Overclocking AMD Phenom X2 550 3.1GHz

[shizzzon 461]

I built this pc last night and am still tweaking it now and probably the next couple days but WOW, this pc is killer for the money!

I built this pc for my mom as she was using a single core P4 2.66 @533FSB with DDR2400 memory 768mb worth.

Her pc never ran out of memory.. she was just complaining it wasnt fast enough.

After cleanin out the registry, defragging, removing startup programs and disabling more services... it wasn't software related... she just needs a new system.

I did my research into overclocking these new AMD Phenom II systems because i've been doin many OC Intels but no AMDs.

Having plenty of OC knowledge from Intel, i still was lost on some newer terminology on the AMDs but after about 8hrs of messin around with the board... it is amazing!

This build is UNDER $400! (you must have tower, all drives, monitor, etc...)

PSU - Thermaltake 500w

Mobo- ASUS M4A785-M (I've always been loyal to Asus and their boards are ++ when it comes to precise OC-ing)

CPU - AMD Phenom II X2 550 Calisto Black Edition 3.1GHz

RAM - 2x2GB Gskill DDR2-1066(the blue colored heat spreaders) Ironically this memory isn't suppose to be a great OC'er but there is a secret to this memory that i have experienced. When running this memory in the 900-1000mhz range rather than it's rated 1066, you get slightly higher read speeds and the write speeds almost DOUBLE! Plus because of the lower speed, the timings and voltage and also be tightened for an even faster benchmark! I haven't fully set the ram up yet.

Cooling system- (you gonna love this!) - STOCK COOLER. No Case fans in use!

I wanted this to be very comparable to anyone else wanting to design something like this for themself so they may be able to get similar expectations.

For specific model numbers to parts, pm me.

Using stock NB heatsink, stock cpu fan and thermal paste, idle temps at OC level is 23C! NB is 42C

Do NOT go out online and research how to do this for this particular setup and then try and compare the settings i've used because you will get very conflicting answers with what i use.

Most OC-ing guides will tell u to disable all fan and underclock settings.. I understand why but i also like to leave as many turned on as possible as a 24\7 overclock with max fan speeds isn't necessary.

C1E is disabled on this board by default. I did leave Cool n Quiet enabled.

ACC is NOT turned on! Doing so will void warranty and is NOT recommended anyway when using stock cooler. The speed increase without using ACC is PLENTY, trust me.

OC settings as of right now-

Reference clock - 230MHz

CPU Multiplier - 15.5x (anything over ~3.65ghz required a Vcore of over 1.35v which is ridiculous for 24\7 use)

speed at those settings is 3.565GHz

HyperTransport Clock - 2070MHz (oh yea!) using a 9x Multiplier

North Bridge Clock - 2300MHz The multiplier on this board is LOCKED at 10x so be careful when choosing your own reference clock is u don't like mine.

Memory Bus - 460x2 = 920MHz (DDR2)

Current VCore - 1.33v will probably lower it eventually.

NB VDD - 1.15v will adjust if necessary.

HT width and voltage has not been touched as i am not done tweaking the memory controller and northbridge yet.

When running Prime-

Cores do not exceed 41C on stock cooler, that's crazy!

NB remains stable at 43C

I will update with more if i get it faster with pics soon too.

According to newest version of Everest Ultimate 5.3- This system is currently faster than a stock Phenom X4 9500(quad 2.2ghz) and an Intel Core 2 Xtreme X6800 (dual 2.93ghz).

Remember, i paid less than $400 for this setup.. i'm gettin my moneys worth out of it for sure.

[lithium 358]

nice build!

[shizzzon 461]

well, i havent updated this in a few days.

I tried to get some other pc gurus to help me figure out why i was hitting a brick wall but nobody could figure it out so i have stopped OC'ing this build and finished it as follows on stock cooler-

Cpu- dual 3.1 Stock - OC - dual 3.556GHz

Ref clock- Stock - 200Mhz - OC - 254MHz

HyperTransport clock- Stock - 2000MHz - OC - 2286MHz

Northbridge clock - Stock- 2000MHz - OC - 2540MHz

Mem Bus- SPD- DDR2 800MHz- OC - DDR2 1040MHz @5-5-5-15-2T @2.06v

According to Everest Benchmarking, this oc setup is devastating compared to stock settings.

Memory write speeds have increased by over 83% and read speeds have increased a little more than 10%.

Most processing tests are a little slower compared to if i just made the processor strictly faster but that was not the goal.

The function of this pc is not processor speed dependent. Therefore i left the multiplier down, ACC off and the vCore below 1.35v

The function of this pc is just average internet browsing and research use.

This is why the reference clock was bumped up until testing failure occured so i could get everything else on the board but the processor working much faster.

It's just as an added benefit that the processor can handle an extra 900mhz combined on the stock cooler without worry.

Under load, the cores under maximum Prime95 use do not exceed 42C which is awesome! Idle temps are 22C Super cool!

I'm sure i can oc the hell out of the processor based on these current temps but not necessary.

Average core temps during cpu use does not exceed 36C so i'd say this configuration is done.

The only downfall i see with these settings is the system freezes every time during bootup for 5 sec then resumes normally.

IT has reached some threshold but will not crash nor shows signs of failure in prime95 so nothing to worry about.

The NB probably needs to have it's speed skewed slightly but this mobo doesn't have every setting a typical high end Asus board has, hehe.

I would recommend this setup or any other dual core phenom II amd chip that is unlocked as they oc well while maintaining low temps, especially with stock cooler.