Post Your Overclock!

Lordbob75 · 29 Sep 2010

I would argue for longer testing times for a few reasons:
1) It is a tougher test, and therefor more likely to show errors
2) You know it will always be stable no matter what you do (mostly anyways) and if you suddenly DO need to run some encoding (or whatever) for 10 hours, you won't need to worry.
3) Running it for 10 minutes to an hour may not show errors you may get running a game for an hour or encoding for an hour.

Again, it is more opinion than anything else, but I see no reason NOT to run it for 12 hours as a check.

~Lordbob

sygnus21 · 29 Sep 2010

To clearify my position...

I understand the need to run 12 hour stress test on an overclocked. However I don't think everyday usage will come near to what a program like Prime 95 does with your system, even in half the time.

In short, using everyday apps won't stress your system like running Prime 95 for 12+ hours; On the other hand, running a program like Prime 95 for 12+ hours and passing it says you have a very stable system, especially if it's overclocked.

I've said it a few times, it's one thing to say you're overclocked, it's another to run stable on a Prime 95 load with a temp monitoring program!

I can OC to 4gig... can I run it under load within temps! A program like Prime 95 answers that question

Lordbob75 · 29 Sep 2010

sygnus21 said:

I understand the need to run 12 hour stress test on an overclocked. However I don't think everyday usage will come near to what a program like Prime 95 does with your system, even in half the time.

In short, using everyday apps won't stress your system like running Prime 95 for 12+ hours; On the other hand, running a program like Prime 95 for 12+ hours and passing it says you have a very stable system, especially if it's overclocked.

I've said it a few times, it's one thing to say you're overclocked, it's another to run stable on a Prime 95 load with a temp monitoring program.

That is exactly what I was thinking.

~Lordbob

sygnus21 · 29 Sep 2010

We both agree there

It kills me when people say I'm OC to 4gig and then show a shot of a system with no load

My .02 cents

madtownidiot · 29 Sep 2010

Makes sense to me.. if hardware is going to fail, it's usually under a heavy load.

I still think its much less boring to test your OC while playing a game (or letting your kids play) at the highest possible settings for several days or even a full week between adjustments. Some BSODs only happen under constantly changing conditions

sygnus21 · 29 Sep 2010

You have a point there as well, but running a stress test program like prime 95 for a constant 12+ hours is torture on a system, especailly with regards to heat.

While games can be taxing, their not as taxing as Prime 95 is overall.

Also, prime 95 can and will fail a system that's not overclocked!

madtownidiot · 29 Sep 2010

I'm familiar with prime95... the last time I used it, it fried my PSU, even though the CPU temps never went above 65c

sygnus21 · 30 Sep 2010

Hmmm....sounds like it stressed the system, which in turn shot the PS. Something to be aware of and watchful of... if the system seems to be running low on temps, check that one of the workers didn't stop due to an error. If that happens, that basically says there's a problem with your system, and if you continue to run it in that state, well...

Whenever I run Prime 95, I keep an eye on the loads and temps. If I see a load of less than 100 percent and prime is running, I know a worker failed and it's time to shut down prime 95.

Dave76 · 30 Sep 2010

Agree with this scenario, the question is how long do you need to run Prime95 or equivalent.

For some the 12 hour test period is just fine, for others a shorter test may be adequate.

Getting a 4 GHz OC, or any OC, and not stress testing it, is just not complete. It needs to be tested for stability and temps.

madtownidiot · 30 Sep 2010

I guess that was the weak link in my system. To be fair the PSU was probably defective.. never seen smoke coming from a PSU without tripping a circuit breaker almost immediately, but then again if you've never smelled fried silicon or melted wires..