How can I safely OC my AMD Phenom X4 945?

[gqtuazon]

After so many upgrades, my computer has definitely improved a lot but I feel that my CPU is now the slowest followed by the moboard. I am skeptical in OC my cpu but I would like to try it to see if I can see some improvements in processing large RAW file pictures and video editing.

Is there a software that can do this easily and safely or do I have to do this on the BIOS? Everything is currently running in stock. I don't know how high I can push my processor at a stable rate. My CPU is air cooled.

AMD Phenom II X4 945 processor 3.00 Ghz
ASUS M4A785TD-M EVO mother board
550W OC PSU
GTX 560Ti 1g video card
8gb RAM DDR 3 1333 (4 slots)
180 Gb Intel SSD 3 series
LG BLR -RW
23inch HP 1080p monitor
Win 7 64 Bit
2TB WD My book external storage


I appreciate any suggestions that can provide.

 

[SickBeast]

You need to do it in the bios.

You need to do the following:

1. Add a bit of voltage to the CPU. 1.4v is usually optimal.

2. Raise your FSB a bit at a time.

3. Add a memory divider so that it stays within spec (raising the FSB makes the memory run faster so you have to be careful).

4. Test stability using LinX in Windows. If it passes a default run, raise the FSB another 10mhz or so and try again.

5. Watch your temps!! The Phenom II likes to be at around 60C or lower. I wouldn't want it higher than that. It will probably be fine up to 80C but it won't be stable and I wouldn't want to run mine that hot.

You should be able to hit around 3.6ghz at 1.4v.

Good luck.

Once you do all that you can start to overclock the CPU-NB but focus on the main core first.

 

[PhoenixEnigma]

My CPU is air cooled.

Air cooled with what? If it's the stock heatsink, I'm not sure how far you'll get, and I'd probably play it safe and see how far stock volts will take you.

 

[borisvodofsky]

Air cooled with what? If it's the stock heatsink, I'm not sure how far you'll get, and I'd probably play it safe and see how far stock volts will take you.

Yea, good catch, we don't want the OP burning up his ghetto rig on stock cooling.


My vote goes to the new hyper 212 evo, looks good with those tightly packed pipes.

 

[gqtuazon]

Air cooled with what? If it's the stock heatsink, I'm not sure how far you'll get, and I'd probably play it safe and see how far stock volts will take you.

It has six pipes with two - 120mm fan attached to the cooler. I believe it is a cooler master. It has a pretty robust heat sink which can handle the heat generated by the CPU. Plenty of intake and exhaust fans in the case. Our room has A/C running most of the time. I hope that helps.

@ sickbeast, thanks for the info. I'm not an expert yet but I'll play with the bios. Are there items that I need to disable? I think quiet and cool should be one of them.

Probably a youtube video tutorial will help me out also.

 

[SickBeast]

It has six pipes with two - 120mm fan attached to the cooler. I believe it is a cooler master. It has a pretty robust heat sink which can handle the heat generated by the CPU. Plenty of intake and exhaust fans in the case. Our room has A/C running most of the time. I hope that helps.

@ sickbeast, thanks for the info. I'm not an expert yet but I'll play with the bios. Are there items that I need to disable? I think quiet and cool should be one of them.

Probably a youtube video tutorial will help me out also.

Don't disable cool n quiet; I mean you can, but I like to keep my power saving features on. Perhaps leave it off until you sort out your overclock then you can see if it works (which it should). You might as well turn off C1E if you're doing that then turn it back on as well later on.

Disable Spread Spectrum.

You should be able to leave the rest as it is.