AM3 overclock n00b questions

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windoze9x

Limp Gawd
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Jul 26, 2002
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I'm pretty new to overclocking but I read some of the amd phenoms are great overclockers. I just ordered a coolermaster v8 and am building an AM3 system probably using a quad core 3.0ghz or a 3.2ghz quad.

Anyway, I am not sure how overclocking works on these. Can you adjust the multipliers? Is it fsb overclocking. I know back in the day whenever i did fsb overclocking it would mess with my pci/usb devices and all sorts of consequences. Is this still the case? Do I need to get ram that is made for overclocking like ddr3 1600 or higher?

Any help is appreciated. I'm completely lost. I tried a few searches and some google but most stuff I found was older processors and I'm sure a bit may have changed. Especially since I'm seeing mobos with features like "Easy OC".

Thanks and plz don't flame me for being a n00b haha.
 
the phenom II x2 550, x3 720, x4 940(am2+), x4 955 are all black edition processors.. thus they have unlocked multipliers.. so all you have to do is change the cpu multiplier and voltage to overclock.. you can leave everything else at its stock settings..
 
I just got an x3 720 BE after having been out of the OC loop for a few years. I went into the bios, upped the multiplier to 16 (3.2 Ghz) and primed, was stable. Went back into bios, went to 17 (3.4 Ghz) and it booted into Windows, but then died. Upped voltage by one notch (0.25 I believe) and tried again, Prime stable.

The end. I'll go for more after I get off the stock fan, but it really is that simple. Change one number and up the voltage if necessary and you're done.
 
Got Kuma 7750 it also has unlocked multipliers. All black editions have unlocked multipliers.
 
Pick up the 550BE with either- gigabyte 770, gigabyte 790xt, or gigabyte 709fx board
unlock cores....I hear its better than overclocking (/sarcasm)
 
Mr34727 said:
Pick up the 550BE with either- gigabyte 770, gigabyte 790xt, or gigabyte 709fx board
unlock cores....I hear its better than overclocking (/sarcasm)
Click to expand...

Careful with what model of 770 though, not all have ACC.
 
dorky82 said:
Got Kuma 7750 it also has unlocked multipliers. All black editions have unlocked multipliers.
Click to expand...
The Kumas are pretty shitty CPUs though. They run hot, overclock poorly, and have inferior performance to the Phenom II/Athlon II CPUs. An Athlon II 245 or 250, even with their locked multipliers, are still much better choices than a 7750 or 7850.
 
dorky82 said:
Got Kuma 7750 it also has unlocked multipliers. All black editions have unlocked multipliers.
Click to expand...



anyone thats still buying the kuma now that the athlon II and phenom II 550BE have been released.. should just throw all their computers away..

the kuma's are worthless and a waste of money even if you got it for a dollar.. like zero said.. they run hot and are no where near comparable to the athlon II 250 or phenom II 550BE in performance..
 
Thanks for all the replies and help. Sounds like it's pretty simple with what I wanna get. However I still have a question. Is there anyway to overclock the fsb without screwing up all your pci/usb and other stuff? Are there specific motherboards that handle this. Cause I was thinking of getting some ddr3 made to run higher fsb. However if it's gonna make my other devices possibly unstable I'll just standard clock ddr3 and save some money. Any advice?
 
windoze9x said:
Is there anyway to overclock the fsb without screwing up all your pci/usb and other stuff?
Click to expand...
All current motherboards allow you to change your CPU clock speed without affecting PCI/PCI-E/USB/whatever other devices you may have. And you can always raise the voltage a bit on your northbridge or southbridge if you do get some instability due to other reasons.
 
Zero82z said:
All current motherboards allow you to change your CPU clock speed without affecting PCI/PCI-E/USB/whatever other devices you may have. And you can always raise the voltage a bit on your northbridge or southbridge if you do get some instability due to other reasons.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the info. I had major trouble with this in the past. I'm excited even more now about the new hardware I'm gonna get. :)
 
sirmonkey1985 said:
anyone thats still buying the kuma now that the athlon II and phenom II 550BE have been released.. should just throw all their computers away..

the kuma's are worthless and a waste of money even if you got it for a dollar.. like zero said.. they run hot and are no where near comparable to the athlon II 250 or phenom II 550BE in performance..
Click to expand...
I don't know that I'd go THAT far, as there are several AM2+ boards that don't have (official) Phenom II support. There's nothing wrong with a Kuma 7750 if you're coming from a low-end Athlon X2 and your motherboard has no support for Phenom II.


OTOH, that's a pretty small group of people, I think.

Back on-topic, my X2 550BE overclocks like a dream. I've got 4 cores at 3.8GHz now that I have a "real" heatsink/fan (Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus) I felt comfortable going to 1.55v.
 
DeerSteak said:
I don't know that I'd go THAT far, as there are several AM2+ boards that don't have (official) Phenom II support. There's nothing wrong with a Kuma 7750 if you're coming from a low-end Athlon X2 and your motherboard has no support for Phenom II.


OTOH, that's a pretty small group of people, I think.

Back on-topic, my X2 550BE overclocks like a dream. I've got 4 cores at 3.8GHz now that I have a "real" heatsink/fan (Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus) I felt comfortable going to 1.55v.
Click to expand...

yeah i know what you mean.. but in that case for the heat output of the kuma's id rather have a slower brisbane core then the kuma.. even if i do lose a little bit in performance..

30C idle 50C full load while running 3ghz vs 40C idle 60C+ full load running stock.. and these temps are using the stock cooler.. id still take my brisbane x2 be-2350 over the kuma any day.. but then again im also in a small nitch of computer users because all my systems run full load 24/7..
 
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