AMD CPU overclocking problems

Hardware Hub CPU
1

I made a thread about this a week or two ago but it didn't get much of an answer. I've tested and learned since then, and have better information to work with. My rig:

FX-6300 (Shadow Rock 2)
GTX 760 4GB (custom water)
GA-990FXA-UD5 mobo
Patriot Viper Xtreme 8GB 1600 RAM
OS on Kingston 128 SSD
Thermaltake Toughpower 750watt Gold cert semi mod PSU

I got the Shadow Rock 2 recently and decided to try CPU OCing because of the headroom I now have. I tried 4.0Ghz then 4.3Ghz @+.1v (voltage may be a bit different, I dont' remember. I tried 3 different voltages). With the 4.3 OC, I tested with prime95 for an hour, error free. So it's safe to assume it's stable. I don't OC the 760 because it's factory OCed, has a dynamic self OCing capability built in, and even the slightest OC of my doing causes errors because of that.

In Guild Wars 2, I did not notice any max FPS increases but noticed a min FPS increase of about 20. Very good, imo. Crowds, cities, larger fights in GW2 at 20FPS or below is no good, 40 is much better. However, GW2 is about the only testing I was able to do, because of the following problems:

  1. Upon startup or restart of the computer, it does this start for 2 seconds, die, wait for 2 seconds, then actually start up nonsense. I would think this is a power problem, as I've seen similar from drawing too much power for fans from a single line on a crappy PSU, but this new 750 PSU is Gold cert, only 2 weeks old, and my rig is only 550watts at load according to online PSU calculators. I believe it may be a settings issue.

  2. Some programs run out of sync while OCing. Unigine Heaven benchmark flies through the scenes rather than panning slowly. Dungeon Keeper 2 (an old game that doesn't work perfectly on Win7 on a good day, I know) has the same problem (with the bonus of cutting back to the intro video almost constantly while in the main menu).

  3. "Detected negative delta time" I get this error while trying to start Steam games, such as Hawken. Skip the intro videos, get to log in screen, crash. This error has to do with multi threaded CPU timings, I know little more than that. The problem dates back to the first AMD duel core CPU. Path of Exile just... freezes on log in screen. Oblivion I haven't tried because I know that buggy mess of a game will crash, no need for testing there. An article lead me to believe this is a Northbridge frequency problem. OCing the Northbridge to advised settings stalled the startup, crashed the Windows loading, and lagged out the BIOS next time I went in to turn that **** off. Guild Wars 2 seems to be the only game that liked my OCing.

  4. FPS monitors like MSI Afterburner gives false readings, jumping from 0 to 120 constantly. Fraps remained accurate, strangely.

  5. My wallpaper slideshow's smooth transition between pictures stopped being smooth, it started cutting from one picture to another instantly. I've had this happen before. I never find a fix but it seems to go away when I least expect it.

NOTE: After a BIOS reset and an OS restore point, I tried an OC of 3.8Ghz. Only problem #4 arose at this OC. I'm convinced the problem is with the frequency settings. I've read many threads and seen many videos of people pushing the 6300 to 4.5 and some even to 5.0Ghz. Perhaps I got unlocky and my chip didn't come off the factory line as well as it's twins? Perhaps that's the case of my Mobo? Perhaps I suck at BIOS settings? Any guidance here is greatly appreciated.

2

Changing the frequency multiplier base can/does change ram frequency so maybe that could be your problem.

3

I don't think so. I could be wrong, but I believe I remember seeing it remain at stock speeds.

4

Jayztwocents AMD Overclocking guide is a pretty good starting point for people getting into overclocking the FX-platform. He's using an Asus motherboard, so your BIOS will be different, but the important thing is to know how to modifier your multipliers, and possibly your base clock, as well as your voltages.

So the sake of simplicity, and trouble-shooting, I recommend you stay away from the Base Clock.

Prime95 is a pretty good stress testing program for testing stability. Some people have issues with it when using AMD. Some people say 15 minutes is enough, others say an hour, and then there are some that say a 24 hour straight run is the absolute minimum. I used to run eight-hour sessions, but then I had a failure after one of them. So, honestly, who the hell knows what the actual "safe time" for running for stability is.

Anyway, run Prime95 with stock settings, and note the Vcore your CPU naturally uses. Set that as your base voltage in your BIOS, and slowly work up your CPU multiplier until you start to experience instability. Once you hit instability, you may either back off the multiplier, or up the voltage until you are stable again. Rinse, repeat to achieve your maximum overclock.

5

Good plan. I actually used a video from Jayz to do my first OC. You can see my comments in the previous thread that I mentioned in this one below. I ran into issues where almost everything looked different than what Jayz was doing as well as another guide I tried, also below. Anyway, I'll be trying some more tonight. I'll post updates to new OC testing in a few hours.

https://forum.teksyndicate.com/t/learning-overclocking-strange-occurrences/79430

6

This is very common on the Gigabyte boards. Don't worry too much about it unless it starts failing after the second spin-up.

I don't recommend this. Prime95 alters vCore above your settings and can cause damage to your CPU when you start reaching your top limit. OCCT is a much more valuable program with a different (and adjustable) testing algorithm, and it creates a documents folder with graphs of every single test and readout. (Different graphs for each kind of voltage, for example.) It will give you a better idea of what you're dealing with in different power states and such.

Your upper limit on voltage should be in the 1.475v - 1.55v range, so don't be too scared to push it unless your thermals are really peaking. Definitely do push the voltage up to achieve stability, but there are other options.

In M.I.T. you can try pushing the CPU-NB Voltage up by one or two steps, but I don't recommend much more. If the UD5 is anything like the UD3 that voltage will bleed over to the vCore and can give you some smaller bumps. Putting CPU PLL at 2.6v or 2.7v back in the Phenom days was great for getting a little boost in stability at higher voltages, so you can always give that a shot if you're getting desperate for stability.

Aside from voltages, keep your NB and HT-Link clocks at or below 2600. I found 2200 to be a good point, although when pushing really far you can sometimes tease a few MHz by reducing NB to around 1200. FSB, on the other hand, needs no alteration. 200 is where it should stay for the sake of simplicity.

On the Advanced BIOS Features the first things you should have disabled every time is C1E, and K8 Cool & Quiet, but you know this. Disable Virtualization if you don't need it. If you get to the point where you're getting fluctuations in voltage causing instability, your friend is in this menu as well, Load Line Control/Calibration. Set it at 25% (if available) and continue to raise it if your voltage remains flighty. (+0.1v/-0.1v is considered a normal fluctuation, but anything over and you'll want LLC.)

I can't think of anything else to really try, but those are things I'd start with. A combination of ridiculous voltage, massive LLC, balanced NB/HT/RAM/CPU clocks can get you pretty far. Oh, and pray to AMD that you got a good chip.

Quick Edit: If you do not have LLC in your Avanced Bios Features menu, CTRL+F1 at startup should bring up a different BIOS with more settings in some menus.

7

UPDATE!!! I just created a windows restore point in case I have any problems like last time. I then reset the BIOS and OCed the CPU to 4.0GHz. I logged into windows, ran Prime95 for 15 minutes followed by Unigine Heaven benchmark, followed by testing Hawken... and... Everything works! Everything! AND I DON'T KNOW WHY!!!

I'll be trying a 4.3Ghz OC next and hopefully it will be as successful and bug free. I'll post results here when that happens.

Thank you to everyone who PMed me or posted here on this thread. I'll be trying the different testing programs you advised, testing BIOS settings, etc. I am baffled as to why things are so stable now, considering I don't think I did much different than the first time, but everything you guys have said has prepared me to fix any problems that might come up.

8

There is a load line calibration (that is what you meant, right?) setting in my bios. It isn't really called LLC, but close enough and the description tells me that's what it does. Come to think of it, last time I left the LLC on auto and this time I put it on normal, which is apparently "Off" in Gigabyte mobo terms. Huh...

9

Yes that is correct. I don't remember what options it lists, but just set it to the first or second setting to secure your voltage a bit more. It removes the fluctuation (usually called voltage droop) and keeps your load voltage as close to your set vCore as possible. This is not as much of a problem at lower clock rates/voltages, but when you start pushing close to 1.5v you'll really want that on.

10

Good to know. I'm not sure if LLC would be the reason I had problems like Dungeon Keeper 2 or Unigine Heaven running fast, but LLC is the only thing I can think of that I did differently than my first attempt.

Also, everybody says to turn off Cool and Quiet but I left it on so the CPU isn't at full speed all the time. So far, it seems fine. I've seen nothing suggesting it's helping cause a droop of any kind and I get to enjoy a comfy CPU when it's not under load.

EDIT: all other settings like C1E I turned off.

11

Second and possibly final update!

Successful OC to 4.5GHz. The few short term tests I've done so far show no sign of instability or any bugs from this or the previous thread I made. Long term testing will happen, possibly tonight.

Again, thank you to everyone who PMed me or said something here. I still don't know what the problem was the first time, but I did learn a lot about OCing anyway and it looks like I now have a good, stable OC.

1 Like
12

4.5GHz is a totally respectable overclock for a 6300. I suggest letting OCCT do a full hour test on all threads with medium-FFTs and if it passes your good.

Keep in mind that my 8350 was only capable of about 35 minutes in OCCT and was completely stable for intensive 16 hour long game marathons in less than optimal thermal conditions, so really if it passes the hour you are safe.

13

Awesome. I'll give it a go tonight. In the meantime, Guild Wars 2 is really liking the OC

14

AMD LOVES fast RAM especially when overclocking. You have ~so-so~ RAM at 1600 Mhz. Change that to something like Kingston Beast or Mushkin Black or Red-line 1866 or 2133 Mhz RAM and watch your OC improve.

15

Never seen this work in practice, nor seen it work in benchmarks. Besides, the memory controller in the FX chips only supports a maximum of 1866, (since XMP is not supported) and anything over requires FSB tweaking or custom timings. So 1600 in this case is fine.

16

Can you show us some charts or numbers that support this statement? If you are talking about APUs, then yes, they benefit greatly from faster RAM. But the FX chips on the other hand won't benefit as nicely, this means RAM is insignificant to his problem.

17

Teh FX8120 supported a max of 2133Mhz. I was unable to achieve a stable 4.5GHz clock rate until I put in the Gksill Sniper 2133Mhz RAM.

i play games like Arma 2 and 3 so having a fast CPU and fast RAM is key to a smooth, fast framerate. Also, keep that CPU ice cold.

18

you can use 2 overclock methods.

1: Multiplayer overclocking
2: Northbridge overclocking.

With Northbridge overclocking you basicly also overclock your ram speeds, and pci-e link speeds and such, so you need to know what you are doing with this method.

I must say that his particular motherboard the Gigabyte GA-990FXA-UD5 is a pain in the ass wenn it comes to overclocking in general.

19

The Gigabyte boards have never been nice to me, I've build 2 AMD rigs, one for my brother FX-6300, swapped for an AMD board, and an APU for my relatives. Both had Gigabyte boards initially. Both were irritating to deal with.

20

Okay well we're not going to argue over how the Bulldozer architecture cannot address memory over 2133MHz without clock alteration, or how faster RAM is not a key component to smoother gameplay.

See here:

Since XMP is not a feature of AMD memory controllers, you are limited to JEDEC and OC settings. So your G.Skill memory defaults to the highest JEDEC timing that your CPU can support (PC3-14933) and will only reach 2133MHz with overclocking on AMD based machines.

And here is the full spec sheet of the FX-8120, where it states that the maximum speed supported is 1866MHz.
http://www.cpu-world.com/CPUs/Bulldozer/AMD-FX-Series%20FX-8120.html