Overclocking

[reine]

I'm making a new system and I'm thinking about getting Intel duo 1.8ghz and overclocking it. But I'm not that savvy with computer, I mean I can build a system but that's about it. I don't know about custom cooling/casing etc. I need your opinion on OC, is it safe? does an OC'ed processor last as long as a normal one? what about graphic card, should I OC it as well? To what clock speed should I OC the processor? what program should I use for OCing? Appreciate any opinion

[frblckstr1]

Save? no
Last as long? no
Graphics: no

I always question people who want to 'overclock' aside from instability problems why do it?
For just getting <10% more from a CPU/video (these days) I would not even try.

If you want the instability, by all means overclock.

[maliciel]

werd. and, if you have to ask, you probably shouldn't be doing it.

[ebc]

If you're interested, I'd be happy to guide you on the basics.

Overclocking isn't as dangerous as it was back in the Celeron and Duron days. Most motherboards come with software you can use to get at least another 200mhz out of your cpu and some videocards even come preoverclocked.

Do you have any ideas of what motherboard you're going to get?

Save? no
Last as long? no
Graphics: no

I always question people who want to 'overclock' aside from instability problems why do it?
For just getting <10% more from a CPU/video (these days) I would not even try.

If you want the instability, by all means overclock.

Without trying to get into any arguments about the whole subject I think I'd like to say you have no idea what you're talking about.
There's many different reasons to overclock and it definately doesn't always mean your computer is going to be unstable. For most people it's about getting the most out their system and I think that's a totally valid reason.

If you take a core 2 duo for example. These cpu's run cool, and are well known to be able to reach 1gig more than their original clockspeed even with stock cooling and using simple guides online.

I've heard of many tragic stories in the past but things have come along way since then. Key thing is to read up on guides and find out what others have achieved with their setups.

I'm making a new system and I'm thinking about getting Intel duo 1.8ghz and overclocking it. But I'm not that savvy with computer, I mean I can build a system but that's about it.

Let me know of what kind of setup you have in mind like motherboard brand and model and ram etc and I'll see what I can help you with.

[BX_LeMans]

Can run longer, the same time or less the time as a standart-cpu.

Had two Athlon 1600+ (1,4Ghz) overclocked to 1,7Ghz. One I bought in 2002, one in 2003.
The 2003 got to hell last year. But there was the mainboard the badass that killed itself and the cpu too.

The older one runs in my sisters room now.

Don't overclock too high and make good cooling. Then there should be no problem.
Or you take from beginning a faster CPU. 1.8Ghz is a bit slow.

I got in december a AMD 4200+ (2x2100Mhz) , overclocked to 2x3000Mhz. Wanted a faster one but money was after moving not the best.

[ebc]

I got in december a AMD 4200+ (2x2100Mhz) , overclocked to 2x3000Mhz. Wanted a faster one but money was after moving not the best.

how'd you get a 4200 to 3gig? i've seen them run 2.7-2.8. (ATM I'm running one at 2.4 just for the heck of it) But 3gig, you must have got one from a good batch.

[BX_LeMans]

I have a good friend who makes the overclocking job He works at AMD in Dresden.
I only need another cooler for the summer. The BTF95 is silent but designed for fanless and lower cpu-speed.
Mybe a Zalman this time. More noise, but better than defect CPU. With speeding up I lost guarantee for the CPU.

Oh yeah, these CPUs are produced 50km from my old home. So they must be good

[reine]

I'm thinking about using the config here:
Processor:  Intel Core 2 Duo E4300 (1.80GHz/2MB)
Motherboard:      Gigabyte GA-965P-DS3
Hard Disk:    Seagate 7200.9 300GB SATA
Memory:    Corsair Twin2X PC6400 2GB
Video Card:    NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GT or 7900 GS
OS:    Windows XP Professional SP2

Reason I choose E4300 is because I heard that chip is particularly cool and easy to OC,
http://www.anandtech.com/cpuchipsets/intel/showdoc.aspx?i=2903&p=2

[ebc]

hehe from that website you linked, I'm guessing you're hoping to get similar results? well it's no guarantee but there's no harm in trying.

Firstly though, Intel dropped it's prices recently and there is 2 very good cpu's you should actually look at instead of the 4300.

I would go for the E6320 or E6420. They are both low cost cpu's but they have 4mb cache and this helps a lot.

I'm not familiar with the bios of the motherboard you've choosen but I can find screenshots of it so it should be ok. After some reading I've found that you'll need to unlock some hidden settings in the bios by using ctrl+f1 which is a bit strange but anyway you'll need to do this to unlock the ability to manually set the ram timings according to your ram. Otherwise by default they will change to different values depending on the ratio your multiplyer is at.

If it's not a problem with you though, I suggest going for an Asus P5B (Deluxe or non-Deluxe depending on your budget). It's still a 965 chipset but I'm much more familiar with the bios and can tell you exactly what you need to do to get what you want out of your cpu. But if you are sure about the DS3 then it can still be done, just that it may take longer to do.

[Yuna]

In my opinion, if you have an overall great computer you shoundn't overclock it.
I have a good processor and amount of RAM but my videocard ins't that great, so I overclock only it. Sure, when the rest start getting bad too, I'll OC it or replace them.

I think you should only overclock something if you really have a need for it. An exemple, if in you computer you can run a game like Oblivon, for exemple in 60 fps (it's great) and overclocking it you would get 70 fps I don't think it's worth. However if in the same game you run in about 20 fps (like Oblivion in my PC) but overcloclocking you can get something about 30fps I consider it a great imrpovement. I belive I've made my point.

Of course, you can overclock something in order to get better graphics, which I think it IS worthwhile but you should know that overclocking will shorten the life of your hardware, so I only overclock when I'm about to play a game, after I finish playing, I put my PC in "normal"  condition.

[nop]

Guys, please refrain from unnecessary overclock all the time.  I believe that overclock can save you some equipment money but the energy efficiency is very bad. When you use computer with normal applications, please don't overclock. The extra electricity requirements and heat generated are not efficient at all. May be we can slow down global warming by some minutes here and there.  Your electric bill (fan, air conditioner) will also thank you.

I will not overclock my computer since I don't need to do it. My computer can display HDTV with no problem and I don't have time to play game. If I have a job to encode/edit video camcorder, I might overclock when forced to. Otherwise I will encode during sleep hours normally.