overclock help for amd x4 630.

[crossy82]

Hi all,
Just built my 1st rig,only a cheapo,items are below;
AMD Athlon x4 630 @2.8Ghz,
Gigabyte GA-M68M-S2P motherboard,
Crucial Ballistix 2X1Gb @800Mhz,
no added graphics card.
running windows xp pro.

All was fine,build was easy,had researched all i could an was fine.Then i decided to do my 1st overclock from 2.8Ghz to 3.1Ghz,i managed this in 10 minutes with knowledge plucked from internet.I raised FSB from 200Mhz to 215Mhz,left v-core alone as on stock cooler,everything was smooth for 2 weeks,no problems,EasyTune6 showed that temps were no higher and i was running between 36C-39C.Yesterday though i started up computer an got this message in P.O.S.T.WARNING-SYSTEM START IN SAFE MODE-PLEASE RESET CPU VALUES.This had not appeared before.I reset values an all was fine,then i clocked back up an tried booting,no problem.i kept repeating an its only sometimes but it says i need to reset values again.Has anyone encountered this before?As far as i can work out my components have not been damaged by my minor overclock.

Please help.Thankyou.

[Ulti]

This would mean that your system is not actually stable. Have you actually tested the overclocks though? When you overclock you should test if it is stable. With CPU overclocking I'd advise you to either use Prime95 or IntelBurnTest, personally I prefer Prime95. Use small FTTs and test it for at least 30 mins at least to test overclocks and a few hours for total stability. If you overclock memory then use memtest to test out the memory.

[crossy82]

No,I dont have Prime95 yet but am planning on getting,as i am building a AMD 965 rig at the moment.I left memory timings as i have'nt researched that yet.Do you think i've caused any damage to any components,or will they be fine?At the moment i am at 2.993 Ghz,seems fine,am i ok to leave it there or go back to 2.8 Ghz?I was thinking my mobo not really a good candidate for overclocking niether.All components are being replaced for new build,even the case.

Thankyou for your help,much appreciated.

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

You should have gone for the AM2+ version of the MSI 770-C45 for under £50:

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/175765

Alternatively one of the 780G or 785G motherboards would have been better for overclocking IMHO.

AFAIK, the nForce 630a chipset is not the best one for overclocking.

[scaryjim]

I have a similar problem trying to run an unlocked Sempron 140 (or Athlon x2 4400e, as it's known when unlocked!) undervolted on a ASUS 785G motherboard - it intermittently fails on boot.

As others have said, it's because the overclock is not stable (unsurprising really - your motherboard is not likely to give you a good overclock as it's a budget offering) and the most likely way to resolve that is to increase the cpu voltage a notch or two - my problem doesn't occur at stock voltage, only when undervolting.

You're unlikely to have damaged any components with such a small overclock, but if you really want to try to keep that overclock stable you are going to have to feed the CPU a little more voltage. If you fancy doing that on a stock cooler, then your only other realistic option is to keep everything running at stock speeds.

[crossy82]

hmm...think i'll leave it,gonna give it to the misses as i'm building a stronger system at the mo.its ok for what she needs.the new build is gonna be;
amd phenom x4 965be 3.4ghz,
asrock 890gx extreme3 mobo(good overclocker apparently)
4gb ballistix tracer ram @1600mhz,
tuniq tower 120 extreme,
1tb samsung spinpoint f3,
in xclio a380plus case.
gonna tint side window,full uv cables and lighting,maybe paint inside black,depends on what it looks like with just the tint really.

[crossy82]

lol,i was a bit niave,was 1st build an just picked cheap components to save time,now i'm learning patience is key to a good build.