Should I switch to water cooling?

[TheyCallMeGunny]

I finally reached the 4.6GHz mark on my unlocked (x3) Phenom II X2 555 BE...

 

But my temps skyrocketed from 44C max to 55C idle.. And after they push to 60C, it stops letting me overclock.. I have a Hyper 212+ (push/pull on PWM Splitter) with 3x 120mm fans (69.69CFM) and 1x 140mm exhaust (70.5 CFM), along with isolated PSU exhaust.

 

Seeing as I can overclock it beyond this setting, but it crashes at 60C when I do.. Is it worth investing into better cooling? And if so, what's recommended?

 

OC Specs:

 

CPU-- Phenom II X2 555 BE 3.2 GHz --> Phenom II X3 B55 4.6GHz

 

RAM-- CORSAIR XMS3 DDR3 1600 9-9-9-29-41-1T --> DDR3 1840 8-9-8-17-30-1T

 

Screen (To avoid "pics or it didn't happen): (uploaded through Facebook, if too blurry or doesn't load I can upload somewhere else)

http://a2.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/421766_173360276111593_100003128644981_266932_1591010875_n.jpg

 

_edit: If I leave it at 4.6GHz, it does continue to run past 60C. Just anything higher crashes a couple seconds after reaching 60C, regardless of CPU load or application. Is 4.6GHZ the limit, or is it the rapid heating caused by higher OCs?

_edit 2: 8-9-8 memclk, had originally posted 9-8-9. Fixed.

_Edit 3: CASE IS ROSEWILL CHALLENGER, as I was asked and should've realized to post in the first place.

Edited February 22, 2012 by dragonsdontfly

[VaporX]

You have got a REALLY good overclocking going there, I am not sure you will get much more headroom even if you can keep the temps low. Personally I would say you are at a great spot and I would be happy there.

[TheyCallMeGunny]

You have got a REALLY good overclocking going there, I am not sure you will get much more headroom even if you can keep the temps low. Personally I would say you are at a great spot and I would be happy there.

 

Thank you! And good advice. Btw from "guides" I've seen online I'd like to post a tip to anyone else overclocking their 555... My core clock (HT reference clock in screen) actually wouldn't run stable between 224-229.. But runs stable at 230-232, and doesn't again beyond 232.. Though at 231-232MHz it caused memory errors. Not quite BSODs, but application glitches galore.

 

The lesson here is that occasionally you might find a SLIGHTLY (keyword there, don't blow your PC up) overclock can run stable even if a lower one doesn't. Took me just about forever to test that, and to my surprise it worked. Every CPU is different to overclock, but I found out from this one that sometimes the niche can be a little higher than you might think at first try.

 

Btw, I had achieved this overclock by trying AMD Overdrive (which i've always despised actually).. When I went back into my BIOS and set the stable values I found here.. My temps dropped back to a 50C max.. But I never would've found them without at least using AMD Overdrive in the first place.. Just don't rely on it as a permanent solution.

[Boinker]

Hey there Dragonsdontfly. That's a heck of an overclock. But i wonder if the bringing the temps down would help. You may not get much more of an overclock out of it BUT Bringing the Chip temperatures down would certainly help the longevity of the processor. When i ran an AMD system I tried to keep my temps down to the 40's and low 50's. They just seemed to be the most stable there.

 

Question 1: What kind of case are you using for this system? Try to be specific about this cause we can better advise as far as recommended coolers or water cooling solutions go. Or maybe even suggest a better case to improve temperatures overall.

 

Question Cluster 2: If there is upgrading in your future we can recommend stuff that lasts. For one if the case will support it do we want to build a kit around great components that can be upgradable or do we want to go self contained liquid cooling that will only serve one application? Also if you want there are much better Solutions to cooling your processor alone without diving into Liquid cooling. And lastly are you interested in bulldozer, Ivy bridge, e or standard Sandy Bridge Line?

 

Question 3: How much money are you willing to invest in a cooling solution? give me a ballpark estimation in dollar amount.

 

Question 4: You profile is incomplete. What City, Region, Continent or Country do you live in so we can suggest the best place to get these Items from?

 

Hit me back. Boinker.

[red1776]

I'm going to second Boinker.

 

I used quite a few of those chips when they first came out for the same reason and I think your question is an apt one.

 

4.6Ghz +1.6+v + hyper 212 doesn't add up to load temps in the 50's. It would explain why when you see a temp of 60c, it shuts down. AMD sensors have been known to be off a wee bit from time to time

 

If you are going to use that day to day, I would get the temps down soon.

 

Nice OC.

 

 

[Gorlabeta]

Do you have a budget on that? Water cooling is a bit more expensive then air cooling.

[red1776]

maybe Boinker has a different suggestion, but getting beyond the enclosed loop basically starts here

 

http://www.frozencpu.com/cat/l3/g30/c321/s818/list/p1/Liquid_Cooling-Water_Cooling_Kits_-_Brands-Swiftech_Water_Cooling_Kits-Page1.html (depending on where you live that is)

 

 

[Boinker]

maybe Boinker has a different suggestion, but getting beyond the enclosed loop basically starts here

 

http://www.frozencpu.com/cat/l3/g30/c321/s818/list/p1/Liquid_Cooling-Water_Cooling_Kits_-_Brands-Swiftech_Water_Cooling_Kits-Page1.html (depending on where you live that is)

 

+1

 

Those are very good kits the whole lot of them. They are more expensive the the xspc rasa kits but the swiftech kits carry more quality. You just have to have a place to put them. For a wc loop that will be externally mounted and plumbed in through holes the case back swiftech is the only way to go. For internal the xspc rasa series is a great way to start. I just suggest different tubing and clamps as the ones they come with are not the best.

 

Ill wait till the op comes back for more info.... I need to make a guide Dangit.

[red1776]

.

I need to make a guide Dangit.

 

Yeah ya do!

 

 

 

 

 

[TheyCallMeGunny]

I'm going to second Boinker.

 

I used quite a few of those chips when they first came out for the same reason and I think your question is an apt one.

 

4.6Ghz +1.6+v + hyper 212 doesn't add up to load temps in the 50's. It would explain why when you see a temp of 60c, it shuts down. AMD sensors have been known to be off a wee bit from time to time

 

If you are going to use that day to day, I would get the temps down soon.

 

Nice OC.

 

Thank you for the advice! I always forget that the motherboard CPU sensor isn't the same as the actual CPU sensor. My motherboard (having the core unlock feature) has an onboard temperature sensor just for getting a reading from otherwise unreadable unlocked CPUs. But it's not inside the chip, even though it's placed close. Still, at 60C it does run the listed OC. What I think is that with the higher overclocks, it just heats too RAPIDLY more than it's the heat itself.. I've noticed that if a chip slowly reaches a certain temperature, it doesn't have as many errors as when it rapdily climbs to the same temperature. But yeah, you did bring a good point to mind with that not being totally accurate.

 

Edit- My budget fluctuates month to month, sometimes it's $40, sometimes it's $400... Thus is life lol. But I don't mind saving if it's REALLY worth it, as some had mentioned not only the OC ability of cooling, but also the MBTF being reduced by the heat.

Edited February 22, 2012 by dragonsdontfly

[TheyCallMeGunny]

Sorry for double post, but too many answers in one reply feels confusing.

 

@Boinker: Case is a Rosewill Challenger lightly modded (Aftermarket air filters stripped out for "tunnel airflow" on front intake, rear exhaust, and side intake, and all aftermarket fans (All cooler master Sickle Flow 120mm and 140mm R4)) and all fan slots filled except the upper-side panel (as the Hyper 212+ leaves 1/4", not enough for a fan there.) Also, AC-5 bought off ebay on CPU heatsink and GPU heatsink. Didn't bother with the Mobo chipsets yet.

 

It DOES have two holes pre-drilled with rubber casings for water cooling tubing to be fed through, though it doesn't have much internal mounting room as my RAM nearly touches my top 140mm exhaust fan as is.. So either a single fan slot cooling block or one that can be externally mounted (or simply has a mounting compatible with the case.)

 

Price IS a factor to consider, as I did build this to be overclocked, not factory-bada$$.. But I'm not a complete cheapo, I just like to get a good proce/performance and something I won't be paying to replace again in a year or two.

 

And you asked about upgrades.. If you meant do I plan any, I just plan to fill my empty 2 RAM slots with identical RAM to what I have now. If you meant about the cooling, then yeah I agree I'd want something that'll las (hence buying the Hyper 212+, even if the fans die... The sink will last me a decade and shouldn't become "legacy" for that entire period.) This computer has been an ongoing project for a little over 2 years now, buying a few parts every so often. The only bulk purchase was the CPU/RAM/Mobo, everything else was purchased 2-3 months apart. So i don't mind keeping that pattern going if my budget is a teeny bit shy.

 

--Edited to insert case link.

Edited February 22, 2012 by dragonsdontfly

[Stonerboy779]

Buy a 120mm rad bracket and a 240 rad kit (swiftech or xspc rasa) and mount the rad off the bracket off of the back of the case.

 

Give you plenty of cooling on the CPU and may look a bit ugly hanging off the back. However it is the best you can do without going to a new case.