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550 BE overclocking questions

b3mor

b3mor

b3mor

Associate
Joined
4 Aug 2007
Posts
269
Hi,

I’m going to be overclocking my Phenom II X2 550 BE, but before I do so I came up with a few questions:

1). Should I leave Cool n’ Quiet enabled in the BIOS?
2). If I enable a manual multiplier and VCore will the CPU still throttle to a slower speed when there is no load or will the multiplier and VCore remain at the level I have set all the time?
3). If I leave VCore set to auto will the board apply too much power to the CPU? Is it necessary to set a CPU VCore value?

The components I am using are:
Corsair HX750W
Asus M4A785TD-V EVO
Zalman CNPS10X Performa

To start with I’m only going to be using the multiplier to increase the CPU frequency, and I’ll see what difference it makes. I’ll be using OCCT to test stability of the overclock.

Thanks. :)
 
1) most people turn CnQ off, i dont and it works fine for my board and chip even at 4Ghz
2) if cool and quiet is turned off, the chip will stay at the multi you set it at ;)
3) yes Auto settings will likely be too high look around the Phenom II overclocking thread for hints and tips as to what sort of settings other people use ;)
 
CnQ wont work on my MB if I overclock. I need to use phenomMSRTweaker's custom CnQ if I don't want the chip running full pelt all the time.
 
Hmmm okay I think I'll try leaving C n' Q on to see if it'll still work.

The AMD website says that the recommended voltage range is between 0.850V - 1.425V, is it safe to run it at 1.425V 24/7? Quite a few people using 1.5V in the Phenom II overclocking thread but I'm guessing that is just for benchmarks. :p

I'm guessing that working out what VCore is sifficient for my chip (even at stock) is a case of trial and error as every chip is different?

Thanks. :)
 
I've been running a Phenom II 550 (unlocked to a 3 core) since July 2009 with 1.47vlts @ 3.8Ghz....Used to be 1.50vlts, but found 1.47 was just as stable, so lowered it.

Not had a single problem...1.50vlts is perfectly safe, so long as you have a half decent cooler.
 
safe limit is 1.55Volts, i ran that through my old Athlon II quad for ages at 3.8Ghz never had a problem, but as Cooper mentioned, you need a good cooler to keep the temps down :)
 
As a dual core I ran at my 550E at 3.8 with 1.365v, had it up to 1.425 but couldn't gert the speed higher so dropped it back.Since unlocking to a quad I can only go up to 1.35 volts before it locks up, and can only run at 3.4 max.
I need a new cooler though as my current one was designed for atlon 64's.
 
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