AMD 965 BE - VCore changes above 1.475V are acceptable?
AMD 965 BE - VCore changes above 1.475V are acceptable?
I’ll begin with the system specifications:
Gigabyte GA-M68MT-S2P Mini ATX Board
AMD Phenom II 965 BE with a 3.4 GHz stock clock speed
2x4GB DDR3 RAM (G.SKILL Ripjaws)
OCZ 600W 80+ PSU
MSI GTX 760 Twin Frozr
I chose to use my new Cryorig H7 CPU cooler and attempted to overclock the system. The processor is an AMD Phenom II 965 BE running at a stock clock speed of 3.4 GHz. So far, my adjustments have focused on the multiplier and VCore settings in the BIOS:
Stable clock readings and voltages:
3.6 GHz @ 1.375V
3.7 GHz @ 1.425V
3.8 GHz @ 1.450V
I checked stability by running Prime95 on the blend test for at least two and a half hours (since gaming is more important to me). Whenever the test stopped or a BSoD appeared, I increased the VCore by 0.025V.
Using HWInfo64, I observed that my VCore fluctuates above the safe maximum of 1.475V (confirmed via research). My current reading is 1.456V. The range was between 1.456V and 1.488V, with an average of 1.456V.
Is this within acceptable limits for my CPU? Should I aim for 3.9 GHz at 1.475V, or keep it at this setting or lower it to 3.7 GHz @ 1.425V?
Also, when testing stability, should I run Prime95 in Small FFT or Large FFT mode, or is the blend mode sufficient?
I used a junk Gigabyte ga-ma78lmt-s2 motherboard and successfully overclocked my old 965be to 4ghz and 1.4678 volts, maintaining stability for years. My case provides excellent cooling.
I ran at 4.2 GHz with 1.505v on Ga 890 MB and Mugen3 cooler, staying under 55°C. I think your memory might not provide enough power. It’s likely you’ll burn through the memory regardless of CPU cooling.
Boy that's a bummer. When I purchased the mobo back in 2010, that was all I could afford and I kept it ever since. Right now, I think it's smarter to upgrade both my board and CPU rather than just getting a better full ATX AM3+ board, yes?
Bad or low grade 4 + 1 VRM section without a cooler can significantly reduce any output capability, affecting all systems. The Phenom II x4 tends to consume a lot of power when operating. 965 @4.2 GHz estimated 148W, but additional power is required by the network.
I used a junk Gigabyte ga-ma78lmt-s2 motherboard and successfully overclocked my old 965be to 4ghz and 1.4678 volts, maintaining stability for years. My case provides excellent cooling.
I didn't expect my thread to receive more responses. Probably because my subscription was turned off.
Back at my stock clocks and undervolting, I might need the board and CPU to last another couple of years. If I didn't have to worry about the board maintaining the 3.8 GHz OC, I would keep it and stop further upgrades.
I'm not sure what temperatures the CPU reached at 3.8 GHz on Prime95. I don't think it exceeded 45 degrees Celsius.