Getting AMD 6400+ Stable for Prime95

Edric · 03-15-2009, 02:56 AM

Since I've made some changes to my rig I've been trying to get a handle on some minor stability issues. Screwy cheap ram with screwy timings was the initial culprit (as now "Blend" test seems to run fine for extended periods) but I've noticed running In-place large FFTs (max heat, max power consumption, low tested memory) I'd have the occasional failure on core 0 while the other one keeps chugging along.

Specs as follows
AMD 6400+ X2 125w TDP
ECS A780GM-A mobo
2GB Avant Tech PC2-6400 6-5-5-18 @1.8v
Spire 600w PSU
Nvidia GTX 280

As of writing this I'm actually running prime95 and so far so good. One thing I did try was increasing the CPU voltage ever so slightly (+2 overvolt modification in bios = +8mV), before when running prime95 test to consume the most power, core voltage was checking in at 1.39v max and 1.31v minimum. I don't think it's a PSU problem, but I guess my question is, will feeding it a few more mV possibly help out my stability?

Heat does not seem to be a big factor even though I could probably stand to get a better cooler. At max load I'm seeing 62-63C which I hear is actually pretty normal for this particular processor (fastest dual-core class AMD has made).

I hope I'm on the right track here, as I've said, it's very minor instability, but when it comes to prime95, ANY errors means you don't have a %100 rock solid system. Any info would be greatly appreciated.

Edit: Sorry if I'm posting in the wrong place but I figured you OC'ers would probably know best ;)

**linderman** · 03-19-2009, 06:44 PM

thats a shaky PSU to be overclocking with ............ especially with such a high end power hogging video card

the ram is probably going to be your kink in the equation ......... your ram needs to be bumped up to 1.9 volts but I dont think your ram is rated for that

I would bump the cpu volts by .02 volts and then test again ............... if you can pass two hours of stress testing without exceeding 65C ................... then back down .01 volt at a time until you get a failure ........... adjust accordingly

Mcninjaguy · 03-19-2009, 07:11 PM

I'd get this PSU

Corsair 850w
$140
after rebate $120
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817139009

thats a damn good price for that unit !

03-15-2009, 02:56 AM	#1 (permalink)
Edric Registered User Join Date: Sep 2008 Posts: 2 OS: XP SP 3	Getting AMD 6400+ Stable for Prime95 Since I've made some changes to my rig I've been trying to get a handle on some minor stability issues. Screwy cheap ram with screwy timings was the initial culprit (as now "Blend" test seems to run fine for extended periods) but I've noticed running In-place large FFTs (max heat, max power consumption, low tested memory) I'd have the occasional failure on core 0 while the other one keeps chugging along. Specs as follows AMD 6400+ X2 125w TDP ECS A780GM-A mobo 2GB Avant Tech PC2-6400 6-5-5-18 @1.8v Spire 600w PSU Nvidia GTX 280 As of writing this I'm actually running prime95 and so far so good. One thing I did try was increasing the CPU voltage ever so slightly (+2 overvolt modification in bios = +8mV), before when running prime95 test to consume the most power, core voltage was checking in at 1.39v max and 1.31v minimum. I don't think it's a PSU problem, but I guess my question is, will feeding it a few more mV possibly help out my stability? Heat does not seem to be a big factor even though I could probably stand to get a better cooler. At max load I'm seeing 62-63C which I hear is actually pretty normal for this particular processor (fastest dual-core class AMD has made). I hope I'm on the right track here, as I've said, it's very minor instability, but when it comes to prime95, ANY errors means you don't have a %100 rock solid system. Any info would be greatly appreciated. Edit: Sorry if I'm posting in the wrong place but I figured you OC'ers would probably know best ;) Last edited by Edric; 03-15-2009 at 02:58 AM.

03-19-2009, 06:44 PM	#2 (permalink)
linderman Moderator, Hardware Team Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 20,431 OS: win 2000 pro / Win XP pro My System	Re: Getting AMD 6400+ Stable for Prime95 thats a shaky PSU to be overclocking with ............ especially with such a high end power hogging video card the ram is probably going to be your kink in the equation ......... your ram needs to be bumped up to 1.9 volts but I dont think your ram is rated for that I would bump the cpu volts by .02 volts and then test again ............... if you can pass two hours of stress testing without exceeding 65C ................... then back down .01 volt at a time until you get a failure ........... adjust accordingly __________________ I still know nothing and I respect that fact, striving to improve and, along the way, help anyone that comes from the place that I used to be! Power Supply Selection LEARN TO BACK-UP YOUR DATA FREE & EASY YouTube - Runtime Software DriveImage XML tutorial

03-19-2009, 07:11 PM	#3 (permalink)
Mcninjaguy Temporarily Banned Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Ottawa, Ontario, Canada Posts: 10,422 OS: Windows 7 Ultimate 64bit My System Blog Entries: 1	Re: Getting AMD 6400+ Stable for Prime95 I'd get this PSU Corsair 850w $140 after rebate $120 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817139009 thats a damn good price for that unit !