How To: Overclocking Your AMD Processor

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Test Hardware, Tools, BIOS Settings, And Warnings

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Test Hardware
ProcessorsAMD Phenom II X4 940 Black Edition (45 nm, Quad-Core, Deneb, AM2+)
Row 1 - Cell 0 AMD Phenom X4 9950 Black Edition (65 nm, Quad-Core, Agena, AM2+)
Row 2 - Cell 0 AMD Athlon X2 7750 Black Edition (65 nm, Dual-Core, Kuma, AM2+)
Row 3 - Cell 0 AMD Athlon 64 X2 5400+ Black Edition (65 nm, Dual Core, Brisbane, AM2)
Memory4 GB (2*2 GB) Patriot PC2-6400 (4-4-4-12)
Row 5 - Cell 0 4 GB (2*2 GB) G.Skill Pi Black PC2-6400 (4-4-4-12)
Graphics CardsAMD Radeon HD 4870 X2
Row 7 - Cell 0 AMD Radeon HD 4850
CoolersArctic Cooling Freezer 64 Pro
Row 9 - Cell 0 Xigmatek HDT-S963
MotherboardAsus M3A78-T (790GX+750SB)
Power SuppliesAntec NeoPower 650 W
Row 12 - Cell 0 Antec True Power Trio 650 W

Useful Tools:

AMD OverDrive: Overclocking Utility

CPU-Z: System Information Utility

Prime95: Stability Test

Memtest86: Memory-Test Bootable CD

Hardware Monitoring: Hardware Monitor, Core Temp, Asus Probe II, other motherboard utilities

Performance Testing: W Prime, Super Pi Mod, Cinebench, 3DMark 2006 CPU test, 3DMark Vantage CPU test

Recommended BIOS Settings:

Disable Cool ‘n’ Quiet

Disable C1E

Disable Spread Spectrum

Disable Smart CPU Fan Control

Manually set Memory Timings

Windows Power Option: High Performance

Caution:

Here's the obligatory disclaimer about breaking past manufacturer specifications: overclock at your own risk. Most hardware manufacturers, including AMD, do not warranty damage done by overclocking, even when using utilities they provide. Tom’s Hardware or this author cannot be held responsible for any damages that may occur while you overclock.

Paul Henningsen
39 Comments Comment from the forums
  • xx12amanxx
    It's nice to see articles about AMD cpu's once again! Just goes to show that Tom's is not biased but rather report's on current trend's and competetive product's that the consumer's enjoy!

    Reply
  • Thanks for rev!
    Things i like to add are that not all CPU's are supported with AOD even having decent mobo, for example my 4850e + 780G. When overclocking NorthBrige you should really pay attention on it's temp, by simply touching it. Recently i overclocked my system by rising FSB and IGP. Looking at temps given by BIOS and some utilities everything seemed to be ok about 50c, but when touching pasivly cooled NB i couldn't hold my finger for second and heat was so great that even CPU got warmer! When i measured it with multimeter it was 85c idle! And i was wondering why on 3DMark i got blue screen... Problem was solved by adding fan in zone of NB.
    Anyway, moral for those who are willing to overclock is - don't relay on temp measurements given by some utilities. Sometimes it's worth double checking or u can burn something easy. :) Good luck!
    Reply
  • cruiseoveride
    Intel is such a meany. Another wannabe monopoly like Microsoft.

    Reply
  • curnel_D
    AMD overdrive doesnt see my K8 proccessor as an AMD procc. Cute.
    Reply
  • jhanschu
    I realize that the price difference between the "black edition" and normal processors aren't that much, but I have been wondering how well the "vanilla" cpu's would oc. I've done some light searching for anyplace that's done this and haven't found anything other than people attempting to max out the BE's.
    Does anyone know what a good OC on say the X3 710 would be? It's about $40 cheaper than the 720BE and if it could even hit close to 3.0 I would consider it a decent buy.
    Reply
  • DjEaZy
    ... nice one... and for tha fun of it... would be nice to see a 'system build marathon' based on AMD CPU's...
    Reply
  • roofus
    xx12amanxxIt's nice to see articles about AMD cpu's once again! Just goes to show that Tom's is not biased but rather report's on current trend's and competetive product's that the consumer's enjoy!
    I do agree. I honestly don't think TH ever conducted a boycott of AMD. They just needed something worth saying and AMD finally gave them that. Until Phenom 2, they really had not earned recognition for a good year and a half. They didn't have bad products, but very forgettable ones.
    Reply
  • sandmanwn
    easily one of the best articles I've seen here in a long while.
    Reply
  • iamlouie
    It seems like this article was written specifically for me. I recently built a new PC and it has components used in this article and I've also never overclocked a PC before.

    Specs:
    ASUS M3A78-T
    AMD Athlon 64 X2 7750 Kuma 2.7GHz
    Patriot Extreme Performance SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400)
    GeForce 7600GT 256MB
    XIGMATEK HDT-S1283
    Antec 500w Earthwatts power supply

    My video card suits my current needs but if I upgrade to a 4870/4850, will I have any power issues if I follow this guide word for word considering my power supply is only 500w compared to the 650w the article uses?
    Reply
  • iamlouieIt seems like this article was written specifically for me. I recently built a new PC and it has components used in this article and I've also never overclocked a PC before.Specs:ASUS M3A78-TAMD Athlon 64 X2 7750 Kuma 2.7GHzPatriot Extreme Performance SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400)GeForce 7600GT 256MBXIGMATEK HDT-S1283 Antec 500w Earthwatts power supplyMy video card suits my current needs but if I upgrade to a 4870/4850, will I have any power issues if I follow this guide word for word considering my power supply is only 500w compared to the 650w the article uses?

    A single 4850 and a dual core cpu around 3Ghz will be fine on your 500W PSU. If you had a cheap brand 500W PSU, I wouldn't risk it, but a 4850 should be fine for you.

    The 4870 probably would be fine too but you would want to look into that before purchasing/installing the card.
    Reply