Underclock ram or overclock cpu?

[Liquid_Daze]

Hey guys, i got
fx 8320 (with cooler master tx3 evo)
m5a97 evo r2.0
g skill 2 x 4gb 2133mhz cl11
should i underclock my ram or overclock my cpu? N how should i go forward doing either?

 

[mnineseven]

Why would you want to underclock your RAM?
And also, the 8320 doesn't have an unlocked multiplier, so there is no use going in that direction.

 

[maddogfargo]

Why would you want to underclock your RAM?
And also, the 8320 doesn't have an unlocked multiplier, so there is no use going in that direction.

Yes, the FX 8320 does have an unlocked multiplier.

2133 RAM is fast for apps, but yields little result over 1600 or 1866 in gaming. I would underclock the ram to 1800-1866 and try to tighten the latency and timings. Better performance overall and lower ram temps/voltages.

I would also OC the CPU to 4.2-4.4 on air. Look for where your voltage sweet spot is for your given chip.


Here is a great guide, one of the best I've found:

http://www.overclock.net/t/1140459/bulldozer-overclocking-guide-performance-scaling-charts-max-ocs-ln2-results-coming


Also download and read the official AMD tweak guide:

http://sites.amd.com/us/Documents/AMD_FX_Performance_Tuning_Guide.pdf


Tom's also has a recent FX article worth reading. They make some very good points about finding the sweet spot for efficiency + performance. Sometimes, getting that extra 200 MHz out of a CPU isn't worth the voltage and temperature bump.

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/amd-fx-8370e-cpu,3929.html