Safe Overclock for Stock Phenom II X3 720?

[JDFan]

When volts are set to auto it works at 1.392 volts. Why it gives more volts?
My M/B is GA-MA785GM-US2H. If I set it to manual volts and select normal then ot gives me 1.312 volts. This without oc and 4th core

On auto it tends to give more voltage than is really necessary probably to ensure that it remains stable - which is why it is best to use manual settings instead and test it to see what the lowest stable voltage is under stress (ie. prime95) since more voltage that is not being used just means more heat !

 

[Chronobodi]

3.8 Ghz, nice, but is that 24/7?

i want to aim for 3.6, what vcore, what Hypertransport volts...

basically, What was your settings?

 

[isamuelson]

As you can see in my sig below, I've unlocked the 4th core and overclocked my X3 to run at 3.61ghz (x18). I had to increase the voltage from 1.325 to 1.5 to stabilize it. x18.5 was not possible and I'm not increasing the voltage anymore. I got as high as 18.5 with 3 cores and without having to increase the voltage. I need to go back and see how much higher I can get with just 3 cores.

Core temps hover at around 30°C idle and around 42°C when gaming. My reported "CPU" temps range from 43°C idle to 65°C full load. I monitored the temps with 3 cores to see what the difference was between my core temps and the CPU reading and the difference was the CPU reading was usually 13° higher than the core. Since unlocking the 4th core, I lose the core readings, so I go by the CPU readings and subtract 13 from it.

 

[elessar]

As you can see in my sig below, I've unlocked the 4th core and overclocked my X3 to run at 3.61ghz (x18). I had to increase the voltage from 1.325 to 1.5 to stabilize it. x18.5 was not possible and I'm not increasing the voltage anymore. I got as high as 18.5 with 3 cores and without having to increase the voltage. I need to go back and see how much higher I can get with just 3 cores.

Core temps hover at around 30°C idle and around 42°C when gaming. My reported "CPU" temps range from 43°C idle to 65°C full load. I monitored the temps with 3 cores to see what the difference was between my core temps and the CPU reading and the difference was the CPU reading was usually 13° higher than the core. Since unlocking the 4th core, I lose the core readings, so I go by the CPU readings and subtract 13 from it.

How did you increase the voltage? All the voltage settings in my bios are on Auto and I can't change them.

 

[isamuelson]

How did you increase the voltage? All the voltage settings in my bios are on Auto and I can't change them.

Turn them off from auto in the BIOS. Depending on your BIOS and MB, there might be an option that affects more than one menu item. Without knowing your motherboard and BIOS, I can't really tell you exactly which option it is.

 

[elessar]

Turn them off from auto in the BIOS. Depending on your BIOS and MB, there might be an option that affects more than one menu item. Without knowing your motherboard and BIOS, I can't really tell you exactly which option it is.

Thanks isamuelson. I actually did find how to get them off auto (using + and -). My motherboard should be in my sig now. This is my first build so figuring out the overclocking is new. There are so many variables that can be changed. Right now I have it running through Prime95 holding stable at 3200MHz. I set my voltage to 1.395 and my multipliers to x16 and x11. Should I be changing the CPU clock up from 200MHz or just stick with changing the multipliers? MSI Control Centre is reporting my CPU temp to be 59 degrees.

This will mainly be a HTPC rig but I would like to test out a few of the new games. I can't seem to enable the Crossfire that my motherboard, onboard GPU and Sapphire HD5570 all say they support.

Anyway, thanks for looking and taking time to help.

 

[psiboy]

Hi there, I recently got the Phenom II X3 720 and while the stock performance is a big improvement over my previous P4, I wanted to try and get a little extra performance out of it. I only have the stock fan for now (sometime in the future when money is more abundant I'll spring for a better one), so I don't expect a huge improvement. So does anyone know a nice safe multiplier and speed to use for a stock-fanned 720 without risk of damaging the processor? I'm going to experiment conservatively later but It'd be nice to know the limits from other users here.

I get 3.6Ghz with stock cooler and no voltage adjustments but I have 3 extra quiet fans in the case.. so 3 in and 2 out for airflow.

 

[Wisecracker]

Thanks isamuelson. I actually did find how to get them off auto (using + and -). My motherboard should be in my sig now. This is my first build so figuring out the overclocking is new. There are so many variables that can be changed. Right now I have it running through Prime95 holding stable at 3200MHz. I set my voltage to 1.395 and my multipliers to x16 and x11. Should I be changing the CPU clock up from 200MHz or just stick with changing the multipliers? MSI Control Centre is reporting my CPU temp to be 59 degrees.

This will mainly be a HTPC rig but I would like to test out a few of the new games. I can't seem to enable the Crossfire that my motherboard, onboard GPU and Sapphire HD5570 all say they support.

Anyway, thanks for looking and taking time to help.

What multiplier did you change to '11' ?

No real need to change the HT, but you should get a nice boost from upping the IMC/NB --- 2400MHz should not be a problem at stock volts.

2600MHz at 1.2v or so should not be a problem.

 

[Mousemonkey]

This topic has been closed by Mousemonkey