nabril15

so you are saying to sell my existing ram and get 4 identical sticks? Who is going to want to buy my old memory?

GM Current setup is 785GM-E51 mobo AMD Phenom iiX4 955 cpu OC'ed to 3.4 OCZ3G16004GK 4gb DDR3 RAM with 8-8-8-24 timings running at 1600 with mild OC. Win 7x64 Ultimate I want to add another 4gb without causing too many issues, of course. OCZ no longer makes this model, so that is not an option. If I get another brand, and that RAM requires different timings, will I have a mess and failures? Am I forced to find memory that runs at 8-8-8-24? How do you get 2 different model and brands of RAM to behave? I am sure a lot of you have done this. Thanks.

sorry to be back guys, but my troubles continue. I opened an RMA with AMD, and got a new processor. Due to C2 unavailability, I was sent a C3 version of the 955. Nice. So I applied a thin layer of thermal grease with credit card, and reinstalled everything. I just booted my pc, and my cpu temp is 51C and fan speed is 1734rpm. I removed the front intake fan of the case and moved it back so as to blow on the cpu and memory. However, I noticed it doesnt blow too hard. Perhaps I will have to get something that blows harder. Bios settings: CPU: 200 x 17, 1.323v CPU-NB: 200 x 12, 1.374 DRAM: 1:3.33, 1.71v, 8-8-8-24 HT link speed: 2400 (200 x 12). So. Am I doing something wrong? According to Dolk's guide, a 3.4ghz OC requires a NB freq of 2158; I have it at 2400. Is that the problem perhaps? My PSU sits above my cpu and ram, therefore I cannot get any thermal sink that is too high, and that's why I went with the ORB 2 as it is a funnel-like shape. I thank any help.

thanks for the suggestion bodycount, but adding pci fans is giving up, IMO. I had one on my old pc, and it was noisy. I wrote to AMD to explore the possibility of the fact that I may have a defective processor. There are many BIOS settings, so I wont post them all; though I realize there are a handful of key ones to focus on. At the moment, the pc wont boot due to a low cmos battery. i replaced it with another, and it won't boot. MSI manual makes no mention of the battery replacement procedure. Someone please shove a car key in my eye and twist it!!!

Case: Thermaltake Lanbox Lite. 2 fans in the back (60mm), 1 fan in the front. None of them are connected to the mobo. HSF (i assume heat sync fan): Thermaltake Orb II. It has to be a low-profile one since my PSU sits attop the CPU. I will update bios settings tonight. I have cool and quiet disabled until I get OC settings correct. Yesterday I noticed a lot of heat flowing out of the case on the sides of the CPU. Agghhhhhhh

unfortunately my psu sits over the cpu so I am limited to lo profile type fans. And returning means 15

ok. removed fan, cleaned thoroughly with rubbing alcohol careful not to touch surface (following artic silver instructions). Re-installed heat sink but didnt tighten all the way down. Just left it securely screwed but not overdone (as in the past). Booted pc, and CoreTemp went straight to 50C. I opened Firefox, and it shot up to 58. I have cool and quiet disabled in Bios for now, and i have a 955 C2, btw. Once i get my OC settings comfortable, I will enable cool and quiet. So when you guys saw 27C idle, is that just windows running and your screen saver? Thanks again

thanks mcclendo. So is it possible that I put on too much grease? How would that harm? I started adding a small amount, and then spread it out. Is it possible I overtightened the heatsink screws too much, and thus all the grease oozed out of the sides? How frustrating! Do I need to add a BB, and then let the pressure of tightening the heatsink spread it out?

I replaced stock fan with Thermaltake Orb II. Super quiet, nice blue light. However, CoreTemp has CPU running at 61 C. All I have open is Firefox, nothing else. Stock fan was at 50's C and I thought IT was high. New fan for OC'ing, and it's at 61! What am I doing wrong? I attach latest CPUZ screen. Thanks

How do I know which version I have? I assume from your statement that there are 2 version of the 955. thanks

i thank you both. ballistix--thanks for digesting it for me. Simple, succint, and direct. Thanks a million.

thanks ballistix & bodycount I did read and re-read your reply prior to posting my thread. As easy as it sounds to you, it is mind blowing to the newbie like me. I will continue reading it and other threads until I figure it out somehow. I am not too feverish in OC

hello Just built my first pc and all the excitement of the build keeps going out the door until I get this right. I have read a lot of threads about OC'ing and a bunch of guides. Since there are so many variables, it is tough to get it right. I realize it is not an exact science, and it requires patience and a lot of BIOS resets (as has mine). My build MSI785GM-E51 Mobo AMD PHenom II X4955 4gb OCZ Gold DDR3 1600 Ram Win7 x64 Ultimate Cool Master 700w PSU I see in other threads that I can get this CPU to much faster speeds, and will do so in time. This mobo has a switch for OC'ing the FSB by 10, 15, or 20%. So i ask, do I use that to OC and the bios settings? Or leave that at default and ONLY use the BIOS settings? At the moment, my BIOS settings are: CPU NB Voltage to {1.35 volts} DRAM Voltage to {1.7 volts} Spread Spectrum to {Enabled} 1T/2T Command Timing to {2T} DCTs Unganged Mode to {Enabled} CL 8-8-8-24 (CL-TRCD-TRP-TRAS) My biggest concern is that mys tock cpu fan is ridiculously loud, sometimes from boot-up. I will simply have windows running, and it is loud and vibrates at times. I've read that the stock fan can handle, or that I should upgrade. My PSU resides right over the CPU, so I dont have the option of going with a high CPU fan/radiator. I would like to determine if it is loud b/c of wrong settings by me or crappy fan; I would like to get good settings running, and if still loud then I can change the fan. There are a lot of BIOS settings, and I will attach images. Thank you