Issues encountered during overclocking of FX8350
Issues encountered during overclocking of FX8350
Hello, I'm attempting to push my FX8350 to 4.4GHz but it's not working well. When I try overclocking through BIOS, it turns off and on again but then the system doesn't boot. My setup includes a Corsair 850TX power supply, an AsRock 990FX Extreme 4 motherboard, 4x4GB Corsair Vengeance RAM at 1600Mhz.
I don’t know your motherboard’s BIOS details. Near the area where you adjust the clock speed multiplier to 44, there should be a v-core setting. It might be hidden under a sub-menu such as voltage.
I’m uncertain about your present voltage configurations, so I can’t establish a baseline. I’d suggest increasing it by .01 to .05 volts. For instance, if the voltage is 1.35, you could raise it to 1.36 up through 1.4. This depends on how careful you are and how concerned you are about your chip.
You definitely don’t want to exceed the necessary voltage because excess heat can damage the CPU’s lifespan.
The overclock isn't stable. You'll need to increase the voltage on the v-core to make it work. However, the FX CPUs generate a lot of heat. What cooler are you using? If you're using the standard cooler that comes with the 8350, you won't be able to overclock it and maintain reasonable temperatures.
I don’t know much about your motherboard bios, but near the area where you adjust the clock speed multiplier to 44, there should be a v-core setting. It might be hidden under a sub-menu such as voltage.
I’m uncertain about your current voltage configuration, so I can’t establish a baseline. I’d suggest increasing it by .01 to .05 volts. For instance, if the voltage is 1.35, you could raise it to 1.36 up to 1.4. This depends on how careful you are and how concerned you are about your chip.
You shouldn’t add more voltage than necessary because excess heat can damage the CPU and reduce its lifespan.
Some users prefer a very cautious approach, increasing only in small steps of .01 until stability is confirmed and temperatures are acceptable. I’d simply add .05 to whatever voltage you have and test for booting. If it works, proceed with a stress test and monitor temperatures.
If your average temperatures exceed 80°C, it’s usually best to lower the voltage as well, which often means reducing your clock speed too. This decision should be based on your cooling setup.
I'll attempt to follow your instructions later since I have other tasks to handle. Thanks for the advice.
P.S. Regarding stress tests, what suggestions do you have?
Prime 95 is the most favored choice, but it functions more like pushing a CPU through a decathlon—far beyond real-world demands. It doesn’t really challenge your processor as much as it does in Prime 95, so I avoid using it.
I rely on Intel Extreme Tuning Utility (XTU), though I’m unsure it works with AMD chips. It might be worth a shot.
CPUz offers a stress test that isn’t overly tough and is free to use.
Aida64 is also popular, but its availability isn’t clear.
You can simply run CinebenchR15 multiple times to keep an eye on temperatures.
If your benchmarks look fine, you can continue gaming and check for crashes—just be patient if it fails at the wrong moment.
When your system freezes, stay calm and adjust BIOS settings or voltage/frequency as needed.
Which adjustment would perform better—raising the CPU frequency or increasing the CPU Multiplier? Should I modify the CPU-NB voltage or keep it set automatically?
As I mentioned before, I’m not very familiar with AsRock Bios, so I don’t want to steer you in the wrong direction.
The frequency and the multiplier are essentially the same. What you shouldn’t alter is the BLCK setting. It should remain at 100. Changing it could disrupt the calculations and also affect the memory clock speed (though I won’t go into that).
If you aim for a 4.4ghz overclock, you’d need to adjust the multiplier to 44.
100 (BLCK) multiplied by 44 (multiplier) equals 4400mhz, which matches your desired frequency.
Jayztwocents is a YouTube creator with great overclocking content. His video on the 8350 should be useful.
You can find it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MckeAmnDeTk
Keep in mind that these videos might use different boards, and the BIOS could vary. If you encounter issues, search for AsRock 990FX Extreme 4 Overclocking guides. There are countless tutorials available to help you through the process.