AMD Athlon ii x2 220 CPU need help over clocking

[Weishaupt95]

New to over clocking, just recently built my own computer because I'm a gamer on a budget.
Specs of my build:
750W Corsairs PSU
AMD Athlon II x2 220 CPU
R7 260X Gigabyte GPU
8 GB Ram
Asus M5A97 LE R2.0 Mobo
500 GB HDD
240 GB SSD
Really appreciate any help you guys can give me
Thank you!

 

[clutchc]

Since the old Athlon II dual core doesn't have an unlocked CPU clock multiplier, you have to work with raising the base clock. The problem with that is everything else runs off the base clock too. So you have to lower their multipliers to keep from causing problems. When all is said and done, you may get a couple hundred MHz increase in clock speed. Not really worth the effort.

But if you still want to give it a try, ther are plenty of easy to follow OC'ing guides out there for the Athlon II: http://www.overclock.net/t/1002985/athlon-ii-overclocking-guide-beginner-friendly

 

[enzo matrix]

Normally, I just bump the reference clock up to 230 from the default 200 for those processors. For most Athlon II/Phenom II AMD CPUs, they can handle the overclock without a voltage adjustment. Do not forget to use prime95 to check for stability, however. Overnight should be fine.

That CPU will be the bottleneck on that system for most games, even overclocked. If you can find an old used Phenom II for a decent price, it would be helpful or even an FX-4xxx series (I assume if you do have a budget it is low).

I do recommend overclocking directly in the bios. It looks like you have an Asus UEFI. There should be an advanced option. Once there, you can change settings for the reference clock.

Your UEFI will look similar to this: http://www.anandtech.com/show/5714/990fx-motherboard-roundup-with-thuban-and-bulldozer-a-second-wind-for-asus-gigabyte-msi-and-biostar/6

From here, you can adjust the "CPU Bus" setting. If you have issues with stability, you can also try adjusting your memory multiplier downwards as the Bus will overclock the ram in tandem.

 

[spentshells]

Before overclocking please try to unlock the additional cores and or the l3 cache.

There is a core unlocker on that motherboard. Here is a video on how to use it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLmJt_dvHaY

remember this isn't a sure thing, but it is definitely worth a shot

 

[delaro]

That Athlon is better suited for a HTPC, it struggles quite a bit in gaming. Any of these would be a much better solution.

Phenom II B55 3ghz Ebay $25
Most will Unlock to a Quad and take overclocks up to 4ghz

Athlon II X4 630 2.8ghz Ebay $35
Will take a Good Overclock as well 3.5ghz is about average

FX-4100 3.6ghz Ebay $49
Will Take a Overclock well over 4.5ghz but 4.3ghz would be the most on the Board

Phenom II X4 955 3.2ghz Ebay $60
Will overclock to around 4ghz and is a little stronger than the FX-4100

FX-4300 Ebay 3.8ghz $65
Will Overclock to 4.5ghz and beyond and is faster than all the above.

Anything over $65 just save for a FX-6300 3.5ghz Ebay $89, FX-6350 3.9ghz $125, FX-8320 $125.

Here is a nice Forum thread on that Motherboard with some easy to follow information on Overclocking, he is using a Phenom II X4 955.

http://www.ocfreaks.com/forums/f110/asus-m5a97-r2-0-review-2960/

 

[enzo matrix]

Before overclocking please try to unlock the additional cores and or the l3 cache.

There is a core unlocker on that motherboard. Here is a video on how to use it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLmJt_dvHaY

remember this isn't a sure thing, but it is definitely worth a shot

Regor does not physically have any more than two cores. There is nothing to unlock.

Citation: http://www.cpu-world.com/info/AMD/Unlocking_cores_and_L3.html

 

[delaro]

Before overclocking please try to unlock the additional cores and or the l3 cache.

There is a core unlocker on that motherboard. Here is a video on how to use it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLmJt_dvHaY

remember this isn't a sure thing, but it is definitely worth a shot

Regor does not physically have any more than two cores. There is nothing to unlock.

Citation: http://www.cpu-world.com/info/AMD/Unlocking_cores_and_L3.html

No some of them can the CACDC chips are Failed Phenom II x4 920's, I remember see some people having luck unlocking and Running them Stable. I doubt the Op has one though they are Rare.

 

[spentshells]

I was under the impression that they were simply binning according to what actually worked at spec or even simply meeting requirements for each price point.

I didn't think they made a specific 2 core with no l3 cache, that doesn't seem feasible.

 

[delaro]

I was under the impression that they were simply binning according to what actually worked at spec or even simply meeting requirements for each price point.

I didn't think they made a specific 2 core with no l3 cache, that doesn't seem feasible.

You should read this.

What Unlocks? -> The "Unlockable" CPU reference list
http://www.overclock.net/t/1005739/what-unlocks-the-unlockable-cpu-reference-list

How to identify potentially unlockable AMD chips
http://www.overclock.net/t/1126390/how-to-identify-potentially-unlockable-amd-chips

There are plenty of Sempron and Athlons out that will unlock core or more.

 

[Weishaupt95]

That Athlon is better suited for a HTPC, it struggles quite a bit in gaming. Any of these would be a much better solution.

Phenom II B55 3ghz Ebay $25
Most will Unlock to a Quad and take overclocks up to 4ghz

Athlon II X4 630 2.8ghz Ebay $35
Will take a Good Overclock as well 3.5ghz is about average

FX-4100 3.6ghz Ebay $49
Will Take a Overclock well over 4.5ghz but 4.3ghz would be the most on the Board

Phenom II X4 955 3.2ghz Ebay $60
Will overclock to around 4ghz and is a little stronger than the FX-4100

FX-4300 Ebay 3.8ghz $65
Will Overclock to 4.5ghz and beyond and is faster than all the above.

Anything over $65 just save for a FX-6300 3.5ghz Ebay $89, FX-6350 3.9ghz $125, FX-8320 $125.

Here is a nice Forum thread on that Motherboard with some easy to follow information on Overclocking, he is using a Phenom II X4 955.

http://www.ocfreaks.com/forums/f110/asus-m5a97-r2-0-review-2960/

FX-4300 3.8ghz <-- just bought this for $70 including expedited shipping so i can upgrade asap, thanks. any ideas gpu wise now? lol

 

[delaro]

What can you afford? The R7 260X is a decent card for the price, the next step up would be something like the following.

750 TI $130
R9 270X $145
R9 280 $180
R9 280X $190
960 GTX $214

 

[Weishaupt95]

Ok I'm most likely gonna go for R9 series.
i just used CPU-Z to see what my processor was running at:
core speed-3371.14 MHz
Multiplier x14.0 (4-14)
Bus speed-240.80 MHz
HT Link-1926.37 MHz
Core voltage-1.464V
I think this is good considering its rated at 2.8 GHz, still have the upgrade on the way though.
Now how would i test to make sure this is stable?

 

[delaro]

Passmark is good for that.
http://www.passmark.com/products/bit.htm