How to overclock a Phenom 9750 2.4GHz processor?
- Thread starter Speedy624
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alienware
Banned
Is it a black edition? If it is then you can simply tweak the multiplier and maybe add a little voltage. The expectancy with the Phenom is around 10%. The P2s are obviously a little better due to them being 45nm so cooler in the first place.
If it isn't a black edition then you will have to go via the frontside bus.
I haven't OC my 9950 because it seems to be really good, but I have OCed my 3ghz 940 (p2 BE) to 3.4ghz by upping the multi. Oddly it was less stable with more volts but at stock voltage is fine. Any more though and the temps go wild and it will reboot after periods of time.
I read somewhere recently that running Linux allows much better OCs than when using Windows. I would imagine Windows is just terribly expectant of certain criteria from the CPU where as Linux is far less fussy (but then hey, we knew that any way !).
If it isn't a black edition then you will have to go via the frontside bus.
I haven't OC my 9950 because it seems to be really good, but I have OCed my 3ghz 940 (p2 BE) to 3.4ghz by upping the multi. Oddly it was less stable with more volts but at stock voltage is fine. Any more though and the temps go wild and it will reboot after periods of time.
I read somewhere recently that running Linux allows much better OCs than when using Windows. I would imagine Windows is just terribly expectant of certain criteria from the CPU where as Linux is far less fussy (but then hey, we knew that any way !).
To be honest i'm happy with my system even in Windoze, just want to overclock it a little to see what difference it will make. When you say "Linux allows much better OCs", do you mean the speed the processor will run at or the overclocking process?
What is "the frontside bus"?
What is "the frontside bus"?
alienware
Banned
When I say Linux allows for higher overclocks I mean yeah, faster. Windows puts a lot of heavy tasks on the CPU before you even begin and due to it's kernel (the base part of the operating system that understands your processor, x86 for 32bit and 64 bit for, well, 64 bit) being incredibly fussy if you push your CPU too far it will crash, be unstable, poop its pants etc. Linux is a lot less fussy about 100% CPU function and thus allows you to run a higher overclock and it to remain stable.
The frontside bus is how your CPU takes its base speed. Let's assume here that you have a Phenom 2 940 3ghz stock settings processor. The way it will work is like this....
FSB = 200mhz (remember, these are just examples and not exact sciences !)
Multiplier = 15x.
15 x 200 = 3000 (3000mhz or, 3 gigahertz).
Now. On a regular AMD and regular Intel CPU they come at their stock speeds and when you fit them into your motherboard, so long as the board supports them, the motherboard will automatically detect your CPU and set it to the speed the CPU wants to be at stock.
Now. AMD do a CPU called a black edition. With this CPU the multiplier will auto detect and set and so will the FSB. However, to overclock all you need to do is set the multiplier from Auto to Manual and then you can increase it. So as an example for me to reach 3.4ghz with my 3ghz CPU all I need to do is feed it more multiplications of 200mhz. Like this...
Phenom 2 940 stock settings
FSB = 200mhz
Multiplier as stock = 15x
15 x 200 = 3000 (mhz).
My overclock
FSB = 200mhz
Multiplier = 17x.
17 x 200 = 3400 (mhz) or 3.4ghz.
Now. I am at stock voltage for my CPU. I can't remember what that is now but google is your friend. Thing is, if you push too hard the CPU will become unstable. You can increase the voltage but doing so can make your edge transitors in the CPU become fuzzy. And instead of feeding 0's to the kernel in Windows they will then feed say, 1's. At which point if one of those occur Windows will either crash, become unstable or, in worst cases, die (your install will become corrupt).
Remember the above applies to a CPU that is either AMD black edition or Intel Extreme edition.
If you do not have an AMD black edition CPU then your multiplier is locked. There is then no way to increase it to make the CPU go faster. So, all you can do then is increase the frontside bus which works like this.
Let's say you have the same CPU (A phenom 2 940) but you did not have a black edition. You would then do something like this.
FSB = 220
Multiplier 15x ( locked )
220 x 15 = 3300 (mhz, or 3.3ghz)
And so on. However, increasing the front side bus usually needs more voltage to the CPU than when you are just fiddling with the multiplier.
I made a post about CPU manufacturing before, but usually the black editions are the better more stable CPUs of the run. At which point AMD will leave the multiplier unlocked and charge a little bit more for the CPU.
Intel on the other hand? well, they leave the multiplier unlocked and then rape you in the bottom.
If your AMD is not a black edition then you will have no other way to overclock it than using the FSB, and, that is a lot harder to do and more complicated than simply increasing the MP (or multiplier).
HTH !
The frontside bus is how your CPU takes its base speed. Let's assume here that you have a Phenom 2 940 3ghz stock settings processor. The way it will work is like this....
FSB = 200mhz (remember, these are just examples and not exact sciences !)
Multiplier = 15x.
15 x 200 = 3000 (3000mhz or, 3 gigahertz).
Now. On a regular AMD and regular Intel CPU they come at their stock speeds and when you fit them into your motherboard, so long as the board supports them, the motherboard will automatically detect your CPU and set it to the speed the CPU wants to be at stock.
Now. AMD do a CPU called a black edition. With this CPU the multiplier will auto detect and set and so will the FSB. However, to overclock all you need to do is set the multiplier from Auto to Manual and then you can increase it. So as an example for me to reach 3.4ghz with my 3ghz CPU all I need to do is feed it more multiplications of 200mhz. Like this...
Phenom 2 940 stock settings
FSB = 200mhz
Multiplier as stock = 15x
15 x 200 = 3000 (mhz).
My overclock
FSB = 200mhz
Multiplier = 17x.
17 x 200 = 3400 (mhz) or 3.4ghz.
Now. I am at stock voltage for my CPU. I can't remember what that is now but google is your friend. Thing is, if you push too hard the CPU will become unstable. You can increase the voltage but doing so can make your edge transitors in the CPU become fuzzy. And instead of feeding 0's to the kernel in Windows they will then feed say, 1's. At which point if one of those occur Windows will either crash, become unstable or, in worst cases, die (your install will become corrupt).
Remember the above applies to a CPU that is either AMD black edition or Intel Extreme edition.
If you do not have an AMD black edition CPU then your multiplier is locked. There is then no way to increase it to make the CPU go faster. So, all you can do then is increase the frontside bus which works like this.
Let's say you have the same CPU (A phenom 2 940) but you did not have a black edition. You would then do something like this.
FSB = 220
Multiplier 15x ( locked )
220 x 15 = 3300 (mhz, or 3.3ghz)
And so on. However, increasing the front side bus usually needs more voltage to the CPU than when you are just fiddling with the multiplier.
I made a post about CPU manufacturing before, but usually the black editions are the better more stable CPUs of the run. At which point AMD will leave the multiplier unlocked and charge a little bit more for the CPU.
Intel on the other hand? well, they leave the multiplier unlocked and then rape you in the bottom.
If your AMD is not a black edition then you will have no other way to overclock it than using the FSB, and, that is a lot harder to do and more complicated than simply increasing the MP (or multiplier).
HTH !
alienware
Banned
Oh. It is also worth mentioning that the FSB also runs the ram. So in some boards when you overclock the FSB the ram will also recieve the same. And that can kill the ram in the worst case or cause it to also become unstable.
Some boards have a function that can split the ram speed and the FSB and you simply enter the seperate figures for both, but I have only seen that on Intel boards. I don't know if such a thing exists on AMD boards however, they do have a stepping feature where you can offset the speed of the ram so that it runs slower, thus when you overclock it ends up at the right figures.
I'm not an expert on overclocking because I always felt that I would buy what I could afford and not try to push it to make it something else. However, each to their own and I know overclocking can be a fun passtime or sport
I just don't have pockets deep enough to keep fiddling with it and chancing something blowing up
Some boards have a function that can split the ram speed and the FSB and you simply enter the seperate figures for both, but I have only seen that on Intel boards. I don't know if such a thing exists on AMD boards however, they do have a stepping feature where you can offset the speed of the ram so that it runs slower, thus when you overclock it ends up at the right figures.
I'm not an expert on overclocking because I always felt that I would buy what I could afford and not try to push it to make it something else. However, each to their own and I know overclocking can be a fun passtime or sport
I just don't have pockets deep enough to keep fiddling with it and chancing something blowing up
alienware
Banned
It is a lot to take in. A good idea on learning about it is to buy a magazine. I know you can read all about it online but IMO for learning a magazine is where it's at. I have mine in the reading room (the toilet ).
About the best magazine for this is Custom PC. Of all the mags I have bought it is the best for modding and so on (they do great overclocking guides too).
And then just read and read and read !
).About the best magazine for this is Custom PC. Of all the mags I have bought it is the best for modding and so on (they do great overclocking guides too).
And then just read and read and read !
It's not really all too worth it anyways. I know from first-hand experience these chips can't go above 2.8 without some serious struggle.
And, even with that baby-sized overclock, your processor is going to heat up quite a bit.
I'd stray away from overclocking the first-gen Phenoms.
And, even with that baby-sized overclock, your processor is going to heat up quite a bit.
I'd stray away from overclocking the first-gen Phenoms.
It's not that Intel chips have better overclocking capability, I am just saying that the first-gen Phenoms were flukes. I mean, look at the X6 chips, those things clock like beasts. You also have to remember back in the day AMD had the crown over Intel.
But, I do agree that a 10-15% overclock will yield nothing worth going over stock for. You usually start seeing a noticeable difference around 500 MHz increased clock speeds.
alienware
Banned
It is because the Intels have better overclocking ability. AMD need to push the clocks on theirs to as high as they can and then market them with high clock speeds. That leaves very little overheads for overclocking. Intel can afford to leave it in, because you ARE paying for it. Price to performance AMD are no better or worse than Intel are. You just get exactly what you pay for with an AMD, nothing more, nothing less. Same goes with Intel.
When people said ZOMFG !!ONEONE THIS Q6600 GOES 800MHZ OVER STOCK EASY !!ONEONE what they didn't realise was it cost over £300 and they were paying for that ability. If not? Intel would have simply clocked it as high as they could, got it stable and charged £300 for it still. Only then people who want something for free (see - everyone on earth) would have said it was a bad overclocking chip and not bought it.
so let's take the 9750 here as an example. A reasonable OC out of a Phenom and Phenom 2 X4 is around 10-15%. AMD know that, and that's why they sell them unlocked. We know it too, we know that that's about as much as you can get on a half decent cooler. The 9750 here is 2.4ghz IIRC. If you are lucky on a half reasonable air cooler it will go to 2.7. However, why wouldn't AMD set it to 2ghz and then leave in the overheads? simply as, who in their right mind would buy a chip clocked way slower?
Sure, we could seemingly get something for nothing, but we wouldn't be. We never do.
