[SOLVED] cpu overclocking help

[r2t262]

I recently got done building my first gaming rig and I want to overclock my AMD FX(tm)-4100 quad core processor from 3.80 to 4 or higher but I have never done overclocking before and require some guidance. P.S. CPU is air cooled

 

[Darkbreeze]

What is your motherboard model number?

What is your CPU cooler model?

I really hope these weren't new parts, because if they were, your "new" gaming rig is really about 7 years old since that CPU was first released back in 2011 and is both extremely outdated AND was very weak when it was brand new. Seriously not what you want to use for a gaming machine.

What graphics card are you running with that CPU?

 

[r2t262]

What is your motherboard model number?

What is your CPU cooler model?

 

[r2t262]

I don't know the model # for my MB or cooler but the motherboard is a 970a-g43 plus and i can try to provide pics of the cooler if that will help

 

[Darkbreeze]

If you are trying to quote and reply, click the blue text at the bottom right of any post where it looks like this (It would be THAT persons name, not yours) and then click BELOW the quoted text in the box that pops up and type your reply.

Or you can just click into the box at the bottom of any thread where it says "Your answer" and type you message then click submit your answer.

 

[r2t262]

If you are trying to quote and reply, click the blue text at the bottom right of any post where it looks like this (It would be THAT persons name, not yours) and then click BELOW the quoted text in the box that pops up and type your reply.

Or you can just click into the box at the bottom of any thread where it says "Your answer" and type you message then click submit your answer.

 

[r2t262]

What is your motherboard model number?

What is your CPU cooler model?

I really hope these weren't new parts, because if they were, your "new" gaming rig is really about 7 years old since that CPU was first released back in 2011 and is both extremely outdated AND was very weak when it was brand new. Seriously not what you want to use for a gaming machine.

What graphics card are you running with that CPU?

 

[Darkbreeze]

Ok, that IS the model number, LOL.

I would not recommend overclocking on that board AT ALL, as it is not very capable when it comes to overclocking due to a lack of heatsinks on the VRMs.

Tier Two: Good quality. These MoBos are NOT FIT to be paired with FX 8, with OCing in mind. And if a Motherboard is not good enough for OCing a particular CPU, is always good to NOT get that MoBo for that CPU. But besides that, they’re fine for FX 6 or lower. Quality is decent, a couple MoBos have some issues, so be careful and look around for labels.

Not SLI capable:

970 Extreme3
M5A97 LE R2.0
970 Pro3 (R2.0 as well, this MoBo is good for OCing FX 6)
970A-G43 (See NOTE1 below)
GA-970A-DS3P
GA-970A-DS3
GA-970A-D3 (See NOTE2 below)
GA-970A-D3P

SLI capable:

970A-G46 (See NOTE3 below)
970 EXTREME4 (See NOTE3 below)


NOTE1: G43 is known to NOT OC well, due to no heatsinks on VRM and known overheating issues. Avoiding this board is HIGHLY recommended.


NOTE2: D3 (r1.0/1.1/1.2) do NOT have heatsinks on VRM so they should be avoided for OCing FX 6. R1.3 and 1.4 are heatsinked so they’re fine for OCing FX 6.


NOTE3: G46 and EXTREME4 are known to have overheated VRMs with 125W CPUs, so do not expect high OC with FX6 on these boards. 970 GAMING is a much better option in this regard.

If you want to overclock, it would be advisable to use one of these boards.

(Be sure to check when looking for a motherboard that any of the models shown below are either 990fx, 990 or 970 chipsets. A Z170 Extreme6 for example, is not going to work with your FX processor, so, in this example, you want to look for the 990/990fx Extreme6.)

GA-990FXA-UD7
Extreme6
Extreme9
Fatal1ty 990FX Professional
Crosshair V Formula-Z
Sabertooth 990FX R2.0
GA-99FXA-UD5
MSI GD80V2
M5A99FX PRO R2.0
GA-99FXA-UD3
MSI GD65V2
990FX Killer
Extreme4
M5A99X EVO (R2.0 as well)
GA-990XA-UD3
990XA-GD55
GA-970A-UD3P
M5A97 or EVO or PRO (R.2 as well)
GA-970A-UD3
970 GAMING
970A SLI Krait (USB 3.1 supported)


However, you are not going to actually gain much at all by overclocking that CPU by 200mhz. Not even worth the effort honestly. You'd need to overclock to about 4.5Ghz or higher to see any appreciable difference, and even then, you'd still be far behind the performance of a similar period i3 for most processes.

Plus, if you have a stock or weak aftermarket cooler, that is just going to make things even worse. Overclocking generally requires a specific level of hardware and I'm not seeing that your hardware meets or even mildly comes close to those recommendations.

 

[r2t262]

yeah we were on a tight budget and the cooler is the Hyper TX3 (fan bracket version)

 

[r2t262]

Ok, that IS the model number, LOL.

I would not recommend overclocking on that board AT ALL, as it is not very capable when it comes to overclocking due to a lack of heatsinks on the VRMs.

Tier Two: Good quality. These MoBos are NOT FIT to be paired with FX 8, with OCing in mind. And if a Motherboard is not good enough for OCing a particular CPU, is always good to NOT get that MoBo for that CPU. But besides that, they’re fine for FX 6 or lower. Quality is decent, a couple MoBos have some issues, so be careful and look around for labels.

Not SLI capable:

970 Extreme3
M5A97 LE R2.0
970 Pro3 (R2.0 as well, this MoBo is good for OCing FX 6)
970A-G43 (See NOTE1 below)
GA-970A-DS3P
GA-970A-DS3
GA-970A-D3 (See NOTE2 below)
GA-970A-D3P

SLI capable:

970A-G46 (See NOTE3 below)
970 EXTREME4 (See NOTE3 below)


NOTE1: G43 is known to NOT OC well, due to no heatsinks on VRM and known overheating issues. Avoiding this board is HIGHLY recommended.


NOTE2: D3 (r1.0/1.1/1.2) do NOT have heatsinks on VRM so they should be avoided for OCing FX 6. R1.3 and 1.4 are heatsinked so they’re fine for OCing FX 6.


NOTE3: G46 and EXTREME4 are known to have overheated VRMs with 125W CPUs, so do not expect high OC with FX6 on these boards. 970 GAMING is a much better option in this regard.

If you want to overclock, it would be advisable to use one of these boards.

(Be sure to check when looking for a motherboard that any of the models shown below are either 990fx, 990 or 970 chipsets. A Z170 Extreme6 for example, is not going to work with your FX processor, so, in this example, you want to look for the 990/990fx Extreme6.)

GA-990FXA-UD7
Extreme6
Extreme9
Fatal1ty 990FX Professional
Crosshair V Formula-Z
Sabertooth 990FX R2.0
GA-99FXA-UD5
MSI GD80V2
M5A99FX PRO R2.0
GA-99FXA-UD3
MSI GD65V2
990FX Killer
Extreme4
M5A99X EVO (R2.0 as well)
GA-990XA-UD3
990XA-GD55
GA-970A-UD3P
M5A97 or EVO or PRO (R.2 as well)
GA-970A-UD3
970 GAMING
970A SLI Krait (USB 3.1 supported)


However, you are not going to actually gain much at all by overclocking that CPU by 200mhz. Not even worth the effort honestly. You'd need to overclock to about 4.5Ghz or higher to see any appreciable difference, and even then, you'd still be far behind the performance of a similar period i3 for most processes.

Plus, if you have a stock or weak aftermarket cooler, that is just going to make things even worse. Overclocking generally requires a specific level of hardware and I'm not seeing that your hardware meets or even mildly comes close to those recommendations.

 

[Darkbreeze]

That board, with a TX3, you ABSOLUTELY do not want to be overclocking. Plus, no mention of whether you have a good case airflow configuration with two intakes and two exhaust fans, which would pretty much be minimum we'd like to see on any overclocked machine these days.