[Zarathustra19]

Hey guys,

I've just been reading a thread in the members lounge which turned into a discussion on the core 2 duo's overclocking abilities. I didn't want to clutter up that thread with this question so here goes:
I'm running an AMD 64 X2 4600+ processor. My question is, can this processor be overclocked without destroying it (as you may have noticed, I'm not the biggest authority on processors)? And if so, what is the procedure for overclocking a processor? Bios? Software based? I apologize for my noobish question, but I've always been interested.

Thanks.

 

[Rhynri]

Yes, it can. Your processor is overclocked via your BIOS, meaning that any options found there (or lack of options, many factory boards disable them) will be a determinant on just how far you can push the processor.

Another big determinant of processor overclocking capability is your chip revision, later revisions usually being more stable at higher overclocks.

My biggest suggestion to you is to google the processor + 'stable overclock" AFTER A)Optimizing your OS, B)Having at least 2gb of memory, C) checking your memory for latencies and suitibility for the overclock and D) doing LOTS of research on the subject. You need to know what a 'divider' is, what 'FSB' stands for, the meaning of 'T2' and 'HT' in reference to your hardware. Only after all that do you proceed with your overclock.

You want my honest opinion? Don't do it. Unless you have a firm grip on computer hardware, you'll likely see more gains from optimizing what you already have and like I said, 2gb of memory up from 1gb or 512gb makes a bigger difference than an overclock (usually, anyway).

D.

 

[hardnrg]

the Manchester core (2x512KB L2, 939) usually oc's to about 2.7-2.9 GHz... the problem with dual core 939 cpus is that once you start increasing the vCore (cpu voltage), the heat rises almost exponentially, and that either leads to instability, or you have to deal with the extra heat somehow...

the thing is though, even if you overclock to 2.9 GHz, the resulting performance is around the same as an E6700 at stock speed... so after all your effort, case modification, extra cooling strategy, you could have just bought an Intel C2D setup and just run it normally

939 overclocking depends a lot on the motherboard... a DFI NF4 series board will overclock a LOT more than a crappy ECS board or something running a VIA chipset...

 

[no1likesme]

Yes your processor can be overclocked fairly easily and you should be able to see some real performance gains. For more information look here this forum is one of my favorite resources for general computer knowledge.

 

[TheVinylRipper]

FWIW, I was talking with my son in law last night, he has an MS in IT and he keeps his ear to the ground and his finger in the wind as to what is going on in the IT world.

He told me that AMD is close to going under, that they are having a very hard time competing with Intel and that their QC is suffering as a result of cost cutting and pushing for increased production from already overstrained facilities.

Personally I have an Intel processor right now, but that decision was made strictly on the issue of price/performance.

If I could have gotten the same price/performance ratio with AMD, that's the way I would have gone.

I've run AMD in the past and have no problems with them but I thought I would just pass on the tip.

Take as you would any other rumor, don't completely discount it out of hand, but evaluate it against what you already know and make your own decision as to whether or not it might be true.

 

[Silentscope]

Go to guru3d.com forums if you want to overclock your processor. There's a sticky on overclocking AMD processors and plenty threads you can search through to build up some knowledge. Its a really helpful place and theres tons of info on overclocking X2 cpu's. It helps if you have good quality ram and a half decent motherboard not to mention good cooling. Make sure you grasp the basics first.
To be honest with the performance game you'll see, it probably isn't worth it, especially with everyday computing.

 

[Gautama]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheVinylRipper /img/forum/go_quote.gif FWIW, I was talking with my son in law last night, he has an MS in IT and he keeps his ear to the ground and his finger in the wind as to what is going on in the IT world. He told me that AMD is close to going under, that they are having a very hard time competing with Intel and that their QC is suffering as a result of cost cutting and pushing for increased production from already overstrained facilities. Personally I have an Intel processor right now, but that decision was made strictly on the issue of price/performance. If I could have gotten the same price/performance ratio with AMD, that's the way I would have gone. I've run AMD in the past and have no problems with them but I thought I would just pass on the tip. Take as you would any other rumor, don't completely discount it out of hand, but evaluate it against what you already know and make your own decision as to whether or not it might be true.

http://anandtech.com/cpuchipsets/sho...spx?i=3050&p=1
AMD is not out yet, they have several tricks up their sleeeves. I expect great things from them, with AMD taking over ATI I foresee very versatile processors.

 

[McNubbins]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gautama /img/forum/go_quote.gif http://anandtech.com/cpuchipsets/sho...spx?i=3050&p=1 AMD is not out yet, they have several tricks up their sleeeves. I expect great things from them, with AMD taking over ATI I foresee very versatile processors.

The only thing in the near future that I can see pulling AMD up is their quad cores. AMD, unlike Intel has done, will release native quad core CPUs--that is, that are not two dual core procs slapped together.

I have been a long-time AMD fan, but this round I had to go Intel (because AMD would not afford me a 3.5+GHz dual core processor.

)

And while I'm thinking of it, www.ocforums.com is another good place to look for overclocking information. I also regularly visit xtremesystems.org, but they're a bit more intense.

 

[TheVinylRipper]

I didn't know AMD had acquired ATI.

I've always had good success with ATI graphics cards, their drivers and control software seem to be quite sophisticated.

A Gigabyte ATI card is in my box right now, an X1050. So far I'm very pleased with it.

 

[hardnrg]

you should also realise that ATi make embedded graphics and other chips for electronic devices, e.g. mobile phones, TVs... it's not like because Intel currently has the upper hand in the consumer/business processor market, that AMD is going under lol... when AMD socket 939 stomped all over Intel socket 478, no one started saying "ooh Intel is gonna die now"

 

[TheVinylRipper]

As I said, I was merely passing on a rumor. Take it as you will.

I didn't know that ATi was in the cellphone graphics business but it doesn't surprise me at all.

Expertise in one field often leads one to find other fields easier to master.

 

[Rhynri]

Here's my "honest schtick" about AMD vs INTEL.

Currently, you will find better Performance/Cost in the low end with AMD.

You can pick up an AMD 754 Athlon 64 3200+ for around half a benjamin, and the motherboard to match it for as little as 40$ (a decent one at that.. it had onboard video and audio from ECS in the micro-atx spec). Pair this with a gig or two of DDR-400 (which is technically faster than ddr2-533 as ddr2 runs higher latency) again, for bargain basement prices then apply a cheap ATi card (the 1950pro, a rather powerful card for games, retails in the sub 200$ range) and a cheap case (40$ for a nice coolermaster) and you have a powerful gaming rig capable of playing the latest games without a hitch. Just stick in a 250gb WD HDD (about 80$) and you have plenty of storage as well. The internal sound isn't top notch, but it's clean and simple to use, as well as supporting EAX 3.0 , 7.1, and Optical out. This system also supports firewire and USB, as well as having decent overclocking capabilities.

I built almost this exact system for a friend. The only difference being I gave him my old (well, new, i warrentied it then never used the new card) X800XTPE which is equivalent to a 1950pro without the 3.0PS support that card has. I found the install Easy as the unit was a micro-atx and the case sized for ATX/BTX, with the proper standoffs for the smaller boards. In addition the system runs cool with only a single 120mm fan (i plugged the side vent and rear non-fan vent from the inside with black tape for best airflow, although i'm sure it'd work fine otherwise. and perfectly stable on a 300watt PSU that was 2 years old. I did have to mod the psu outputs to work with the SATA drive using a modular cable stolen from a dead Ultra X2 500w psu I had. But if you buy a new psu you won't have that problem. Decent enough ones can be had for under half a c-bill again (30-50$)

We found this system to run Insurgency (graphics heavy Source mod, very intensive on your pc) at 1440x900 at almost 40fps with everything enabled, IQ settings on quality on the card. He has OC'd the processor from 2.2 to 2.45ghz. IT benches just over an fx-53 and just under a 4000+, comparison intel chip is a P4e running at 3.6ghz. This chip is not dual core, but the majority of applications cannot take effective advange (especially games) of a dual core processor at the moment. The chip is 64bit native, however.

 

[ex0du5]

Eh? I wouldn't say without a hitch. There are plenty of games that demand the best of hardware out there. However, you should be able to get 60fps on games released 2006 and prior.

Still, it's one impressive setup for the money, and I'd be hard pressed to recommend better. I don't know how much more an E2160 setup would cost, he could probably get real bang out of his buck if he was willing to slap on a decent air cooler and bring it to 3.0GHz.

 

[BushGuy]

My last 5 processors have been AMD (previously used Intel)........ it is only aprox. the last 6 months or so that Intel has become competitive with AMD once again.

AMD + ATI is far from new news.

The DFI mobo is a popular choice right now, and AMD x2 6000 has come down in price and a relatively good buy this month.

Spend a couple days or so on Anandtech site mentioned above........also, you will come to realize that o/c procedure depends upon the chip (and also whether it's retail version or not. You have to do your homework on a tech. site..........also re memory.

Good h.drives to consider right now are Samsung SpinPoint 500 gigs or above.

 

[BushGuy]

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