Overclocking guidance

[Nvidia_WF]

Hey I'm Daniel
So I recently (about 4 months ago) build my first PC after about a year or so looking around at parts and getting my feel the way things work. I'm now ready to overclock my computer but don't trust any of the YouTube videos so I turn to you guys to gain a better understanding on how to overclock.

 

My goal from posting this:

I'd like to gain a good amount of knowledge and understand of how overclocking works and a deeper understanding of how it affects my computer. 

 

Rig Specs:

 

Case - NZXT Phantom 530 w/ Window 

Motherboard - Asus Crosshair V Formula-Z AM3+ AMD 990FX SATA 6GB/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard
CPU - AMD FX-8350 Black Edition Vishera 4.0GHz (4.2GHz turbo) Socket AM3+ 125W 8-core

Heatsink - Hyper 212 EVo

PSU - SeaSonic M12II 850W+ PSU Modular 

Graphics Cards - Two (2) Nvidia Windforce GTX 760 2GB Gigabite PCIe

SSD - 256GB Crucial 2.5" M550 7mm SATA 6Gb/s

HDD - 1 Tb Weston Digital 3.5" 7200 RPM SATA 6GB/s Black Edition 

Optical Drive - DVD Writer Samsung 24x SATA Black PN SH-224Db/BEBS
                         ((((Can provide pictures if requested))))

 

I've included everything just for clarity for people trying to help me as I want to reduce confusion as much as possible

 

Air flow:

 

Intake:

 

Two (2) 200mm NZXT FS-200 in the front of my computer (Can provide pictures if requested)

Two (2) 120mm Sickle Flow X in the bottom of my computer (Can provide pictures if requested)

 

Outtake:

 

Two (2) 200mm NZXT FS-200 in the top of my computer (Can provide pictures if requested)

One (1) 140mm BitFenix Spectre at the back of my computer (Can provide pictures if requested)

 

Extra information: 

 

My PSU fan is facing into the computer if that makes any difference to cooling as I know AMD builds run hotter than Intel builds. I also have an extra 140mm BitFenix Spectre laying around which can me mounted to the side panel is extra cooling if suggested. 

 

Again, if any pictures are requested I am more than happy to post some as I am very proud of my PC

 

[DeViLzzz]

http://linustechtips.com/main/topic/5103-a-guide-to-overclocking-the-amd-fx-series-and-some-info-on-ocing-in-generall/


This was an awesome guide for me and it is right here on LTT.  Also not needing to do this as one can back up BIOS settings I decided to write down all default settings or current working settings I had before overclocking.  In doing so it made me very comfortable overclocking and I got my son's AMD FX 6300 to 4.5 GHz and at some point will aim to get a little more out of it.

In regards to a cooling setup for my son's pc .... 200 mm intake fan on the front and one on the top/back for outtake and then a 140 mm maybe I believe for out the back.

I advise you to put in the time to properly test your overclock.  Bump it up a decent amount and 24 hour burn in test it.  That is what I did.

[Wiflare]

Having just woken up, I may not make 100% sense, but I'll proofread this.

 

CPUs are kind of like cars, more specifically like the back wheels.

 

To make the wheels spin faster, increase the clock speed.

Sometimes it's not stable, so you have the option of reducing clock speeds or upping voltage. 
Voltage adds stability, but also reduces the lifespan of your chip and makes it output more heat.

 

I'd say a modest overclock would be 4.3 ghz, no voltage increase. The only real way to learn is hands-on, so play around with it a little bit too (if you're confident enough, of course).

[Nvidia_WF]

DDR3 16GB G.Skill 1600MHz RipjawsX

 This is my RAM. I forgot to add it in. Sorry guys 

[Nvidia_WF]

I would also like to know how to overclock my graphics cards if that's possible please

[DeViLzzz]

I would also like to know how to overclock my graphics cards if that's possible please

http://www.guru3d.com/articles-pages/geforce-gtx-760-evga-superclocked-acx-review,24.html

Put your power limit to the max and then increase the core clock and memory clock by 5%.  That is what is recommended in this article here.  I was more aggressive than this and just went right to testing if their settings worked with my son's card and they did.  Also while they used the default fan profile I nor my son have ever complained about fan noise because we have game sound on loud enough to cover it up so I was aggressive in fan profile settings.  I had the fan crank up to 50 or 60% much sooner.

 

http://www.overclock.net/t/1403674/official-nvidia-gtx-760-owners-club

Go to the OVERCLOCK SECTION then OC Guide.  I think this is also what I used.  Actually I definitely used it.

MSI Afterburner and MSI Kombustor.  Use MSI Afterburner for setting the overclocks/card settings and then MSI Kombustor to push the card.  Also run Heaven benchmark and other graphical video card benchmarking/stress testing tools that you can find out there.  There are many free ones.  Unlike with cpus for me and for many testing video cards does not take even close to as long as the work put in to make sure a cpu has a safe overclock.  At most I stress test video cards for an hour or not even two hours maybe.

[Nvidia_WF]

What do people mean by stress testing? How does one do it? What does it achieve?

[pdv789]

You run a program such as Unigine Valley or Heaven Benchmarking or Msi Kombustor to 'stress test' the stability of your overclock on your graphics card as these are graphic intensive programs. Each of these will stress your gpu in different ways, that is why people advise using more than just one.

 

http://event.msi.com/vga/afterburner/download.htm

https://unigine.com/products/valley/

https://unigine.com/products/heaven/

 

Since you are using a 8350 CPU you could use Prime 95 to stress test your CPU after you overclock your cpu in your chosen method. You can download prime 95 from various sources online however I do not feel comfortable linking you that so you will have to find that one on your own, sorry. It is like the other programs to stress test your gpu however it will run a program using your cpu to solve algorithms until it finds that it has failed to solve one. At that point it will stop running the program on the core that has failed the problem. Once it has stopped running on a core then that indicates that your overclock is not stable. It is relatively one of the safest programs to overclock with given you watch your temperatures and read what you are doing. I used to have a 8350 and could get 4.8ghz out of it with the help of this you tube video on Jayztwocents, it's a channel I frequent because I like his reviews. Now your motherboard may be different but overall it should be the same process, he does a good job to walk you through it. Definitely make sure you keep an eye on your temperatures and power you are giving your CPU because that 8350 likes to run really hot.

 

 

http://www.cpuid.com/

 

Go there and download the HWMonitor 1.26  and CPU-Z 1.71.1 for windows. It's a link and free product provided by the company that makes those programs so I will link those. I personally used those for my 8350 and still use those now with my 4690k when I overclock. I will reiterate, watch your temps please and if you have questions then please just ASK. There is nothing more frustrating than burning up your CPU when trying to overclock, I've done it.

[Nvidia_WF]

So i downloaded AI suite in order to monitor my overclock and I ran the program to see if it works and everything and I went to the tab that said sensors and I had a look and OPT1 is -273.0 C, OPT2 is -273.0 C and OPT3 is -273.0 C. What's wrong with my computer? How do I fix it and should I move the fans from the control hug at the back of the case to the motherboard so I can monitor them as well?

[Priller]

Do you have the chipset and the rest of the drivers installed?

[Nvidia_WF]

I'm not sure. How do I check for that?

[Priller]

I'm not sure. How do I check for that?

 

You would have installed them after you installed your OS.

[pdv789]

Here is a link to your boards drivers, select the os from here and find your chipset drivers and download then install. I would not overclock until you have figured out why those sensors are extremely inaccurate. Or if your board came with a disc then you 'could' install from that. However I always go through the website if at all possible since they would have the most up to date drivers and such.

 

http://www.asus.com/Motherboards/CROSSHAIR_V_FORMULA/HelpDesk_Download/

[pdv789]

If you have control over the fan speed at your hug then I would leave them there. If you don't have control then I would put them somewhere on the board so that it can be monitored and a custom fan profile can be created to keep the temps where you are comfortable. It's your choice in the end, so really whatever you want.

[Nvidia_WF]

I do have control over them but it's very minor. I have 3 setting and it does seem to make the fan speed increase a fair bit but I don't think it's enough cause I'm running a benchmark before I overclock and the CPU is running and 53 degrees C. That's without the overclock. So I guessing I'm asking, should I move them to the motherboard?

[Nvidia_WF]

Or should I move to a water cooler for my CPU?

[pdv789]

To be fair if you haven't adjusted the voltage settings then the CPU is getting more than enough power to run at stock speeds and that power is causing it to run hotter than needed for that speed. The Hyper evo 212 is the best air cooler as far as I know and the main reason people choose to go with all in one coolers is that they can be ran quietly while the air cooler fan needs to be cranked to achieve the same results for the most part. Although the water cooling setups will perform a small margin better because of the efficiency of the heat transferring to the water and the atmosphere.

 

http://www.tomshardware.com/answers/id-2050316/8350-cpu-temperature-throttling.html

 

According to AMD the 8350 is guaranteed to work up to 61c, but as that forum says people have seen as high as 90c. Now when you are stress testing it will run hotter than it ever 'should' when gaming or using other normal programs. I don't edit videos but from what I've seen the cpu can get almost as hot as benchmarking. But that's one of the rare scenarios it possibly could.

 

In my opinion I wouldn't move to a water cooling setup unless you plan on using that cpu for a year or more. I would personally save the money and invest in a intel cpu and a compatible motherboard. As nice as it is to say you have a 4.8ghz cpu the 8350 is dated by a while now and the 4690k at $20 more performs better at stock speeds. Intel is supposed to be releasing a new cpu at the end of the year. If I remember correctly it's supposed to be a die shrink as well and is supposed to support ddr4, and the pricing for that has come down drastically. You could even buy 2x4GB 2133 sticks for $100.

[Nvidia_WF]

I plan on keeping my cpu for as long as I can, I'm only overclocking to see how it performs on the games I play. As to what you said about my CPU cooling been the best, how does it compare the the Coolermaster V8 And/ or V10?. They are a better even marginally I will consider investing in one as money is not really an issue for me

[pdv789]

If money isn't an obstacle at all then I would say go with a aio cooler. As for the coolermaster v8/v10 I have not seen these around much before. I will look up som comparison tables but they still are only air, while they look like beefy air coolers I don't think they will be able to do the same a h110i or any other 240mm radiator aio. If possible I would just stick with the cpu until the end of the year because there are new cpu's coming out from both sides and they are both sounding like they have potential. I know it's not 'the best' but it works and I wish mine still did lol. Board gave out on me and I decided to just switch then because I would have been waiting 16 months lol.

 

I would stay away from the v10/v8 as they both look huge and are so outdated. I can't even find a fair comparison between the two, the cpu between the two is never similar enough to compare the temperatures and be relevant. So in my opinion just go with a aio. They are roughly around $100, so it's not really too much to be shelling out, not to mention you can even take it to another platform if the need arises.

[Nvidia_WF]

Oh okay, thank you. So in your opinion what's the best AIO cooler that isn't so over priced that it's just stupid but isn't cheap because it's shit, even though I said money isn't an issue, which it isn't I don't want to have to spend an extra 100 bucks or whateverif it'll only make the most minor differences. 

[Nvidia_WF]

I've been looking at AIO's and I think I want to get the NAZXT Kraken X61 280mm because It's the same brand as my case which is always nice, plus when Linus did the review it got good feedback. Tell me if you think something is better for the same price. This is the size I'm looking for but my case does support up to 360mm.

[pdv789]

If you want to use a radiator that size you would have to go for a more costly aio. I actually don't know of any aio that come that size thinking about it .... a 240 is already pushing the limits for dimishing returns anyways just for a cpu at least. If you were to start adding vga cards and such then I would say the more the merrier but 240 is more than enough already. nah, the Kraken is pretty much the best one I know of. The corsair brand is okay but I don't like how loud their pumps are. I hate it myself.

[Nvidia_WF]

I'm reading a lot of post about the comparison of 240mm which everyone is say corair H105 but if they had a choice to fit the X61 they would because of how much better it performed non linus's video about it. I might go with the X61 but will have a shop around and see what's what

[pdv789]

sounds like a great plan, best of luck.

[sgloux3470]

Here's what I would recommend.

 

Overclock by increasing the HTT, not the multiplier.  This will increase the speed of your CPU and your RAM.  At equal clock speeds you'll perform better than a strict multiplier OC.  This does however require more voltage for equal clockspeeds, which means you won't get as high of clockspeed, but you should get more performance.  Remember to lower the multiplier as you get into higher HTT's.

 

Use intel burntest to test stability and temps.  Just run the standard setting and see if you pass.  Use CoreTemp or HWMonitor to keep an eye on temperatures.  I like to keep my max temperature below 75 degrees when stress testing and below 65 when gaming. 

 

You also have the option of running at a lower multiplier for base speed and then using turbo for the real overclock.  This keeps your temperatures down, but means only your first four cores will run in turbo.  For gaming this is usually fine, but for multithreaded workloads you won't get the maximum benefit.  

 

 

Buy a refurbished AIO from newegg. I paid $60 for a corsair h100i, which is half off the regular price.  I bought my sister a 280mm kraken for a very good price as well. (Can't remember what she paid.)  They're "brand new" even with the preapplied thermal paste and you save a ton of money.