Prime 95 and CPU OC

[DivineMedia]

So I've been looking into pushing my CPU father than the 4 Ghz mark with my CM Hyper 212 Evo and was wondering what I could expect and a tutorial on prime 95 because I don't understand how it works

[Mooshi]

Prime 95 is primitive. If you wanna stress test, use LinX.

[chaozbandit]

Primitive, but it works. You might also want to check out IntelBurnTest.

[DivineMedia]

Prime 95 is primitive. If you wanna stress test, use LinX.

 

Primitive, but it works. You might also want to check out IntelBurnTest.

 

Still I don't know how they work and what to look for or do they just say error across the screen when a issue happens also can you tell me the expectation I could have at achieving the 4.2+ Ghz (like the clock I could expect) if you can

[Saladin]

Still I don't know how they work and what to look for or do they just say error across the screen when a issue happens also can you tell me the expectation I could have at achieving the 4.2+ Ghz (like the clock I could expect) if you can

First off the clock you can achieve depends on your chip, its the silicon lottery, some chips are better than others. As for the testing the most likely reason they are failing is instability (not enough volts, too much heat being the major two issues). I havent overclocked an AMD chip in some time so I cant really advise you however the hyper 212 is a great air cooler, I used mine for a long time before switching back to water cooling. What the 'test' programs are doing is running the chip at 100% and seeing if it makes any errors in its calculations or gets too hot. Hope this helps.

[hehehehhehehehe]

Could also try using Aida 64 which is another really nice stress testing application.

[chaozbandit]

Still I don't know how they work and what to look for or do they just say error across the screen when a issue happens also can you tell me the expectation I could have at achieving the 4.2+ Ghz (like the clock I could expect) if you can

  

In Laymans terms, what these programs do to test a CPU's stability is put them through complex mathematical calculations repeatedly, expecting to get the same result over and over again. In the event that a result comes out different, then it is flagged as a "fail." In the case of Prime95 and those like it, it puts your CPU through mathematical related processes such as solving for complex prime numbers. In essence, this is distributed computing used to test overclocking stability (F@H is also a good stress test if you have the resources for it, plus you'd be contributing to scientific research by doing so).

 

Like Saladin said, how far you can get on your CPU depends on your luck of the draw in the silicon lottery. I myself have overclocked on AMD systems, including my current one which is much like yours. I have also used a Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus on my 955BE a while back, and agree that it is a fantastic combo. However, in my experience the cooler could only handle temperatures from the chip up to 3.8GHz because of the volts I was pushing. Wanting to stay on the safe side, I quickly upgraded to my current NZXT Havik 140 and was able to push it past the 4.0GHz barrier (it was also on sale when I got it so...). 

 

In short, the AMD 955BE is a great chip. Depending on your luck, you may or may not get it up as high as 4.2 GHz (most can reach 3.9 GHz) but you can definately give it a shot with your cooler. Word of warning though, pushing too many volts through overclocking will degrade your components quicker than expected (I used to be able to hit 4.2 GHz but have since backed off due to instability).

[Mooshi]

Basically if your overclock is unstable, the stress test would BSOD or sometimes just say failure mid test like IntelBurn Test,

[DivineMedia]

First off the clock you can achieve depends on your chip, its the silicon lottery, some chips are better than others. As for the testing the most likely reason they are failing is instability (not enough volts, too much heat being the major two issues). I havent overclocked an AMD chip in some time so I cant really advise you however the hyper 212 is a great air cooler, I used mine for a long time before switching back to water cooling. What the 'test' programs are doing is running the chip at 100% and seeing if it makes any errors in its calculations or gets too hot. Hope this helps.

 

So with prime or linX or the other programs am I looking to see if there are any error codes on the log and would it tell me what I'm doing to cause that error?

[DivineMedia]

In Laymans terms, what these programs do to test a CPU's stability is put them through complex mathematical calculations repeatedly, expecting to get the same result over and over again. In the event that a result comes out different, then it is flagged as a "fail." In the case of Prime95 and those like it, it puts your CPU through mathematical related processes such as solving for complex prime numbers. In essence, this is distributed computing used to test overclocking stability (F@H is also a good stress test if you have the resources for it, plus you'd be contributing to scientific research by doing so).

 

Like Saladin said, how far you can get on your CPU depends on your luck of the draw in the silicon lottery. I myself have overclocked on AMD systems, including my current one which is much like yours. I have also used a Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus on my 955BE a while back, and agree that it is a fantastic combo. However, in my experience the cooler could only handle temperatures from the chip up to 3.8GHz because of the volts I was pushing. Wanting to stay on the safe side, I quickly upgraded to my current NZXT Havik 140 and was able to push it past the 4.0GHz barrier (it was also on sale when I got it so...). 

 

In short, the AMD 955BE is a great chip. Depending on your luck, you may or may not get it up as high as 4.2 GHz (most can reach 3.9 GHz) but you can definately give it a shot with your cooler. Word of warning though, pushing too many volts through overclocking will degrade your components quicker than expected (I used to be able to hit 4.2 GHz but have since backed off due to instability).

 

thank for the input like I said in previous posts I want to push my CPU father than that 4.2 Ghz barrier I already have it at 4 Ghz and want to push it further because of the BF4 multiplayer (which is great besides the stuttering when my CPU hits 100% load)that cause a lot of stress on my CPU though right now I am looking in to getting an 8320 but right now I need to get the most out of my current CPU so that is why I've been asking these questions

[chaozbandit]

So with prime or linX or the other programs am I looking to see if there are any error codes on the log and would it tell me what I'm doing to cause that error?

 

Once there is an error, the stress test program will alert you either within a log or with a popup; either method will force stop the stress test. Keep in mind that with the BF4 beta in its current state, it is highly unoptimized (DICE is using an older build of the game). An FX8320 would be a good option but wait until the actual game release before making a change.

[Saladin]

So with prime or linX or the other programs am I looking to see if there are any error codes on the log and would it tell me what I'm doing to cause that error?

 

So with prime or linX or the other programs am I looking to see if there are any error codes on the log and would it tell me what I'm doing to cause that error?

Yes. It will stop running the stress test as soon as it fails and should notify you as to why it failed.