Overclocking How much is too much

[KrEaToR]

Hi, OK so i'm here for a little advice I have just brought the Asetek KT12A-L30 (Triple 120mm fan radiator). My prob is that i want to overclock my AMD 64 3200+ (Venice) but i don't know how far to go. I have ago at overclocking it last night and i was successful, the only problem is, is that my cpu seems to be one of the stubben one's that won't overclock with out to bang the VCore right up. OK so heres what i had outta it last night HTT 390x3 Chipset @ 1.6V. Multiplier x9 = 2610mhz @ 1.65V <<<<<<thats my problem. My voltage has to be high to get anything outta it. BUT this is where i get confused. I want to take my voltage high as my temps are so low, while sitting at 2610 mhz @1.65V my idle temp is 33c and full load with prime95 is 50c.

SOOOO. Am i safe to push the voltage higher? or is 1.65V already too high? should i down clock? Please help.

Many thanks in advance

P.S incase you need my system temp it is 29c and my room temp is 24c.

[Trippledence]

As long as the temps are ok then it should be too much of a problem, but rember there are other componets assosiated with voltage on the mobo. As you put it up they could be getting hotter.

[Dav0s]

careful with the voltage...

that is fine, you just need more patience,

lots of memory tweaks are needed for these rev e cpu's.

loosen ram timings for a start, what are they atm?

also i assume you mean your HTT is 290 not 390. kinda had me worrying for a sec

to get the best overclock firstly clock down your ram to the lowest divider you can set and see how high your cpu will go. once you have the point where your cpu tops out work on getting your ram to go 1:1 with the HTT. this is the difficult part.

any more advice just ask

[arthurleung]

Anything higher than 1.65V is pretty dangerous already. High voltage actually damages the circuit.

If may be just your venice is not fit enough. My Venice 3000+ only requires 1.425V to run 2.7Ghz. Your CPU is not as fit as others, if you really want to invest, try to get another CPU and have a try. Even if you push 3V, the processor won't go any higher (if ignoring the fact that it will be dead at 3V), since it reached its limit already.

50'C is not what you call low, that is pretty much "moderate" already.

[KrEaToR]

OK, I have a new overclock now as i wasn't happy with a VCore of 1.65V. So my new OC is now HTT@300x3, multiplier x8.5, Core speed 2550Mhz with a VCore of 1.525V (That Voltage safe now?). I have 1gb of ram which i am upgrading to 2gb so for better speed/timings, but at the mo my memory is running at 232Mhz ........ 3.0/3/3/8 <<<<(upgrading soon).

The system is rock stable and my temps are.

CPU......31C Idle.......47C Full Load (Prime95)

System temp 29C

I don't see this as a bad overclock though, considering i have a "unfit" processor. What do you guys think?

Hopefully this will tide me other till i get my 3500+ Venice, then let the overclocking commence. (Hopefully )

Thanks for the replies

[Dav0s]

dont be so quick to assume you have a bad cpu, they require time and effort. you cant just tel it to overclock and expect it to automatically shoot to 3ghz. there is no way you have found your max overclock after a day of tweaking.

work on getting that multi to 9, that should tide you over for the next few hours

[herulach]

OK, I have a new overclock now as i wasn't happy with a VCore of 1.65V. So my new OC is now HTT@300x3, multiplier x8.5, Core speed 2550Mhz with a VCore of 1.525V (That Voltage safe now?). I have 1gb of ram which i am upgrading to 2gb so for better speed/timings, but at the mo my memory is running at 232Mhz ........ 3.0/3/3/8 <<<<(upgrading soon).

The system is rock stable and my temps are.

CPU......31C Idle.......47C Full Load (Prime95)

System temp 29C

I don't see this as a bad overclock though, considering i have a "unfit" processor. What do you guys think?

Hopefully this will tide me other till i get my 3500+ Venice, then let the overclocking commence. (Hopefully )

Thanks for the replies

Seems good, you wont see much more out of a 3200 venice though, since all rev E chips seem to have about the same headroom, the only advantage youd have is if your board is holding your HTT back, in which case changing to a new proc isnt the way to go about fixing it.

Also, how are you planning on getting better timings ouf of 2GB ram? Youll be pushed to find 1GB sticks with better timings than that, and if your going 4x512 then youre probably gonna have to drop to 2T, which is a big hit.

Not saying you shouldnt upgrade, just do it for the right reasons.

[KrEaToR]

Sorry to sound dumb but how do i work on getting the multiplier to 9 when i don't wont to increase my VCore anymore? If i put the multiplier to 9 it would boot but when i reach windows or run prime95 my system would lock up, normal way to reslove this is to increase VCore, but its already at 1.525V i would probably go upto 1.55V as i feel this is safe with watercooling.


So what you saying then? that i could get my core speed upto the 2700mhz mark without dangerously high VCore needed? If so please tell me how to go about doing this.

[arthurleung]

Did you try 260x10 with a 5/6 memory divider? If that couldn't get you >2.6Ghz, it would look like it is the max of your Venice.

[herulach]

Sorry to sound dumb but how do i work on getting the multiplier to 9 when i don't wont to increase my VCore anymore? If i put the multiplier to 9 it would boot but when i reach windows or run prime95 my system would lock up, normal way to reslove this is to increase VCore, but its already at 1.525V i would probably go upto 1.55V as i feel this is safe with watercooling.


So what you saying then? that i could get my core speed upto the 2700mhz mark without dangerously high VCore needed? If so please tell me how to go about doing this.

You need to figure out whats holding you back, it might be ram, it might be board, might be cpu. Just upping your multi 9 wont work, id be amazed if it did, since thats basically adding 150mhz all at once. Only older Venices were truely fantastic at overclocking, newer ones are slightly worse. If you want to get a 9 multi youll need to drop your HTT some, drop it back down to say 250x9 then work your way up from there.

[KrEaToR]

so if i do 250x9, what voltages done i use? what increasments do i go at? My motherboard shouldn't be holding my back as its a ABIT Fatal1ty SLi, but my ram could well be holding me back.

But when u all keep saying, run it at this ratio and that ratio, i can't select it like that i.e 1:1.....5:6, my board doesn't have that opition (i dont think) the only thing i can select in the memory option is ddr 200 ddr266 ddr333 ddr400 ect <(they are my ratios??)

Any review on overclocking properly?, i have never done it this way i have usually just put in the number and gone straight to what i won't. Please help me i'm so confuseddd

[Dav0s]

ddr400 = 1:1

a64 overclocking is a long and annoying process. dont expect it to be easy.

[herulach]

My advice, dont do anything until youve read a lot more. Theres no such thing as too much voltage, its just how much youre willing to risk, youll also find that above a certain threshold you see 0 gains.

Go read this (all of it, i know its huge) and this (only first 3 posts are really relevant).

You should have a much deeper insight into what you need to be doing, by all means ask questions, but they cover pretty much everything you could ever want to know, and its set out very well and pretty simply.

[KrEaToR]

ok done abit of tweaking and i'm now at 2600mhz with a VCore of 1.55V as opposed to the 1.65V i had b4, is it ok to run my HTT at odd speeds like 306...309 ect ect??

These 64bit cpu's are funny old things lol

[herulach]

ok done abit of tweaking and i'm now at 2600mhz with a VCore of 1.55V as opposed to the 1.65V i had b4, is it ok to run my HTT at odd speeds like 306...309 ect ect??

These 64bit cpu's are funny old things lol

That puts you distinctly in the middle of the pack on Eclipse table, so id be pretty happy with that, since theres only 4 clocks higher than yours on there. If you want to keep pushing you should be safe up to about 1.6 ish on water, but dont come crying if something goes pop