Simple AMD Overclocking Guide

This article is meant to be a simple overview of how to overclock an AMD system, and will get you started if you have never overclocked a computer before. Not too long ago I was an overclocking noob myself, but within a months time I was reaching 3GHz with my 2.2GHz AMD San Diego processor. There is a lot of information about the subject on the internet so I will try to simplify it as much as possible. Once you get the hang of it, you will be on your way to a faster computer without upgrading.

Some Useful Terms

CPU – Central Processing Unit, essentially your computer’s brain which handles all your computer’s calculations and executes your programs instructions.Memory – Hardware that stores chunks of data for retrieval. I will be using DDR to refer to the speed of the memory. Simply, if the memory is DDR500, it will run at a stock speed of 250MHz when the system is configured correctly. 500/2 = 250DDR – Double Data Rate, the effective speed of the memory, DDR500 effective speed is 500MHz. Don’t get caught up in why it is 500MHz when the bios and other programs will show it at 250MHz, unless you want to learn more later on.

Motherboard – hardware that operates your computer’s basic functions; your CPU, memory, power supply, video card, and other peripherals are attached to the motherboard. The motherboard also includes a bios that handles simple processes. I recommend LanParty motherboards due to the functionality and overclocking friendliness.

Bios – Firmware that allows your computer to boot up and operate your keyboard. The bios is used to overclock you system. Retail computer companies lock their bios so customers can’t overclock. Generally, if you want to overclock you should have built the computer yourself with a motherboard that includes a bios for overclocking.

Power Supply – The unit that powers your motherboard and peripherals. It is very important to not skimp on a power supply. In order to get the most of your overclock you should buy a reliable power supply with enough watts to handle your hardware. I recommend OCZ Powerstream 520w and higher. The watt rating isn’t the only key feature; other factors determine the reliability, such as the voltage rails. For now I will assume you have done some research and bought a recommended power supply.

Vcore – The voltage value of your cpu

Vdimm – The voltage value of your memory

FSB – A data bus that is used to communicate between the cpu and memory, as well as other peripherals. A cpu that has a speed of 2GHz has a FSB speed of 200MHz if the multiplier is 10.

Multiplier – a value used to determine you cpu’s overall speed. A cpu with a speed of 2GHz will have a speed of 200MHz (FSB) x 10 = 2000MHz = 2GHz. 10 is the multiplier.

Some Useful Programs

Prime95 – Used for stress testing your overall system; determines stability of your overclock. This program can run from the operating system.

Memtest86 – Used for stress testing your memory. The program is booted from a floppy disk.

Cpu-z – A helpful utility to show the current speed of your processor and memory

Super PI – Used to test stability. Calculates the time required to estimate PI to a certain precision.

Temperature monitoring software – If you’re going to overclock, you should definitely use some type of program to monitor your temperatures. You will be most interested in the core temperature of the cpu. Most motherboard companies will include a program in software bundles. You could also try Motherboard Monitor, or search for other utilities.

Voltage monitoring software – The temperature monitoring programs usually include a voltage monitoring utility as well. It is very important to keep track of your voltages. The bios will track voltages and temperatures, but once you have booted your operating system, you will no longer be able to track these values without a separate utility. Keep in mind that the bios reading for these values will generally be more accurate than a software utility.

Let’s Get Started

First off, I will assume your computer is running in its stock configuration without problems. You may want to run Prime95 and Memtest86 just to make sure there aren’t any problems with your computer. Prime95 can test the cpu and memory at the same time, so you could probably just run that for an hour or so instead of using Memtest86 separately for the memory.

To make this simple I will use a step-by-step process for a small overclock.

1. Boot your system, and enter the bios. You usually press one of the “F” keys or delete to enter the bios at the splash screen. You screen will look something like this:

2. Enter the screen that shows your voltages and temperatures. This will depend on the bios firmware. Write down the stock readings that are shown for future reference. Your screen will be similar to this:

3. Go to the section in your bios where you can change the value of the cpu speed, memory speed and timings, voltages, multiplier, etc. These may be separate screens. Here is an example with my bios:

4. For your first overclock all we want to change is the FSB setting. For a processor with a speed of 2.2GHz, your FSB will have a value of 200 if the multiplier is 11. Let’s start off with a small overclock, increase the FSB by 5.

For example, my cpu will now run at a speed of 205MHz x 11 = 2255MHz = 2.255GHz. My memory will be running at 205MHz x 2 = 410MHz = DDR410.

5. Save your settings in the bios and reboot your computer. If you make it all the way through to your desktop you have made some initial success. If you don’t, then reboot the bios and change the values back to your stock configuration. This was a relatively safe overclock, so if your system couldn’t handle it, well I guess you won’t be overclocking much with your system.

6. Now you will want to test the stability of your overclock and check on the temperatures. Run the Prime95 program. Go to options and click on torture test. You will see a few options to test your stability. When I am testing my cpu overclock I use the Small FFTs test. If I want to test overall stability I use the Blend test.

7. Pick one of the tests and press ok. The test will begin. It isn’t exciting and you will have to let it run for a while. If your computer isn’t stable the test will error out. Usually this occurs within the first 10 minutes or so. For maximum stability, most people consider 8 hours of more of error free time ideal.

8. This picture is an example of a stable overclock. You will see that I ran Prime95 for 8 hours. I also included a 32M Super PI run. As you can see I was able to achieve a 600MHz overclock (with a small bump in voltage, more on that later).

9. During your stability checks, be sure to check your temperature readings. This is an example of temperatures readings while my computer is idle and while running Prime95:

For AMD processors, you want to stay below 55*C (this really depends on the current model of processor, this is an example of an A64 single core processor). Once you start getting above that value, you will want to consider buying a better heatsink for your cpu, or even think about other cooling options. You probably won’t have to worry about your chipset voltage, but try to stay below 55*C.

10. If you ran the stability tests with no problems, Congratulations! And welcome to the club. If you want to overclock a bit more, I suggest increasing the FSB by increments of 5 until you run into instability, at which point you back off some.

Once again, this was a very simple overclock to get you started. I plan to write an advanced AMD overclocking guide in the future that will provide some more detailed procedures such as voltage changes, memory timings and ratios, info about the LDT, and more. For now you shouldn’t change any of the voltages. Voltages are what kill a computer, so you don’t want to mess with them until you learn more about overclocking. The stock voltage will most likely get you a decent overclock. Most people prefer to run their system with a maximum overclock while running stock volts for longevity reasons.

Precautions

Don’t mess with voltages unless your comfortable doing so. Yes I’m repeating myself.

Move slowly. Don’t increase your overclock by large margins until you know what your system can handle.

If you run into instability, reboot to the bios and lower your overclock.

If your system won’t even boot to the bios, then you will have to reset the bios by following the instructions for your particular motherboard. This usually involves changing some jumper settings, removing the battery, and waiting a few minutes.

If your computer blows up, I’m not responsible! The chances of causing damage are small for minor overclocking as long as you don’t mess with the voltages, but something could potentially happen.

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