AMD A10-6800K - Underclock CPU Cores to Overclock GPU Cores

[ElShotte]

Hello guys. So thanks to some awesome TS members valuable input, I put together this PC knowing that I will be using the IGP for a while until I get dedicated GPU(s), and I am actually really satisfied with the performance.

Essentially, there isn't a game that's unplayable, with the APU even handling the newest titles with High graphical settings quite well. Now, I may not be getting incredible frame rates (usually 35-45 FPS), for a system without a dedicated GPU, that's pretty damn good if you ask me.

Now, my question is - I pushed the GPU cores on the CPU from default 844 MHz to 1022 MHz, and the system is working flawlessly, I get no crashes while gaming. If I push it to 1088 MHz, games will start crashing and the system becomes slightly unstable. Now, is this the max I can push the GPU frequency? If I underclocked the CPU cores, is there a possibility I could crank up the GPU cores furhter? Also, I just adjusted the frequency, I did not do anything with the voltage, and I am not sure if I should, but could it be a voltage issue?

Any input is highly appreciated, but the ~200 MHz overclock makes a huge impact on gaming performance, it would be awesome if I could push it even further until I get a dedicated GPU.

 

[Spykezxp]

Are you using the stock air cooler for cooling the APU or do you have an aftermarket cooler? If you are running the stock cooler, I would suggest NOT trying to push for the max stable overclock. What are your temps with your current overclock settings and running a demanding game?
I don't believe you can push the GPU higher by underclocking the CPU. Yes it will technically reduce some heat, but you will achieve best overall overclock by following directions below.
I suggest you overclock the integrated GPU before you overclock the CPU, since the GPU is the limiting factor here. If you go too high with the CPU clock, it can get really difficult to raise the GPU core clock. Start off with stock settings for the CPU and and keep bumping your GPU settings up until they are unstable. Once found unstable, take the settings down 1 notch and start overclocking the CPU settings. Repeat process as you did with the GPU. If you want to adjust the voltage after determining your max overclock with stock voltage, I would suggest doing so in small increments. Bump the voltage up a little at a time and repeat the same processes above with overclocking. Do NOT bump up the voltage above 1.5 volts (1.55v is the official max voltage supported by the APU before it gets damaged).

 

[ElShotte]

Yes buddy, stock cooler for now.My temps don't pass 70°C mark, so I'm good on that end. The truth is however, overclocking the CPU will make pretty much no difference on game performance. Overclocking the GPU cores however, most absolutely will. So as I was messing about, I turned off Turbo, leaving my clock speed at 4.1 GHz (it would go up to 4.4), I was able to overclock the GPU core up from 1013 MHz to 1086 MHz and it's staying stable, before games would crash, which is actually pretty good cause I should be able to take it up even higher.