Overclocking procedure? (Noob)
Overclocking procedure? (Noob)
Overclocking affected my frame rate. I wasn’t sure if I did everything correctly, but after pushing my CPU to around 4ghz I was seeing much slower performance—only 30-40 fps instead of the usual 70-80. As a beginner in overclocking, I’m really struggling and would appreciate some clear guidance step by step. Here are my details: CPU – FX 6300, GPU – MSI R9 270, RAM – 10gb DDR3 hyper-X, cooler – Zalman CNPS5X, MOBO – Asus M5A78L-MLX3, PSU – Corsair 750M.
Are you keeping an eye on the system thermals? Especially the CPU socket temperature (or package temp) and the CPU core temperature?
What value did you set for vCore?
It seems the CPU is slowing down because of the heat load. Thermal throttling occurs; achieving such high overclocks really requires a proper water cooling solution. There comes a limit where air cooling stops improving performance.
I don’t know which water cooling loop to buy best, I made my own because the reviews were confusing. I just read through the articles and didn’t understand much of it. So I decided to go with what I thought would work and used some of my own ideas.
My reservoir is now a hybrid setup with fins, fans, and heatsinks attached. The radiator operates independently with minimal pressure drop and high flow. The CPU block runs on its own loop with about 80% pressure drop; it shares the same reservoir or maybe a radiator (or perhaps a redesign, since it’s an old 5-liter copper jardiniere). My thermal performance is decent.
At 4.9GHz, the max temperature is around 43°C while I’m working and typing.
Overclocking the GPU is straightforward with MSI afterburner; just download and install.
But without strong cooling power, it won’t help much. You’ll need to significantly upgrade your cooling system—possibly doubling your TDP.
Eventually, cooling performance will reach a plateau too; an overclock will never surpass the efficiency of a new generation processor on a smaller die.
You're checking the system's thermal status, especially the CPU socket and package temperatures, as well as the vCore setting. It seems the CPU is slowing down because of the heat load—thermal throttling is occurring. This suggests that a proper water cooling solution would be necessary for achieving high overclocking performance. I haven't determined the ideal water cooling loop to buy; I built my own due to confusion from technical reviews. I tried reading articles but found them confusing, so I went with what seemed familiar. I used a hybrid reservoir/radiator setup with fins, fans, and heatsinks. The radiator now operates independently with high flow and no pressure drop. The CPU block runs on its own loop with a 80% pressure drop, sharing the same reservoir or possibly a radiator (though it's an old copper jardiniere). I reached a max temperature of 43°C at 4.9GHz during testing. Overclocking the GPU is straightforward with MSI afterburner. However, strong cooling is essential. You'll likely need to significantly upgrade your cooling system—possibly doubling your TDP. Eventually, thermal limits will also cap performance; an overclock won't surpass a newer chip on a smaller die.
You're thinking about custom water cooling and possibly modifying the case with a transparent acrylic sheet for better looks. With the current air cooler, I usually achieve around 80 FPS at about 45°C CPU temps. From what I've heard, the CPU shouldn't exceed 100°C, though that might not be accurate. How much did your cooling solution cost? Was it more valuable than purchasing a branded cooler? Where did you source your components from? Thank you again.
I bought a copper jardiniere for a reservoir off ebay £17.50 & holds 5 litres. I soldered a heatsink to it's base & some fins on it as well. Ebay
Pumps: one aquarium pump £12.50 - this pumps from the reservoir to the cpu block
one generic dc12v pump: £9.99 - this pumps from the reservoir through the radiator on a second loop; they share the reservoir
There is a problem with these pumps not having enough head pressure & I get a large pressure drop through the cpu block. But it still works pretty well in terms of cooling.
Cpu block: £15 off ebay
Radiator: Universal transmission cooler £5 off amazon; about equal I think to a 120mm radiator. As it was repacked in the warehouse they just wanted to dump it I suppose. I pulled out the aluminium tubing and replaced it with copper: £10
Various tubing & couplers £20
assorted sundries: gorilla grab adhesive; cpu thermal grease hose clamps (or jubilee clips), a hozelock quick snap fitting, insulation tape, bag of dc m-f jacks, 12v dc psu, solder, flux, £30 from amazon to the plumbers shop down the road.
So I spent about £100 so far but I could blow another £50 on a better cpu block which will reduce the pressure drop & increase the flow through the loop. I skimped on it but it may have been a bit of a false economy. I can get 4.9ghz but not 5ghz yet.
However I didn't yet buy any high volume pressure fans that are usually employed with ready made wc loop; If I get a couple of those to stick on the rad, there won't be anything in it between an off the shelf.
I took the view that as I would probably be messing about with couplers fittings and all the rest of it if I bought off the shelf, or if I made my own, I might as well make my own as it would be easier to find replacement parts & I used generic plumbers compression couplers to join my hoses & what clamps came with the cpu block.
& Already I've had to solder some wires back to a fan & had other odd jobs around to use the gorilla glue on; some of the items are multi-purpose. Having a bit of leftover hose is useful for filling the reservoir. I can just fill a bucket, hold it up and siphon the water in to the res.
I don't have a silver killcoil but a lot of copper in the loop. No critters so far.
AMD cpu's should not exceed a recommended limit of 61.5c; not a very useful guide since there are 2 temperatures to be concerned with: The package or socket temp it is sometimes called; and the core temp.
Have to check the sticky for that one; I can't remember off the top of my head which one matters the most. You can't get an amd cpu near 100c. It will shut itself off at about 80c.
Have you seen those interesting wall mounted PC's? Some people have done away with the chassis altogether; and just literally mount the components on the wall like a picture and use port extenders to connect up the gpu.
I think in the end that there was no difference between a branded cooler and my home build if I had bought a closed loop cooler; the open loop kits can cost £250 so I've made a saving against that. Plus I will get a gpu block into the bargain and a bit more flexibility on how I can position things as I can determine my own tube lengths; and easily get replacement parts from practically anywhere. So that was the decider; if I get the closed loop cooler I couldn't add a gpu block. Me being me I would have probably tried to snip open the closed loop and customize it anyway to add a gpu block; thus I would be messing around with couplers and tubing either way. Now all I have to do is just buy the gpu block alone; instead of another rad & fan + gpu block.
The next £50 will probably be for the gpu block & a couple of static pressure fans; rather than a different cpu block. As I'm only using pretty rubbish dc 12v fans at the moment.
I also drilled out 2mm from inside the plumber's compression couplers to widen the flow channel from 8mm to 10mm; 25% increase when you have a large pressure drop is nothing to be sneezed at either. It helped the flow quite a bit.
You will need to know that as pressure increases flow decreases; there is an inverse proportional relationship on that or something like it. You will need to read around to brush up on it.
Plus read the wc cooling sticky on this forum; it covers it all from hmax to delta t.
The performance drop on your cpu could be related to something else. Do you have any fans or cooling on your motherboard vrm's & north bridge? As I have a sabertooth with 'TUF' components I simply do not experience problems that users on 970 boards have had issues with.
Looking at the photo it does not appear your mobo has any vrm cooler. Yikes! These are the bits most likely to fry in an overclock - I would scale it back 'til you figure that one out.
FrankenDesign :
I purchased a copper jardiniere for a reservoir on eBay for £17.50, which holds 5 litres. I attached a heatsink to its base and some fins as well. Ebay
Pumps: one aquarium pump costs £12.50 – it moves water from the reservoir to the CPU block. Another generic DC12V pump is £9.99; it runs from the reservoir through the radiator on a second loop, sharing the reservoir. They’re experiencing insufficient head pressure and notice a significant drop in pressure through the CPU block. Still, the cooling performance remains satisfactory.
CPU block: £15 off eBay
Radiator: A universal transmission cooler with a £5 discount on Amazon (roughly equivalent to a 120mm model). It seems they were trying to relocate it from the warehouse. I removed the aluminium tubing and installed copper instead for £10.
Various tubing & couplers: £20
Different accessories: Gorilla Grab adhesive, CPU thermal grease, hose clamps (or jubilee clips), Hozelock quick snap fittings, insulation tape, a bag of DC M-f jacks, 12V DC PSU, solder, flux – all bought from Amazon for about £30 to the plumbers shop nearby.
So far, I’ve spent around £100; I’m considering spending another £50 on a better CPU block to lower pressure drop and improve flow through the loop. I didn’t go further because it might not have been worth it – I can reach 4.9GHz but not 5GHz yet.
I haven’t purchased high-volume pressure fans that are typically used with ready-made water cooling loops. If I acquire a few of those, they’d eliminate the need for an aftermarket solution.
I decided that if I bought off-the-shelf parts, or made my own, it would be simpler to source replacement pieces. Generic plumber compression couplers were sufficient for joining hoses and clamps. I’ve already soldered some wires back to a fan and done a few other small jobs using Gorilla Glue on the glue stick; some items are multi-use. Leftover hose is handy for refilling the reservoir.
Although I don’t have a silver killcoil, there’s plenty of copper in the loop so far – no pests detected.
AMD CPUs shouldn’t exceed the recommended 61.5°C; it’s not an ideal guide since there are two key temperatures to watch: the package/socket temperature and the core temperature. I’ll need to check the sticker for that one – I’m not sure which is most important. The CPU won’t run above around 80°C.
Have you seen those cool wall-mounted PCs? Some users have abandoned the chassis entirely, mounting components directly on the wall like a picture and using port extenders. In my view, there’s no significant difference between a branded cooler and my homemade build if I opted for a closed-loop design; open-loop kits can cost up to £250, so I’m saving on that. Plus, I’ll get a GPU block in the bargain and more freedom to adjust tube lengths as needed, plus easy access to replacement parts anywhere.
That was my main consideration: if I bought a closed-loop cooler, I wouldn’t be able to add a GPU block. Personally, I’d probably go for customization anyway – cutting open the closed loop would let me install a GPU block. So I’d end up dealing with couplers and tubing either way.
Now all that remains is purchasing the GPU block alone instead of another radiator and fan plus GPU. Right now, I’m planning the next £50 for the GPU block and a few static pressure fans – rather than a different CPU block. Since I’m only using cheap DC 12V fans at the moment.
I also drilled 2mm inside the plumber’s compression couplers to widen the flow channel from 8mm to 10mm; a 25% improvement when dealing with high pressure drop is definitely noticeable. It made a big difference.
Keep in mind that as pressure rises, flow decreases – it’s an inverse relationship. You’ll need to research this further. Also, check the wall-mount cooling sticker on forums for detailed guidance.
The CPU performance dip might not be due to cooling alone. Do you have any fans or cooling solutions on your motherboard VRMs and northbridge? With my 'TUF' components, I don’t usually face such issues.
Looking at the photo, it seems your motherboard doesn’t have a VRM cooler. Yikes! These are the parts most likely to fail under overclocking – I’d recommend scaling back until you understand the limits.
Thanks for the response. Your water cooling build looks intriguing. I’ve seen some wall-mounted setups, but are they prone to dust? Also, from what I’ve seen, they often look unattractive – a stark contrast to the more stylish desks with flashy LEDs. Right now, I don’t have £600 to splurge on one of those. Do you think it’s worth investing around £150 on water cooling for my build? In my opinion, it might be better to gradually upgrade the PC over time before spending that money on cooling, and perhaps postpone adding a GPU block until I can afford it. For now, the performance I get is more than sufficient – for a budget PC, £150 cooling seems unnecessary, unless I eventually upgrade everything to higher specs and try building one myself; maybe winning the lottery would make it worthwhile!
If you purchase or design a custom loop, it can still be applied in most new constructions, unless the socket standard shifts—which would require updating your CPU block. This is the benefit of an open loop. If you opt for a CPU block with a pump inside in a closed loop, and the socket format evolves in the next generation, you'll need a fresh block, pump, and even a radiator since closed loops are not easily adaptable.
With your own custom build using discrete parts, you'd only require a new CPU block.
In the coming six months, the FX line will likely end with the Zen release in Q4 for socket AM4, followed by new AMD GPUs shortly after; Intel CPUs will continue to support the 1150 series.
A water loop generally costs more than an air cooler, though it doesn't have to be. I'm confident I could have achieved this more affordably, as the Jardiniere already offers a substantial delta temperature independently.
I might have chosen pumps with higher maximum heat dissipation for the price, but I'm still a beginner. Sometimes you just need to learn by getting into trouble.
Later CPUs are expected to need less cooling due to smaller dies and lower TDP; however, this could also mean you won't waste money on premium coolers now. Building a reasonable mid-range cooler for around £100 could be worthwhile—especially if you're careful with the components when the next generation arrives, assuming the new architecture supports it. Overclocking would then become a nice bonus.
If you purchase an AMD/Intel compatible CPU block now, you can switch to Intel later without issues, as AMD is introducing a new socket for Zen. This might require some adjustments or additional hardware depending on the new design.
If you aim for maximum overclocking, you'll need to invest in the right equipment. Eventually, you might save money by upgrading later—just wait until your system reaches its limits.
What should you do? You could invest in making your own heatsinks using a backyard furnace and welding tools, or you could buy ready-made options.
The ideal situation is having the tools to craft custom solutions whenever needed; experimenting with your own designs can be very rewarding.
I have a good copper plate from a heatsink; all I need is a Dremel for microchannels, some Perspex, and an O-ring to seal it. Why would I do this? If I wanted to create a block with larger channels or bigger couplers, drilling holes in copper is manageable. You could attach Perspex pieces and test how well water flows through the loop. Power tools can also handle other home projects.
If you're aiming for cost-effectiveness, a decent set of power tools should cover most needs. For a furnace, a few heat bricks and a crucible are sufficient; you can mold them with ceramic powders or clay, and use a butane torch to melt the metal. This way, you avoid relying on tech companies to charge you for compatible parts.
FrankenDesign:
When purchasing or crafting a custom loop, you might still apply it to most recent projects unless the socket type shifts, in which case you'd need to upgrade your CPU block. This is why open loops offer an edge. If you opt for a CPU block with a pump inside a closed loop, and the socket format evolves in the next generation, you'll likely require a fresh block, pump, and even a new radiator since closed loops are harder to tweak.
With a DIY setup using individual parts, you'd only need a new CPU block. Over the next six months, the FX line will likely end around Q4 for the am4 socket, followed by a new AMD GPU soon after, while Intel CPUs will continue supporting the 1150 series. A water loop generally costs more than an air cooler, though it doesn’t have to be. I’m confident I could have built it cheaper, as the Jardiniere already handles heat well without needing much extra.
I might have chosen pumps with higher maximum flow rates for less expense, but I’m still a beginner and sometimes learning comes from troubleshooting. Mid-range coolers around £100 should suffice for now; they won’t prevent you from overclocking if you build one yourself. Buying better HMax models isn’t necessary—sometimes it’s worth waiting to see if the new architecture supports it.
If you invest in a compatible block now, you can switch to Intel later without issues, as long as you check compatibility data. AMD is rolling out a new socket with Zen, so you might need to wait for confirmation before upgrading. For those aiming for maximum overclocking, you’ll have to spend wisely—overclocking could be the final touch if the new design suits your needs.
Purchasing an AMD/Intel compatible block now lets you switch to Intel later, though you may need to adjust screw hole positions. If you want the best performance, spending the money upfront is wise, especially since you’ll likely get better value later. Overclocking will then be a natural next step if your system supports it.
If you buy an AMD/Intel compatible block today, you can easily transition to Intel later and remain compatible. However, with AMD’s new socket for Zen, you might need to wait and see if it still fits before investing in additional parts.
For those wanting the top performance now, you’ll need to allocate funds accordingly—overclocking could be justified if the new architecture allows it.
The best approach is having the tools to fabricate your own heatsinks using backyard equipment like molds and arc welders. You can also machine custom parts when needed. Alternatively, buying ready-made options is a practical choice.
The ideal scenario is possessing the necessary tools to create custom solutions whenever required; experimenting with your own designs is enjoyable. I have a copper plate from a heatsink that I could shape with a Dremel, some Perspex, and an O-ring for watertightness. If I wanted larger flow channels or bigger couplers, drilling holes in copper would be straightforward. You could also glue Perspex pieces together and test how well the loop circulates water. Power tools can handle other home projects too.
If you’re aiming for cost-effectiveness, a decent set of power tools should cover most needs. For furnaces, a few heat bricks and a crucible are often sufficient; ceramic powders, clay, or sand mixes can be used to create molds, and a butane torch can melt the metal. This way, you avoid relying solely on tech companies for compatibility.
This advice is practical—what matters most is understanding watercooling concepts in real life. What do you think about the Corsair Hydro series coolers? They usually range from £70 to £120. Also, if the FX line is phasing out soon, should you consider replacing it with a new MOBO and CPU in about six months? And during that time, will a new graphics card be added, especially since your current build seems focused on power efficiency?