Official GIGABYTE Forum
Overclocking, Benching, Events, Tweaking & Modding => Overclocking motherboards with AMD processors => Topic started by: soarwitheagles on December 29, 2011, 07:58:29 pm
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Happy New Year to all!
Ok, found a good deal on a AMD Phenom II X3 720 2.8GHz Socket AM3 95W Triple-Core Black Processor. Now I am thinking about unlocking the 4th core [many, many people have experienced tremendous success in unlocking the 4th core on this chip].
Has anyone here had any experience with this CPU before?
Can anyone give me some tips on how to unlock it?
It's me,
Soar
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Hello, i've just changed for 3 weeks my 720BE for this wonderful 960T and at the time i've succeeded in unlocking the 4th core with my actual mainboard thanks to the ACC function set to "auto mode" ec firmware update, restart and successfull result !! However when enabled, the cpu internal thermal diodes ares cut off and state at "0" so coretemp software cannot read them and i was just obliged to use hwmonitor or gigabyte easytune in order to check cpu temperature which use mainboard socket thermal diode ;) :D
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Hello, i've just changed for 3 weeks my 720BE for this wonderful 960T and at the time i've succeeded in unlocking the 4th core with my actual mainboard thanks to the ACC function set to "auto mode" ec firmware update, restart and successfull result !! However when enabled, the cpu internal thermal diodes ares cut off and state at "0" so coretemp software cannot read them and i was just obliged to use hwmonitor or gigabyte easytune in order to check cpu temperature which use mainboard socket thermal diode ;) :D
DarkStar,
Ok, thank you for your post. So you are saying you were able to unlock the 4th core, but not read the temps by normal means?
Did the Phenom II X3 720 work ok with the 4th core unlocked?
And finally, how do you like the 960t?
Merci beaucoup,
Soar
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Thanks for your french sentence guy ;) :D
When letting my ex-720 on 3cores based i've succeeded in o/cing at 15x230 @ 1,40v cool and quiet enabled and with the 4 cores configuration it was only 14,5x200 @ 1,45v :'( :-\ but stable of course !
It is due of its stepping (0909) as i've got one friend who has got a x2 550 step 0951 and is able to unlock it (4 cores) at about 3,7ghz @ 1,45v..
In conclusion the more recent the step is the best the results are and as phenoms II x2 550/555/560/565 are gone out after x3 cores their results will be better even though they only are 2 cores chip based ;)
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Darkstar,
Ok, thank you for the great advice and information. I will give it a try!
J'apprécie votre aide.
Ont une merveilleuse journée!
Soar
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Hi Soar,
your french is pretty good (certainly better than my english, Lol ;D)
This famous x3 720Be has rejoined my girlfriend's rig k9n2 sli plat. from MSI: chip Nforce750a sli which won't be able to unlock the 4th core of it as Acc feature isn't present in Nvidia chips... And about my new 960T i'm really satisfied about it as its chip is based on the last thuban core (better than deneb c3 core --> 955/965/970/975...) and its code name chip is "zosma" as it has 2 desactivated cores...i've been able to reactivate the 5th core thanks to the ACC function of my mb ;D
Only 30-35% of success for transforming it to an hexacore according to the last stats...and as you see i'm not within :'( :-\
When letting my 960T at 4 cores i've o/ced it at 20x200 @ 1,525v
When unlocking the 5th core i've o/ced it at 17x225 @ 1,525v
When trying automatically or manually to unlock the 6th core --> crash when loadind win7-64 :'( :-\ :(
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Darkstar,
Well, I admire your effort and the persistence you have put out in your valiant attempts to unlock those extra cores. I suppose there is a great "luck" factor involved...as in some of the chips have the extra cores working fine right out of the production line, whereas other chips do not have the extra cores working well no matter how much effort one exerts!
Glad to hear you were able to overclock and unlock with some success!
Félicitations!
And thanks again for helping me understand how this works.
Soar
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Thank you very much Soar and i do appreciate your gratitude for all my vain efforts to unlock the 6th core ;) As you said it depends on the core chips no matter how much efforts i've made... :-\
As you've got a sandy bridge rig i just tell you: why not taking advantage of your 2nd phenom based rig and let's try to overclock it even without unlocking it ? Before mounting your rig have you noticed and written on a piece of paper your phenom II stepping/batch ?
My ex-720 is: caczc 0909 apmw green color ;D
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Darkstar,
To be 100% honest with you, I never even heard of a Phenom II stepping/batch!
I think you are referring to some of the numbers on the CPU chip itself...
Ok, here are the numbers:
EDIT by Moderator - DM
Oh, and every number/letter is written in black!
Please help me to understand what these numbers refer to.
Thank you,
Soar
PS I think my stepping/batch number is 1139
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Yes what you wrote is called the stepping of your cpu but just erase the second line as it is the serial number (only you must know and be aware of it and it is very confidential: AMD guarantee).
I've seen that i've forgotten the two letters "ac" so my batch is: caczc (type of core) ac 0909 (year and month of fabrication) apmw (site of fabrication) green color is the color of the cpu itself (can be also brown) and the metallic part covering the die of the cpu is called ihs (integrated heatsink) and effectively those inscriptions are always written in black ;D
So it is just odd that your 720 be should be so recent as i've always heard they were manufactured between 0849 till 0935 for the last.... i think that yours is a tray version isn't it ?
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Yes what you wrote is called the stepping of your cpu but just erase the second line as it is the serial number (only you must know and be aware of it and it is very confidential: AMD guarantee).
I've seen that i've forgotten the two letters "ac" so my batch is: caczc (type of core) ac 0909 (year and month of fabrication) apmw (site of fabrication) green color is the color of the cpu itself (can be also brown) and the metallic part covering the die of the cpu is called ihs (integrated heatsink) and effectively those inscriptions are always written in black ;D
So it is just odd that your 720 be should be so recent as i've always heard they were manufactured between 0849 till 0935 for the last.... i think that yours is a tray version isn't it ?
DS,
I am not sure of the meaning of tray version...is tray version referring to CPU chip only, with no box and no stock AMD CPU cooler? If this is the meaning, then, yes, this is a tray version.
Wow, 2011 manufacture date. That is unusual. I wonder what AMD is doing!
Ok, hopefully it will unlock and overclock!
Whoops...I did not know I just posted my serial number for the entire universe to read. Dark Mantis and Absic, is there anyway one of you can help me erase my posted serial number? This forum has already removed the modify option!
It's me,
Newbie to unlockie and overclockie,
Soar
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Argh !! i've seen i've made a mistake it is not month of fabrication/manufacture but week of course...so i was right it is a tray version that's to say not a box version with its heatsink, certificate of guarantee of 3 years versus tray version only one year...tray version often appears to be destinated for oem's market oppositely of the retail market for the box version... but of course it doesn't mean that tray version are less good models !!
It's all the same very odd that Amd have pursuied this old model just for this year as apparently last models which were only retail/box versions were manufactured in 0935... just hope that you will be able to overclock it more than mine... just read for memory the previous posts for the reached frequencies ;)
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By the way someone gave you this cpu ? as i've just seen that you have a 1055t for your AMD rig... this 720 will be only tested or used in a personal configuration ?
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By the way someone gave you this cpu ? as i've just seen that you have a 1055t for your AMD rig... this 720 will be only tested or used in a personal configuration ?
I picked up this 720 new about 4 weeks ago for two reasons:
1. I was given a new free MSI K9N6PGM2-V2 and it has been sitting around and doing nothing for over one year now and I would like to put it to work. I also found an incredible deal [under $50] on a BIOSTAR A870U3 motherboard and I needed an inexpensive chip for it. When I read some of the reviews on this MB, many, many people stated it works wonders for unlocking and overclocking...[shhhhhhh....don't tell Dark Mantis or Absic I mentioned the word "MSI" or "BIOSTAR"]! So when I saw the deal on this 720, I thought 2+2=4, so I grabbed it immediately. Now I am not so sure I should have purchased this new 720 because there are really good deals right now on AMD quads as well....
2. I have been wanting to build two new low end/mid level computers...one for my dad and one for a friend and I only needed a good deal on a chip.
So, presently I have the two aforementioned MB's as well as the 990XFA-UD3 that I am reserving for my 1055t upgrade.
I also have a new Athlon II X250 new in the box, doing absolutely nothing...and I would like to put these older components to good use.
Finally, I over purchased on computer cases, computer DDR3 RAM, and GPU's and CPU's, and I would like to throw all of these together and hopefully come out with a nice gift to give to my dad and a friend.
Whew! Now I am out of breathe and my fingers are tired from typing so much!
Well, DS, have you any recommendations for me?
Soar
EDIT: I just discovered the K9N6PGM2-V2 requires DDR2, not DDR3, and that is ok because I have several of the DDR2's laying around...
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Waoww !! You have many-many informatics components !! That's cool...have you friends who work in informatics shops or maybe yourself ? I've a few spare parts but not as numerous as you ;D At home we have two pc's (my rig) and the one of my wife: Coolermaster centurion 534 + Antec tp3 430w + Abit ip35 + e7500 @ 11x350 + 2x2gb hyperX pc2-8500 + xfx radeon hd 5770 (she plays at resident evil 5/4 doom 3 and virtua tennis 4) and i've got pieces to do a 3rd pc which will be mounted when our son will be aged enough (1 year old now) --> Centurion 534 + corsair vx450w + k9n2 sli plat. + gigabyte radeon hd 4870 + 2x1gb hyperX pc2-8500 + phenom II x2 550BE ;D
I'm not sure but did you really say that you will change for a 990fx-ud3 whereas you've got now a 870-ud3 with your 1055t ? If right you change your hardware as often you change your clothes !! (joke ;D :D ;))
When your tests and o/c will be finished just tell us about your results (unlocking an reached frequencies)
I've almost forgotten, let's just try to erase your serial number you wrote in the previous post, it should be better for our community ;)
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Happy New Year DS,
So sorry, I have never heard the term "informatics"! I had to look up the meaning of the word!
Informatics (academic field), a broad academic field encompassing human-computer interaction, information science, information technology, algorithms, and social science
Computer science, the study of complex systems, information and computation using applied mathematics, electrical engineering and software engineering techniques.
Information science, the study of the processing, management, and retrieval of information...
Very interesting word indeed!
Oh, no, presently I do not work in the computer field per se. I have dabbled in computers now and then...and at one time did oversee the entire computer network for a school system.
Presently, I am deeply involved on a daily basis in the discipline called Kinesiology.
Many people ask me what exactly is kinesiology...
Kinesiology, also known as human kinetics is the scientific study of human movement.
And may I ask what do you do for a living?
And now, back to the wonderful world of computers...
You and your wife have nice computers. I suppose you might say building computers for me is both a business [on the side] and a hobby. To be totally honest with you, I am beginning to think I need to tone it down a little. I have been spending too much time online and playing with the various components.
My present goal is to upgrade both rigs, then leave them be for the next 6-12 months. And yes, I do like to upgrade about every 6-12 months. Because we do a lot of buying and selling of computer components as part of a small side business, I usually have components left over that I can use free of cost, so most of my new builds cost very little or zero. And I like that. On the other hand, I must be careful to not become a spoiled little brat [an annoying child who behaves badly]! Or as some may say, "garnement."
I also like to build computers for friends and relatives and surprise them [this is a nice way to bless others and also get rid of excess stock]! My favorite part is watching their faces as they play on their new computer.
So, yes, I will definitely post after putting together this tri-core system that has potential for quad core. I will also do my best to post some pics of it too.
I do not know how to delete my foolish posting of my serial number....
I will PM Absic and DM to see if they have the authority to do so.
I have posted pics of my two most recent rigs below. I would like to switch out the present motherboard GA-890 for the newer 990XFA-UD3. I know this sounds spoiled, but I like the idea of an upgrade and especially an upgrade that has a black motherboard rather than the same old Gigabyte Blueeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! I am hoping Gigabyte will take the lead in the industry by beginning to vary the colors of their motherboards so we can all have much more fun! How about Neon Red, Outrageous Orange, Pearly Pink, Lime Green, Zoned Out Zebra, or Diamond Jet Black? Dude, this blue is starting to grow on me too much! And NO, I am not gay!
I just acquired a new Antec Red Air Lanboy for the AMD upgrade. I would like it to look unique. I could not bear to put in the Gigabyte blue again. It simply does not match with the Candy Red of the Lanboy!
Oh no! Perhaps I truly have become spoiled!
DS, thanks again for your help and good advice and enabling me to understand a little more about this business of opening the hidden core in the 720.
Enjoy the new year! I believe it will another wonderful year to bless people and make other peoples lives more happy and more cheerful!
Cheers!
Soar
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Happy new year Soar !!
Waoww !! what a post you've written...could have been a writer my dear... ;D
I'm surprised that the word "informatics" doesn't exist in english as for hardware components the french translation means "composants informatiques" and the word "informatique" in french corresponds to software world and hardware world ;)
So back to the subject yes why not sending a mp to absic in order to erase this serial number ? you've got a good idea !! Thanks for recognizing that my wife and i having good rigs... did you see that i already have a rig for my son ? it's clear that when it will be mounted it will be "has been" but performant enough for him and i...and now i've decided to spare money as those last 5 years i've too much spent money for hardware components caus' i don't work in hardware shop so all i mount i have to spend it (french e-shops...) so all that is very expensive, i've succeded in selling my old parts on the second hand market but those sells don't bring me enough money to buy the new rig i wanted...in effect i've desired to change my rig in order to be in ddr3 system (for a 890fxa or 990fxa + one 2x4gb gskill kit) but after all it doesn't change very much i told myself... my rig is still good enough and on the contrary i've decided to go across the years with our rigs...ddr2 systems till death !! We will just change graphic cards when necessary ;D 8)
So concerning the colour of the Gigabyte pcb it depends on everybody's opinion...as it's clear in the past i loved Msi red mobos and then when they made their blackline with their platinum series, i loved the green pcb too of the Epox mobos, i hated the sand-brown pcb of the legacy Asus boards and i have always loved the petrol blue pcb of the legacy and actual mobos of Gigabyte and i'm not enough used to see black pcbs for their mobos... ;D :D
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DS,
Thank you for your nice reply!
The word "informatics" does exist in English, but I had never heard of it before. The nice thing about having friends overseas is that they often have better English skills than me, and I can learn a lot from them!
I admire your patience and self-control in waiting to build a new system! But I must admit, you must be sorely tempted to purchase a SSD! Your system would really fly with one!
Ok, please tell me what is your dream rig?
Unfortunately for me, time and money prevent me from building my dream rig, but I am happy with what I have. Color coordination and aesthetics have become an important issue for me. I like the "wows" from my friends when they come and visit. I also like to post pics on forums like this that are pleasing to the eye...all of course without sacrificing too much performance and money!
My builds and rigs are nothing compared to geniuses like Dark Mantis...my goodness! Have you seen his pics of his builds? I was so proud of my new builds until one day I saw the pics of his computer....suddenly I felt 174 centimeters shorter and my ears turned bright lime green with envy! In fact, the next time I went to the toilet, I had trouble using it because I was only 4 centimeters tall!
Speaking of DM, he graciously removed my foolish posting of my serial for all the world to read...
DS, I have joined many, many forums from all over the world, but I must admit, this forum is by far the very best! Here is why I like it so much:
1. People here treat me nicely, even though I do not know very much compared to them [they are free from attitudes of pride and arrogance].
2. The knowledge of the moderators is impeccable [I have never been given wrong advice].
3. There is a friendliness here that I have seen no where else [people here are kind].
4. There is a freedom from trolling and vindictiveness.
5. There is a humility [if the moderators do not know the answer, they are quick to say so].
I am very, very happy to have found Gigabyte Forums and the friends I have found here!
Thank you everyone for making this such a positive and wonderful experience!
Up, up, and away, into greater builds and higher speeds!
Soar
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Well spoken my dear...you are unique in your kind ;D Concerning my dream rig i even don't know whether i would like to have one in fact... it's sure i'd like to test the i7 2600k/2500k and the powerful i7 990x too in bench to see the difference with my rig... i think i will early or late buy a ssd for my os system... otherwise i've already had cases with plexi sides (second hand Antec lanboy and a TT xaser III with blue leds fans) but i do prefer "sobre" and smooth cases which breathe quality and serious now... I think i'm an Antec addict ;D :D
I've registered in the french Gigabyte forum with the same nickname and in another french general hardware forum (multibrands ;D)
Here is my listing of hardware components: (classified by preference order) 1- mainboards 2- cpus 3- graphics cards 4- cases 5- memory kits 6- psus 7- hard drives/optical drives 8- sound cards (besides i still have the legendary creative soundblaster live 5.1 !!!! --> my unique sound card in fact).
By the way did you succeed in unlocking your 720 ?
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Intel Core i7-990X Extreme Edition Gulftown 3.46GHz LGA 1366 130W Six-Core Desktop Processor??? I never even heard of it until you mentioned it! I checked it out at NewEgg and suddenly I began to experience the identical classic symptoms: Ears turn green, I begin to shrink just like the movie: "Honey, I shrunk the kids," and finally, I look at my what was before my very nice Intel i5-2500k, and it suddenly doesn't look so nice anymore!
Oh well, such is life I suppose!
Ok, no, I have not yet even begun on the 720 yet. The reason is I wanted to finish the Lanboy with the new Gigabye 990XFA-UD3/1055t combo.
I was aiming to purchase one of the new FX Bulldozer CPU's for the new the new Gigabye 990XFA-UD3, when a friend at another forum showed me benchmarks where even the not so fast 1055t kicks the bottom on several of the new BD's! He recommended I stay with the 1055t, and since there are no 1090t's or 1100t's available at a good price, I believe I will follow his good advice.
I only have 7 days left of our vacation, so I must begin this wonderful project soon.
Maybe I could have some input from people here on my intended AMD Phenom II X3 720 build. Here are the excess components I have laying around and I am not sure which ones I should include:
AMD Phenom II X3 720
Biostar A870U3 or the used Gigabyte 890XA-UD3 v.1
Antec Six-Hundred Black [new] or the used CoolerMaster Sniper from my old build
XFX 650 Modular PSU or Antec 620 PSU or cheap
8gb RAM either Gskil, Corsair, or Patriot
Cooler Master 212+ or Xigmatek Loki or Xigmatek Dark Night or Zigmatek Gaia or Coolermaster V-8
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Soar
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Yes this gulftown must be wonderful...above all on cinebench 11.5 with its 12 cores working (6 + hyperthreading ;D).
Concerning your future rig if i were you i would let the 890xa (770 chipset in fact) which is better built (better power phase design: 4+1 vs 3+1 for the biosatr and ultra durable feature for the Gig.).
For the psu i don't know the best choice is to check which one has the highest +12v rail, for the ram those 3 manufacturers are welll known just take the kit which proposes the highest frequency with the lowest latency... for the heatsink i would say the 212+ or why not the now legendary Antec Kühler ? Or stay with Noctua :D ;)
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DS,
Yes, that Gulftown is in a class all of its own! I now need to change many aspects of this build. Last night I took out my new Antec Lanboy to begin the transfer of components from my CM Sniper to the Lanboy. Well, everything came to a screeching halt. When I placed the Lanboy side by side with the CM Sniper, it was totally obvious I could not give up the Lanboy for the Sniper.
Oh boy! Or maybe I should say Oh Lanboy...after unpacking the Lanboy case it was kind of disappointing. So disappointing that I decided to not use it!
Here were the deciding factors:
This Antec Lanboy Air case is incredibly flimsy [yet I read numerous reviews ranting about how strong and solid this case was. Obviously these reviewers have never seen or worked with a Sniper, HAF 932, or HAF X].
This Antec Lanboy Air case has only 3 External 5.25" Drive Bays unless I remove one of the two front case fans [obviously my fault for not reading the specs more carefully]
This Antec Lanboy Air case is significantly smaller than the Sniper case I am presently using [so much so, I just crossed it off my list].
This Antec Lanboy Air case has way too much plastic for my requirement for safety [I prefer strong steel just in case someone accidentally kicks it or bumps into it].
This Antec Lanboy Air case fans are all controlled by tiny little switches some of which are located inside the case.
This Antec Lanboy Air case would be a downgrade rather than an upgrade for me considering my needs and requirements.
So all in all, from my perspective, it has lots of eye candy, lots of modular possibilities, and lots of unique features, but is missing some of the basic functionality that I require to feel comfortable with it.
Darn! I looked at this case repeatedly at Fry's but I think my eyes were only on the candy! I suppose looks can be deceptive.
Oh well, lesson learned.
Now I am much more limited by what I can use for this AMD 720.
Unfortunately, I need to use the BIOSTAR A870-U3 MB, so out of respect for Gigabyte, I will no longer post here on this build. DS, I totally agree with you that the Gigabyte 890XA-UD3 is a much better motherboard. But for now it remains in the Sniper and I must build this AMD 720 with the components that are free at the moment.
Thanks again for all your help and good advice.
I do not have an account at BIOSTAR and I do not even know if they have a forum, but I will check it out. I sincerely doubt I will find as good of people and support that I have found here....but I must complete this build now and go on with life...
Have a wonderful day there!
Soar
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Superb installation Soar, cheer up ;D Is this case the six-hundred ? I must make a correction of what i said about your Gig mainboard it has in fact a 790x chipset instead of the 770 despite the 890xa name... its southbridge is the sb850 instead of the 750 which has the acc function...so you have the Gig feature called core unlock to replace acc... but don't worry the results will be the same...Indeed AMD has drawn back this feature (Advanced clock calibration) which is only present on the sb 710 + 750 chipsets...so let's test this Biostar and you have well done letting your 890xa with the 1055t...by the way did you try to o/c it ? (the 1055t)
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Thanks again DS. Yes, that is the Antec 600 Black version [even though the interior is grey]! I am thinking about painting it black before installing everything into it...I had to do the same with my HAF 932.
I would still like to replace the 890xa with the 990XFA, but do not have the time at the present moment. I do have a question:
If I switch out the 890XA with the 990 XFA, will I need to do an entire reformat? Please let me know if this is required.
Yes, I have toyed a little with overclocking the 1055t but only by using the dreaded Easy Tune...and I do not like Easy Tune because in the past it has at time created terrible instability with my system.
And I do not know how to overclock using strictly the BIOS, and I have never tried Cloud OC that Gigabyte so graciously offers!
So sorry!
Soar
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Hi Soar ;) i see when reading you that the look of your pcs is very important... i'd never heard yet that someone has painted the interior of his case only to match with the rest of his components ! ;D
As i said before i prefer smooth look and i hate tweaking the original style of the manufacturer... but everyone has one's proper opinion about that...
As regards overclocking sooner using easytune (i use it but just for the monitoring function) the best is to use the bios for your 1055t go to MIT
- set the fsb to manual then raise it to 250
- as your cpu has its multi locked let it to auto or set it to 14x
- set the cpu nb ratio to 8x
- idem for the ht frequency (set to 1,6ghz -> 1600/2=8x)
Indeed for better stability uncore frequency/cpu nb frequency (means internal memory controller of your Phenom) should stay at 2000mhz/4000mhz and it is the same for the ht frequency (hypertransport 3.0) -> for both 8x250= 2000mhz/2ghz
And 14 (cpu multi) x 250 (htt or fsb)= 3500mhz/3,5ghz which is the overclocked cpu frequency that your 1055t should reach without any problem :D ;)
As regards voltages set them to manual and set the cpu vcore to 1,375v, the ddr3 voltage to 1,60-1,625v) and the soutbridge + northbridge to auto.
In the "advanced chipset features" set the dual channel mode to "unganged" then the memory clock to 6,66 (6,66x250= 1665mhz which are supported by you ddr3 kit) in the "advanced bios features" set to enabled the cool and quiet then save and exit.
And there you are with a cpu went from 2,8ghz to 3,5ghz which will lower its frequency and its voltage in idle mode thanks to cnq --> that's cool life ;D
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DS,
Americans are notorious for placing an over emphasis upon outward appearance! This being the truth, yes, I just finished painting the interior of the Antec 600 Black computer case and it does look noticeably better! A while back, I also painted the interior of my new HAF 932 case because it had the very ugly gray color....yuk!
DS, it is super easy for me to paint these cases because we have a nice compressor with a very nice paint gun, so it only cost pennies, and only requires a little painters tape and remove some parts. Not difficult at all to be honest with you!
Now I do have a question...
Are all those overclocking instructions for my 1055t with the Gigabyte 890XA-UD3?
Please let me know.
Thanks,
Soar
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Very well painted !! :-* I can see the biostar mobo and the xigmatek heatsink... what are the memory modules ?
Otherwise what i posted on my previous post are the instructions for a good overclock of your 1055t with your 890xa-ud3... just replace the part "advanced bios features" by "dram configuration" in MIT section (i've mistaken indeed).
Your 1055t can easily reach 14x250= 3,5ghz @ 1,375v Soar don't worry about that...your cpu is like a race car engine which has only the will of being run ;D ;)
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DS,
Thanks for the nice complement...but perhaps I should have taken my time a little bit more...but job done and I am sure the user will like it much better than the dull boring gray!
Memory Modules were on sale for under $10 for 8gb. They are the Corsair DDR3 1600 value series. The most important thing for me on the RAM was the 1.5 volts. I am still not sure if I will use them because the eye candy is sparse...not nice heat sinks...but for now, they are doing the job and should work well when the testing time comes.
I have lots of the tall Corsair Vengeance, but I must still measure to see if the heat sinks will fit under the Xigmatek fan. I will try them once the basic testing is over. The tall Corsair Vengeance will not work on my present boards that have the CM Hyper 212+ CPU cooler...the fan blocks one entire slot...ouch! The good news is I was able to find 16gb of the Corsair 1600 DDR3 Vengeance low profile and they are working quite well at the moment!
Unfortunately, I could only find a good deal on the blue version...I'd prefer the black version!
Ok, another question....will those same over clock settings work for the GA990XFA-UD3? I have decided to change out MB's now [it is the only MB I have that has the USB 3.0 header on the MB].
Please let me know.
Thanks DS!
Soar
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Your memory kit is a good performance one with low consumption characteristics...good choice ;D (i would have preferred the black too).
And yes the settings i've advised to you should work with the 990fxa-ud3 as it has got the same bios functions (M.I.T).
Just remember to set the dram voltage at 1,525v or 1,55v (low consumption memory modules instead of 1,625v-1,65v for normal ddr3 memory) if you notice instability which is often due to not enough dram voltage set by users...
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Your memory kit is a good performance one with low consumption characteristics...good choice ;D (i would have preferred the black too).
And yes the settings i've advised to you should work with the 990fxa-ud3 as it has got the same bios functions (M.I.T).
Just remember to set the dram voltage at 1,525v or 1,55v (low consumption memory modules instead of 1,625v-1,65v for normal ddr3 memory) if you notice instability which is often due to not enough dram voltage set by users...
DS,
Ok, thanks for the info. I will give it a try after I finish building this Gigabyte 990XFA-UD3 AMD upgrade...the entire system is in little bitty pieces at the moment...yes, spread out all over the work bench!
BTW, the AMD 720 rig is now complete and ready to try some unlocking and over clocking.
Could you please help me take my first baby steps in this strange work of unlocking a hidden core?
The system is up and running and ready to take the adventure into the wonderful world of unlocking and overclocking!
Thanks,
Soar
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Hi Soar,
I reviewed the Antec Lanboy Air recently and in some ways liked it but it was very much a toy. I suppose that it was aimed at this type of market to be fair. I think it fell down in particular in the main design of having so much mesh everywhere. This made it more or less impossible to get a god airflow through the case even though in theory it could take 15 fans. There was just no way to direct the airflow or stop dust and fluff from entering the inner chamber of the case. The mesh needed to be much finer and only in certain places top get the best out of it.
It is only after some use that the downsides become really apparent (my son is using it now and loves it) Hopefully they will bring out a versioin 2 that will target some of the flaws and be a bit wider too. ;)
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Very good points you bring to our attention DM! I only wish I had asked you prior to purchasing one! I was sorely disappointed after realizing it would actually be a sizable downgrade from the CM Storm Sniper I am presently using.
Oh well, live and learn...and hopefully learn from my mistakes!
Yes, I ripped out nearly everything from the Sniper, and installed the OCX 850 gold along with that nice black 990XFA-UD3. I will stick with the 1055t for now until I see how the FX adventure pans out...
At first, my system did not post and I was a little nervous about that. Switched out power supplies, GPU's etc. Then I realized I had forgotten to install the RAM! :P
That was a sure sign that working day and night on computers for the last week or so is causing some serious brain freeze and senior moments!
Anyway, installed the RAM and BOOM! Loud crackle, smoke, small fire and very strong smell... and then...
I woke up and realized I had fallen asleep and it was just a bad dream. The reality is, AFTER I installed ALL the necessary components, the system posted first shot, no problems at all!
So, I am kinda happy about that!
I have started a thread at AMD motherboards part of this forum and will look forward for more good advice and suggestions!
BTW, finished the 720 build...here are a couple of pics! The darn CX 430 wires were too short to be able to hide them all...
DM, do you see the 24 pin ATX plug on the LEFT side of this BS MB? Is that strange or what? I had to think about that a while before routing the cable...
Darkstar, I am still waiting for help to discover how to unlock the 4th core...well, or at least try! How about you DM, can you give me any advice how to unlock that 4th core?
Have a great day everyone!
I'm gonna get some rest and be ready to finish this build up hopefully tomorrow before the work week begins.
Soar
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Nothing to worry about soar. Just a different manufacturer using a diffferent design. Often they have their own way of translating the various specs and you get some weird and wonderful designs.
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DM,
Well, it this case it was a lot weird, and a little wonderful! :-\
Ok, DS or DM, how do I unlock this baby.
Please give me some pointers!
I looked everywhere for a BIOSTAR forum, but no such luck! I feel so spoiled by all the good help I receive from Gigabyte forums...and that is why 99% of my motherboards will always be Gigabyte!
Yeah Gigabyte! Go, Go, Go!
Thanks,
Soar
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Hi man, how are you ? ;D
I'm a "pro" to unlock hidden cores with mainboards having the southbridge 710 or 750 which have the ACC function... your Biostar and your new 990fx-ud3 have newer chipsets: 850 for the Bio and 950 for you last Gig... both have a new way to unlock those cores through the manufacturer specific features...for the Gig. you shoud see an"unlock core" option in the MIT section for the Bio. it should be the same in it specific overclocking bios section.
For both turn this option on "auto" exit and save and...see what happens !! ;D If it works you will be able to boot on windows..then make stability tests with "orthos 2004" "occt v 4.00 or 4.10" i don't remember... 30 mn are enough ! then you will be able to run 3dmark11/vantage to see the difference between 3 cores then 4 8)
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DS,
Thank you for your reply. I am doing fine, but am back to my teaching job after a wonderful 16 day Christmas break! I hope to try the unlock tomorrow DS!
I will let you know the results. I am curious if these newer chips [2011] will unlock!
Soar
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Fine ! be concentrated when doing that and take your time... and write or post your results about 3dmark11 and vantage ;)
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DS,
Are there any free versions of 3dmark11 and vantage or must I purchase them?
Soar
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DS,
So sorry, there is no "unlock core" option in the MIT section for the Biostar mb.
After Googling it, I discovered that if I hit F4 during start up, it will unlock the 4th core. Sure enough, SIW is showing 4 cores operational now.
Ok, what next?
soar
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DS,
I did manage to download the free version of vantage. Here are the scores so far:
NVIDIA GeForce GTS 450 video card 3DMark Vantage benchmark test score
Name
Description
Processor
Processor
Get it! AMD Phenom II X4 20
Processor clock
2800 MHz
Physical / logical processors
1 / 4
# of cores
4
Graphics Card
Graphics Card
Get it! NVIDIA GeForce GTS 450
Vendor
EVGA Corporation
# of cards
1
SLI / CrossFire
Off
Memory
1024 MB
Core clock
882 MHz
Memory clock
1900 MHz
Driver name
Driver version
8.17.12.7533
Driver status
FM Approved
General
Operating system
64-bit Windows 7 (6.1.7601)
Motherboard
BIOSTAR Group A870U3
Memory
8192 MB
Module 1
4096 MB Corsair 9 @ 667 MHz
Module 2
4096 MB Corsair 9 @ 667 MHz
Hard drive model
640GB WDC WD6401AALS-00L3B2 ATA Device
Detailed scores
3DMark Score
9601 3DMarks
Graphics Score
9631
CPU Score
9510
Jane Nash
28.7 FPS
New Calico
27.71 FPS
AI Test
1243 operations/s
Physics Test
14 operations/s
Settings
Default settings used
Yes
Preset
Performance
Width
1280
Height
1024
MSAA
1
Texture Filtering
Optimal
Anisotropy
1
Texture Quality
Performance
Shader Quality
Performance
Shadow Shader Quality
Performance
Shadow Resolution Quality
Performance
Post Processing Scale
1:2
PPU Disabled
true
PPU Used
false
Disable Bloom
false
Disable Streaks
false
Disable Anamorphic Flare
false
Disable Lens Flare
false
Disable Lenticular Halo
false
Disable Motion Blur
false
Disable DOF
false
Disable Fog
false
Disable Color Noise
false
Flush On Low FPS
false
Fixed Framerate
false
GPU Count
1
And here are the scores for my Intel 2500k rig:
Graphics driver is not approved (What is this?)
Version: 1.1.0.0
SystemInfo Version: 4.0
1/13/12 2:01:19 AM
Id: 3811089
Score:
P17345 3DMarks
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AMD Radeon HD 6870 video card 3DMark Vantage benchmark test score
Name
Description
Processor
Processor
Get it! Intel Core i5-2500K Processor
Processor clock
3409 MHz
Physical / logical processors
1 / 4
# of cores
4
Graphics Card
Graphics Card
Get it! AMD Radeon HD 6870
Vendor
Pineview Industries Ltd.
# of cards
1
SLI / CrossFire
Off
Memory
1024 MB
Core clock
900 MHz
Memory clock
1050 MHz
Driver name
Driver version
8.920.0.0
Driver status
Not FM Approved
General
Operating system
64-bit Windows 7 (6.1.7601)
Motherboard
Gigabyte Technology Co., Ltd. P67A-UD3-B3
Memory
16384 MB
Module 1
4096 MB Corsair 9 @ 667 MHz
Module 2
4096 MB Corsair 9 @ 667 MHz
Module 3
4096 MB Corsair 9 @ 667 MHz
Module 4
4096 MB Corsair 9 @ 667 MHz
Hard drive model
160GB INTEL SSDSA2CW160G3
Detailed scores
3DMark Score
17345 3DMarks
Graphics Score
17070
CPU Score
18225
Jane Nash
51.42 FPS
New Calico
48.54 FPS
AI Test
2480 operations/s
Physics Test
25 operations/s
Settings
Default settings used
Yes
Preset
Performance
Width
1280
Height
1024
MSAA
1
Texture Filtering
Optimal
Anisotropy
1
Texture Quality
Performance
Shader Quality
Performance
Shadow Shader Quality
Performance
Shadow Resolution Quality
Performance
Post Processing Scale
1:2
PPU Disabled
true
PPU Used
false
Disable Bloom
false
Disable Streaks
false
Disable Anamorphic Flare
false
Disable Lens Flare
false
Disable Lenticular Halo
false
Disable Motion Blur
false
Disable DOF
false
Disable Fog
false
Disable Color Noise
false
Flush On Low FPS
false
Fixed Framerate
false
GPU Count
1
-
AMD 720:
Score:
P9601 3DMarks
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Well done Soar !! 9601 is a good average... if you had a gtx460 your global score would have been bigger...but well done all the same ;)
The global score of your 2500k rig is very impressive quite the double :o
Congratulations for the unlocking manip' of the 4th core of your 720 BE... you will see coretemp and monitoring softwares won't be able to check the internal cpu temperatures as unlocking core disables this function... but with hwmonitor 118 you will be able to check the cpu temperature thanks to the mainboard socket diode...it is the 2nd line of the 3 temperatures monitoring ;)
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DS,
A very big thank you for all your help in making this so possible.
Ok, one more question:
How do I disable that last 4th core just in case the system ever becomes unstable?
Remember, the only way I could find to enable the 4th core was by holding F4 button during start up...
Soar
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Thanks you're welcome my dear :D You have an impressive will to achieve your objectives that's cool ;) It's odd that in bios menu of your Biostar you haven't seen yet this famous unlock core option because i think this hold key function must be a shortcut... if you still don't find this option in bios try to re-press the f4 key in order to relock the 4th core...
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DS,
Ok, I will try the F4 button to undo the unlock. Honestly, I looked, scanned, squinted, and pounded the keyboard over and over again and could not find the "unlock" core in the BIOS [and believe me, I looked in every possible corner]. Strangely enough, there was a place to unlock the BIOS!
I did discover the unlock the extra 4th core F4 trick after googling "unlock extra core with BIOSTAR." But I found nothing else...not even a tiny bit of hope of a BIOSTAR forum!
That is another reason why I will do my very best to purchase ONLY Gigabyte motherboards in the future and for the rest of my life!
BTW, I hope that Vantage program pushed the heck out of the AMD 720, so that it passed the test and now I can be confident it will not be unstable with that 4th core unlocked!
I suppose now it is obvious to all how little I really know about this sort of endeavor! DS, I have never unlocked a core in my life before this AMD 720 adventure. Thanks for helping me make it happen.
Soar
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Hi man ;)
I'm glad to know that your x4 20 has passed all the stress tests so logically you won't have to relock its 4th core just check the temperatures with hwmonitor118 which is very reliable... thanks for congratulating me and good luck in the future...and don't forget: become and be a Gigabyte addict !! ;D 8)
P.S: If you have the bargain to sell this Biostar for the MA770T-UD3 (entry/mid level mobo) just do it and you will be able to relock the 4th core when you want ;)
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DS,
After testing and let the system burn in, I am very happy to announce all is well, and the system is now in the hands of a very happy new owner.
I installed, tested, then removed Windows 7, then installed Windows 8, and everything is working just fine.
Thanks again for all your help!
Soar
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Hello soar !!
Wonderful !! you just need to softly overclock your quad core --> at 3.0ghz , why not trying ?
Besides what about this rc release of windows 8 ? Did you notice differences in comparison with win 7 ? Is this new OS less hungry in memory than vista and seven ?
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Hello soar !!
Wonderful !! you just need to softly overclock your quad core --> at 3.0ghz , why not trying ?
Besides what about this rc release of windows 8 ? Did you notice differences in comparison with win 7 ? Is this new OS less hungry in memory than vista and seven ?
DS,
Sorry for the delay in returning a message to your reply! Have been a little overwhelmed at school lately.
Well, thanks for the encouragement to overclock to 3.0Ghz...but the computer is now in the hands of a new owner.
Windows 8 requires much less install area, less RAM, and generally I like it. It does take some getting use to, but many people simply set it up so the desktop appears exactly like Windows 7.
It is free, easy to install, and works well. Why not try it?
Soar
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OK soar i can say that your rigs don't live very long with you as you usually sell them very quickly !!! :o
Concerning win 8 i should try it... is it the final release candidate ? You can confirm to me that this new os eats less memory than vista and seven ?
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Has anyone actually succeeded in unlocking the 4th core of this CPU with a Gigabyte 970 or 990 board? If so, where did you do it, since there's nothing called Advanced Clock Calibration in the 900 series BIOS, as there is in the 790X where I was able to unlock mine. Thanks,