amd fx-8350 overclocking not stable

[Caitlyn]

I am using Asus M5A99x motherboard with AMD FX-8350 CPU and have also got a Arctic Square cpu cooler. I have tried to overclock the CPU many times but it is not stable at all. When I am even trying to overclock it to 4.2ghz then the temperature simply rises to greater extent where the computer shuts down. I have followed and set everything correctly in the BIOS for overclocking but still it doesnt work. So, if anyone can help me out to solve this issue, it would be appreciated. Thanks

[Omari]

If I am not mistaken then the Amd fx-8350 cpu base speed is 4.0ghz and you should get more than 200mhz out of it without any issues. Even if you use the Stock Turbo boost on the CPU then it goes till 4.2ghz. I would suggest you to ensure that the heatsink that you are using has good thermal compound and it is also properly mounted on the motherboard. Check to see if there are no leakage of the thermal compound anywhere outside.

[Common]

I have heard that the Amd Fx-8350 processor was only supported since bios 1604 that was released in October 2012. You will have to check your bios version of your motherboard and ensure that it is the latest one. Most of the time even if the processor fits in the socket then it doesnt mean that it is supported by the bios and that is why you get face a lot of problems because it doesnt know the full potentials of the CPU in the socket.

[lorenz]

Even I will suggest you to install the latest bios for your motherboard that can be found and downloaded from the official website of Asus itself. You could try to reset the bios as well which might be the easiest way. After that ensure that the heatsink is securely and properly mounted. After that run a stress test on your system and monitor the temperatures. If the temperature is well above the thermal limits, ie, more than 70 degrees C then you should have headroom.