Overclocking setting for AMD Phenom II X2 550 Black Edition 3.1GHz

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Hello, I have built my new budget gaming pc, this is the spec:
AMD Phenom II X2 550 Black Edition 3.1GHz
Asus M4A785TD-V EVO 785G Socket AM3
Arctic Power 700W PSU
Kingston 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 1600MHz/PC3-12800 HyperX Memory
Sapphire HD 4870 512MB GDDR5

I have tried enabling unleashing mode, but my system just crashes and wont boot, not even 3 core so Im stuck with dual core. But im happy enough with that really as thats what I paid for, never expected a quad core for £65 but thought it was worth a chance. If anyone has any advice for extra things to try other than just clicking enable unleashing mode please let me know and I will try, I have already updated to latest bios

I would however like to overclock the CPU and gain some extra power if possible, however I dont have any previous overclocking knowledge.

Please can someone tell me how to go about overclocking this cpu on this board, if required I am willing to upgrade from standard stock cpu cooler, I believe the standard one is poor so its probably a good idea anyway?

All help and advice is much appreciated Thank You
 
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I assume you have read through this guide?

I think to be honest if it does not unlock with just enabling unleashing mode then most likely it is a lost cause but trying a few of the tips in the guide might work. Mostly I think upping vcore and cpu-nb voltage is all you can do to try to stabilise the faulty cores. Also try setting loadline calibration to 19%.

As for overclocking:

It depends if you want to do it using BIOS settings or the AMD overdrive application that comes with the motherboard. I personally use BIOS but it is really down to personal preference. There is a great guide to OCing using overdrive here. It is actually useful even if you are using BIOS because it explains what all the settings mean.

Either way you have a black edition processor so OCing should be relatively easy. Start by upping the cpu multiplier in increments and testing the stability using prime95 blend test (8 hours or so should do). You should be able to get to 3.6 GHz (multi of x18) without having to alter any other settings.

Once you have got a small OC stable post a screen shot of cpu-z (main tab and memory tab) on to this thread. There are loads of people reading it who will give more advice on the next steps. Remember to include your screen name in the screenie.
 
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Thank You Eddyc, yes I had read that topic. Think we both agree im stuck with 2 cores which is fine with me, thats what I paid for!

For overclocking I would personally like to do it via BIOS I will however have a look over that guide to learn what all these abbreviations mean.

I will try upping the cpu multiplier this evening hopefully getting to x18 and post screen shots in that thread.

Should I be buying an uprated fan before doing any of this however or is stock cooling adequate for now? Im not someone who wants to push the CPU to within an inch of its life, hopefully if I could achieve something like 3.8ghz I would be very happy.

Cheers Robb
 
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Well the benefit of having only dual is that the heat output will be FAR less than a quad so no need to buy expensive aftermarket coolers :D. I have very little experience with the stock cooler but the two things to consider are temp and noise.

These chips overclock much better when kept cool and I hear that the stock cooler is quite loud and not great at keeping them cool when overclocked. I would recommend starting out with the stock cooler and using speedfan to control the fan as well as monitoring the temps. These chips should not go above 62C but they will be better for Ocing if you can keep them below 50C under load.

If you find that it is too loud / the temp is limiting your overclocking then I think replacing it with a good but cheap cooler such as the coolermaster tx3 would be a good idea.

Good luck this evening :)
 
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Thanks, looking forward to it, never been one for overclocking really, but its like something for nothing as long as it works and I dont break anything so why not!

I have also heard the stock cooler isnt up to scratch really so will look at upgrading, dont want to spend too much on a fan though, else it makes the whole lot pointless I may as well have just bought a more powerful CPU in the first place and left it stock lol. The coolmaster tx3 looks good, Is it better than the Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro which is similar money?

As I say, not looking to achieve record power from this bargain CPU, just some extra gains without having to worry about it again once setup.

Im willing to spend the time getting it right and setting it up well, but once complete I want to leave it be and not have to worry about monitoring it all the time. Also want to keep reasonable reliability, not someone who wants to be tinkering with the running 24/7.
 
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I dont really know about the arctic I am afraid. No experience.

But I have owned a tx3 and it kept very reasonable temps (48C under load) on a triple core phenom overclocked to 3.8GHz so it should really do well on a dual.

You might even be able to find a direct comparison review with a bit of googling...
 
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Right think Ill go for a tx3, ill have a go with stock cooling first and see how it does and upgrade if required.

TX3's are about £17 delivered so not bad at all.
 
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Heres a screen dump of cpuz with the cpu multi at x18

Ill post it in that tread with the other info also.

cpuz.jpg
 
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