How far can I safely overclock

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Enigma
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Post by Enigma »

Glocksman wrote:
Alan Bolte wrote:I've got two CPU temperatures (assuming I've configured MBM correctly), a diode reading that maxes at 50 (running BOINC SETI) and another that maxes at 42. My case is a steady 31. Am I correct in understanding that the number you guys are referring to would be the non-diode, 42?
Go by the diode temp, and 50°C (122°F) is well within spec for a P4 or P4 cored celeron.
What should be the recommended temp for an Athlon XP 2400? If my temp is too high I guess getting or replacing my cooling fan would be recommended?
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Post by Glocksman »

According to AMD, the maximum allowable core temp is 85°C, so your 50°C under load is well within spec.

Here's a link to AMD's thermal and electrical specifications for the 7th generation AMD processors.

Link to pdf file
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Enigma
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Post by Enigma »

Glocksman wrote:According to AMD, the maximum allowable core temp is 85°C, so your 50°C under load is well within spec.

Here's a link to AMD's thermal and electrical specifications for the 7th generation AMD processors.

Link to pdf file
Mine's 61 degrees. So I can overclock my CPU as long as I can keep it cool?
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Post by Glocksman »

To a point you can, but even if temps are fine, your chip has an absolute limit which you cannot exceed.
My old T-Bred A 2200+ is an excellent example.
No matter how I tried, I couldn't get it to run reliably above 2.0GHz even though the temps were well within spec.
The 'B' cored T-Breds were much easier to OC and one would probably have surpassed the 2Ghz mark easily.

Another consideration is keeping the PCI/AGP/USB bus speeds within spec.
Unless your chipset hard locks these speeds, their speed is a ratio of your processor FSB, and if they're too out of spec, all kinds of weirdness will happen.

A mild overclock can gain you some performance without sacrificing reliability, but major overclocks often aren't worth it in terms of both the reduced reliability and the increased cost of the often necessary heavy duty cooling systems.

Frankly, why spend $50 or more on a heavy copper heatsink to overclock a 3000+ to 3500+ performance levels when that same money can be used to pay the additional price for a factory rated 3500+ processor?
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