Overclocking experience

[skyjam]

ok.... so I have a AMD phenom II X2 555 and a msi 870a-g54 now i've been in the bios settings but I have no clue how to overclock anything if anyone has any instructions or advise for me that would be awesome i tried fooling around once and i know that the previous owner of the processer had it at 4.2 and my board can push more volts than his could so pretty much i have an idea of how to go about overclocking i just don't understand it fully

[skyjam]

so i've achieved a stable overclock on ooct wiith the cpu @ 4.0 the cpu nb @ 2.6 and the cpu volts @ 1.5 and cpu nb volts at 1.25 with the ram timed at 1066 any thoughts or suggestions?

 

edit: however i just tried to play battlefield and it wouldn't run it besides like maybe 1 fps if i got lucky when on a stock clock it'll run fine....

Edited January 25, 2012 by skyjam

[sack_patrol]

so i've achieved a stable overclock on ooct wiith the cpu @ 4.0 the cpu nb @ 2.6 and the cpu volts @ 1.5 and cpu nb volts at 1.25 with the ram timed at 1066 any thoughts or suggestions?

 

edit: however i just tried to play battlefield and it wouldn't run it besides like maybe 1 fps if i got lucky when on a stock clock it'll run fine....

when u overclock u need to test after each 10Mhz increase in speed to check for stability. Your final overclock should be stable for at least 12 hours of non stop stress testing. OCCT might not be the best program to use too. It's fine for testing while overclocking but for the final test I'd use Prime95 or SuperPi. Otherwise you haven't achieved anything stable, also obvious by the fact that the game won't run.

 

I hope you didn't just go from stock clock to 4.0 cuz that's just asking for trouble.

 

Also just because your board can bust out more voltage doesn't mean you should do it. 1.5 is the limit pretty much despite some people saying that as long as the CPU is cool you can add more voltage... unless you've got ln2 or some sort of phase change unit. I'll assume you're using an aftermarket cooler.

 

Otherwise you have the right idea. Basically you overclock using the multiplier since it's a black edition CPU and the multi is unlocked making everything easier. FSB has no real use for now. You increase bit by bit and test after each one for 15 minutes for stability. When you reach a point where you can't pass a 15 minute stress test add voltage and test until you pass and then go back to increasing multiplier. Repeat.

 

At some point you'll have to increase the NB as you have done, but thats at the later stages for additional stability. 2.6 is as high you'll want to go. The voltage is fine too but it might be possible to go an extra unit up if needed. Again, after each small change/overclock you make, go and test for stability cuz if something goes wrong like it has in your case nobody can really help you because there's just too much variables and too much that could have gone wrong.

 

I have no idea what your ram is so 1066 means nothing to me. Is that stock or overclocked? Single/Dual Channel? Amount? CAS? Voltage? Those things are important for later stages of the overclock too.

 

Finally, it's important to remember that all systems are different no matter how similar their components might be. Even if it's the exact same configuration, no 2 computers will react the same way to a given overclock or other task. That being said, you shouldn't be overclocking your CPU with the expectation that it will reach 4.2Ghz or even 4.0Ghz because even if it's the same chip, your other parts are different and you have no guarantee that it will yield the same results.