(Newbie) Overclock 940?

[carickw]

Never overclocked before, don't really know where to get started. My motherboard ASUS M4A79 came with a couple of programs to overclock within windows, but I like a clean system so I don't want to use them. Also I wish to overclock so that my Linux install will also be able to take advantage of it. I didn't know what to look for in the BIOS, but I figured I would be able to overclock from there, no? Nothing jumped out at me while exploring. I may be going about this wrong cause I am new to this. Any links of where to get started and what risks are involved?

 

[flyin15sec]

The 940 is a BE (Black Edition), you should overclock by increasing the cpu multiplier. I would check you BIOS over and look for any reference to CPU muliplier.

By default the cpu mulitplier is 15, you can change this to 16, which will net you an overclock of 3.2ghz. Test for stability, then work from there.

helpful guides: http://ixbtlabs.com/articles3/cpu/phenom-2-overclocking-p1.html

 

[masterjaw]

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/phenom-overclock-athlon,2161.html

 

[videl]

I would recommend using the CPU multiplier (CPU Clock Ratio) for overclocking this CPU. Go little by little, 100Mhz increments. Test with prime 95 for stability and monitor the temperatures. Also don't overclock high on a stock cooler. X17 will be 3.4ghz, X17.5 will be 3.5Ghz, and X18 will be 3.6Ghz and so on...When you get to a certain speed somewhere around 3.5Ghz-3.6Ghz you will need to add the voltage for your CPU. When you add voltage add by .025v at a time until you reach the sweet spot. Repeat this until you reach the speed you want...
Here is a guide but it's kinda long...
http://www.techreaction.net/forums/showthread.php?t=367

 

[billybobjon]

did you get it to overclock?

 

[carickw]

i was an idiot at first and it was set to auto so all the other options were hidden. When I set it to manual at first I upped the Multiplier (thinking it was at 18 by default i put it at 18.5). the system failed to post by my mobo is smart enough and was like the OC failed, reset to previous setting or something and then I got it to open windows at 3.51GHz but it shutdown quite quickly, like opening a program. Then I tried 3.41 and it worked, but crashed in Prime 95 about 10 minutes in, no good. So i went to 3.31 and it all worked for a night about 7 hrs of prime95. I was like sweet! but when i tried to play COD it would break up, i believe cause the GPU was creating heat that i didnt have to worry about with prime95. So i just lowered it back to 3.11 for now. I wanted to play my game. That is where it sits for now. I didnt try raising the reference clock or voltage, but i also on my stock heatsink, which I feel is holding me back the most. How dangerous is raising the voltage? Any suggestions on a heatsink?

 

[masterjaw]

Increasing voltage would give the CPU more power to work on higher clocks. But as a result, it would induce more heat thus taking its toll on your stock hsf. Heat issues causes instability especially in chips. That's why using an aftermarket cooler is recommended when OCing as it dissipates more heat than the stock one.

Jumping the multiplier to 18 outright is the biggest mistake you have done. Good thing you didn't broke anything. You must gradually increase multiplier (either 0.5 or 1 at a time) and run stress tests for every step up.

 

[videl]

^I agree...what can I say more? lol

 

[RaPiD987]

set multi at 18, raise voltage to 1.4 and run prime....