Windows fails to launch following the Overclocking process.
Windows fails to launch following the Overclocking process.
Here are the original notes rewritten with different wording while keeping the same length and structure:
Hey All,
The specifications are clear:
- AMD FX-8320
- ASUS M5A97 r2.0 Motherboard
- MSI GTX 1070
- Kingston Hyper Fury X 16gig (two 8 gig sticks) DDR3 RAM
- Thermaltake 650w PSU
- Sandisk SSD (used as boot drive)
- WD Blue Terabyte Hard Drive.
Now the story goes on:
I've kept my CPU at around 4.2ghz for several months just by tweaking the multiplier settings. Everything was functioning properly. Not satisfied with that, I decided to push it higher today. I began by increasing the multiplier and then experimented with voltage adjustments. Specifically, I raised the CPU/NB Offset Voltage by roughly 0.175 volts, bringing the total to 1.35 volts.
The system started up without issues, opened Windows smoothly, but then froze briefly. After a reboot, it would enter BIOS correctly, but whenever I tried to boot, it would freeze before the Windows screen appeared, showing lines of colorful pixels at the top. No amount of waiting resolved the problem.
I attempted several fixes so far—resetting the CMOS by removing the battery and waiting, trying different RAM sticks individually, removing the HDD to boot directly from the SSD, and even moving the GPU to another PCI slot with an older 750ti. Still no success.
I’m stuck. I’m hoping someone can help me replace a RAM stick and PSU from a friend to test them out. I don’t think I have any CPU/Motherboard options available locally.
Has anyone experienced this before? Am I missing something? Could the SSD be damaged? I was planning to connect it to my laptop to check its condition. It’s possible the HDD might be faulty, or the CPU, RAM, or voltage settings could be off. BIOS readings look normal—voltages, temperatures, speeds are all within range. I can enter BIOS without issues, but I can’t get into Windows.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I’ve been here for a while but haven’t found a specific solution. Thanks a lot!
A general guideline to prevent silicon damage is to maintain voltage at or below 1.3v, and the temperature you're experiencing depends on how much you increased the voltage.
The general guideline to prevent silicon issues is to maintain voltage at or below 1.3v. The temperatures you're experiencing seem normal based on the BIOS readings. Windows was running for less than a minute before it crashed. There wasn't enough time to check monitoring tools and see the actual temperatures.
I've been thinking about switching to an Intel CPU too. The FX-8320 isn't great. An old friend convinced me with the idea of "8 cores, intel is overrated." I was considering the i5 6500 with a micro ATX board for $240. I just want to confirm if the CPU or MOBO might be damaged so I don't replace parts that won't solve the problem. Could it be that the RAM is also affected?
I would think about Ram, have you had a chance to try it out yet?
I don't have an extra RAM module. I tried both options, but neither functioned alone. That's why I shouldn't follow my wife's advice about discarding old PC components.
I managed to locate old RAM sticks again, but the problem persists. This time I received a notification about a failed overclock and ended up in the BIOS. After confirming the clocks were still at stock settings, I tried booting, but the same issue remains. It doesn’t reach the log, and there’s still a strip of colorful pixels on the screen. Now I’m trying to figure out if it’s the CPU or the MOBO. My friend has a spare AM3+ CPU to test, but he forgot to bring it today. He plans to bring it in on Monday.
Ok. So the new CPU didnt fix anything. Still doing it. Here's a picture I took this time around.
https://imgur.com/a/nI4Pl
The Bios recognized the new CPU fine. Loaded optimal defaults. Nothing seems to be working. I'm down to either the Mobo being fried, the PSU (it's a 650w thermaltake), or the boot SSD got fucked somehow.
One thing I realized, when I was first resetting the Mobo, it switched to the HDD as the boot drive and I wasn't getting an error that there was no bootable media. Just the bios then freezing on the black screen with pixels. Thoughts on that? Or is it nothing?
I can try to borrow the Mobo from my buddy. I'm assuming he still has it. I'm going to pull the SSD and connect it to my laptop to see if it reads it.