Overclock core temp?
Overclock core temp?
Hi, I upgraded my Phenom II X2 550 to an X4 B50 and am attempting a further overclock using the stock heatsync and fan. I increased the clock ratio to boost my speed from 3.1 to 3.4 GHz. I noticed I could only unlock three cores, leaving me with just three at that speed. The system is running stably at 3.4 GHz, even though I didn’t change the CPU voltage in the BIOS. My current temperature is around 63°C during a Prime95 stress test, which is quite high. Should I consider raising the voltage or proceed with this modest overclock using the stock cooling solution?
The hyper212 fits your needs well. The bonus featuring decent aircoolers is known as bleed. Although much of the exhaust is sent to the rear by the fan airflow, some still escapes through the sides of the cooler. This ensures air reaches the Northbridge chipset without needing additional cooling. It's not as efficient as a cooler with a downward orientation like the Noctua NH-C12/14, but it still performs significantly better than any AIO.
How much overclocking you can achieve depends on your motherboard temperatures and the voltages you apply. Keeping voltages low is ideal, as you'll encounter voltage and stability limits on the motherboard before reaching CPU limits.
Max core temperature stays at 70C for the Phenom II X2 550 BE (rev. C2).
But if a core is disabled because of too much heat, temperatures will rise even more.
I wouldn’t increase the vcore unless your motherboard has strong heat sinks on the VRMs and you’re using an aftermarket cooler.
The aftermarket cooling options work better than the built-in cooler, which isn't enough. AMD's stock coolers are already poor quality, adding more reason to prefer alternatives.
The maximum core temperature is 70°C for the Phenom II X2 550 BE (rev. C2). Enabling a disabled core will increase the temperatures further. If the core becomes disabled because of too much heat, even more so. I wouldn’t raise the vcore unless your motherboard has strong heat sinks on the VRMs and you’re using an aftermarket cooler. Regarding the heat syncs on the VRMs, how do you assess their quality? I own a Gigabyte GA-MA770T-UD3P. The specs mention advanced 8+2 phase CPU VRM power design for AMD high-TDP 140W CPUs.
Hoag89 shared their experience with the Phenom II X2 550 BE (rev. C2). They noted that keeping the core temperature at 70°C is ideal, but disabling a core would increase temperatures further. They advise against raising the vcore unless the motherboard has strong cooling solutions, such as proper heat sinks on VRMs and aftermarket coolers. Regarding the VRM heat syncs, they asked how to assess their quality. They mentioned using a Gigabyte GA-MA770T-UD3P and referenced the motherboard specifications, which mention advanced 8+2 phase CPU VRM power design for high-TDP CPUs. They clarified that if their board matches the listed revision, it lacks VRM heat sinks. However, adding aftermarket heat sinks would not significantly affect the overall board specifications.
The voltage control system mainly consists of those small caps and the tiny black cubes on the left side of the socket. On high-quality OC motherboards, these parts are not only protected by a large heatsink, but they also provide superior cooling for the Northbridge (the weak aluminum square beneath the socket) and additional heatsinks on other circuitry above the socket, all connected via heatpipes. The board lacks any other heatsinking besides the Northbridge, meaning any OC must rely entirely on the CPU cooler for these components.
The voltage regulation system mainly consists of those small caps and the black cubes on the left side of the socket. On good OC motherboards, these parts are not only covered by a large heatsink, but they also provide better cooling for the Northbridge (the weak aluminum square under the socket) and another big heatsink on more circuitry above the socket, all connected with heatpipes. Your board doesn’t have any other heatsinks besides the Northbridge, so any OC will leave those parts exposed to the CPU cooler.
I mentioned I recently upgraded to the Phenom II X4 1060T and unlocked an extra core, running at default speed. I ordered an EVO 212 aftermarket cooler for the CPU and it’s on its way. I’m wondering if I can overclock my CPU on this setup, or if I need a cooler for the Northbridge as well. I didn’t realize such options existed. Thanks for your help. I’m doing all this because my current system is older and I want to upgrade as much as possible without replacing the motherboard.
The hyper212 fits your needs well. The bonus featuring decent aircoolers is known as bleed. Although much of the exhaust is sent to the rear by the fan airflow, some still escapes through the sides of the cooler. This ensures air reaches the Northbridge chipset without needing additional cooling. It's not as efficient as a cooler with a downward orientation like the Noctua NH-C12/14, but it still performs significantly better than any AIO.
How much overclocking you can achieve depends on your motherboard temperatures and the voltages you apply. Keeping voltages low is ideal, as you'll encounter voltage and stability limits on the motherboard before reaching CPU limits.