Consider upgrading your AMD Phenom II x4 965 black edition by overclocking, and determine the appropriate level.
Consider upgrading your AMD Phenom II x4 965 black edition by overclocking, and determine the appropriate level.
I own an AMD Phenom II x4 965 black edition 3.4 hz, an ASUS M5A88-M motherboard, a Corsair 500w cooler, and a GPU HD7850. I recently increased my CPU to 3.6 hz to boost FPS, but I'm experiencing poor performance in games like Dark Souls 3. While playing CS GO, my PC shut down completely. After restarting at 3.4 hz, it returned to normal. What caused this? I have limited knowledge of overclocking, and my motherboard/cooler seem to be struggling. Could I have overclocked incorrectly? Should I try again or stop?
Ensure you have sufficient cooling as CountMike recommends. Do you own an aftermarket CPU cooler? If not, avoid anything beyond a mild overclock. I previously used a Xigmatec cooler similar to the Hyper 212; a budget Hyper 212 would suffice. You can find more information in Overclock.net or the Tom's forums before moving forward.
http://www.overclock.net/t/525113/phenom...king-guide
The 965 model is nearing its end, so significant performance gains won't be realized, but an overclock will still provide some benefit.
If you prefer not to alter the cooler setup—which can be quite challenging—consider other options.
The VRM on that model is weak, which might be causing issues and possibly affecting the CPU cooler if you don’t use a quality aftermarket one. My 965Be ran smoothly with the Gigabyte ga-890fxa-UD5 and Mugen3 Cooler, maintaining 4.2GHz. The same setup on the GA 790 xt-USB3 burned VRMs when I tried it.
Ensure you have sufficient cooling as suggested by CountMike. Do you own an aftermarket CPU cooler? If not, avoid anything beyond a minimal overclock. I previously ran a Xigmatec cooler similar to the Hyper 212. A budget Hyper 212 would suffice for decent performance.
Review guides on Overclock.net or in Tom's forums before moving forward.
http://www.overclock.net/t/525113/phenom...king-guide
The 965 model is nearing its end, so significant gains won't be realized, but an overclock can still provide some benefit.
If changing the cooler feels difficult, consider only tweaking your graphics card slightly to improve frame rates.