I have built a new PC using the recommended components (bar the RAM) from the January CustomPC issue 076, "Build Your Perfect PC". Here's my spec list: AMD Athlon II 250 MSI 770-C45 mobo Zotac 260 GTX 1x 2Gb of DDR3 1600 (Kingston) I've got the computer running and installed Windows 7, and all seems well. However the next stage was to follow the guide in CustomPC to overclock the setup (pg 116). I have done the following BIOS changes as laid out in the mag: -CPU FSB is adjusted to 250MHZ -FSB DRAM Ratio set to 1:3.33 At this point the computer seems stable and boots fine etc. Idles at 15c. However when I then add the remaining overclocking settings, the PC is bombing out as the Windows 7n load screen appears with what looks like a blue screen of death flashing up for a nano second before rebooting. The settings I have used are: HT Link Speed: x8 CPU VDD Voltage: 1.4000 CPU-NB VDD Voltage: 1.1000 CPU Voltage: 1.502 (this one turns red) CPU-NB Voltage: 1.310 DRAM Voltage: 1.76 NB Voltage: 1.154 HT Link Voltage: 1.252 Spread spectrum: Disabled According to the magazine, using the slightly slower 240 CPU (I have the 250) I should be able to achieve around 3.5ghz stabley - however as I say, I'm getting the system bomb out. To be honest, I'm not that fussed about big gains with the CPU, I'm more interested in ensuring the RAM runs at the correct 1600 not the 1066 the mobo is rated to without OC'ing (see here for the original advice I was given: http://forums.bit-tech.net/showthread.php?p=2165081#post2165081 ) Can anyone look over these settings and just see where I'm going wrong? I've never dabled in OC'ing before and I'm unsure which of the above settings is most likely to cause instability and which ones will ensure the RAM runs at the correct speed. I've tried doing some research, but I think I maybe need someone to look at what I've done and explain it more simply. Any help would be much appreciated.
The trick to remember is, not every single chip will clock identically; what might be stable for one chip might cause another to buckle. Overclocking is all about slow increments in testing. Start with a slight overclock; if it boots into Windows, run stress tests for a few hours. If they work, then increase your OC a bit more; the moment you get to the point where the PC starts becoming unstable or fails stress tests, turn it down a bit until it works properly. It may be you need to increase the voltage a bit, but if I were you I'd start knocking down your OC until it starts properly.
