Optimal processor temperature for amd athlon 64 x2.

The Athlon 64 x2 model 5200+ was positioned by the manufacturer as a mid-level dual-core solution based on AM2. It is with his example that the procedure for overclocking this family of devices will be outlined. Its safety margin is quite good, and if you had the appropriate components, you could get chips with indexes 6000+ or ​​6400+ instead.

The meaning of CPU overclocking

The AMD Athlon 64 x2 processor model 5200+ can easily be converted to a 6400+. To do this, you just need to increase its clock frequency (this is the meaning of overclocking). As a result, the final system performance will increase. But this will also increase the computer's power consumption. Therefore, not everything is so simple. Most components computer system must have a safety margin. Accordingly, the motherboard, memory modules, power supply and case must be more high quality, this means that their cost will be higher. Also, the CPU cooling system and thermal paste must be specially selected specifically for the overclocking procedure. But it is not recommended to experiment with the standard cooling system. It is designed for a standard processor thermal package and will not cope with increased load.

Positioning

The characteristics of the AMD Athlon 64 x2 processor clearly indicate that it belonged to the middle segment of dual-core chips. There were also less productive solutions - 3800+ and 4000+. This is the entry level. Well, higher in the hierarchy there were CPUs with indexes 6000+ and 6400+. The first two processor models could theoretically be overclocked and get 5200+ out of them. Well, the 5200+ itself could be modified to 3200 MHz, and due to this, get a variation of 6000+ or ​​even 6400+. Moreover, their technical parameters were almost identical. The only thing that could change was the amount of second level cache and process. As a result, their performance level after overclocking was practically the same. So it turned out that at a lower cost, the end owner received a more productive system.

Chip Specifications

AMD Athlon 64 x2 processor specifications may vary significantly. After all, three modifications of it were released. The first of them was codenamed Windsor F2. She worked for clock frequency at 2.6 GHz, had 128 KB of first-level cache and, accordingly, 2 MB of second-level cache. This semiconductor crystal was manufactured according to the standards of a 90 nm technological process, and its thermal package was equal to 89 W. At the same time, its maximum temperature could reach 70 degrees. Well, the voltage supplied to the CPU could be 1.3 V or 1.35 V.

A little later, a chip codenamed Windsor F3 appeared on sale. In this modification of the processor, the voltage changed (in this case it dropped to 1.2 V and 1.25 V, respectively), the maximum operating temperature increased to 72 degrees and the thermal package decreased to 65 W. To top it off, the technological process itself has changed - from 90 nm to 65 nm.

The last, third version of the processor was codenamed Brisbane G2. In this case, the frequency was raised by 100 MHz and was already 2.7 GHz. The voltage could be equal to 1.325 V, 1.35 V or 1.375 V. The maximum operating temperature was reduced to 68 degrees, and the thermal package, as in the previous case, was equal to 65 W. Well, the chip itself was manufactured using a more advanced 65 nm technological process.

Socket

The AMD Athlon 64 x2 processor model 5200+ was installed in the AM2 socket. Its second name is socket 940. Electrically and in relation software it is compatible with AM2+ based solutions. Accordingly, it is still possible to purchase a motherboard for it. But the CPU itself is quite difficult to buy. This is not surprising: the processor went on sale in 2007. Since then, three generations of devices have already changed.

Selection of motherboard

A fairly large set of motherboards based on the AM2 and AM2+ sockets supported the AMD Athlon 64 x2 5200 processor. Their characteristics were very diverse. But to make maximum overclocking of this semiconductor chip possible, it is recommended to pay attention to solutions based on the 790FX or 790X chipset. Such motherboards were more expensive than average. This is logical, since they had much better overclocking capabilities. Also, the board must be made in the ATX form factor. You can, of course, try to overclock this chip on mini-ATX solutions, but the dense arrangement of radio components on them can lead to undesirable consequences: overheating motherboard and the central processor and their failure. Specific examples include Sapphire's PC-AM2RD790FX or MSI's 790XT-G45. Also, a worthy alternative to the previously mentioned solutions can be the M2N32-SLI Deluxe from Asus based on the nForce590SLI chipset developed by NVIDIA.

Cooling system

Overclocking an AMD Athlon 64 x2 processor is impossible without a high-quality cooling system. The cooler that comes in the boxed version of this chip is not suitable for these purposes. It is designed for a fixed thermal load. As CPU performance increases, its thermal package increases, and the standard cooling system will no longer cope. Therefore, you need to buy a more advanced one, with improved technical characteristics. We can recommend using the CNPS9700LED cooler from Zalman for these purposes. If you have it, this processor can be safely overclocked to 3100-3200 MHz. In this case, there will definitely not be any special problems with CPU overheating.

Thermal paste

Another important component to consider before AMD Athlon 64 x2 5200+ is thermal paste. After all, the chip will not operate in normal load mode, but in a state of increased performance. Accordingly, more stringent requirements are put forward for the quality of thermal paste. It should provide improved heat dissipation. For these purposes, it is recommended to replace the standard thermal paste with KPT-8, which is perfect for overclocking conditions.

Frame

The AMD Athlon 64 x2 5200 processor will run at higher temperatures during overclocking. In some cases it can rise to 55-60 degrees. To compensate for this increased temperature, a high-quality replacement of thermal paste and cooling system will not be enough. You also need a case in which air flows could circulate well, and this would provide additional cooling. That is, inside system unit there should be as many as possible free space, and this would allow the computer components to be cooled through convection. It will be even better if additional fans are installed in it.

Overclocking process

Now let's figure out how to overclock the AMD ATHLON 64 x2 processor. Let's find out this using the example of the 5200+ model. The CPU overclocking algorithm in this case will be as follows.

1. When you turn on the PC, press the Delete key. After this it will open blue screen BIOS.
2. Then we find the section related to work RAM, and reduce the frequency of its operation to a minimum. For example, the value for DDR1 is set to 333 MHz, and we lower the frequency to 200 MHz.
3. Next, save the changes made and load operating system. Then, using a toy or test program (for example, CPU-Z and Prime95), we check the performance of the PC.
4. Reboot the PC again and go into the BIOS. Here we now find an item related to the operation of the PCI bus and fix its frequency. In the same place you need to fix this indicator for the graphics bus. In the first case the value should be set to 33 MHz.
5. Save the settings and restart the PC. We check its functionality again.
6. The next step is to reboot the system. We re-enter the BIOS. Here we find the parameter associated with the HyperTransport bus and set the system bus frequency to 400 MHz. Save the values ​​and restart the PC. After loading the OS, we test the stability of the system.
7. Then we reboot the PC and enter the BIOS again. Here you now need to go to the processor parameters section and increase the system bus frequency by 10 MHz. Save the changes and restart the computer. Checking the stability of the system. Then, gradually increasing the processor frequency, we reach the point where it stops working stably. Next, we return to the previous value and test the system again.
8. Then you can try to further overclock the chip using its multiplier, which should be in the same section. At the same time, after each change to the BIOS, we save the parameters and check the functionality of the system.

If during overclocking the PC starts to freeze and it is impossible to return to previous values, then you need to reset the BIOS settings to factory settings. To do this, just find at the bottom of the motherboard, next to the battery, a jumper labeled Clear CMOS and move it for 3 seconds from pins 1 and 2 to pins 2 and 3.

Checking system stability

Not only the maximum temperature of the AMD Athlon 64 x2 processor can lead to unstable operation of the computer system. The reason may be due to a number of additional factors. Therefore, during the overclocking process, it is recommended to conduct a comprehensive check of the reliability of the PC. The Everest program is best suited to solve this problem. It is with its help that you can check the reliability and stability of your computer during overclocking. To do this, it is enough to run this utility after each change made and after loading the OS and check the status of the system’s hardware and software resources. If any value is outside the acceptable limits, then you need to restart the computer and return to the previous settings, and then test everything again.

Cooling system monitoring

The temperature of the AMD Athlon 64 x2 processor depends on the operation of the cooling system. Therefore, after completing the overclocking procedure, it is necessary to check the stability and reliability of the cooler. For these purposes, it is best to use the SpeedFAN program. It is free and its level of functionality is sufficient. Downloading it from the Internet and installing it on your PC is not difficult. Next, we launch it and periodically, for 15-25 minutes, control the number of revolutions of the processor cooler. If this number is stable and does not decrease, then everything is fine with the CPU cooling system.

Chip temperature

The operating temperature of the AMD Athlon 64 x2 processor in normal mode should vary from 35 to 50 degrees. During overclocking, this range will decrease towards the last value. At a certain stage, the CPU temperature may even exceed 50 degrees, and there is nothing to worry about. The maximum permissible value is 60 ˚С, when approaching it, it is recommended to stop any experiments with overclocking. A higher temperature value can adversely affect the semiconductor chip of the processor and damage it. To take measurements during the operation, it is recommended to use the CPU-Z utility. Moreover, temperature registration must be carried out after each change made to the BIOS. You also need to maintain an interval of 15-25 minutes, during which you periodically check how hot the chip is.

Every user personal computer should regularly its processor. The processor temperature depends on many different factors - operating conditions, thermal paste, cooler performance, and more. The most common problem is thermal paste drying out. In order to check it, you will need to open the computer lid, remove the cooler, which is located directly above the processor, and see if it is present. If it is not there, then you can buy it at the nearest computer store and apply it. It is worth noting that it must be applied carefully over the entire area of ​​the processor. After this, you need to press the processor with the cooler, install it and wipe off excess thermal paste.

How to find out the processor temperature?

As for the processor temperature itself, it can be found out either using special software or through the BIOS. It is worth noting that not all BIOS versions provide information about the processor temperature and it is simply inconvenient to restart the computer and check it every time. Therefore, the option of checking via BIOS is automatically eliminated. You can use either special gadgets for Windows or special software. For example, usually accompanied by motherboard and the processor comes with a set of special drivers that allow you to find out various information about the components of the computer. To do this you need to insert the disk into optical drive and run the program. For example, with Intel processors usually included Intel program Desktop Utilities. After launching it, you need to open the “Hardware Monitor” tab and select “Summary”. Information about the temperature of the processor itself, voltage and much more will be displayed here.

Operating and maximum temperature of the Athlon X2 5000+ 2.6GHz processor

In order to find out the operating temperature of the Athlon X2 5000+ 2.6GHz processor, the user will need to go to the manufacturer’s official website and specify the appropriate parameters in the Processor, Frequency, System Bus fields. After that, a list will appear on the screen suitable models, where the user can select exactly his own, and using the View Detail button, find out many different parameters of his processor, including the operating and maximum temperature of the processor. For example, the Athlon X2 5000+ 2.6GHz model will have an operating temperature of 55 degrees, and a maximum of 77. It is worth noting that it is not advisable for the user to increase the temperature to the maximum, since in this case the processor may simply fail.

The Athlon 64 x2 model 5200+ was positioned by the manufacturer as a mid-level dual-core solution based on AM2. It is with his example that the procedure for overclocking this family of devices will be outlined. Its safety margin is quite good, and if you had the appropriate components, you could get chips with indexes 6000+ or ​​6400+ instead.

The meaning of CPU overclocking

The AMD Athlon 64 x2 processor model 5200+ can easily be converted to a 6400+. To do this, you just need to increase its clock frequency (this is the meaning of overclocking). As a result, the final performance of the system will increase. But this will also increase the computer's power consumption. Therefore, not everything is so simple. Most components of a computer system must have a margin of reliability. Accordingly, the motherboard, memory modules, power supply and case must be of a higher quality, which means that their cost will be higher. Also, the CPU cooling system and thermal paste must be specially selected specifically for the overclocking procedure. But it is not recommended to experiment with the standard cooling system. It is designed for a standard processor thermal package and will not cope with increased load.

Positioning

The characteristics of the AMD Athlon 64 x2 processor clearly indicate that it belonged to the middle segment of dual-core chips. There were also less productive solutions - 3800+ and 4000+. This is the entry level. Well, higher in the hierarchy there were CPUs with indexes 6000+ and 6400+. The first two processor models could theoretically be overclocked and get 5200+ out of them. Well, the 5200+ itself could be modified to 3200 MHz, and due to this, get a variation of 6000+ or ​​even 6400+. Moreover, their technical parameters were almost identical. The only thing that could change was the amount of second-level cache and the technological process. As a result, their performance level after overclocking was practically the same. So it turned out that at a lower cost, the end owner received a more productive system.

Chip Specifications

AMD Athlon 64 x2 processor specifications may vary significantly. After all, three modifications of it were released. The first of them was codenamed Windsor F2. It operated at a clock frequency of 2.6 GHz, had 128 KB of first-level cache and, accordingly, 2 MB of second-level cache. This semiconductor crystal was manufactured according to the standards of a 90 nm technological process, and its thermal package was equal to 89 W. At the same time, its maximum temperature could reach 70 degrees. Well, the voltage supplied to the CPU could be 1.3 V or 1.35 V.

A little later, a chip codenamed Windsor F3 appeared on sale. In this modification of the processor, the voltage changed (in this case it dropped to 1.2 V and 1.25 V, respectively), the maximum operating temperature increased to 72 degrees and the thermal package decreased to 65 W. To top it off, the technological process itself has changed - from 90 nm to 65 nm.

The last, third version of the processor was codenamed Brisbane G2. In this case, the frequency was raised by 100 MHz and was already 2.7 GHz. The voltage could be equal to 1.325 V, 1.35 V or 1.375 V. The maximum operating temperature was reduced to 68 degrees, and the thermal package, as in the previous case, was equal to 65 W. Well, the chip itself was manufactured using a more advanced 65 nm technological process.

Socket

The AMD Athlon 64 x2 processor model 5200+ was installed in the AM2 socket. Its second name is socket 940. Electrically and in terms of software, it is compatible with solutions based on AM2+. Accordingly, it is still possible to purchase a motherboard for it. But the CPU itself is quite difficult to buy. This is not surprising: the processor went on sale in 2007. Since then, three generations of devices have already changed.

Selection of motherboard

A fairly large set of motherboards based on the AM2 and AM2+ sockets supported the AMD Athlon 64 x2 5200 processor. Their characteristics were very diverse. But to make maximum overclocking of this semiconductor chip possible, it is recommended to pay attention to solutions based on the 790FX or 790X chipset. Such motherboards were more expensive than average. This is logical, since they had much better overclocking capabilities. Also, the board must be made in the ATX form factor. You can, of course, try to overclock this chip on mini-ATX solutions, but the dense arrangement of radio components on them can lead to undesirable consequences: overheating of the motherboard and central processor and their failure. Specific examples include Sapphire's PC-AM2RD790FX or MSI's 790XT-G45. Also, a worthy alternative to the previously mentioned solutions can be the M2N32-SLI Deluxe from Asus based on the nForce590SLI chipset developed by NVIDIA.

Cooling system

Overclocking an AMD Athlon 64 x2 processor is impossible without a high-quality cooling system. The cooler that comes in the boxed version of this chip is not suitable for these purposes. It is designed for a fixed thermal load. As CPU performance increases, its thermal package increases, and the standard cooling system will no longer cope. Therefore, you need to buy a more advanced one, with improved technical characteristics. We can recommend using the CNPS9700LED cooler from Zalman for these purposes. If you have it, this processor can be safely overclocked to 3100-3200 MHz. In this case, there will definitely not be any special problems with CPU overheating.

Thermal paste

Another important component to consider before AMD Athlon 64 x2 5200+ is thermal paste. After all, the chip will not operate in normal load mode, but in a state of increased performance. Accordingly, more stringent requirements are put forward for the quality of thermal paste. It should provide improved heat dissipation. For these purposes, it is recommended to replace the standard thermal paste with KPT-8, which is perfect for overclocking conditions.

Frame

The AMD Athlon 64 x2 5200 processor will run at higher temperatures during overclocking. In some cases it can rise to 55-60 degrees. To compensate for this increased temperature, a high-quality replacement of thermal paste and cooling system will not be enough. You also need a case in which air flows could circulate well, and this would provide additional cooling. That is, there should be as much free space inside the system unit as possible, and this would allow cooling of the computer components through convection. It will be even better if additional fans are installed in it.

Overclocking process

Now let's figure out how to overclock the AMD ATHLON 64 x2 processor. Let's find out this using the example of the 5200+ model. The CPU overclocking algorithm in this case will be as follows.

1. When you turn on the PC, press the Delete key. After this, the BIOS blue screen will open.
2. Then we find the section associated with the operation of RAM and reduce the frequency of its operation to a minimum. For example, the value for DDR1 is set to 333 MHz, and we lower the frequency to 200 MHz.
3. Next, save the changes made and load the operating system. Then, using a toy or test program (for example, CPU-Z and Prime95), we check the performance of the PC.
4. Reboot the PC again and go into the BIOS. Here we now find an item related to the operation of the PCI bus and fix its frequency. In the same place you need to fix this indicator for the graphics bus. In the first case the value should be set to 33 MHz.
5. Save the settings and restart the PC. We check its functionality again.
6. The next step is to reboot the system. We re-enter the BIOS. Here we find the parameter associated with the HyperTransport bus and set the system bus frequency to 400 MHz. Save the values ​​and restart the PC. After loading the OS, we test the stability of the system.
7. Then we reboot the PC and enter the BIOS again. Here you now need to go to the processor parameters section and increase the system bus frequency by 10 MHz. Save the changes and restart the computer. Checking the stability of the system. Then, gradually increasing the processor frequency, we reach the point where it stops working stably. Next, we return to the previous value and test the system again.
8. Then you can try to further overclock the chip using its multiplier, which should be in the same section. At the same time, after each change to the BIOS, we save the parameters and check the functionality of the system.

If during overclocking the PC starts to freeze and it is impossible to return to previous values, then you need to reset the BIOS settings to factory settings. To do this, just find at the bottom of the motherboard, next to the battery, a jumper labeled Clear CMOS and move it for 3 seconds from pins 1 and 2 to pins 2 and 3.

Checking system stability

Not only the maximum temperature of the AMD Athlon 64 x2 processor can lead to unstable operation of the computer system. The reason may be due to a number of additional factors. Therefore, during the overclocking process, it is recommended to conduct a comprehensive check of the reliability of the PC. The Everest program is best suited to solve this problem. It is with its help that you can check the reliability and stability of your computer during overclocking. To do this, it is enough to run this utility after each change made and after loading the OS and check the status of the system’s hardware and software resources. If any value is outside the acceptable limits, then you need to restart the computer and return to the previous settings, and then test everything again.

Cooling system monitoring

The temperature of the AMD Athlon 64 x2 processor depends on the operation of the cooling system. Therefore, after completing the overclocking procedure, it is necessary to check the stability and reliability of the cooler. For these purposes, it is best to use the SpeedFAN program. It is free and its level of functionality is sufficient. Downloading it from the Internet and installing it on your PC is not difficult. Next, we launch it and periodically, for 15-25 minutes, control the number of revolutions of the processor cooler. If this number is stable and does not decrease, then everything is fine with the CPU cooling system.

Chip temperature

The operating temperature of the AMD Athlon 64 x2 processor in normal mode should vary from 35 to 50 degrees. During overclocking, this range will decrease towards the last value. At a certain stage, the CPU temperature may even exceed 50 degrees, and there is nothing to worry about. The maximum permissible value is 60 ˚С, when approaching it, it is recommended to stop any experiments with overclocking. A higher temperature value can adversely affect the semiconductor chip of the processor and damage it. To take measurements during the operation, it is recommended to use the CPU-Z utility. Moreover, temperature registration must be carried out after each change made to the BIOS. You also need to maintain an interval of 15-25 minutes, during which you periodically check how hot the chip is.