# AM3 Socket - Ram Not Detected [SOLVED]



## GKirev (Oct 21, 2015)

Hey guys. I couldn't troubleshoot this myself so I'm calling out here for help.

The hardware:


*Processor:* AMD FX-8350 @ 5 Ghz
*Motherboard:* M5A99X EVO R2.0
*Cooling:* Alphacool Block + Custom Loop
*Memory:* 2x8gb HyperX FURY 1600 @ 2300 Mhz
*Video Card(s):* Sapphire 7970
*Case:* Thermaltake Mozart
*Power Supply:* Dark Power Pro 1kW

**** Turn on pc as usual, do some facebook, etc. - random freeze ****

System has been running on this overclock for more than 1 year. It's sufficiently cooled and powered.

Troubleshooting:

Reboot.
- 1 long 2 short - Ram not detected (asus motherboard manual)
- CMOS reset (didn't work)
- re-seat ram (didn't work)
- clean all 4 DIMM slots and sticks (didn't work)
- re-seat sticks 1 by 1 on random places (didn't work)
- try working ram from another pc (didn't work)
- re-seat gpu (didn't work)
- try other working gpu (didn't work)
- re-seat all power supply connectors (didn't work)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Things I am about to do:
- re-seat CPU
- clean motherboard pins, connectors, etc.
- inspect for visual damage
- throw the motherboard away 



Am I missing something?  Any suggestion Is appreciated!

*------FIXED IT------ *

- took the cpu cooler off
- took the motherboard off the case
*- cleaned the DIMM sockets with alcohol
- reseated the cpu(didnt work)
- reseated the cpu and changed the DIMM slot (didnt work)
- cleaned the cpu pins with alcohol and a brush
- cleaned the cpu socket with an air can (compressed air)*
- worked. Holy sh*t.


-----------------------------

No visual damage to the board. Nothing. What do you guys think?


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## tabascosauz (Oct 21, 2015)

RAM issues do not lie with the chipset. Like Intel CPUs, AMD's AM3+ CPUs have an IMC integrated onto the CPU.

Try memtest, run memtest from a USB drive for a few hours (5 hours is what I would do) to see if you get any errors. If not, try and get a hold of another RAM kit. If that one runs into the same issue, you may want to RMA the board.

The motherboard does not have pins; the CPU does. Either way, you shouldn't be touching the pins before we can make sure that it's not the RAM that is the problem. Have you tried the MemOK feature on the board? Is the light lit?


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## GKirev (Oct 21, 2015)

tabascosauz said:


> RAM issues do not lie with the chipset. Like Intel CPUs, AMD's AM3+ CPUs have an IMC integrated onto the CPU.
> 
> Try memtest, run memtest from a USB drive for a few hours (5 hours is what I would do) to see if you get any errors. If not, try and get a hold of another RAM kit. If that one runs into the same issue, you may want to RMA the board.
> 
> The motherboard does not have pins; the CPU does. Either way, you shouldn't be touching the pins before we can make sure that it's not the RAM that is the problem. Have you tried the MemOK feature on the board? Is the light lit?


Read my post again. I can't even post, because my motherboard doesn't see my RAM. It's like you don't have any sticks plugged in.  I know that the AM3 female socket on the mobo doesn't have pins, i was talking about the power pins, etc, on the motherboard.  Yes it has a MemOk button, but whats the use of it, when it doesn't detect memory. My memory is good.

I verified that the current sticks are ok, and I used a couple of other sticks from a working machine.  *101% Not a RAM stick issue.*


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## tabascosauz (Oct 21, 2015)

GKirev said:


> Read my post again. I can't even post, because my motherboard doesn't see my RAM. It's like you don't have any sticks plugged in.  I know that the AM3 female socket on the mobo doesn't have pins, i was talking about the power pins, etc, on the motherboard.  Yes it has a MemOk button, but whats the use of it, when it doesn't detect memory. My memory is good.
> 
> I verified that the current sticks are ok, and I used a couple of other sticks from a working machine.  *101% Not a RAM stick issue.*



It looks like the board needs to be RMAed?

If it doesn't help to reseat the RAM (do try this again because with my 16GB Fury kit, the system would boot but not post, and after countless tries at reseating, I realized that the DIMM slots were really stubborn and the sticks weren't actually seated properly despite looking that way), maybe it's time to contact Asus. It's unlikely that it's a problem with 990X or SB950. Can you get another AM3+ CPU for cheap (like, an Athlon II AM3)?

By the power pins you are referring to the DIMM sockets?


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## ne6togadno (Oct 21, 2015)

try cpu in other pc. if it isnt cpu then it's mb.
does psu start when you hit power button

edit: от сф ли си?


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## Ebo (Oct 21, 2015)

First thing I would do, is set system back to standard clock, both on ram and CPU. If that works and system is stabile after running prime and memtest, then the problem (is) either biosupdate or your new ram just wont work properly at those speeds.

Eventually try to pump up the voltage to your ram, by 1 knotch i bios.


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## ne6togadno (Oct 21, 2015)

Ebo said:


> ... set system back to standard clock, both on ram and CPU. ...


cmos reset=set system back to standard clock, both on ram and CPU


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## Ace_Jambo (Oct 21, 2015)

So it seems no one is reading what OP has said.  It seems that you have done all you can without swap testing with other hardware. If you can test the CPU on another board... but most likely the motherboard.

The motherboard may still be under warranty. If you can pin point the issue to the mobo, send it to ASUS.


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## GKirev (Oct 21, 2015)

Thanks for the tips, *tabascosauz, *I appreciate your help and I totally agree. 
*


tabascosauz said:



			By the power pins you are referring to the DIMM sockets?
		
Click to expand...

*

No. I'm reffering to the 24pin and 8pin motherboard connectors - usually this is a stupid idea , but just in case. My plan is to find a cheap CPU just like you said and test the system. If it fails - throw the mobo away, if it works, throw the cpu away. 
*


ne6togadno said:



			try cpu in other pc. if it isnt cpu then it's mb. does psu start when you hit power button
		
Click to expand...

*


ne6togadno said:


> *http://www.techpowerup.com/forums/members/tabascosauz.158152/*
> *edit: от сф ли си?*


*http://www.techpowerup.com/forums/members/tabascosauz.158152/*


Thats what im about to do. Yes, when i turn on the pc it tries to post but it beeps out a "RAM not found" code.*http://www.techpowerup.com/forums/members/tabascosauz.158152/*
Да. Тук живея. / Yes, I live In Sofia. 
*http://www.techpowerup.com/forums/members/tabascosauz.158152/*
*http://www.techpowerup.com/forums/members/tabascosauz.158152/*


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## GKirev (Oct 21, 2015)

@Ace_Jambo Finally  Thanks.


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## ne6togadno (Oct 21, 2015)

https://www.jarcomputers.com/p/CPUAMDSEMPR145BOX/Sempron-145-TRAY-CPUAMDSEMPR145BOX.html?ref=c_16


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## tabascosauz (Oct 21, 2015)

@GKirev make sure you take plenty of high-res pictures of the board *before* you send it off, if you decide to RMA. I've heard way too many horror stories about ASUS AMD motherboard RMAs, especially regarding suspicious physical damage that wasn't present before the RMA. That way if they try to shaft you and refuse your RMA based on "physical damage", you will be prepared.


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## ne6togadno (Oct 21, 2015)

tabascosauz said:


> @GKirev make sure you take plenty of high-res pictures of the board *before* you send it off, if you decide to RMA. I've heard way too many horror stories about ASUS AMD motherboard RMAs, especially regarding suspicious physical damage that wasn't present before the RMA. That way if they try to shaft you and refuse your RMA based on "physical damage", you will be prepared.


he will deal with local distributor/reseller of asus and most likely will get mb replaced (or refunded if new mb of same kind isnt available). distributer will have to deal with asus and their rma but that is distributer's problem.


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## Cybrnook2002 (Oct 21, 2015)

Your board is not rated to run the 9590, so taking your 8350 and clocking it to a 9590 speeds is the same thing. You are frying the board.


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## GKirev (Oct 21, 2015)

I don't think so. I have installed thermal probes on the VRMs and chipset. Both have never gone above 60 degrees C. My CPU is cooled by an alphacool nex*something block with microchannels and liquid metal, lianli DC pump, 3x120 and 2x120 rads. As I said it has been running on this overclock for more than a year, stable.


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## Cybrnook2002 (Oct 21, 2015)

Over-clocks are gambles, what you get one day does not mean you will get it a year later. It's not the CPU temps that are the concerns, its the NB/SB chips on your board as well as the VRM's. That is likely what is now failing due to being run outside of their boundaries for a year now. When it fails, it would likely be the same as pulling your RAM out while the system is running.

There is a reason your board is not rated for 9590 speeds. Only a hand full of boards are certified to run those chips. For specific reasons of NB/SB/VRM capabilities.


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## dorsetknob (Oct 21, 2015)

Cybrnook2002 said:


> Your board is not rated to run the 9590, so taking your 8350 and clocking it to a 9590 speeds is the same thing. You are frying the board.



AMD AM3+ FX™/Phenom™ II/Athlon™ II/Sempron™ 100 Series Processors
Supports AM3+ 32 nm CPU
Supports CPU up to 8 cores
*Supports CPU up to 140 W*
AMD Cool 'n' Quiet™ Technology

*Personaly i wonder what the power draw for your 5Ghz overclock is and how it has effected your motherboard over a year*

can you smell the Fried chips ????

You may not have overcooked that motherboard but you have caused  lots of electrical stress to it by running such a high power draw over a years overclocking  maybe its decided its had enough and wants to wave you goodbye 
The higher the power draw the more wear is caused to electrical items

google
*electromigration*
and the problems it causes
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electromigration#Practical_implications_of_electromigration

short excerpt
Electromigration decreases the reliability of chips (integrated circuits (ICs)). It can cause the eventual loss of connections or failure of a circuit. Since reliability is critically important for space travel, military purposes, anti-lock braking systems, medical equipment like Automated External Defibrillators and is even important for personal computers or home entertainment systems, the reliability of chips (ICs) is a major focus of research efforts.

Due to difficulty of testing under real conditions, Black's equation is used to predict the life span of integrated circuits. To use Black's equation, the component is put through high temperature operating life (HTOL) testing. The component's expected life span under real conditions is extrapolated from data gathered during the testing.[3]

Although electromigration damage ultimately results in failure of the affected IC, the first symptoms are intermittent glitches, and are quite challenging to diagnose. As some interconnects fail before others, the circuit exhibits seemingly random errors, which may be indistinguishable from other failure mechanisms (such as electrostatic discharge damage). In a laboratory setting, electromigration failure is readily imaged with an electron microscope, as interconnect erosion leaves telltale visual markers on the metal layers of the IC.

With increasing miniaturization the probability of failure due to electromigration increases in VLSI and ULSI circuits because both the power density and the current density increase. Specifically, line widths will continue to decrease over time, as will wire cross-sectional areas. Currents are also reduced due to lower supply voltages and shrinking gate capacitances. However, as current reduction is constrained by increasing frequencies, the more marked decrease in cross-sectional areas (compared to current reduction) will give rise to increased current densities in ICs going forward.


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## Cybrnook2002 (Oct 21, 2015)

dorsetknob said:


> AMD AM3+ FX™/Phenom™ II/Athlon™ II/Sempron™ 100 Series Processors
> Supports AM3+ 32 nm CPU
> Supports CPU up to 8 cores
> *Supports CPU up to 140 W*
> ...


You got it, seeing as a 9590 runs a TDP of 220. Clocking a 8350 up to 9590 speeds (you will not get that on stock volts/amp draw) will yield roughly (If not more) draw than an already binned 9590.


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## cdawall (Oct 21, 2015)

Board or CPU likely bad. Just a guess, what was your NB volt set too?



Cybrnook2002 said:


> You got it, seeing as a 9590 runs a TDP of 220. Clocking a 8350 up to 9590 speeds (you will not get that on stock volts/amp draw) will yield roughly (If not more) draw than an already binned 9590.



A 9590 is only a 4.7ghz chip, 5ghz is turbo clocks, so his 8350 will draw more power than a 9370/9590 at those speeds.


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## Cartel (Oct 21, 2015)

http://www.memtest86.com/


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## Cybrnook2002 (Oct 21, 2015)

cdawall said:


> Board or CPU likely bad. Just a guess, what was your NB volt set too?
> 
> 
> 
> A 9590 is only a 4.7ghz chip, 5ghz is turbo clocks, so his 8350 will draw more power than a 9370/9590 at those speeds.


Correct, so his chip clocked at 5ghz is the same as a 9590 in full swing. We are on the same page


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## dorsetknob (Oct 21, 2015)

Cartel said:


> http://www.memtest86.com/


SYSTEM DOES NOT POST

So explain how to do a mem test on a system that does not post  ""Please ""

"" PRETTY PLEASE ""
i do want to learn how this is done as no doubt other people do also
35 years of fixing pc's and i have always had to have a pc boot  to test its mem in system

And the OP would like to know as well i expect


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## cdawall (Oct 21, 2015)

Cybrnook2002 said:


> Correct, so his chip clocked at 5ghz is the same as a 9590 in full swing. We are on the same page



Probably not. 9590 is binned for 5ghz the 8350 will typically take more voltage consuming more wattage etc.


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## Cybrnook2002 (Oct 21, 2015)

cdawall said:


> Probably not. 9590 is binned for 5ghz the 8350 will typically take more voltage consuming more wattage etc.


Killing me boss, that's what I already said 6 posts up. Again, we are on the same page, no disagreement or confusion on my end.



Cybrnook2002 said:


> Clocking a 8350 up to 9590 speeds (you will not get that on stock volts/amp draw) will yield roughly (If not more) draw than an already binned 9590.



You may have the last word now.


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## Steevo (Oct 21, 2015)

Reseat the CPU as you mentioned, if that fails its either the CPU or MOBO. Buy a cheap CPU and try that, if it fails sell the CPU and get warranty going on the motherboard.


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## cdawall (Oct 21, 2015)

Cybrnook2002 said:


> Killing me boss, that's what I already said 6 posts up. Again, we are on the same page, no disagreement or confusion on my end.
> 
> 
> 
> You may have the last word now.



Oh I know haha the OP just isn't listening so I figured we could post useless things, until he tries a new CPU/Mobo


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## eidairaman1 (Oct 22, 2015)

CPU might of had a IMC hernia or the Mobo Injured its VRM


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## GKirev (Oct 22, 2015)

My cpu power draw is between 220 and 250W on full load, according to the power socked draw I measured. Thanks for the time and effort guys, Saturday or tonight i will try a re-seat or something. I appreciate every bit of help you guys gave me, even the guys that didn't bother to read. I'm at work right now and i can't take my time on this thread, but will do as soon as possible. I'll keep you informed.


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## GKirev (Oct 22, 2015)

Guys. Please. Read. A 8350 overclocked to 5 Ghz > 9590 because the 9590 uses turbo boost to go up to 5ghz and the turbo boost affects only some cores, not all. 101% my TDP is greater than a 9590's because the voltage(and therefore current draw and therefore power) exponentially increase when you go over 4.7-8 ghz (at least in my case they did). Overclocking this thing from 4.8 go 5ghz was the real fun and challenge. Doing this under 1.51-2 Core voltage was hard. 
*http://www.techpowerup.com/forums/members/dorsetknob.8331/*
*http://www.techpowerup.com/forums/members/dorsetknob.8331/*
*dorsetknob - *I respect your knowledge about electronics and I totally agree with everything you said. I'm into electronics myself, I know what causes wear and tear to the different types of elements, I have even read the datasheet of my VRM's.  By the way, my board has a pretty beefy power delivery, and I highly doubt it is the problem, thats why I posted here, to see what other guys think. Of course the first thing i thought when this thing happened was " bye bye, mobo/cpu" but I have had socket contact issues before on these AM3/2 sockets, thats why I still have hope.  I didn't reseat my cpu right away because in order to do that i have to dissasemble 2/3 of the machine. 

Once again, thanks for the time, guys. If the cpu is dead, I promise to fry a low TDP athlon/sempron or whatever I can find for the test  I have a 155W Peltier and it would be an interesting article to see how far I can push it


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## tabascosauz (Oct 22, 2015)

GKirev said:


> Guys. Please. Read. A 8350 overclocked to 5 Ghz > 9590 because the 9590 uses turbo boost to go up to 5ghz and the turbo boost affects only some cores, not all. 101% my TDP is greater than a 9590's because the voltage(and therefore current draw and therefore power) exponentially increase when you go over 4.7-8 ghz (at least in my case they did). Overclocking this thing from 4.8 go 5ghz was the real fun and challenge. Doing this under 1.51-2 Core voltage was hard.
> *dorsetknob - *I respect your knowledge about electronics and I totally agree with everything you said. I'm into electronics myself, I know what causes wear and tear to the different types of elements, I have even read the datasheet of my VRM's.  By the way, my board has a pretty beefy power delivery, and I highly doubt it is the problem, thats why I posted here, to see what other guys think. Of course the first thing i thought when this thing happened was " bye bye, mobo/cpu" but I have had socket contact issues before on these AM3/2 sockets, thats why I still have hope.  I didn't reseat my cpu right away because in order to do that i have to dissasemble 2/3 of the machine.
> 
> Once again, thanks for the time, guys. If the cpu is dead, I promise to fry a low TDP athlon/sempron or whatever I can find for the test  I have a 155W Peltier and it would be an interesting article to see how far I can push it



I hope you seriously stress tested the system at 5GHz over all 8 cores. When hitting 4.8 even on a Sabertooth R2 is an achievement, I cringe to think of what your MOSFETs must have been up to. When you get up to high overclocks, you're probably going to want an 80mm fan or two to sit on the MOSFET heatsinks.

Phase count is highly irrelevant and doesn't make for "pretty beefy power delivery". 6+2 may be something (however obscure) to boast about at stock in comparison to a 4+1, but under high OC, all boards are under the same amount of extreme stress. Even a 990FX-UD3 can give out to a high overclock. No board is safe from FX CPUs.

FX-8350 at 5GHz is more power-hungry than FX-9590 at 5GHz because the 9590 is binned for higher frequency operation at lower voltage. FX-8350 only needs to make it to 4.2GHz.


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## GKirev (Oct 22, 2015)

tabascosauz said:


> I hope you seriously stress tested the system at 5GHz over all 8 cores.



- Every overclock I do, I test with hours on Prime95 or the AIDA Stresstest. All 8 cores of course. 



tabascosauz said:


> I cringe to think of what your MOSFETs must have been up to. When you get up to high overclocks, you're probably going to want an 80mm fan or two to sit on the MOSFET heatsinks.



Even on stock clocks, these mosfets get pretty hot. That was the main reason I placed a thermal probe with an alarm between one of them and the heatsink. You know this gets even worse, when you have a waterblock and therefore less air circulation around the VRMs. Ever since I have that probe, I keep them under 70 degrees. The other thing is that they are surface-mount elements and they transfer the heat trough the motherboard, towards the cpu socket and from there to the cpu. No joke.   Ever since i got this motherboard i used the fan from the stock cooler (Pretty decent 60mm PWM Delta fan) I strapped it on the VRM heatsink and it sits like factory made. 



tabascosauz said:


> Even a 990FX-UD3 can give out to a high overclock. No board is safe from FX CPUs.



Man. I'm in love with gigabyte motherboards. Every single board i had was an overclockable gigabyte UD. This ASUS motherboard was a gift from a friend, and when i started having problems with it, i always said to myself "If this was a gigabyte motherboard, this wouldn't have happened " Those FX CPUs are hot and bad, no doubt. But for the price - there is no better choice for rendering, etc.  And, yeah. I'm not a fanboy or anything, but AMD is a couple of years behind Intel on terms of technology and CPU's. I needed a mid range machine with a decent performance/price ratio for WORK related stuff - rendering etc. I think this was a pretty decent choice. After i finished my work a year ago, I overclocked it to 5ghz (before that it was 4.7) just for fun and its been like that ever since.


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## cdawall (Oct 22, 2015)

I would wager a bet that the cross hair v can maintain a high over clock quite a bit longer than a 4 or 6 phase board...


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## GKirev (Oct 22, 2015)

------FIXED IT------ 

- took the cpu cooler off
- took the motherboard off the case
- cleaned the DIMM sockets with alcohol
- reseated the cpu(didnt work)
- reseated the cpu and changed the DIMM slot (didnt work)
- cleaned the cpu pins with alcohol and a brush
- cleaned the cpu socket with an air can (compressed air)
- worked. Holy sh*t.


-----------------------------

No visual damage to the board. Nothing. What do you guys think?


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## dorsetknob (Oct 22, 2015)

Might have been minor surface corrosion which with the extensive cleaning you have just performed may have allowed for full and proper contact

glad you have sorted out your problem and thanks for informing us of your sucess by updating the thread


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## AlwaysHope (Oct 27, 2015)

Got the same mobo as OP but with hexacore instead. I'm curious as to what Vcore he had for his 8350 to run @ 5GHz? and stable enough for stuff like gaming I presume? also if the RAM is rated at 1600 but running at 2300, how much Vdimm ?


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## GKirev (Oct 27, 2015)

I got 1.51 Vcore and 1.6*4* (*NOT SURE!*) VDIMM - I don't remember what. The overclock is easy  , you just need a big f**king cpu cooler, good PSU and vrm cooling.  RAM is a little harder to overclock - lookup a tutorial.  The setup is quite old, just use google, you will find tons of articles about this. I did this overclock long time ago, I might not remember something, so I will not try to explain. And just one advice - Learn the basics of overclocking, dont copy-paste settings. Every system is different 

I was using this for gaming and hard work. Gaming is not a problem because you rarely/never use more than 4 cores. In order to be sure that your OC is stable, you need to stresstest ALL the cores. If u can't overheat the CPU when all 8 are loaded, then loading them with a game like a walk in the park.  

If you have a decent cooler, vrm cooling and stable PSU, im 100% positive that u can achieve 5ghz+ on that Fx-6XXX vishera  I don't know about the ram, I'm bad in ram overclocking. 

Good luck, buddy


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## AlwaysHope (Oct 27, 2015)

GKirev said:


> I got 1.51 Vcore and 1.6*4* (*NOT SURE!*) VDIMM - I don't remember what. The overclock is easy  , you just need a big f**king cpu cooler, good PSU and vrm cooling.  RAM is a little harder to overclock - lookup a tutorial.  The setup is quite old, just use google, you will find tons of articles about this. I did this overclock long time ago, I might not remember something, so I will not try to explain. And just one advice - Learn the basics of overclocking, dont copy-paste settings. Every system is different
> 
> I was using this for gaming and hard work. Gaming is not a problem because you rarely/never use more than 4 cores. In order to be sure that your OC is stable, you need to stresstest ALL the cores. If u can't overheat the CPU when all 8 are loaded, then loading them with a game like a walk in the park.
> 
> ...



Thanks for the reply GKirev, yes I know how to OC cpus, been doing it for many years already, I was just curious as to your specific situation because I was seriously thinking of upgrading to octacore but 95W tdp versions only on this mobo version we share.


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