Phenom II x6 1090T=Amazing!! - Page 2

I don't think I will push past 3.8 GHz. The Hyper 212 is what I will be getting eventually. Right now I am ok with stock speeds. My MB is in the mid range so going to 4 GHz+ is probably not an option if I want a long lived machine. So I am sure 3.6 GHz will be no problem as these chips already go there with Turbo Core. Thanks for all the good advice here. BTW with the Hyper 212 how do you all apply the thermal paste and is the stuff supplied with the heatsink good enough? I know Arctic Silver is good but how much better is it, are we talking 5-10C with it?

I would like to think it would, especially since it was specifically advertised as great for x6 processors. Although it was pointed out to me earlier that it has only 4+1 power phases which might hold it back a bit. Is there anyway I can find out what its total capability would be? Maybe the ASrock site might have more detailed specs.

Very useful info guys. Thanks for passing it along and not allowing me to destroy my MB. So what qualifies as low volts. I believe the stock volts are like 1.32 or so. I will run CPUz to check what mine is running at. So as long as I keep the volts lower then running at 3.5 to 3.6 GHz would be fine. Since P=I*E if I keep the volts close to stock I should not exceed TDP by much at all. BTW is TDP rated with the CPU at full 100% load?

Ok so I have Cool and Quiet enabled and with the CPU running at 800MHz idle it is at 1.24V. When I run Handbrake which of course runs all cores up to 100% CPUz shows the Core voltage at 1.44V. It goes without saying that while encoding my machine is running at 3.2GHz full time. Also I noticed that in CPUz my HT Link is running at 2000 MHz, I thought it would be 2600 MHz? Also my DDR3 1600 GSkill must be some good stuff because it doesn't even load at all when encoding. Using the Win7 gadget it shows 18% usage at idle and 20% at full load. I do have 8 Gig. My 2 Gig of DDR2 800 would load to like 70% while encoding with my old system. Seems to me that 1.44V is not exactly low volts. Folks going 4 GHz are somewhere around 1.5V which is only .06V more than me. I am not using any OC settings in BIOS, everything is set to Auto and not OC or Manual. Since ASrock is a subsidiary of Asus maybe their stuff is of decent quality. What do you all think of these readings?

Here are some SPEC's from ASrocks site on the 870 Extreme3. Note that it shows support for up to 140W CPU. I would like to believe what they are saying here, which would mean even with 4+1 this board must be pretty durable. Again I defer for more expert opinion on these things.

- Support for Socket AM3 processors: AMD Phenom II X6 / X4 / X3 / X2 (except 920 / 940) / Athlon II X4 / X3 / X2 / Sempron processors
- 6-Core CPU Ready
- Supports UCC feature (Unlock CPU Core)
- V4 + 1 Power Phase Design
- Supports CPU up to 140W
- Supports AMD's Cool 'n' Quiet Technology
- FSB 2600 MHz (5.2 GT/s)
- Supports Untied Overclocking Technology
- Supports Hyper-Transport 3.0 (HT 3.0) Technology

Yeah its really odd because 140W is stamped right on the MB. I know some of the Quad Cores were 140W. My question is does it matter. Is 140W a 140W no matter what CPU is being used. If it is rated at that should the MB be able to handle that power continuously? Also to run my X6 at stock speed what is a acceptable voltage, if 1.44V is a little high? Forgive all of these questions, I am really just trying to understand the OC process since I am new to it.

So what should I be looking at here. I am posting a snipping of the Cupid Hardware Monitor readings. I am beginning to wonder if it is the core temps I should be looking at. There is a CPUTIN reading and that is what I have been looking at for days now, but I not sure if that is the temp I should be paying attention to. Hopefully you all can help here. Thanks.

Which one is the important one to pay attention to? I would asume its the CPUTIN. Weird how it is 10C different from the core. Also I OC'ed to 3.6 GHz last night using 1.35V as Vcore and it works without BSOD, except for the fact my CPUTIN goes to 60C within one minute using Prime95. Obviously I had to shut it down at that point. Handbrake also drove it to 60C within 1 min. 30 sec.. This is .1V less than was used by the system at stock clock and it never went past 54C. I am amazed that 400MHz made it incapable of being cooled even with .1 less volts. My fan would not go to max either, this might be the cause of the excessive heat. It would not ramp up to 6000 RPM as it did before. I have it set in the BIOS to full on but it never got there. 4000 was the highest it went and then it actually backed down to like 3600 at one point. All the while my CPU is steadily climbing higher in temp. Not sure what changed with the fan. I guess I will go back to default and see what happens. Is it normal that frequency would have that big an effect even with lowered Vcore. Used to run at 1.44V @ 3.2 GHz and now it is 1.35 @ 3.6 GHz. Like I said 54C was the highest before and now it goes out of control. I know the more the transistors pulse and turn on the more current they will draw and the greater the heat, but you also have to take into account the output voltage supplied to the CPU being less. As I said before P=I*E with volts being part of the power formula. Again I am surprised that the increased frequency would overwhelm the circuit as it did.

Edit:@whiteboy714 It seems you were telling me the CPUTIN is the one to look at? Just want to be sure of that. Thanks.

Thanks for all the advice. I will hold off like you said until I get a good aftermarket cooler and then give it a shot again. I think 3.6 to 3.8 GHz is what I will try to achieve. If the MB gives out then I will just get a new one with more power phases that is of good quality. From what I can tell it seems this ASrock MB is pretty well put together for an $89 price tag. Much better than the MSI I was originally looking at. In your opinion which MB is a good choice going forward if this one doesn't hold up?

Is the ZALMAN CNPS9700 a decent cooler. It seems to be a nice copper design. Would it be a step up over the Hyper 212?

Finally got my Hyper 212+ and boy am I amazed. Before with the stock cooler and encoding with Handbrake my temps would run up to 52 to 54C at stock CPU voltage and speed. Now with the 212+ I am clocked to 3.6Ghz @ 1.35V and my temps are 48 to 50C. Mostly at 48C. I am impressed and the cooler was easy to install. Although it requires removing your MB the installation from that point is simple. I had in on in less than 10 minutes from the time the MB was out. Luckily my case is a full tower which makes installation a piece of cake. The best part is I got it for $29 at Amazon. Had to wait 2 weeks for it but that's ok. Thanks for all the advice, especially Whiteboy714, the Hyper 212 is awesome.

I think if you are into building your own machines then this ranks as one of the simplest installs you can do, especially for AM3. I can't speak for Intel Installs, although they look a little more involved, but not much. Having a full tower which is easy to remove and replace stuff also helps. If it was a more cramped environment with lots of cable management then I guess it would be a little frustrating to have to remove the MB. All in all I am thrilled with the performance of this cooler and given the limitations of my MB and it's power phases, I think I will not push past where I am at now. If I upgrade my MB in the future then I might try to bump a little more. Maybe 3.8Ghz and see how the cooler handles that.