Issues with starting up or posting after an update.
Issues with starting up or posting after an update.
Hello everyone!
Summary - PC won't boot or post after an OC, did I damage my motherboard?
I've been experimenting with my 3-year-old FX 4300, installed on an Asrock 970m Pro3 board with 16GB RAM in dual channel (2x4@1600 + 1x8@1333). Last night I achieved a "stable" OC at 4.4Ghz by keeping the base clock at 200 and raising the multiplier to 22. Today morning I tried adjusting things slightly, increasing the base clock to 220 and the multiplier to 20, hoping to find the better setting. That's not the problem. In both cases I managed a stable OC; I used "cu" because I only stressed the PC for a few hours, though it might have been okay. The vCore never went above 1.3675 volts, which should be safe. The voltage was around 1.175, VTT maxed at 1.2, and DRAM voltage set to 1.55 since I had a dimm of 1333 and higher clock speeds.
The issue now is that after my last try running the CPU at 4.5Ghz with 1.38 volts and a CPU voltage of 1.7, the PC won't boot or post anymore. I hear the fans spinning, the drives working, but the screen is black. My question is: Is my motherboard dead? Did I damage it? I really hope not. My PSU is a 530W Enermax Revolution X '80+ gold. I'm certain it's not the power supply's fault.
If you need any additional details, feel free to ask. Thanks for taking the time to read this!
1.7v to the nothbrige? Unless your motherboards northbridge is different than mine, which is FAR too high, mine is set to 1.2v. I would clear the CMOS this will reset your bios to default and hopefully allow you too assuming nothing was damaged. There should be a jumper on the motherboard somewhere or you could just remove the battery on the motherboard with the system unplugged from the wall for a few minutes, which will clear it as well.
Dunlop0078:
The voltage should be around 1.7v, unless your northbridge differs from mine which is much higher. I think it’s better to reset the CMOS, which will restore the BIOS to its default settings and hopefully fix any issues without damage. There should be a jumper on the board or you could remove the battery while unplugged for a few minutes to clear it too.
I appreciate you being right. I meant 1.1750 for NB voltage, the default was 1.625, and I also corrected the original post. My CMOS cleared and the PC booted fine, but I still want to understand what caused the problem before now.
The motherboard isn't very suitable for aggressive overclocking, featuring only a 4+1 phase VRM and a small heatsink on that VRM. It seems you pushed it too far—possibly exceeding the northbridge frequency or HT link speed if you're adjusting the base clock. Personally, I've found more success using the multiplier method for overclocking.
The motherboard isn't the best choice for aggressive overclocking, it has a 4+1 phase VRM and only a small heatsink on that part. It seems you pushed things beyond what's recommended—maybe the northbridge frequency or HT link speed were too high if you adjusted the base clock. Personally, I've found more success using the multiplier method instead.
I'm aware it isn't the top pick for overclocking, but it's decent according to some reviews I've seen. Also, I didn't go all out with the voltage settings, which is why I'm asking about this. Something unusual happened after my last try at 4.5ghz with higher voltages: the PC would just freeze without any visual feedback on the screen, preventing me from entering BIOS even after several restarts or power cycles. It only worked again after a few random resets, and even then it wouldn't boot until I cleared the CMOS. Hmm...