I am not strictly new to OC'ing, but I have never gone into it heavily, and have never pushed a system to it limits. Yesterday I installed a shiny new HS+F and so I have been pushing my OC up to levels I have never ventured to before and I need some advice from the more experienced OC'ers among you. I have a Phenom II X4 940 BE with a Titan Fenrir V2 slapped on top of it, using Arctic Silver 5 TIM. Current stable settings (6 hrs of prime95 and counting): 940 OC'ed to 3.6GHz. (18X multiplier) (Stock: 3.0GHz with 15x multiplier) CPU Vcore is at 1.41. (Stock 1.35) Current max core temp is 67 degrees C. (Normally fluctuates between 65/66, but has peaked once at 67) No other settings currently touched. I would like to ask the more experienced OC'ers if that Vcore is safe for this chip for a permanent OC? And also if that is a safe temp for the cores (Again for a permanent OC.) Additionally, if I wished to push the CPU further (if it is safe to do so that is), what is the max Vcore and/or Temp I should be looking at for the 940 (obviously with a safety margin because of chip to chip differences), and are there any other settings for tweaking the cpu I should be aware of to help with stability? Another thing I need advice about is a replacement 120mm fan for the Fenrir. Currently in prime95 the cores are sitting at around 65/66 on full load, and the Fenrir's fan is running at full tilt. I don't mind the whooshing noise of the air being pushed about (Lets face it it is no where near as load as the stock HS+F I have been using up to now), but the fan does have extra noise from the bearing that I find annoying. At about 1850 RPM there is rather a lot of bearing rattle/clicking. I know this is rarely eliminated fully due to the nature of bearings, but this particular fan seems to be a fairly bad one, to the point that it isn't really ignorable. Also at full tilt (Around 2270 RPM) there is an annoying pair of noises from the fan, a low buzzing from the blades and a separate weird sound from the bearing. I'd call it a squeal, but it isn't high pitched enough, and it is difficult to explain - so I shan't bother and just leave it as an annoying sound I want rid of. So can anyone recommend a 120mm fan that is quieter, but has at least the same CFM shifting power? And by 'same CFM shifting power' I mean real world figures and not the make believe numbers manufacturers use for advertising.
They recommendn that the cpu temp on phenoms shouldn't go above 62c and the 247voltages is about 1.5 however phenom's prefere cool temps more than high voltage. If your looking for a gd fan maybe some of the scythe gentle typhoons? Also if you really wan2 stress your system try intel burn test as i found i could pass prime 95 but would fail on intel burn.
He isn't using an i7 so that guide will be quite confusing. Also why will having a higher base clock and lower multiplier mean he can drop the voltage if the actual speeds are the same. The voltage is well within limits the only problem would be the heat as phenom's ain't designed to run very hot.
Sorry mate thats what I get for for not paying attention It just seemed to work that way when I had a i7 940 ??
That's a pretty high temp you're getting, given the voltage and the fact that you're using a Fenrir. My x3 720 (one less core, otherwise pretty much the same CPU) is @3.6 with 1.475V, and it peaks at perhaps 52 degrees, less if I turn my case fans up (usually have them at 800rpm). My Fenrir is fitted with a "Scythe Gentle Typhoon 1450rpm" (hereafter called "GT1450") but I can't imagine that makes a huge difference, the stock fan isn't bad with the Fenrir, and the GT1450 isn't exactly what I'd call high performance; I got it because it's quiet but still shifts air pretty well. Personally I'd remove the OC immediately if I was getting 67 degrees from a phenom II, they usually run pretty cool. Check the Fenrir is on okay, and case cooling is sufficient to get cold air to the fenrir fan perhaps? What case do you have?
Thanks for the reply's guys. The case is a P182. The temps are high because the room ambient is high (34-38 degrees during the summer, during the winter it is about 20 degrees cooler in the same room even with the heating on). I have backed the OC off to 3.4 and the voltage to 1.362 (needs the extra 0.012 volts to remain stable - how annoying is that. ) and now I get a max temp of 59 degrees under full load during the hottest part of the day. Idle temps during the day are now 44 degrees, and at night they are at 36 degrees - yes it does get that hot in this room. I hate this flat during the summer. I'll leave the OC at that for now, until I can move to a place that has 'normal' room temps anyway. Yeah for shifting air I can't fault the Fenrir's stock fan, but I think the bearing must have taken a knock during transit as it makes some god awful noises, if it wasn't for that I wouldn't bother changing it. Obviously with my room temps I need a high airflow fan like the stock fan, anyone have any suggestions for a replacement fan with high air flow that is about the same noise level or less than the stock fan has? I have been thinking about getting one of these: http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/120mm-Scythe-S-FLEX-SFF21F-Fan-1600-RPM
Personally I'd go for a gentle typhoon, though I hear they're better as radiator fans than with heatsinks. As I said, I like them because they're have a nice low tone, rather than an irritating whine. The S-flex's are meant to be pretty good, I think, though I've never used or even heard one, so I'm not the best person to answer the question! How about moving the PC to a north-facing room?
I am in a flat that only has rooms facing west (Apart from the kitchen, toilet, and bathroom - not places I want to stick my PC ). Late night and during the mornings the temps are not too bad, but come two-ish the sun hits the windows and it heats up rapidly in here. Doesn't help that the windows are floor to ceiling and take up one complete wall. Lets in plenty of light and looks quite nice, but it's like living in a conservatory. I'll take a look at the gentle typhoons, but I get the feeling they won't shift enough air to keep the CPU cool enough during the afternoons and early evening when it is hottest in here. The problem with really quiet fans is that they tend to have a lower spin speed to keep the noise down, unfortunately that's not going to be good enough in my PC. The Fenrir's fan at full speed gives off a fair bit of turbulence noise, but it is quieter than the stock fan which comes with the Phenom's, which is all I need (I wear headphones and turbulence noise doesn't penetrate that much and is ignorable), so I can get away with fairly noisy fans turbulence wise and would stick with the Fenrir's fan if it wasn't for the bearing ticking and the weird noise I get a full speed. So I am looking for a fan with quiet bearings that doesn't scream at me either, but isn't necessarily classed as a 'silent' fan.
The gentle typhoons aren't slow, I just meant they're not extreme like some of the fans you can get. They're designed to make a more pleasant sound, rather than to be quiet. There's an 1850rpm version which is rated around 60cfm and 28db, not that those ratings usually mean much. If you don't mind having a PC that sounds like it's about to take off, you could look into one of the 4000rpm/200cfm Deltas As for the windows... only thing i can suggest is blu-tack and a lot of aluminium foil!
Hi, I have the same cpu in my second rig and as said above, 62c is recommended max temp. I run at 3.51ghz with an akasa nero cooler and get a peak temp of 61c after 6 hours of prime95 (25c ambient). The vcore is fine, I need 1.4375v for 3.51ghz stable. Also as mentioned try to keep vcore below 1.50v. I'm not sure how long the processor would last if ran above recommended max temp often. Out of curiosity have any bit-techers run their AMD quad or triple cpu at 70c+ for long periods of time as a permanent OC? I have noticed with games on the phenom II 940 BE that the core temp reaches almost the same levels as prime95 100% load test, well at least DiRT 2 does anyway. Highest temp is 57c (25c ambient) which is only 4c less than prime95 100% load, so this is worth bearing in mind when settling on a final OC. My recommendation for a new cooling fan is the akasa apache. It spins at roughly the same speed as the fenrir fan with the resistor cable on (maybe a little faster) and is slightly quieter imo. The cfm of the apache black is just below 60cfm at full speed and operates at just 16db noise level so it is very quiet. The fenrir fan I think manages a higher 78cfm but the noise as you say is unbearable at the highest speed.
I'd second the Apache, because it's a 4pin PWN fan. that can then be hooked to the CPU 4pin fan header and it'll allow the BIOS much better fan control. failing that, a Sharkoon Silent Eagle SE 4pin PWM fan will do fine as well.
