WBaS

Note: This guide is not meant to be a full AMD Overclocking informational thread. This thread is targeted for people that want a very simple step by step guide on how to overclock, without understanding all the details.

For more detailed overclocking threads refer to: "Offical" Overclocking Guide - AMD Socket AM2, Ultimate overclocking Guide, DDR2 Ram Dividers, DDR2 Memory Speeds Explained, and an offsite article that helped me learn (http://icrontic.com/articles/a64_overclocking_theory)

Note: This guide is meant to be read in the order given. If you start halfway through the guide, you may miss something important.

Ok how to OC your AMD CPU/Ram...

Eliminating Instability Variables:

1) Lower your HT link to 3x or 4x.
2) Lower your Ram from stock setting (ddr400, ddr2-800 etc) to the next lowest setting (ddr233, ddr2-667 etc).
3) Increase vdimm to rams listed voltage (usually btwn 1.9v-2.2v for ddr2 ram)
4) Set appropriate timings slightly higher than listed timings (usually 4-4-4-12 or 5-5-5-15 and increase to around 6-6-6-18)

Finding Max Mobo FSB:

1) Set cpu multiplier below stock (take it down by around x3, so if it's x15 stock, drop to x12) and set the vcore to stock voltage.
2) Increase FSB
3) Run cpuz, coretemp, and orthos. Make sure cpuz shows your new fsb, correct voltage (cpu-z is usually off by a little, you may also want to try your mobo monitoring software/BIOS to check your voltage), and check the memory tab to check memory. Try using the "Blend" test with orthos.
4) If orthos passes, go back into bios and increase fsb. To start you can run orthos for a few minutes. As your overclock increases, you will want to be more sure it is stable and will want to run it longer. At the end of your overclock, try running it for a few hours to be sure it is fully stable.
5) Repeat steps 1-5 until orthos fails or your computer fails to boot or restarts, etc
6) Increase chipset voltage (sometimes called NorthBridge) to next highest setting.
7) Repeat steps 1-6 until chipset voltage reaches safe limit (consult mobo specs and/or OCN )
8) When you can't go any further, take note of your last highest stable FSB. This is the max FSB you can use when overclocking your system.

Finding Max CPU Speed:

1) Set vcore to stock cpu voltage
2) Increase FSB
3) Run cpuz, coretemp, and orthos
4) Make sure cpuz shows your new fsb, correct voltage (cpu-z is usually off by a little, you may also want to try your mobo monitoring software/BIOS to check your voltage), and check the memory tab to check memory
5) Run orthos "small fft test". While running test, watch temps with coretemp, speedfan, realtemp, and/or everest. Make sure temps don't go too high (For AM2 I recommend 57C max, don't know for 939).
6) If orthos passes, go back into bios and increase fsb. To start you can run orthos for a few minutes. As your overclock increases, you will want to be more sure it is stable and will want to run it longer. At the end of your overclock, try running it for a few hours to be sure it is fully stable.
7) Repeat steps 1-6 until orthos fails or your computer fails to boot or restarts, etc
8) Increase vcore to next highest setting.
9) Repeat steps 7&8 until your vcore is too high (For AM2 it I would say 1.55v with good cooling, don't know for 939) or your temps get too high.
10) Go to the last stable setting.
11) Try increasing your HT Link to its highest stable setting.

Maximizing Your RAM:

Your ram was underclocked before overclocking your cpu (if your cpu uses an odd multiplier), but because they are both linked by the reference clock (fsb), your ram clock has increased.

1) Check the memory tab in cpuz to see what frequency your ram is running at. Remember, the frequency in cpuz is half of what you would expect because ram is Double Data Rate (DDR).
2) Check the SPD tab in cpuz to see what the ram is rated for (if it is rated) in timings with respect to frequency.
3) If you think your ram has more in it, increase the ram speed in your bios by switching it back to stock speed.
4) Run orthos again. This time you can try the other tests as well since they mix in more ram. Memtest is also another good program to test ram.
5) If you can't run at the higher speed, drop it back down
6) Work on your timings by changing them 1 at a time (if ram is at 5-5-5-15, try 4-5-5-15 then 4-4-5-15 etc), restarting, and testing. The goal is to get them as low as possible.

These are the basic steps in overclocking your AMD cpu/ram. I may have left something out, and if I have, please somebody let me know.

Good luck Ask if you have questions.

EDIT: Added Mobo section 11/14/08

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freebeer

Here is the guide that one of the other guys told me to go to. It's very detailed.

http://www.overclock.net/amd-general...ocket-am2.html

EDIT: hum, try again.

darthspartan

Nice man you get REP+

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WBaS

Thanks for the link (I couldn't get it to work though). I believe that is one of the stickies. In a few mins I'll have a few other links as well.

EDIT: Thanks

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freebeer

Sorry. I fixed the link.

WBaS

Links added. Please let me know if there are any other overclocking links that I should add.

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"Give a man a fish, feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, feed him for a lifetime." -Lao Tzu

freebeer

Hey, its me again. So I got to the point where my comp wont boot now, so I'm pretty sure I need to up my Voltage. But when I go into BIOS, all I can find about voltage settings is DIMM voltage, and NB voltage, whatever that is. Also, I'm not sure how to raise it, when I click on it, its like

500
600
700
800

and so on. I don't know if thats the voltage or not, but any help would be awesome.

logan

Try this one out for those tricky ram questions.

http://www.overclock.net/amd-memory/...explained.html

Once again, Great job WBaS, I remember when you first posted this... I knew that you'd make this a guide sometime. Great job.

EDIT:

You might mention that while you're playing around with your OC, you only usually need a few minutes of orthos to figure out if things are gonna work (like 2-5 minutes usually). Then I would mention something about running it for a few hours after they "settle" on their overclock, to unsure stability.

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freebeer

Well, I'm sure now that I need to raise my vcore voltage or whatever up. Problem is, I can't figure out how =(. All I can find in BIOS is DIMM voltage and NB Voltage control. But nothing called vcore which I've heard mentioned alot.

WBaS

NB voltage is your North Bridge voltage, also known as chipset voltage. Which setting is it that gives you 500-800?

Try posting this question in your overclocking thread as well, this really isn't the thread for that question

Thanks for the link and comments. I didn't initially think it would be a guide, but after your comments in the other thread, and then referring others to it recently, I decided I could make it a guide.

I'll try to edit that stuff in. Thanks again.

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"Give a man a fish, feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, feed him for a lifetime." -Lao Tzu