# Ultimate Overclocking Guide



## DeathONator

The Process/Theory of OVERCLOCKING!

You should check out this thread to see what kind of overclocks to expect, and what core you have (if you don't already know).

Overclocking Basics:
CPU Speed = FSB x The Multiplier. Note: that a system clocked at 210 x 10 = 2100mhz will perform better than the same system clocked at 200 x 10.5 = 2100mhz. This is because your FSB affects not only your CPU, but your motherboard and memory as well. But because you're also overclocking your motherboard and memory, these components can limit your max FSB. Your motherboard may be able to run at 220mhz FSB, but if your memory can only run at 200mhz, then that's where you're FSB overclock is going to have to stop (unless you buy better RAM). It is also possible that your motherboard will stop you before anything else does. When overclocking hardware for the first time, it's a good idea to find out how fast each component can run individually. Due to concerns w/ the PCI bus, sometimes this can be a bigger challenge for those w/ out a nForceII chipset. If you do not find your max overclock for each component, when you hit a wall, it will be harder to deduce what is holding you back. Here is the general process of overclocking your CPU/mobo/memory. The options you have in your BIOS totally depends on your chipset, motherboard make/model, and sometime your BIOS version. Your options may just be named differently or you may not have them. It's up to you to learn how to use your BIOS. Use google and/or your manual to figure out how. If you don't have the options you want... buy a new mobo.









Finding the max FSB for your motherboard:
1) Insure you have good or sufficient cooling for your CPU!
2) Boot into your BIOS settings by hitting the delete key whiling your computer is starting up. On some mobos you use a different key. If del doesn't work, search google.
3) Lower your multiplier to a low setting (5-8).
4) Raise your memory timings, and/or change your CPU/memory ratio so that your memory's FSB is always at/below it's rated speed. This should insure that your memory won't be limiting your FSB, just your mobo.
5) Disable useless BIOS features (depends on your mobo, but CPU speed spectrum, throttling are common ones).
6) Increase your mobo's voltage (vdd) as high as you safely can. Most motherboards don't allow you to increase your vdd more than is safe (1.6v-1.7v or higher w/ a decent northbridge heatsink). When in doubt search Google.
7) Increase your system FSB to 10-15mhz above its rated speed. Always make sure your PCI bus speed isn't too high before you SAVE and exit your BIOS.
8) Then see if you can boot into your operating system. If your computer boots into your OS, and doesn't restart, or lock-up, increase the FSB by another 10-15mhz.
9) Continue until your computer reboots unexpectedly, or locks-up. When this happens go back into your BIOS and lower your FSB by maybe 5mhz and try again (if that doesn't work, lower it some more).
10) If you tried a FSB high enough, you may not be able to get back into your BIOS to lower your settings. In this case, you have to use the jumper located near the battery and CMOS chip of your motherboard. Move the jumper from its current pins, to the only other possible position. Then after about 5 seconds, move it back to it's original location. If you don't have one of these jumpers, take out your battery for 1 hour or so and then put it back in. You will now be back at default settings. So you must reset everything to where you were just before you hit trouble.
11) Once you are back into your OS open prime95 (which you have already downloaded and installed from here). Then start the "torture test." This will test your system for stability. Since we're only testing out the mobo, once torture test has ran continuously for 4 hours with zero errors/reboots/lock-ups, your FSB is stable. If you get an error or crash, lower your FSB by 1mhz or 2mhz. When running the torture test, check your CPU's temperature. It shouldn't be above 45C MAX since you lowered your multiplier and is probably running below stock clock speed. As mentioned earlier use a program like MotherBoard Monitor to monitor your uhh... motherboard.
12) You now know and can now write down your motherboard's max FSB

Finding your memory's max FSB:
1) Go back into your BIOS.
2) Change your CPU/memory ratio to 1:1 (A.K.A.: 1, 1/1, 3/3. 4/4, 5/5, etc).
3) Increase your memory voltage to the max you're willing to run it at (SAFE: 2.8v; MAX: 3.1v).
4) Adjust your memory timings to 2.0-2-2-6 (The last value is up to you. 5-8 should be good, but many nforceII motherboards run better when the last value is 11).
5) First, try your memory's stock FSB. You should try your stock speed first because 2.0-2-2-x might be lower than your memory's recommended timings. Then continue to find your memory's max FSB just like you did w/ the mobo. Now if you work your way back up to your mobo's max FSB, and your system is stable, then you know your memory can do a higher FSB than your mobo; but you won't be able to find out what that is with out a higher clocking mobo.
6) The best memory stability testing program is Memtest86. You should unzip the downloaded file to a floppy/CD, then boot to that floppy/CD in order to start the test. Prime95 will also test your memory. Use both if you wish.
7) Now you have found your memory's max FSB w/ the memory timings 2.0-2-2-x. Test your bandwidth using SiSoftware Sandra's "Memory Bandwidth Benchmark." Depending on a lot of factors, you may have better overall performance w/ the timings 2.0-3-3-x. (or higher). You should definitely be able to reach a higher FSB w/ these timings than you did w/ 2.0-2-2-x. So set your memory timings to 2.0-3-3 and test some more! Once you find this max FSB, test your bandwidth again w/ SiSoftware Sandra, and see which settings yielded the higher score. You can continue to test 2.0-3-2-x, 2.0-2-3-x and whatever other timings you want, or settle on using the one you have already found to work the best thus far.

Finding your max CPU clock speed:
Before we continue, I must say that the important thing is to find the best multi and FSB combination, not necessarily the highest CPU clock speed. Though it is nice to know what the max clock speed is for your chip/cooling. The *best* combo will depend on which program(s) you want your system to run better on. For your final overclock settings you want your FSB *and* CPU clock speed to be as close to their maximum's as possible. A system running at 230mhz x 10 = 2300mhz might perform similar to the same system at 210mhz x 11.5 = 2415mhz. You lost 20mhz FSB but gained 115mhz clock speed. Which one is better depends on whether you're running a CPU intensive application or a "system" intensive application. This is similar to when we found the best memory timing and memory FSB combination. To find out which combo works better: Use a program to benchmark your system such as 3DMark01 SE, or play a game while monitoring your frames per second (FPS). Note: the following instructions assume you have found your mobo and memory max FSB. To get started w/ the CPU:

1) Enter your BIOS yet again. Set your FSB to something around 40mhz below your mobo's/memory's max FSB.
2) Go into the "monitoring" section of your BIOS. See what the vcc/vcore reading is when your vcc voltage is set to "auto." Depending on the quality of your power supply, the reading may be slightly under what it's suppose to be. But from this reading you should be able to tell your stock voltage.
3) You can then either first find your max overclock w/ stock voltage, or you can up your voltage right away to find your max stable clock speed for that given voltage. When overclocking you should never allow your CPU to get above 55C (not above 48C is better), nor increase your voltage by more than 25% from its normal voltage (when using air cooling). Feel free to play around w/ higher voltages (25%-32%) for very short term usage. But for daily use, 25% is pushing it.
4) After deciding/setting your voltage, increase your multiplier one setting. Save and exit BIOS.
5) See if you can boot into your OS. If so, continue increasing the multi by *one setting*, until you cannot get into your OS. Once you can't, lower the multi back a setting. Then run Prime95's torture test. If you get an error/crash while Prime95ing lower your FSB some and try again. If you pass for 12hours or more, increase your FSB. You should now be close to your maximum clock speed. Now to consider your overclock 100% stable, you should be able to run the torture test w/ out any errors/reboots/lock-ups for 12-24hours.
6) Now find your best FSB/multiplier combination and your set! Congrats on the overclock! Now go upgrade whatever is slowing you down, and do it again! The nice thing about finding all your max speeds is that if you upgrade say your memory, you already know what your motherboard and CPU can do.


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## DeathONator

Now that you've hit your CPU wall. I should tell you that your power supply (PSU) can also limit your overclock as well. If you CPU's voltage is fluctuating alot, your CPU will not be stable. Your vcore fluctuates because your power supply either dosn't have enough power to keep it at the desired level or is too poorly made to keep your voltages at the that level despite how much power it can output. That is why it is important for overclockers to buy good PSUs. To see if your PSU might be the problem, go into your BIOS or use Motherboard Monitor to keep an eye on the voltages. Vcore shouldn't range by more than say 0.07v. Your 3.3v, 5v, and 12v shouldn't jump all over the place or be under/over their ideal voltage by more than 2.5% MAX. BIOS readings aren't always accurate. To test your 5v and 12v lines, test a molex connector using a multimeter. Need more info? Haven't you learned already... Google.com!!

If you have any suggestions for this guide (something isnâ€™t clear, is inaccurate, grametically sucks, I have a broken link, or you have something to add), PLEASE let me know!! Overclocking is 90% luck... Good luck!


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## blink

I'm using a ALbatron 865PE PRO mobo. I can change the FSB easily but i can't change the Multiplier. It is all greyed out. IS there anywhere in the BIOS i can change it or is it that my mobo doesn't support them?


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## DeathONator

What CPU do you have? It is possible it is your CPU that is locked and won't let you change the multi. All newer barton CPUs are multiplier locked.


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## Crash

12,910 Views for this thread. Holy *****. DeathONator, you are the man!!!!!


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## The Duke

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Crash*
12,910 Views for this thread. Holy *****. DeathONator, you are the man!!!!!










He's no slouch







and the band played on







so







to all the greats in this forum too!!!


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## Michael

Super-Duper-Moderator

Thanks for your time and your help. The link was useful. If there is a more system specific recipe type info out there, that would be very appreciated.

Asus GeForce 6600 128MB AGP 8X
140845 CORSAIR 3200 512 cas2 MEG DDR CMX512-3200C2PT
AMD Athlon 64 3700+, Socket 754 nVidia nforce3 250Gb


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## nikhilb2008

Quote:


Originally Posted by *DeathONator*
Now that you've hit your CPU wall. I should tell you that your power supply (PSU) can also limit your overclock as well. If you CPU's voltage is fluctuating alot, your CPU will not be stable. Your vcore fluctuates because your power supply either dosn't have enough power to keep it at the desired level or is too poorly made to keep your voltages at the that level despite how much power it can output. That is why it is important for overclockers to buy good PSUs. To see if your PSU might be the problem, go into your BIOS or use Motherboard Monitor to keep an eye on the voltages. Vcore shouldn't range by more than say 0.07v. Your 3.3v, 5v, and 12v shouldn't jump all over the place or be under/over their ideal voltage by more than 2.5% MAX. BIOS readings aren't always accurate. To test your 5v and 12v lines, test a molex connector using a multimeter. Need more info? Haven't you learned already... Google.com!!

If you have any suggestions for this guide (something isnâ€™t clear, is inaccurate, grametically sucks, I have a broken link, or you have something to add), PLEASE let me know!! Overclocking is 90% luck... Good luck!

Hey Deathonator,

Really cool guide. But I want to know what the maximum vcore voltage setting my Winchester 3200+ can take. I have already increased it to 1.504 from 1.472.

And abt the fluctuating voltage, mine used to usually go between 1.472 and 1.456. Now, it goes between 1.488 and 1.504. IS that OK????

Thanks a lot!!!


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## zokus

That seems to be about the same flux as before. It's prolly due to a not quite good enough power supply. They should be alright tho. And as for max, maybe 1.6-1.7 should be the max, but that really all depends on your cooling situation.


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## DeathONator

Right, max voltage depends on cooling. But generaly, if you have good air cooling, you can increase it up to 20% of the stock voltage. So for you that would be 1.76v. So I'd say up to 1.75 should be fine. But that is if you have a GOOD heatsink. If not, then don't go above 1.70.


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## Kipper

quick question though, MBM5 gives me 40 load at 1.8 should i go higher or should i not?


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## The_Manual

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Finnisher*
quick question though, MBM5 gives me 40 load at 1.8 should i go higher or should i not?

You can go higher temp wise. Your temps are fine, 55C is the max you want to have though.


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## harmonicgenerator007

i have a question if you ctrl+alt+del and go to processes and end all unnessicary process will this in time like decrease your cpu temp because its not doing as much?


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## Zipnogg

I think those are all the processes that are required to have your comp. running properly.. like Windows XP components, current programs ur using right now...

you might find some spyware in the processes, but if I were you, I'd leave them alone (quit any spyware you find though, and run a scan in safe mode).


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## Ensavier

Quick question about the guide, new to overclocking. Is the proc temp of 48 degrees while the cpu is running at max speed or while it is idle? thanks in advance.


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## zokus

48 while running idle is too hot. 48 degrees while running your CPU at max is safe.


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## DeathONator

That is while the CPU is at full load. Butit is a conservative max. On a really hot day I don't care too much if a CPU gets up to 50C-51C. But that usually means it's time for me to do some dusting.


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## reggie

I have a SEMPRON 2200 (333MHZ), can I overclocked the motherboard K7VT4A PRO jumper into 400MHZ without damaging my unit and then I will overclock on my BIOS at 200MHZ. FOR MY MEMORY at max DDR400, can I set on BIOS at 400? Please advise


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## DeathONator

Your motherboard and memory should deffinately be able to do it fine. What may or may not is your CPU. Your Sempron has its multiplier locked at 9. So you're increasing the stock speed of 166x9=1494mhz to 200x9=1800mhz. I think you should be able to make that overclock, but you MAY have to increase your voltage (maybe .05-.01v just see what works/what doesn't). If you are on a stock heatsink, just be careful that temps don't increase over 45-50C (AND THAT IS WHEN THE CPU IS AT 100% WORKING LOAD, NOT IDLE).


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## The Duke

Quote:


Originally Posted by *harmonicgenerator007*
i have a question if you ctrl+alt+del and go to processes and end all unnessicary process will this in time like decrease your cpu temp because its not doing as much?

If you disabled any NONVITAL process YES...BUT it won't actually mater because under FULL load you do not want to excede MAX recommended temps so a few extra in the background don't matter much when the CPU is not under load!
Here is a what and how to on various services w/XP SP2!
fresh_link


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## CalsonicSky

27,542 views





















you are "the" man


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## demol1sh3d

Good job


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## ENTERPRISE

This should be made into an FAQ mate...good one !!!


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## Frost

before i even attempt this during the weekend, i would like to ask if anyone could tell me something. First of all i have a Gigabyte K8 triton (GA-K8NSC-939) with an AMD Athlon 64 3000+ (runs at stock of 1800) code named Venice and 1 gig (2 512 chips) of kny ddr400 ram. What i want to know mainly is, how much can i up the cpu speed, with a stock cpu fan, and 2 extra fans (i have another fan blowing air out the back and one blowing it frontwards that i bought years ago from my old system) no money right now for special cooling as i spent all on the mobo/cpu/memory. Does anyone know specificly how much higher it can suport without needing excess cooling? or will i HAVE to play with it to find out?


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## mtw

You only need to take the battery off for 15 minutes to get the needed affect, not an hour. Tried after 15 mins on my friends computer and it worked again. Just thought i'd share that









- mtw


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## Zipnogg

5~10min. works as well but w/e..... he's the one who made the FAQ. He the MAN!


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## wheelie182

hi all,

Just wanted to ask about watercooling, my amd 3700 is up to 2.8ghz now, about 48c on load, but if i go any higher my computer becomes unstable, but i noticed that people can only achieve overclocks of 3ghz plus with water cooling, i dont understand how they can only do this with water cooling because, i thought that you could go up to 55c on load, but my temps are 48c on load, and i still cant get any higher than 2.8ghz, how will water cooling make a difference?

will your processor have a bigger max fsb when at 15c, to say 45c?


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## DeathONator

No, your max bus probably won't change (unless you weren't at your max bus to begin with due to limits on CPU frequency/clock speed and not being able to change the multiplier). The big advantage with better cooling is that you can run your CPU with a higher voltage while not having extreme temps and not damaging your chip. The higher voltage will allow your CPU to run at a higher frequency (clock speed). If there was someone who had a mobo where they couldn't change the CPU voltage (vcore) or were already at their mobo's max vcore, watercooling probably won't help.


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## wheelie182

Ok, thanks, do you think that i should be able to push my san diego 3700 to 2.7v?

obviosly with heat you could monitor it and shut down if it was to hot,

but is there any way you could monitor voltage, i mean if i was to blow the chip with to much voltage, would i get any warnings signs before, eg crashing or screen twitches, where i could quickly shut the system down, or would it simply just stop functioning in one go and that would be the end of it?


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## DeathONator

There aren't really any tell tell signs that your voltage is too high besides temperatures and stability. Generally a chip won't stop functioning right away unless you do something drastic. More often then not the chip just doesn't last as long as it normally would (ie. only lasts 5 years instead of 10 years). I'm not familiar with your chip, but 2.7v would be too high (if you mobo can even increase the voltage that high). A general rule is: Don't increase your voltage by more than about 18% from stock with good air cooling, and don't increase by more than 25% with good watercooling. Of course if your temps are getting above 53C or there abouts, then you're too high.


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## nosebleed

I've got an Athlon64 3000+ Venice (1.8GHz and 1GHz FSB)... on an MSI K8N Neo4-F. So far this board seems to QUITE excellent for overclocking. I've tweaked my FSB to 300 with an HT multiplier of x3 (default is 200 x 5) and I've left the CPU multiplier at x9 (which is the default, and highest)... therefore I have a CPU speed of 2.7GHz and bus speed of 900MHz (as opposed to 1.8GHz CPU, and 1000MHz bus speed) and I also adjusted my vcore from the default of 1.4v to 1.6v (although it fluctuated from 1.57 to 1.58, and sometimes up to 1.62... not sure if this is normal). Now as for my temperature... yes it certainly has gone up... I ran the Prime95 maximum heat torture test and it doesn't go any higher than 52C (I'm using the AMD stock cooler, which works well, but is annoyingly loud at full speed). At idle it hangs at around 40C-42C.

I'm just wondering if these settings are safe, I haven't thoroughly tested them... but I'm not sure if I need a higher vcore, or maybe I should step the CPU multi down to x8.5 or x8 to be safe.

Any suggestions appreciated?


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## studhudson69

i have a hp celeron proc.700 with a 128 megs of ram can i overclock thid thing?


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## Kipper

Quote:



Originally Posted by *studhudson69*

i have a hp celeron proc.700 with a 128 megs of ram can i overclock thid thing?


 lol u beat my secondary rig by 33mhz.
Anyways, you CAN overclock your CPU in 2 ways:
1. Flash your BIOS (most likely not possible for you, so ignore this option)
2. Use software to overclock (may not work, but it is worth a shot). Try to find some software that allows you to overclock over the internet (sadly, I cannot name a few off the top of my head).


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## llango

hello everyone! i have problems with my amd bartom 3000, the system don't let change my multipler fsb. the stock multipler is 10.5 x 200, i think my processor is blocked for this, i alread raise my fsb to 212 mor than that and my sistem go unstable.what do i do?


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## The Duke

It is most likely locked... they have been for a long time now! 
Thats a respectabel OC! 
Please start a new thread on your OCing... 
I'd be glad to help with what I know.


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## llango

Quote:



Originally Posted by *The Duke*

It is most likely locked... they have been for a long time now! 
Thats a respectabel OC! 
Please start a new thread on your OCing... 
I'd be glad to help with what I know.


 well the duke, i put some new information for help us to help me ^_- and

now after read the information off overcloking in this forum, i can't or don't no
a way to change my memory timings, my mobo don't give my this option, because i'm change my fsb and not the multipler my sistem crash whem i'm playing a game
like far cry.If you now how to change de memori timings give me a help ok!!

FSB 214 mhz x 10.5


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## zephyrus9999

can anyone tell me whats the maximum fsb speed for a 3500 venice with stock cooling?


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## DeathONator

Please post all questions that are specific to your application in a new thread of your own.


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## wowza

Quote:



Originally Posted by *DeathONator*

Please post all questions that are specific to your application in a new thread of your own.


WoW i just now read your Guide and im like the 34 thousanth to read it. Nice work


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## Colossus

Hmm.. I hav an antec 430 Power supply... is this good enough?


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## popeyenate

hey, i found my stuff...219 MHz, same with memory (sipprised, its crappy) and 1.7 volts...i think i might be able to drop this, but when i bump up my mulitplier i might need it. any suggestions on what settings??? if i go with 11.5, i should hit 2.6 gig...smokin!! hopefully not too hot


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## Newbi3

Hi, to start off i am a newbie at this. been reading the Overclocking guide and adviced me to download MBM to check on temp. well downloaded and installed. the questiion is that i am under temp. tap and it have 3 sensor
Sis950ate87osf-1,Sis950ate87osf-diode, Sis950ate87osf-2, Sis950ate87osf-2 diode, Sis950ate87osf-3, Sis950ate87osf-3 diode.. Any help on which is which?


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## damnfool

HELP! I'm an L plater (newbie) to overclocking....and more. last nite I stupidly went about trying to overclock my AMD Athlon XP 2000+. Anyway I upped the part in BIOS that says FSB from 133 to 166 without doing any of the other necessities and of course now my PC is in GaGa land.When I boot up the display isn't displaying as in the monitor isn't powering up.And I can't figure out what to do! Anyone help this damnfool??


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## Msk2005

very useful guide . thank you


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## geeksrcoolnow

Quote:



Originally Posted by *DeathONator*

Now that you've hit your CPU wall. I should tell you that your power supply (PSU) can also limit your overclock as well. If you CPU's voltage is fluctuating alot, your CPU will not be stable. Your vcore fluctuates because your power supply either dosn't have enough power to keep it at the desired level or is too poorly made to keep your voltages at the that level despite how much power it can output. That is why it is important for overclockers to buy good PSUs.


 Deathonator,you sir are my hero,if i had a sister i would send her to you with a pizza and a six pack>i've spent hours,days,weeks,almost 2 months now wondering what kind of sick joke my pc was playin on me.It had ITT smartguardian which i never trusted,then i got MBM5,here are my voltages(my vcore goes from 1.66 up to 1.77 and back and forth,no games fro me,very bad performance,yada yada. +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|Total number of readouts: 1693 CPU Speed: 1869 MHz |
|Running from: 1/12/2006 7:43:21 PM until: 1/12/2006 8:40:08 PM |
+-----------------------------+----------+----------+----------+----------+
|Sensor | Current | Low | High | Average |
+-----------------------------+----------+----------+----------+----------+
|Case | 28Â° C | 26Â° C | 30Â° C | 27Â° C |
|CPU | 34Â° C | 31Â° C | 34Â° C | 33Â° C |
|Sensor 3 | 0Â° C | 0Â° C | 0Â° C | 0Â° C |
|Core 0 | 1.66 V | 1.66 V | 1.73 V | 1.66 V |
|Core 1 | 2.52 V | 2.49 V | 2.60 V | 2.49 V |
|+3.3 | 2.57 V | 2.50 V | 2.66 V | 2.64 V |
|+5.00 | 4.15 V | 4.15 V | 4.77 V | 4.32 V |
|+12.00 | 11.82 V | 11.57 V | 12.34 V | 11.71 V |
|-12.00 | 0.06 V | -0.10 V | 0.64 V | -0.08 V |
|-5.00 | -6.01 V | -6.36 V | -5.81 V | -5.86 V |
|Fan 1 | 2922 RPM | 2884 RPM | 2960 RPM | 2918 RPM |
|Fan 2 | 0 RPM | 0 RPM | 0 RPM | 0 RPM |
|Fan 3 | 0 RPM | 0 RPM | 0 RPM | 0 RPM |
+-----------------------------+----------+----------+----------+----------+ 5v and 3.3v are too low,figured that was a PS issue,but the vcore bouncing around had me.You have saved a lot of hair on my head,and i stand humbled,but grateful.


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## aiduciukas

Hi! I have axp 2000+ throughbred. fsb clock min is 133 max 165, when I set it to 143 mine computer won't turn on. thats all I can overlock? i have dfi ad77, 768mb ram (256mb 333mhz, 512mb 400mhz).


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## brock4282

Great thread, this has really helped me out, thanks!
You should do more!!!!


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## aweir

44,000 views...pretty impressive.

By the way, I never knew that increasing the chipset voltage may help overclocking. I'll have to try that out.

I can raise the chipset voltage +.3v

Is this safe to do?..I don't want to fry my chipset.


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## DeathONator

It depends on the motherboard, cooling, and what the V-stock + .3V ends up being. I'm not sure with your mobo, but you can try it and then feel how hot the heatsink on the NB gets, but that is not always accurate because sometimes the HS on the NB isn't making good contact (and they can get pretty hot under normal conditions anyways). So... make sure you do stability tests at your max chipset voltage with everything else (CPU, memory, FSB) under what you know it can do stabley, but have the FSB overclocked close to the max you KNOW is 100% stable. If you are less stable, then you need better cooling (better sink on the NB and sinks on the mosfets) or just settle on less chipset voltage.


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## Unforgiven

Go to http://www.thermal-integration.com/rd.htm for some processor max temps. Hope this helps.


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## tyreal06

this page is great... really thx a lot


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## ndewire

I'm not always clear as to what multiplier you are talking about on this...


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## DeathONator

The CPU multiplier, where CPU Speed = CPU frequency * Multiplier. But alot of CPUs don't let you change it anymore.


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## Octapus

awesome guide! +rep for you


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## stupid

wrong thread... ignore


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## bushidofang

Hey.. Do you have any idea what's the ebst setting for mine..?? System info's on my sig.. Thanks!


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## Handycap

Ok Death I read and saved your guide to my rigg and I must say to a noob like myself it is quite handy.But I still am haveing issues and I had posted this problem on the Operating System Forum and Shark and [email protected] gave me some help on it.But here is the situation I cant OC my CPU to anything above 2.25. I saw 2.3 for about 5mins then windows blinked and the rebooted so I upped the Vcore to 1.57 thinking that might help but alas it didnt any ideas why I have been trying every idea givin to me.


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## DeathONator

Either your CPU can't take 2.25ghz. Or your memory or motherboard can't take the FSB. You're kinda limited on finding out which it is if you're not able to change the multiplier.

Anyways, if there's any more room to up voltages ("safely"), do so and see if it helps. Otherwise, you just might be at your ceiling.


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## Handycap

I can change my multiplier up to 11 and I'll try uping my Vcore to 1.6 and see I'll keep ya posted. Thanks Death


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## Handycap

Ok Death I am sitting at 2.4Ghz as I write this but I had to change the multiplier to 10.5 which is a .5 drop from its stock setting.Vcore is at 1.6.But since I had to drop the multiplier down doesnt that defeat the purpose of overclocking it?


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## Handycap

Hahahaha I am a rock scratch that last post....I missed an important bit of info in the guide ie, A cpu at 210x10=2100mhz will run better then one at 200x10.5=2100mhz.


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## tankbusta

nice guide man


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## tankbusta

can some one help me here i am running an intel mobo and a p4 3.4 but temme some thing when i run cpu z some times the multi pliyer will go from 14 to 17 why does this happen ????


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## Malta Soron

I've got two questions:

1. On voltage: can you increase the CPU voltage as long as the CPU doesn't get above +/-50 C?

2. On RAM timings: would the following be a good way to find your optimal timings?
Set all four rather loose, so you've got some freedom. Then set the first one in all available settings and measure the RAM bandwidth for each position. Set it back to the original setting and repeat the process with the other timings. When you're done, set the timings to the position they individually performed best with.


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## bushidofang

1. i think it's okay but... if it gets more than that... unoverclock it straight away...this is my opinion..

2. about the RAM.. honestly ... i hav no idea...


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## DeathONator

1) Higher voltage shortens the life span of your CPU. Now, the normal life span is like 10-12 years. So running your voltage a bit higher might lower than to 6-8. But other than it not lasting 10 years, you should be fine.

2) Might work ok. The first two settings might affect what settings the second two work best at... but maybe not. Sometimes it just depends on your motherboard. Generally the first two timings will always run faster at 2-2, then just play with the second two. But go ahead and experiment as much as you like. And also, some people give their ram timings in reverse order, so I guess we're being a little vague here with saying "first" and "second". But if we're refer to the way they are in the guide we should be good.


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## Malta Soron

Another RAM question: I'm looking at the G.Skill HZ. Its stock timings are 3-4-4-8. Is it a good idea to use those as an upper boundary?


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## DeathONator

Upper limit as in lowest timing (best performance)? If that's what you mean, not really. Even if your RAM is rated for those timings, it's possible they could do better, ei. 2-2-2-8 or something.


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## Malta Soron

No, I allready guessed so







I mean it as the upper limit from which to work from (start at 3-4-4-8 and work down from there).


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## xoon

hi all,
i am a newbie to overclocking and i got some questions after reading through
the guide.

i have a X2 3800, with 1.5gb of men, Asus A8n-sli motherboard

1. i am oc my FSB right now. and i dont know if this is possible, but i got my FSB up to 1296MHz. but i read somewhere in a different guide that my fsb shouldnt go above 1000mhz. so now i'm confused where my fsb should be. (also its running at 45 degree C with Prime95).. i know that my HT is 2000mhz, but i cant find the limit for the fsb

2. was is the different between the "multiplier" and the HTT multipier?

3. is Prime95 suppose to stress my CPU to 100%? because my comp show me that its only running at 50%

3. i have 1.5 gb of pc3200 memory, and since i start to try to oc my comp, it has reduced to 512mb! please tell me how i can fix this problem.

i sure have tons of questions left, but these are the ones that i'm encountering right now. thanks a lot for your time.


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## poison2003

I have a a8n32-sli deluxe motherboard but in the MBM it doesnt have that model what should i do?


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## lqcorsa

I have a: S939 MSI K8N NEO4-F PRI EXPRESS

On the setup for the temperature moniter there is K8T Neo and K8N Neo Platinum. When I select Platnum it says my CPU Temp is 260F or 127C, this can't be right







. When I select K8T Neo I have 93F or 34C, what one is correct?


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## Malta Soron

I think the latter.


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## Frozen-Liquid

hi, im also a newbie on overclocking, would overclocking with my specs show any noticible improvement in performance? i also dont want to shorten the life span of my cpu at all (who doesnt?).


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## hcour

Hi. Great thread. This link in the first page isn't working anymore:

"You should check out this thread to see what kind of overclocks to expect"

Could you provide a current link?

Thanks,
Harold


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## Humbick

Just wanted to say thank you for the amazing guide.. its perfect for someone like me with general comp. knowledge who is just getting into OCing.. i cant tell you how many "ohhs" and "ahhs" i went through reading it..

THANKS!


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## Hewlett-Packard

wow, nobody is answering questrions anymore


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## Tangana

Hi, I dont know nothing about Overclocking and was hoping that someone can Help me to overclock my system, step by step, because im really noob.

Any help would be greatly appreciated and thanks for understanding I am a noob in this world of overcloking!

My System:
BFG GEFORCE 7950GT 512MB PCIE
OCZ DDR2 2GB (2x1GB) PC2-6400 CL 5-5-5-12 Gold GX XTC Dual Channel OCZ2G8002GK
Antec TruePowerTrio 650W Power Supply
Seagate 400GB ST3400633AS-RK Serial ATA (SATA/300)
Athlon 64 X2 Dc 4200+ AM2 2.2GHZ 512KB 90NM Var 89W 2GHZ Pib
MSI K9N Diamond


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## Heru

This guide proved extremely useful, even for being posted 2-3 years ago.
Much thanks!


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## jstupiansky

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Hewlett-Packard* 
wow, nobody is answering questrions anymore

Not here anyway.


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## ChinMusic

AWESOME GUIDE! You're the man! Rep for you!


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## isstern35

hey i have my xp-m 2500+ running at 2200mhz so far.. i was wonder i have corsair value ram that i use.. you think i can push the system more with that ram or should i get better and if so what kinda


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## DeathONator

It depends, right now we don't know what is limiting you, your CPU, memory, or motherboard. If 2200mhz is stable, try increasing the multiplier. If increasing the multiplier makes it unstable, then it is your CPU that is limiting you (you could try and increase voltage if you're not already really high and if your temp are still ok). If you can increase the multiplier to run it at a higher speed (and when trying to increase the FSB you couldn't run it at this speed), then it is either your mobo or memory. You can then mess with the motherboard:memory divider. Find out if you can increase your FSB if the motherboard is set to have a higher FSB than the memory and visa versa.

Good luck.


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## isstern35

i have a feeling its my memory. if i try to lower the memory stepping it doesnt boot. so i live it in Optimal option in my bios for some reason cuz every time i try to increase the speed my system goes crazy and starts to reboot.. i know for a fact if i wanna go more i need better cooling. probably thermaltake. but i was just asking opinion. i might have to buy better memory probably XMS.


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## Minea

For me, my processor isn't supported by MBM, is there any other programs out there that can monitor temperture?


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## DeathONator

Check your motherboard manufacturer's website. Alot of them have their own program.


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## TwIsTeDbOi

Hey man, just for an idea, can you add in what the DDR dividers are in ratios? Like 1:1 is DDR400, 1 is DDR200 and so on and so forth?


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## Minea

Alright, Another question.

When i boot up into BIOS there is no option to change my FSB and all of that, does that mean my motherboard doesn't support Overclocking? or is it just "hidden" or someplace else?


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## ChinMusic

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Minea* 
Alright, Another question.

When i boot up into BIOS there is no option to change my FSB and all of that, does that mean my motherboard doesn't support Overclocking? or is it just "hidden" or someplace else?

Depends on your mobo. Its typically somewhere under the Advanced tab, maybe in "Jumperfree Configuration" (if you got an A8N-SLI). Post your system specs, itll be easier for all of us







.


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## boonie2

hi quick ? my asus mobo is locked in bios? im trying to use clockgen but cant find my pll for the set up anywhere-no documentation for asus-amberine-a8ae phoenix ver-6.00 rev.3.13 11/15/05 - north bridge rs482 - southbridge sb400 .... im i waisting my time trying to use clockgen? recently upgraded to amd64 4000+ san deigo 2.4ghz - 2-1gb PQI TURBO RAM DDR400 PC3200-timmings 3-4-4-8..OR SHOULD I JUST SETTLE FOR THE STOCK SPEEDS AND TIMMINGS I HAVE?


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## navman88

Very nice guide...im impressed!

.Vankirk


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## Cryraxz

Fantastic post!


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## durch

100,000+ views







Go OCN!


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## Athlon 64 5200 Boy

Hi every im new to the site, first time over clocker here hehe, I managed to overclock my athlon 64x2 3800 2G to 2.2G with the stock voltage, at 1.088Volts. But I cannot find where to up the voltage in the bios. I got a MSNV-939 Machspeed mother board, 2 Gigs of Turbo 400 mhz Pc3200 PQI, a Geforce 7300 GS OC 256MB DDR2 Pci Express Video card. All of it it is overclockable and i would love to get this computer to its max potential. I read your manual but still could not find where to up the voltage. Please let me know? Any help would be awsome.


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## durch

Hey Athlon Boy,

You'll get more responses if you post your question in the AMD Motherboards section, not a lot of overclock.net members check this page often. Also, toss your computer specs into your signature, that way every post you make will display your computer parts; it helps us help you. After logging in, click on the "Quick Links" button in the top left corner of the site (under the logo). From there choose "My Profile" and edit your signature to include your parts.

I'm not sure what the options are in your motherboard, but if you have an "Advanced" tab in your BIOS, go there as all your overclocking options are in there. From there, the voltage options are usually within the first menu option, so click on that first one and take a look around. Mine is called "JumperFree Configuration". It's also usually in the same menu as the CPU Frequency (or FSB) and CPU multiplier.

Are you familiar with the voltage terms by the way? vCore is the CPU voltage, vDIMM is the memory (or RAM) voltage. The motherboard voltage can be called chipset voltage, or something like CPU <-> NB voltage.


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## faisal

i have questions regarding to your guide.

1- when i find my max mobo fsb,do i need to change memory divider to ddr2400 or like cpu:dram (cpu/9) in cpu -z (hope u understand)

2- do i need to adjust my htt multi or i have to just leave it to auto setting?

3- i just hit 245 Mhz fsb on mobo and after 3 hours approximate i found my speedfan and prime95 are lost.that mean it dissappear from screen and also taskbar. on stability test, i was watching tv and unfortunately it happen?what cause to this problem?

i am thinking my last question that just lost in my mind.will be back soon.hope deathonator reply me!!


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## The Duke

Quote:


Originally Posted by *faisal* 
i have questions regarding to your guide.

1- when i find my max mobo fsb,do i need to change memory divider to ddr2400 or like cpu:dram (cpu/9) in cpu -z (hope u understand)

2- do i need to adjust my htt multi or i have to just leave it to auto setting?

3- i just hit 245 Mhz fsb on mobo and after 3 hours approximate i found my speedfan and prime95 are lost.that mean it dissappear from screen and also taskbar. on stability test, i was watching tv and unfortunately it happen?what cause to this problem?

i am thinking my last question that just lost in my mind.will be back soon.hope deathonator reply me!!

It would be best to copy/paste it into your own dedicated post


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## agwrgabj

I have an Aspire T120E with an AMD Sempron 3000+ but when I boot my pc and I enter the setup there is no function that allows me to change the FSB or the multiplier. How can I 
"unlock" my BIOS (if I can)?


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## arekieh

hi deathonator,
i wanted to ask you, or anyone else that isnt a huge noob, if you have time and feel like helping out a noob, if u can add me to msn or tell me when we can go in the Overclock.net chat room for some help, plz PM/email [email protected], it would be much much much appreciated


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## djblade

ok i got a few questions.

1 on my current system i have my cooling i have taken back to shop and gone back to standard stock heat sink and fan. I am going for the artic cooling or the freeze pro 64 what would be best to go for with a budget of 40.00. 
Or something thats going to cool well for its money.


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## White1Widow

I have a Quad FX rig, just look below my post for the details... Right now I am running it OC'd to 3 grand with a multiplier of x12 on the CPU and 250mhz on the FSB. My Ht link is curretnly 1250mhz. Currently my PC9200 reaper is working at 500mhz x 2 I believe... CPUZ indicates the DRAM Frequincy at 500mhz, that is multiplied by 2 to acheive the true frequincy of my DDR2, right? 
What I would like to know is is there any way for me to squeeze some more out of the CPU and FSB? Anyone with credible knowledge of this rig and my question please reply. If its possible for me to get my procs to 3.2ghz and my HT link to 1500 I would like to know. I assume that I could limit my memory to 800 allowed by the limiting feature of this board. Any guesses?


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## anabuhabkuss

I'm not getting the faq as I'm not really a tech person. I have an AMD fx 57 and am clocking 2.8

Does any one have any suggestions on my setup screen?


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## anabuhabkuss

here's what i know

cpu freq 222
HT freq 3
HT width 16 61
Cpu thermal 50%
Dimm vol 2.63
system temp 32 c
CPU temp 53c

Two fans one running 2721 rpm the other 5818


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## The Laughing Man UK

Great post man, only had a pc for a year and im already 17th on this table http://www.ripping.org/database.php?cpuid=827 , seen a greater FPS stability in my games after overclocking my cpu, time to move onto the mobo and ram, urgh thats gonna be fun much not, CPU was the easy but without this guide i would've seen the DREADED BLUE SCREEN OF DEATH alot more than just once, think its just been luck more than anything else, wot makes me laugh is my stock fan has beaten some of the most pricy watercooling units, dont re-invent the wheel is my philosophy.

pce out guys


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## G-Byte




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## CityStars

very useful

thank you


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## wuttz




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## judgementofgod

Great thread.

Thanks DeathoNator


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## vageliss2006

Hey,
here goes my very first post on the forum(i'm a noob here).
Since 2005 i've had 3 laptops,1 was with Intel cpu and the other 2 with AMD.the first 2 oc'ed easily with clockgen,Intel cpu+300mhz([email protected]>2.8ghz) and the AMD cpu another 350mhz([email protected]).
My current laptop is giving me a real hardtime oc'ing though..bought from greece,HP Pavillion dv5-1250 ev(Turionx2 RM-74,mo-bo HP3600,chipset AMD 780g).I just oc my laptops for the extra FPS in the games i play and to get the most of my machine,and with this one in particular i'm so frustrated!Tried all clockgen PLL combinations and none worked,tried other fsb programs and didn't work wither,tried AMD overdrive and didn't work..***?!I read somewhere on the internet that these branded laptops are non overclockable at all.Any help?


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## theCanadian

Yea, laptops often have custom hardware, meaning that it becomes impossible to find a program that will be able to software overclock. And laptops have locked BIOS's most of the time, so your not going to be able to over clock that way either.


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## erinshot

any one no how to over clock a 9650 amd x4 phenom on a gigabyte ga-m57sli-s4


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## DeathONator

Similar to anything else, increase the FSB or multiplier. I'm not sure if the 9650 has the multiplier locked or not. If it is, you won't be able to change it, you can only increase your FSB. Follow the guide.


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## maynard14

HELP PLS PLS

i have amd 7750 be
motherboard ASUS M2N68 SE2
kingston 2 gig
palit 9500 gt

i just want it to oc at 3ghz with stock fan..pls help on how to oc in my specs thank you


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## 2001ODISSEY

Hi there, I just started reading your guide, two questions regarding your first post:

1) How can I check if the PCI bus does not pass the 39mhz while I am overclocking?

and

2) Is the vdd voltage like the NB voltage in other words?

thank you.


----------



## The Duke

Quote:


Originally Posted by *2001ODISSEY* 
Hi there, I just started reading your guide, two questions regarding your first post:

1) How can I check if the PCI bus does not pass the 39mhz while I am overclocking?

and

2) Is the vdd voltage like the NB voltage in other words?

thank you.


1) The PCI and PCIe bus speeds are held in check by setting the PCIe to 100 in the BIOS.

I believe the term VDD is used for more than just one voltage adjustment. Is there any other info you can shed on that?


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## arno

Hello, I have a x4 810 and I`d like to know how far can I overclock it with his stock cooling. I overclocked it at 3ghz changeing the FSB from 200 to 231 and by lowering the multiplier of the memoryes to x.33, but I want to see more.


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## Biatch

Guide is useful and well written, too. I'd like to run E8400 @ 4000 MHz (500 x 8), but it won't be stable enough to run stress tests for long. Probably memory can't handle 500 MHz frequency.


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## Maximous

Hey deathonator. Im new in oc world and im wondering about some questions. The timings for the memory u have written down in the guide is that for ddr2 ram? If so do u have other timings for ddr3 ram? See my specs. And am i supposed to go back to my standard setting for mobo when testing the mem or should i just move on with the values i go when tasting the max fsb mobo?
Wanna try so oc so much but i dont feel like i have the info/knowledge to start









Best regards Maximous


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## alan kc

hi....i have phenom x4..i would like to overclock until 3.2ghz,but when i overclock until 3.0ghz,i get a blue screen when i running a prime 95...when i increase my voltage to 1.48v,it will shut down suddenly when running prime 95..my power supply is 600w vantec,gigabyte ga-m750sli-ds4...any way to overclock 3.2ghz???thx...


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## WarTurkey

sounds like increasing the voltage to 1.48 was BAD. The CPU got too hot and shutdown the system. 600watts sounds like enough for a minor OC of 3 to 3.2ghz, so I doubt its your PSU. When your OCing, are you bumping up the multiplier or FSB. If your increasing your FSB, it might be that your entire system (RAM, NorthBridge, SouthBridge, PCI controllers) are OC'd too much and can't handle it. I know my integrated GPU fails even with just a 12.5% OC! Try increasing your multiplier instead. It won't speed your entire system up, but it'll get your CPU to 3.2GHz without affecting the rest of your system!


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## autopc

I have a phenom II x2 550 at 3.1 ghz and a mobo gigabyte ga-m85m-us2h rev 1.2 with an award modular bios.Problem for me to oc is that the bios is somewhat unfriendly.Not even show the cpu operating speed there.Am I screwed?


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## Slystones

I'm new but how would I get back to the thread at a later date?


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## eliteip

Hey deathOnator.. what i need to set my bios at to the max on a stock cooling..
so far.. this is what i got.. http://valid.canardpc.com/show_oc.php?id=1103426


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## DemonSnake

With reference to the extremely in-depth and well written guide, for people who have non BE cpu's, would just jacking up the Ht ref with my locked 14.5x multi be recommended on stock voltages and cpu-cooling? I've read it's safe upto about 3.5Ghz on my X3 435. Thing is, is 3.5Ghz a big difference in performance with respect to side effects like possible instability etc? As long as I don't touch the vcore voltage, I should be good on air cooling? For instance going 5mhz increments on Ht ref clock. (FSB)

Ty


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## netandino

Well I have a 940 Phenom x4 black edition II with a plaque that plots used amdre asus best for overclocking and I have a GT9600 and even Old Gf could tell


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## geek101

Thanks this was useful!


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## goldcnd

Thank you. Reading this article give me a lot information


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## cccp

Does this article still apply even though its so old?


----------

