What would hold back a system on overclocking my CPU

[Forgetfull]

I have a Phenom II 810 and I can only get it to 3.13 GHZ's before I get a BSOD during Windows XP loading. The V-Core at 3.13GHZ's is only at 1.31 Volts but the max V-Core is 1.425 for this CPU. I have heard the CPU can easily hit 3.4GHZ's but I would be happy if I could get it to 3.2GHZ's. Could yall tell me if I may be doing something wrong or not.Thanks.

 

[Shadow703793]

Increase vCore

 

[photonboy]

Not all CPU's of the same name perform identically. They vary. And yes, if you want to overclock you need to increase vCore at some point.

Some crashes are RAM related. Depending on the system, when you overclock the CPU you are also overclocking the RAM. You may need to drop the frequency of the RAM before overclocking.

For example, I dropped my RAM from 400Mhz to 333MHz. I then managed to overclock my CPU by 20% so my RAM is back up to 400MHz. They share a common reference clock.

Another tool is the Task Manager (CTRL-ALT-DEL). Run this while playing a game for at least 5 minutes. If the CPU never hits 100% (you can see its history) then you are limited by your graphics card and further overclocking your CPU will make no difference.

 

[Forgetfull]

My ASUS M3N78-VM mainboard auto adjust my V-Core when I overclock. But I will try and lower my Ram Speed and see what that does. Thanks.

 

[jedimasterben]

Don't let it auto adjust Vcore. Manually set it in the BIOS. They aren't meant to figure out exactly what the system needs, but only to get it generally stable for MILD overclocks. Set it manually to 1.35 and see the difference it makes.

Good luck!

 

[Forgetfull]

I havn't figured out how to set it manually yet. I haved tried to figure it out but all I can due is what they call over volt it in my bios.

 

[mindless728]

@1.3v i am hitting 3.5GHz with that cpu, so you probably need more volts

though mine needs a bit of low voltage to run, 1.175v stock speed stable

 

[unclefester]

Are you running the manufactures recommended voltage to your memory?

 

[Forgetfull]

I don't know. I can adjust the memory voltage either. It only asks in the bios to overvolt it just like the CPU.

 

[usspacelabs]

What is your power supply and cooling solution like? Until I upgraded my power supply I could not get a over 3.3GHZ without a lockup or BSOD.

 

[Forgetfull]

I have a Corsair 650 Watt PSU with four high CFM 120MM fans.

 

[photonboy]

I can't stress enough to use the Task Manager to monitor your CPU usage. If you don't hit 100% when gaming then you are NOT limited by your CPU and you are creating a more unstable system and reducing the lifespan of your CPU for no benefit.

Games vary. For example, I have an X2-4800+ overclocked by 20% and a stock HD3870 512MB graphics card. In 90% of the games, I am NOT limited by the CPU and it averages close to 80% usage meaning my overclock really isn't affecting these games at all.

In Batman Arkham Asylum and Mass Effect both of the cores run at 100% which means I need a better CPU, but it is also the reason I overclocked otherwise I would not have done so. Both games do run smoother but a slightly better system (and PhysX for Batman) would drastically improve things.

FWIW, Batman AA is a truly awesome game. I'll play it again when i upgrade.