raise my cpu ratio multiplier until I fail a prime95 test (or boot Windows for that matter), then go back and raise the voltage til that clears and go back to step one of only raising the multiplier?

When you say have everything turned off, I am not sure what all is referred to here. I turned off turbo, turned off core unlocker, turned off all the spread spectrums, i think that is most of what I turned off. Should I be turning off the thread cores? I left all 8 on and I wasn't sure if I should be disabling any or not.

I believe from that youtube video, to try and achieve a 4.3, i changed ratio to 20, bus freq to 215? (for a total of 4.3ghz processing power, with memory at 2005mhz).

I was pretty sure I installed the heat sink properly, but I suppose it is worth investigating at this point to see.

Im not sure what the LLC is to be honest.

Only voltage raises I did was CPU to 1.487500 and Dram Voltage to 1.80000

I tried resetting the board to defaults and raised the multiplier to 20 to get 4mhz and tried prime95 and a core gave out within 20 minutes.

All changes are being done in the bios, I originally installed overdrive to see what it could do, but I mostly liked it because I could watch the cpu temps/volts/ and throttle all on one page with a bar so I could immediately see when one core failed the 95 test because the bar would immediately drop from full to nothing. (Also, it might be worth noting that each time the test failed, it was a different core, there was no consistency in a specific core being the first to give out).

The thermal radar and turbo, are those in the AS suite utility for the mobo? Because I don't think I have the suite installed currently. Is Open Hardware Monitor different from CUIP's HWmonitor?

 

[scottie86]

Can someone explain the LLC and the BLCK?

 

[Jake Wenta]

LLC is load line calibration.
BCLK-you should know this term if you read the guide I sent you, or google it. It is the Bus Frequency. (200 by Default for 8120)
http://linustechtips.com/main/topic/24019-load-line-calibration-why-overclockers-should-care/

As for everything turned off, the CPU options. What motherboard do you have?
Asus Sabertooth 990FX, or what and is it a R2.0?

 

[Jake Wenta]

I see, so how I should start from my stock is to slowly raise my cpu ratio multiplier until I fail a prime95 test (or boot Windows for that matter), then go back and raise the voltage til that clears and go back to step one of only raising the multiplier?

When you say have everything turned off, I am not sure what all is referred to here. I turned off turbo, turned off core unlocker, turned off all the spread spectrums, i think that is most of what I turned off. Should I be turning off the thread cores? I left all 8 on and I wasn't sure if I should be disabling any or not.

I believe from that youtube video, to try and achieve a 4.3, i changed ratio to 20, bus freq to 215? (for a total of 4.3ghz processing power, with memory at 2005mhz).

I was pretty sure I installed the heat sink properly, but I suppose it is worth investigating at this point to see.

Im not sure what the LLC is to be honest.

Only voltage raises I did was CPU to 1.487500 and Dram Voltage to 1.80000

I tried resetting the board to defaults and raised the multiplier to 20 to get 4mhz and tried prime95 and a core gave out within 20 minutes.

All changes are being done in the bios, I originally installed overdrive to see what it could do, but I mostly liked it because I could watch the cpu temps/volts/ and throttle all on one page with a bar so I could immediately see when one core failed the 95 test because the bar would immediately drop from full to nothing. (Also, it might be worth noting that each time the test failed, it was a different core, there was no consistency in a specific core being the first to give out).

The thermal radar and turbo, are those in the AS suite utility for the mobo? Because I don't think I have the suite installed currently. Is Open Hardware Monitor different from CUIP's HWmonitor?

Do NOT disable the cores, turn of HPC mode, and APM and other CPU functions which I believe are stated in your youtube video and the guide.

If the core gives out, you need more voltage-or you can just lower your multiplier.
If you increase the Bus frequency, you increase the NB, Ht, CPU and RAM frequencies, so you have to make sure to adjust RAM timings and other voltages if raising the Bus.
All stated in the guide.DRAM vltage SHOULD not be 1.8, that is the limit. If RAM is at its Rated timings and frequency, then it could be at its voltage. And 1.8 on passive cooling is the limit.

And yes those programs are in AS Suite 2-I've stated that.

 

[scottie86]

I have the ASUS Crosshair V Formula AM3+ AMD 990FX, cannot state what R because I am at work away from it right now. I can tell you that so far, I am currently running it at 4ghz with 1.275CPU Voltage. It's max temp during a 2 hour test was 61C, which is the 8120's safe max temp.

I have not touch the LLC frequency. I'll have to go through the guide again to see what options I should turn off and which to leave on/turn on.

Still haven't touched the LLC or BLCK yet.

 

[Jake Wenta]

1.275v hitting 61*C !?
Make sure the heatsink s properly applied with the right amount of paste. Not too much or too little, just a grain of rice.

And your UEFI is pretty similar to mine-both Asus 990fx chipset motherboards. (I have a sabertooth)
LLC will be under Digi Power+ menu

And the BCLK is the Bus frequency which should be right under the CPU multiplier.

 

[scottie86]

Yea, i am starting to think either my heatsink/paste is not proper or I am not reading the info from CPUID's HWmonitor right.

http://imgur.com/uCQ1U5m is a link to a hardware monitor reading just idling at 3.9ghz with standard everything except a multiplier of 19.5.

The temperature ive been paying attention to is the CPU under the temperature header. I don't understand why the 8120fx package below states its temperature is 20 degrees different.

 

[Jake Wenta]

Yea, i am starting to think either my heatsink/paste is not proper or I am not reading the info from CPUID's HWmonitor right.

http://imgur.com/uCQ1U5m is a link to a hardware monitor reading just idling at 3.9ghz with standard everything except a multiplier of 19.5.

The temperature ive been paying attention to is the CPU under the temperature header. I don't understand why the 8120fx package below states its temperature is 20 degrees different.

Just to make sure, you aren't reading the GPU temp of 59*C right?
And is that underload or idle? -Because 40*C is high for idle, especially with an aftermarket cooler-and lower voltage.
HolyPaladin -someone plays WoW

So the CPU temp is the socket Temperature-it's in the motherboard. It is an AMD exclusive thing. But the hot air in theback of the case can get trapped heating the sensor-hense the high temperature. But I always go by socket temperature personally, so people go by core and others by socket.

The 8120 is the CPU core Temperature.

 

[scottie86]

I see, so my socket temps were 40C at idle(it also had memory freq from auto to 1866mhz). I just another blended test for 40 mins and one core gave out, FATAL ERROR: Resulting sum was 301409753519015.3, expected: 288805423685961.1
Hardware failure detected, consult stress.txt file.

Max temp was 59C, This is back with optizmied defaults and only raising the multiplier to get a target 3.9ghz

 

[Jake Wenta]

make sure to not jump to 3.9ghz, increase the multiplier. and test, if it passes repeat. Once it fails, increase the voltage until stable and repeat. But if you want to increase other things like the RAM, maybe start with the bus frequency. But that involves different frequency adjustments, ram timings at time and multiple voltage changes. -If you read the guide, you will see how each thing affected his performance, of course this will vary with you. (Please tell me you read that guide at leas twice before attempting to overclock)

 

[scottie86]

three times now, i did a gradual progression. I think my hangup is the heat inside my case. I might need to take the heat sink off and reapply paste

 

[Jake Wenta]

Are you failing when you reach 61*C? Because if you are then you have forgotten to turn off a feature for your CPU which throttles the CPU to prevent damage due to heat. Go to CPU configuration and turn off 'Cool n Quiet'. Not disabled by cpu, but disabled. This is probably why you are failing. (I keep it on when I have a stable OC-but I don't go above 58*C...just my personal limit)

 

[Jake Wenta]

Not sure if you are familiar with Intel, but SpeedStep on Intel is Cool n Quiet for AMD.

Cool'n'Quiet is a CPU speed throttling and power saving technology... It works by reducing the processor's clock rate and voltage when the processor is idle. The aim of this technology is to reduce overall power consumption and lower heat generation, allowing for slower (thus quieter) cooling fan operation... Cool'n'Quiet. The technology is similar to Intel's SpeedStep and AMD's own PowerNow!... Cool'n'Quiet refers to desktop and server chips, while PowerNow! is used for mobile chips"

Source-Wiki

 

[Jake Wenta]

I forgot to mention one thing, CPU-Z. You can use that to monitor your CPU. And it'll tell you your voltage,. And when you start putting your CPU under load, you'll probably see the voltage to go down.
This is called:
vdroop
You do not want this.
If you changed your LLC-this prevents this and may help you to stay stable and pass Prime95.