Is it secure? 24/7 with 20% O.C.
Is it secure? 24/7 with 20% O.C.
Hi guys,
I've reached what feels like a magical 20% O.C. setting.
I'm running at 4.7 Ghz on water with temperatures in the low 50s.
Voltage is 1.475.
I play for a few hours each day, stream TV, and browse the internet. It's not at full load—maybe 4 or 5 hours daily, with less than 60% CPU usage.
It doesn't overheat, isn't under maximum voltage, and isn't being pushed too hard. It seems safe, but what do you think?
Once I get some new case fans, I plan to start folding@home, which runs at 75 to 80% load. Should I worry about that level of usage?
FX 6350
16 GB RAM, 1500W PSU
Radeon r9 270X
Same question for the GPU—if I can stabilize it—I want to know the safe limit for continuous use.
Thanks.
Honestly, it is hard to tell you if it is handling it well. Every CPU die is slightly different from the next and no two are exactly the same. It's one of the unfortunate disadvantages to creating microscopic pieces in the CPU. The real way to test it is to put it through some stress testing but honestly I would start off much lower than that because temperature is not the only thing that can kill your CPU and void your warranty.
The larger question, given that this is an FX chip, is what
motherboard
you have. The AM3+ platform is notorious for having a lot of cheap motherboards and in many situations in which you have a stable overclock, I'd expect the motherboard to be the longer-term question than the CPU.
MOBO is an ASUS 970 Pro gaming / Aura model. I understand the VRM isn't perfect, but they do have factory heat sinks. One of the radiator fans blows away on them and the exhaust fan is nearby, so hopefully they remain cool enough. I attempted to use an infrared camera, but didn't detect any heat. I considered swapping in a 140mm fan to blow directly on them.
The socket can handle up to around 65°C and reaches about 72°C. So, am I okay? Not good? Razors edge?
Even after stability tests, I experienced some issues. I had to increase the voltage to 1.48xV with my LLC; the hardware info shows 1.512V to 1.52V under load.
You're not missing the 760G chipset, which was the main concern. We often see folks pushing their FX-8350 to extreme speeds with a Gigabyte GA-78LMT-USB3 and then questioning why their motherboard failed after just six months. Are you seeing the temperatures from AMD Overdrive's thermal margin? It’s actually the best software for tracking an AM3+ CPU; third-party tools tend to give poor readings on these chips. More airflow on the board, if possible, could help with long-term overclocking. However, I’m less concerned about your motherboard, which has solid VRMs in a 7+1 setup. An FX-9590 might fit there, but don’t consider it a good idea for this particular CPU—I wouldn’t suggest it to my biggest rival!
That sounds correct. The O.C. seems secure, the airflow around the VRM is helpful but not essential, and everything looks fine.
The 7+1 config refers to a specific voltage or current setting that enhances performance, and it offers advantages in stability and efficiency.
In this context, VRM refers to a system with seven stages (chips) responsible for managing voltage and power supply for the CPU, PCI, and one for RAM. Lower memory capacities typically lack these seven stages plus one.