Trapped at 4.1Ghz using Pentium G3258
Trapped at 4.1Ghz using Pentium G3258
Hello, this is my initial attempt at overclocking a CPU, please be patient. I purchased a Pentium G3258 with a Z97 board and have noticed others consistently reaching above 4.5 Ghz, while I’m currently stuck at 4.1 Ghz. I want to find out if the issue lies with my motherboard or something else (perhaps I just got a lower-end CPU).
Here’s my setup:
Motherboard: MSI Gaming 3 Z97 (the most affordable in this line)
Cooler: CoolerMaster Hyper 212 Evo
RAM: 8GB 1600Mhz DDR3
GPU: Radeon R7 250X
At 4.2 Ghz the system starts but is unstable. Going higher causes motherboard errors (A2 or 99) and prevents booting until I reset the CMOS. I kept the voltage on Auto in BIOS, then increased it to 1.25V without success. Could there be another factor at play?
Hi, this is my initial attempt at overclocking a CPU, so please be patient. I purchased a Pentium G3258 with a Z97 board and have noticed others consistently reaching above 4.5 Ghz, but I’m currently capped at 4.1 Ghz. I’m curious if the issue lies with my motherboard or if it’s just a lower-end CPU model.
Here’s my configuration:
Motherboard: MSI Gaming 3 Z97 (the budget option might be the cause)
Cooler: CoolerMaster Hyper 212 Evo
RAM: 8GB 1600Mhz DDR3
GPU: Radeon R7 250X
At 4.2 Ghz the system starts but becomes unstable. Going higher triggers motherboard errors (A2 or 99) and prevents booting until I reset the CMOS. I kept the voltage in Auto mode...
Noted another individual achieving success at around 4 with 1.3 volts. Keep an eye on the temperatures!
I would just go with the 4.1, some chips are simply superior. I bought one as a small side experiment to test how far I could push it using a custom $800 loop. It performed well until around 4.3, then I increased the voltage to about 1.37 and couldn't get past that point. The temperatures didn't become a problem, so I pushed it on a high-end board. Later, my friend got one for his HTPC and I overclocked it for him—stable at 4.6 with 1.27v on an EVO cooler. Chips really do vary a lot when it comes to overclocking.
Hi, this is my initial attempt at overclocking a CPU, so please be patient. I purchased a Pentium G3258 with a Z97 board and have noticed people consistently achieving speeds above 4.5 Ghz, whereas I’m currently stuck at 4.1 Ghz. I’m curious if the issue lies with my motherboard or if the CPU itself is the bottleneck (perhaps it’s just a lower-end model).
Here’s my configuration:
Motherboard: MSI Gaming 3 Z97 (the budget option, which could be the cause)
Cooler: CoolerMaster Hyper 212 Evo
RAM: 8GB 1600Mhz DDR3
GPU: Radeon R7 250X
At 4.2 Ghz, the system starts up but becomes unstable. Going higher than that triggers motherboard errors (A2 or 99) and prevents booting until I reset the CMOS. I kept the voltage on Auto in BIOS, then increased it to 1.25V without success. Could there be another factor at play?
I suspect the motherboard might be limiting performance. I’m considering testing a 1.45V setup at 4.8GHz and checking if driver updates assist.
Build details:
PCPartPicker part list
Price breakdown by merchant
CPU: Intel Pentium G3258 3.2GHz Dual-Core Processor ($70.98 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock Fatal1ty Z97 Killer ATX LGA1150 ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 ($81.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Asus Radeon R9 270 2GB DirectCU II ($109.99 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT Source 210 (Black) ATX Mid Tower ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA 500W 80+ Certified ($24.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $447.92 (includes shipping, taxes, and discounts)
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-12-01 19:39 EST-0500
Haroldragaofficial is sharing his initial experience with overclocking a CPU. He purchased a Pentium G3258 on a Z97 board and has observed stable speeds above 4.5 Ghz, but currently only reaches 4.1 Ghz. He seeks advice on whether the motherboard or another factor is limiting performance. His configuration includes a MSI Gaming 3 Z97 motherboard, CoolerMaster Hyper 212 Evo cooler, 8GB DDR3 RAM, Radeon R7 250X GPU, and a PC built with these components. At 4.2 Ghz the system boots but becomes unstable, triggering motherboard errors (A2 or 99) and requiring a CMOS reset. He tried auto-voltage settings and raised it to 1.25V without success. He suspects the issue might lie elsewhere. The motherboard appears to be the main concern, possibly due to insufficient voltage. He suggests testing with 1.45V and 4.8GHz, and notes that driver updates could assist. His build details are listed alongside price breakdowns from various sellers.