Newbie OC'ing Phenom ii 955BE....help

[nabril15]

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

[sack_patrol]

Hello. Your stock fan won't be any good for overclocking. What you need is a new cooler made to cool under high loads.

Made this guide a few monts ago...yea it sux but it should explain things a bit better.

------Ballistics' Guide---------

Setup

1.1- Get new cooler.

Suggestions:

Prolimatech Megahalems (no fans included)

Sunbeam Core Contact Freezer 4 (120mm fan included with new technology for quieter and faster fans)

Scythe Ninja 2 (120mm fan included)

Zalman 9700 with integrated fan (LED's on certain models, comes with big useless control module thingy)

Coolermaster V8 (overkill, expensive, not much better than the others)

 

1.2 - Get thermal paste...something like Arctic Silver 5. I find it to be quite good.

 

Overclocking

2.1 - Read guides for overclocking the Black editions.

Suggestions:

Dolk's Guide on overclocking Phenom II's : http://www.techreaction.net/forums/showthread.php?t=367

 

2.2 - I guess I won't really tell you anything new that won't be said in the guide but it might be helpful for the start.

 

2.2.1- Look on AMD's website for your CPU's specs and what max temperatures are. So that you know when it's getting too hot to move forward (it will most probably be somewhere around 60C.)

 

2.2.2- Black Editions overclock using multiplier mostly. FSB can also be used but it's gonna overclock your ram and you NB as well as the CPU so a little

more to consider when using it.

 

2.2.3- When you start the overclock,the first thing to do is to disable the Cool 'n' Quite Feature in your Bios which will let you overclock. simply increase the multiplier in your BIOS by .5 or 1 and test after each increase. (look in testing software) After you start getting bsod, crashes or other abnormalities it's time to increase the voltage a little. Then try again, test, watch temps, repeat. You should probably back off when you reach around 1.5 voltage.

 

2.2.4- Simply increase the multiplier in your BIOS by .5 or 1 and test after each increase. (look in testing software) After you start getting bsod, crashes or other abnormalities it's time to increase the voltage a little. Then try again, test, watch temps, repeat. You should probably back off when you reach around 1.5 voltage.

 

2.2.5- After only increasing the voltage no longer works, if you want to try and push the CPU further, try increasing the CPU-NB Frequency. (stock multi is at x10 and 1.1V) Don't push it too much as well. No more than x13. If overclock doesn't work on x13 or x12 then you've probably reached the maximum for your CPU. If you still want to overclock there might be a way but it's pretty advanced stuff which you will learn through time.

 

2.2.6- After you are satisfied with your overclock you will need to test for 24 hourse for stability. If you do not achieve it, you will need to tinker with the bios a bit more. For example, ram could affect stability, tighten the timings or loosen them up. Either could increase stability, but it is up to you to decide if it's worth it. If not then try increasing a bit the CPU voltage and test again. If it still doesn't work. Then you will need to back of by .5 on the CPU multi, but leave the voltage, then it will probably be stable.

 

Testing

3.1 - Download some software that will help you monitor the temperatures and status of your PC as well as stress it to test for stability.

Suggestions:

CPU-Z (most known and usefull program for system specs)

Everest (excellent for monitoring everything!)

Core Temp (specifically for temperature monitoring)

Hardware Monitor (yet another useful program for monitoring voltages, fan speeds etc.)

 

3.2 - Benchmarking and Stress Testing Software:

Suggestions:

OCCT (very good program for testing for stability. 15 minutes should be enough for testing stability WHILE overclocking. 12 hours for final overclock - minimum.)

Prime95 (also a good program for testing. You will need to read so that you can understand how it works and be able to set it to priority 10 for maximum stress)

LinX (Run 30 times with memory usage set to "ALL" and you should have an idea if the overclock is stable.)

Intel Burn Test (Don't worry, it works for AMD too, but you need the latest version. It should quickly tell you if your overclock is stable an hour is enough I've heard.)

 

 

Warnings and additional tips:

1: Always watch the temp and voltage as it could damage the CPU greatly.

2: Know your limits. When the CPU reaches the wall, then accept it. (I learned that the hard way)

3: Learn your bios and settings, set them all or as much as possible to manual so you know that whatever you have set it, then that's what it is. No secrets.

4: If for some reason you can no longer get into the BIOS due to an overclock gone horribly bad, just reset CMOS. That will set bios settings to default and you will be able to continue your work.

5: Update bios! It can help when overclocking. (be careful though as a bios update could go very wrong and have serious consequences if don't wrong)

6: Some small tricks for calculating:

CPU SPEED: CPU Multiplier x FSB = CPU SPEED (lets take my 550 for example.: x15.5x200=3.100Ghz)

NB SPEED: Almost the same as above: NB multi x FSB = NB Freq. (it's all tied to the FSB but it's not necessary to use it when overclocking a Black Edition. Makes you life easier.)

7: If your CPU is stable but you still want, you could tighten ram timings for a few more drops of speed. Guide on timings: http://www.overclock.net/faqs/26706-info-r...gs-dummies.html

[Bodycount]

Here are my settings for my 955BE. I have the C3 version though running DDR2 ram.

 

Under idle conditions it runs around 37C. Under heavy gaming it gets up to around 45C. I threw out the stock fan and bought a huge aftermarket monster from newegg and used artic silver 5.

 

I tried to get mine to 4.0Ghz but it just wasn't stable enough. Went up to 1.45v and had prime95 errors so I stopped there because under full load I was seeing 60C which I didn't like. So I dropped it back to 1.4v and 3.9Ghz and was stable under Prime95 for 3 hours straight.

[nabril15]

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

Edited March 31, 2010 by nabril15

[sack_patrol]

You shouldn't have to use anything that modifies the FSB. Leave the FSB on stock settings. For your Black Edition, all you will ever need to overclock is the CPU multiplier. So leave those switches you were talking about on default and use the cpu multiplier in your mobo bios.

 

For a OC beginner, here is what you will need:

1. CPU Multiplier

2. CPU Votage control ( can have different names depending on the mobo.)

3. Ram voltage

4. Your ram controls in your bios - here you'll just want to look for an option to change from 1333 to 1600. It should be just an option you click on and it will let you choose one of those. If you aren't going to touch the ram timings then your basically done. You then need to just test and maybe up the Ram voltage a tad bit and thats it.

 

 

Resume:

 

-CPU multiplier + CPU voltage

you up cpu multi, you do a test, if successful - up the multi till it crashes, then you add some voltage and repeat until you reach your desired speed.

 

-Ram Frequency + Ram Voltage

Change ram frequency from 1333 to 1600, test, if it crashes add voltage, if not you are done

[Bodycount]

The C3 version is supposed to fix the bug with 1600 ram. I guess something was wrong with the C2 version and 1600 ram wasn't working correctly. So you might not be able to overclock your ram any.

[nabril15]

i thank you both.

 

ballistix--thanks for digesting it for me. Simple, succint, and direct.

 

Thanks a million.

[Bodycount]

A good thread about the differences between the C2 and C3 versions.

 

http://www.overclock.net/amd-cpus/693153-955-c2-vs-c3.html

[nabril15]

A good thread about the differences between the C2 and C3 versions.

 

http://www.overclock.net/amd-cpus/693153-955-c2-vs-c3.html

 

 

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

 

thanks

[sack_patrol]

When you open CPU-Z. You will find on the right side a thingy called "Revision" This is what will show you your model, more precisely the last 2 chars. It will be either C2 or C3.

 

Edited April 2, 2010 by ballist1x

[nabril15]

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

[McClendon]

Since two heatsinks are providing high temps, my guess would be you are using too much thermal grease. I use about the size of a BB and get 27C idle, and 50C load on my 965 C3