FX 8370 overclocking

[jparise15]

Is it possible to overclock the 8370 and what would be a good cooler for it? qould a 600w psu be good for that with a gtx 970?

 

[Dark Lord of Tech]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Power Supply: XFX TS 650W 80+ Gold Certified ATX Power Supply ($68.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $68.99
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Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-01-13 13:56 EST-0500

 

[Dark Lord of Tech]

Cooler and overclocking depends on case and a decent motherboard with a good thermal design and power phase.

 

[mdocod]

Whether or not you can or should overclock the 8370 depends on the motherboard you are using. Selecting a good HSF for this, and then sizing the PSU properly will also require information about the motherboard and case.

 

[jparise15]

Whether or not you can or should overclock the 8370 depends on the motherboard you are using. Selecting a good HSF for this, and then sizing the PSU properly will also require information about the motherboard and case.

I already have the cpu in the mobo. I have a ASRock extreme 3 r2.

 

[mdocod]

On the Extreme3 R2 you're going to have to be careful with any overclocking attempts, as it has a relatively weak CPU power regulation system (VRMs). This is not the sort of board that you can use for 4.4ghz+ overclocks on an 8 core unless you have a chip with low voltage requirements and low leakage characteristics. Almost any 120mm heatpipe cooler is going to be able to dissipate more thermal energy than this motherboard can sustain anyway, so it would be a waste to buy into a really fancy HSF.

Almost all good HSF's for overclocking in terms of CPU cooling, actually neglect VRM cooling. In fact, the better and better the CPU cooling, the more and more the VRM cooling tends to get neglected. This is problematic as it means that the more you spend on an HSF, the worst your overclock is apt to turn out. Funny eh? Well... you can counteract that problem:

If you want useful results, you're going to have to cool the VRM's for the CPU. The picture above depicts a way to do this. Suspend a fan in a position to kick up a lot of airflow over that heat-sink that is attached the the mosfets of the CPU VRM's.

My favorite budget HSF for overclocking Vishera is the Arctic A30. This cooler is underrated by most reviews as none of them test the cooler at 200W+ loads where it really shines (4X 8mm heatpipes!). It will keep an FX-83XX within thermal margin at any power level your Extreme3 R2 could ever manage to dish out, and much more. Oh... and these are only $35 and come with the very popular MX-4 thermal compound, and not just some little foil packet of it either, an actual syringe. I'd take an A30 over the much more popular Hyper 212 EVO for overclocking on Vishera ANY day.

I have a particularly nasty FX-8350 that needs ~200W to be stable at 4.4ghz. Prime95 torture testing with the A30 it holds 15C away from the maximum thermal margin specified for continuous operation. I don't start to run into thermal problems on the CPU until pushing 4.7ghz, which for this chip is ~240W.

You'll need to check RAM and CASE clearance before buying an HSF. The A30 doesn't have room for RAM with heatsinks that rise above a standard height DIMM.

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Regarding PSU selection. Unless you intend to replace the motherboard and shoot for much higher overclocks at a later date, a WELL MADE 550W PSU is going to be fine. 650W if you want some untapped headroom. It is however, very important that you not select a PSU based on wattage ratings alone. There are plenty of 700W rated PSUs out there that would fail miserably trying to power your system.

Example:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817182068
vs
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817152036

It might seem tempting to pay $5 less for the PSU rated 180W "larger." Don't be fooled. That 730W PSU would fall on it's face if tasked with a continuous 500W load within weeks. The 550W rated Capstone can sustain a 550W load at elevated temps for YEARS.