Overclocking an FX-8320 on a Asrock 970 Extreme4?

[HarryM20]

Hi,
I'm planning on overclocking my AMD FX-8320 but don't know what the best clock speed is I should aim to get. I was hoping for 4.0GHz + similar to the FX-8350.

Motherboard: ASRock 970 EXTREME4
CPU: AMD FX-8320
Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO
RAM: Patriot Viper 3 8GB (2 x 4GB)
PSU: Fractal Design Tesla R2 650W 80+ Gold Certified
Graphics Card: Zotac GeForce GTX 760 2GB
Case: BitFenix Ronin

 

[ingtar33]

my 8320 hit 5.0 without too much effort... right now i have it purring along at 4.8 (it was a bit too hot at 5.0ghz). the 8320 is the EXACT same chip as the 8350. it should reach the same basic clock speeds~

just start to bump your cpu multiplier by +0.5 increments and test it with Intel's Burn Test (highest test settings, 20 passes). use HWMonitor to watch the temps. If your temps reach 65-75C you'll need to work on cooling. otherwise, as long as it passes those 20 tests, it's stable and bump the multiplier again. keep doing this till it fails a IBT cycle. then start to bump your vcore by 0.0125V steps. bump the vcore once, test, and repeat until it passes the test or temps get too high. assuming temps are still good, continue bumping the cpu multiplier and testing and bumping the vcore as needed

enjoy your new overclocked chip

-note: at around 4.3-4.5ghz you'll probably need to start to add vcore... and around 4.7-4.8ghz the amount of vcore needed to stabilize at each clock speed improvement will take a big jump.

-note: your motherboard, psu, case airflow, cpu cooler, and ram all will play a role in the stability and clock speeds you'll be able to reach.

 

[HarryM20]

my 8320 hit 5.0 without too much effort... right now i have it purring along at 4.8 (it was a bit too hot at 5.0ghz). the 8320 is the EXACT same chip as the 8350. it should reach the same basic clock speeds~

just start to bump your cpu multiplier by +0.5 increments and test it with Intel's Burn Test (highest test settings, 20 passes). use HWMonitor to watch the temps. If your temps reach 65-75C you'll need to work on cooling. otherwise, as long as it passes those 20 tests, it's stable and bump the multiplier again. keep doing this till it fails a IBT cycle. then start to bump your vcore by 0.0125V steps. bump the vcore once, test, and repeat until it passes the test or temps get too high. assuming temps are still good, continue bumping the cpu multiplier and testing and bumping the vcore as needed

enjoy your new overclocked chip

-note: at around 4.3-4.5ghz you'll probably need to start to add vcore... and around 4.7-4.8ghz the amount of vcore needed to stabilize at each clock speed improvement will take a big jump.

-note: your motherboard, psu, case airflow, cpu cooler, and ram all will play a role in the stability and clock speeds you'll be able to reach.

Thanks alot, I'm new to overclocking so this was a big help!

 

[ingtar33]

understand that the fx 8320/8350 are hard on a motherboards VRM (voltage regulator module)... without proper case airflow, good quality vrms, and vrm heat-sinks you won't get very good clocks and will risk blowing up your motherboard. This is part of the trouble AMD runs into by trying to keep the same socket design for years. There are plenty of AM3+ motherboards out there which you really shouldn't be overclocking a fx83xx cpu with. Some of the poorer am3+ motherboards can't even run a fx83xx at stock speeds and voltages cpu without thermal throttling.

so a good motherboard is essential. Your asrock is alright for moderate overclocks, so you don't need to worry too much, but you'll probably start to struggle to stabilize the system around 4.4-4.6ghz... and expecting more then 4.8 is probably being unrealistic.

 

[HarryM20]

understand that the fx 8320/8350 are hard on a motherboards VRM (voltage regulator module)... without proper case airflow, good quality vrms, and vrm heat-sinks you won't get very good clocks and will risk blowing up your motherboard. This is part of the trouble AMD runs into by trying to keep the same socket design for years. There are plenty of AM3+ motherboards out there which you really shouldn't be overclocking a fx83xx cpu with. Some of the poorer am3+ motherboards can't even run a fx83xx at stock speeds and voltages cpu without thermal throttling.

so a good motherboard is essential. Your asrock is alright for moderate overclocks, so you don't need to worry too much, but you'll probably start to struggle to stabilize the system around 4.4-4.6ghz... and expecting more then 4.8 is probably being unrealistic.

Thanks i will keep that in mind, and what motherboard were you using to overclock to 5GHz, or what motherboard should I look at for better overclocking.