# Looking into Overclocking FX-4100.



## Ph1l0z0ph3r (Aug 10, 2007)

Been hearing good things about clocking the FX-4100 to 4.6Ghz so I'm aiming for that point.

Replacing stock fan with 

Newegg.com - COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 EVO RR-212E-20PK-R2 Continuous Direct Contact 120mm Sleeve CPU Cooler Compatible with latest Intel 2011/1366/1155 and AMD FM1/AM3+

Good choice?

System stats 

CPU : AMD FX-4100
Video Card: XFX 1GB Radeon HD 6870
Mobo: ASUS M5A97
PSU: XFX 650W
RAM: G.Skill PC3-12800 (800MHz)
Fans: x2 120mm (Front and Back)
Idle Temps:








Load TempsWoW, Anti-Virus, WMP, Chrome running)









Would be my first overclock. Done some research and see that the FX-4100 isn't too hard to OC and actually plays nice with it. Any advice or something I missed?


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

The CPU cooler you have posted should serve the purpose.


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## toothman (Jul 13, 2008)

The Hyper 212 Evo should be great. I use the slightly cheaper version, the Hyper 212 Plus, and it's more cooling than I even need with a 1Ghz overclock :grin:

When you attempt an overclock, you will have to test for stability with each modification. Here's two great programs for stress-testing for stability:
Intel Burn Test (stresses your CPU and tests for stability):
Download IntelBurnTest 2.53 Free - Stress your computer to find out how stable it is - Softpedia
Prime95 (also stresses your RAM, good for just leaving on for a couple hours to be 100% sure about your stability):
Prime95 (64bit) - 25.11 Download - EXTREME Overclocking
Furmark (stress test for the video card):
FurMark: VGA Stress Test, Graphics Card and GPU Stability Test, Burn-in Test, OpenGL Benchmark and GPU Temperature | oZone3D.Net

Make sure to closely monitor your temperatures. 60°c is too high for the processor and motherboard, and 80° is too high for the video card. Any higher is risking problems.

For overclocking, try bumping the multiplier up two at a time and stress testing each. Bump up the voltage with the second pair, then once with each additional pair. Doing just this will _probably_ work for up to 600-800Mhz, but additional overclocking may require much more tweaking and experimentation with other board voltages. Also make sure to disable Turbo before any overclocking.

For much better and more specific advice on overclocking your specific chip than I can give, ask other owners. Overclock.net has a Bulldozer ownership club. I went there for more information on my 960T, good website. Not as good as TSF, though :grin:
AMD FX (Bulldozer) Owners Club!


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## Ph1l0z0ph3r (Aug 10, 2007)

How much more stress will this put on my PSU. Will I be fine with my 650w.


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

Your 650 XFX is top quality and should have no problems. The other components will receive the stress that comes with OC'ing.


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## Ph1l0z0ph3r (Aug 10, 2007)

Installed my Hyper 212 Evo today and getting higher temps then I was with stock any idea why.


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## toothman (Jul 13, 2008)

Did you replace the thermal paste?


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## Ph1l0z0ph3r (Aug 10, 2007)

Yea I replaced the thermal paste. These are the temps under load playing BF3 w/ PC Wizard and Chrome in background.


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## toothman (Jul 13, 2008)

Part of it could be that BF3 is more CPU-intensive than WoW. For stress testing, use Prime95. That way every time you stress the CPU, you're applying 100% use and doing the same thing every test.
Prime95 (64bit) - 25.11 Download - EXTREME Overclocking

Is the room temperature any different between now and when you measured temps with the stock cooler?


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## Ph1l0z0ph3r (Aug 10, 2007)

Its a bit hotter around 70 compared to like 40 a couple weeks ago. Running Prime95 right now. Would Thermal Paste cause a difference in temparatures? I used a ceramic based kind that came with fan instead of metal based which looks like was used on the stock fan.


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## toothman (Jul 13, 2008)

Ph1l0z0ph3r said:


> Its a bit hotter around 70 compared to like 40 a couple weeks ago.


That's the biggest factor right there. Air cooling can only cool something closer and closer to room temperature, asymptotily. Even most liquid cooling systems use air to cool the fluid. If you want better temps, turn on the air conditioning :tongue:



Ph1l0z0ph3r said:


> Would Thermal Paste cause a difference in temparatures? I used a ceramic based kind that came with fan instead of metal based which looks like was used on the stock fan.


The thermal paste that came with the EVO should be superior to what came pre-applied to your stock cooler.


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## Ph1l0z0ph3r (Aug 10, 2007)

Hmm I think my main problem was fan configuration. I've seen people talk about push and pull setups. I mostly left it the way it was with the fan facing towards the ram in the default config. Would adding another fan to the CPU also help?


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## toothman (Jul 13, 2008)

You say the fan is facing the RAM, is it blowing air towards the RAM? You should want it to blow air to the left, towards the exhaust. It's easy to move the fan over to the other side of the heatsink.

If you don't have an exhaust fan and you want better temps, go ahead and install a high-RPM case fan on the fan mount. Sucking hot air out of the case helps just as much as bringing cool air in. I use a thermaltake 1800rpm for front and back myself. It's pretty and cheap :grin:
Newegg.com - Computer Hardware, Fans & Heatsinks, Case Fans, Thermaltake, 120mm, 1600-1999 RPM

Feel free to put one on the front if you have a 120mm mount there, too.


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## Ph1l0z0ph3r (Aug 10, 2007)

Added a second fan pushing the air out towards the exhaust and then one on the other side blowing air on the heatsink itself. Temps seem to be around 2-3 degrees lower already while running Prime95. Will the thermal paste spreading out make a difference in temps. Also is 45 degrees good under full load?


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## toothman (Jul 13, 2008)

45's a little high for what the EVO should do. Does your case have an exhaust fan?

EDIT: If not, putting the second fan on the exhaust will help more than mounting it on the heatsink. Also, the EVO's pre-installed fan is high-RPM, up to 2000. For best results you'll want to match it with similar RPM 120mm fans.

I'm off to work, won't be back online until late.


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## Ph1l0z0ph3r (Aug 10, 2007)

Rechecked my temps after playing some WoW and it being nighttime when the temperatures have dropped and it looks a bit better. I did add a second 120mm Cooler Master fan that goes up to 2000 RPM also. But yes I do have an exhaust fan at the back of my PC and an intake one at the front.


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## toothman (Jul 13, 2008)

Cool cool. Do you have it overclocked?


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## Ph1l0z0ph3r (Aug 10, 2007)

Lol forgot to post my temps. Don't have it overclocked yet because I've been checking the temps but I plan on making it my day project on Monday.


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