[SOLVED] Is this a good overclock? Where can I improve?

[Ratteus]

Hi guys!

I'm new to the overclocking scene, and I was wondering if this was a decent overclock for my 3600.

https://imgur.com/a/vFlJ1Ah

View: https://imgur.com/a/vFlJ1Ah


Where can I improve? Should I lower the voltage more?

 

[drea.drechsler]

A bit of a stress/stability test: set the Cinebench R23 minimum test duration for 30 min's and run that. Performance isn't important since clocks can't vary anyway, but monitor average core temperature throughout. While still in spec (Tjmax is 95C) constantly running in the 90-95C range will degrade the CPU sooner. Otherwise: if it's staying stable then by all means go to a lower voltage and repeat the test.

The 30 minute Cinebench test is probably good enough if all you do is gaming with the system but if you do any really serious processing, like video rendering or 3d image rendering, then you should run it for several hours. That's because you don't want random BSOD's ruining several hours of work into a huge rendering project. Prime95 stability is probably not that important, but if it's also a money making machine and you don't want to risk missing a deadline then it's worth passing a couple hours of small FFT stressing too.

 

[Roland Of Gilead]

Hey there,

Whilst I would always recommend a manual OC through the bios (Using PBO or otherwise) or Ryzen master you could also take a look at CTR 2.1. Install it and simply run a diagnostic and the save each profile. It's very useful for a quick OC, and has been known to get better results than curve optimization, or PBO. Can be used as a reference point for manual OC.

 

[Ratteus]

Hi there Drea,

I've done what you've asked with the Cinebench test, and the highest I've seen the temps after an hour of Cinebench R23 was around 65-66°C.
Also, I ran a Prime95 small FFT stress test for a couple of hours and I've seen the temps go as high as 87-89°C. Is that normal for a 3600 with a 240mm AIO?

I also did something similar to what keith12 had suggested, but instead of Ryzen Master to monitor my temps and overclock, I used HWiNFO
before I manually overclocked my CPU. I took note of the CPU Core Voltage (SVI2 TFN) which was around 1.28v while running a Prime95
small FFT stress test on stock clocks and applied it to my current overclock. 4.3ghz seemed stable enough at 1.28v, after fiddling around with the bios settings.

Is this a good enough overclock? Did I get a bit lucky/unlucky with the silicon lottery? And can I improve my overclock a bit more?

 

[drea.drechsler]

.....
Is this a good enough overclock? Did I get a bit lucky/unlucky with the silicon lottery? And can I improve my overclock a bit more?

The answer to your questions aren't easy because people overclock for different reasons: some to eek out just a little bit more performance with optimized settings that take advantage of manufacturing tolerances, some as a demonstration of what it can do even if impractical, some just because they like to tweak their computer. In short: anything that works for you is a good enough overclock, but if you've never found the limits of stability then it can probably do a bit more.

If you wonder if it will it degrade your system sooner the answer is yes, absolutely. How long will it last? nobody knows but keeping it below the 90-95C band is the best way to help it last 6-8 years. Or at least until it's no longer able to serve it's intended purpose with newer softwares...the usual time to go all-in on a major upgrade.

The one thing I'd advise is set it up in full stock with BIOS settings, maybe with PBO enabled, and take a controlled measure of it's performance with benchmarks. Cinebench would be good, ST and three runs of MT back-to-back. Make sure there are no background apps running...not even RyzenMaster or HWINfo. Then set it up with your overclock settings (again, using BIOS so RM doesn't ever have to run) and make the same benchmarks in the exact same conditions.

BTW: when you're done with experimenting with RM uninstall it. Use only BIOS settings for your OC whichever you use. The RM service is known to harm performance even if not using the utility. It was never intended as a 24/7 utility anyway but as a tool for dynamically testing settings within the OS primarily to help with overclocking demonstrations for overclocking competitions.

 

[Roland Of Gilead]

Most OC'ers (excluding those wanting to push to the limit) typically will try keep temps below 80c for a 24/7 OC.

Yes, most CPU's' can operate safely up to 90-95c, but this is also maximum heat and fan speed to keep it in check. Not pleasant. That would reduce lifespan of CPU.

Ideally you balance your OC between temps (max 80c at stress load), as low voltage as possible for a given clock speed.

Most R3xxx Ryzens seem to top out about 4.3ghz, without exotic cooling, so your pretty close. Your temps are in check and decent for that CPU.

P95 temps are showing you the true temp at max load. (P95 is also good for testing for minor stability issues. If you were drop back to 4.2 and drop a notch in voltage, you might get it sitting at 80c with Prime. This would be good.

 

[Ratteus]

Thanks for everything, Drea.

 

[Ratteus]

Most OC'ers (excluding those wanting to push to the limit) typically will try keep temps below 80c for a 24/7 OC.

Yes, most CPU's' can operate safely up to 90-95c, but this is also maximum heat and fan speed to keep it in check. Not pleasant. That would reduce lifespan of CPU.

Ideally you balance your OC between temps (max 80c at stress load), as low voltage as possible for a given clock speed.

Most R3xxx Ryzens seem to top out about 4.3ghz, without exotic cooling, so your pretty close. Your temps are in check and decent for that CPU.

P95 temps are showing you the true temp at max load. (P95 is also good for testing for minor stability issues. If you were drop back to 4.2 and drop a notch in voltage, you might get it sitting at 80c with Prime. This would be good.

Oh okay, thanks for helping me understand, Keith.

 

[Roland Of Gilead]

Oh okay, thanks for helping me understand, Keith.

You're welcome. Good luck, and happy gaming

Here's some resource for you to look at. A great guide by one of the Mods here on Tom's. Well worth a look.
CPU overclocking guide and tutorial for beginners | Tom's Hardware Forum (tomshardware.com)