First time overclocker, are these results any good?

[shuman0101]

Hey guys, first time poster here from the US and I'd like to say that I LOVE tom's videos, his channel is undoubtedly the best PC tech channel on youtube. Great work tom, you're an inspiration to us all.

Now, back on track, I have a Phenom x6 1045T that I got for just 90$ ( 55 pounds) and I've been trying to get a decent overclock out of it. My motherboard is a Gigabyte 990FXA UD3 and the CPU cooler is a Hyper 212 evo P/P. With a lot of help from the excellent people over at overclock.net I've managed to get my CPU up to 3.75 ghz from the stock 2.7, after weeks of stability testing and different settings. It was pretty hard because this chip has a locked multiplier and my motherboard doesn't seem to like FSB overclocking. I'll post the validation here, would love to hear your expert opinions/ criticisms. B)

http://valid.canardpc.com/show_oc.php?id=2637824

P.S I might even push it to 3.9 ghz, seeing as how my max temp after 12 hours of prime was just 61C, which is a good 10*C below the rated max for this chip.

 

[cronic5]

That is a pretty standard overclock for that chip. It isn't breaking any records, but it's not a bad overclock.

Although personally for me, 61C is a little warm. I always give myself at least 15C of breathing room between the "rated" max, and what I run on a load. Then again, I am regularly running my CPU cores at 80%+ load.

 

[shuman0101]

Thanks oh, I know it's not breaking any records, wasn't intending to anyway

I game a lot on this rig so my CPU runs at about 95+% load for most of the time, highest temp ever while gaming was 45°C for the socket (34.5°C core). Do you run it 24/7? because my temps never even come close to the max I got in prime.

 

[B NEGATIVE]

Ideally,you want to keep that chip below 55c,Phenoms are known for stability issues over 55c.

 

[dragoonk]

Nice work with the overclock, that's a big jump from stock to 3.7GHz on a CPU with a locked multiplier. If you're gonna push the overclock, careful with those temps, although in apps and games you shouldn't worry too much about the temps.
Good Luck!

 

[cronic5]

Thanks oh, I know it's not breaking any records, wasn't intending to anyway

I game a lot on this rig so my CPU runs at about 95+% load for most of the time, highest temp ever while gaming was 45°C for the socket (34.5°C core). Do you run it 24/7? because my temps never even come close to the max I got in prime.

This rig I have in my signature is a daily system. Not used for more than browsing, compiling code, and gaming. It rarely runs at more than 40% load, except when gaming.

The system I have that runs a much higher load, is my folding rig. All it does is fold and it's pretty much running 80% or higher 24/7.

Also, like B NEGATIVE said, even though the max rated temp is is higher than 61C, keep in mind that the Phenom II chips don't do too well under high heat. Even though that is the temperature you run under stress in Prime, it is always a good idea to give yourself safe breathing room in case the next great game comes out and you are playing it non stop with high heat. If you don't ever reach those temps in even the most intense gaming, you should be fine.

Personally I just like to run cooler temperatures if not for anything but to extend the life of the chip, and for my own personal satisfaction.

 

[shuman0101]

Thanks for the replies, and I understand about phenoms not being that stable over 55C, I've heard from a couple of other people as well. Do you think I should dial my OC down a bit to about 3.5 ?

I don't know if BF3 multiplayer classifies as "intense gaming" ( although according to openhwmonitor all my cores are at about 99% usage during), but the max core temp I've seen so far is 35C.

 

[cronic5]

In that case you'll be fine with what you're running. 35C on a typical daily load is excellent.

Some people out there like to think that Prime95 temps are all that matter. The truth is, unless you plan to be running nothing but benchmarks, the temps there aren't that important. Realistic usage temps are what REALLY matter.