Hello readers of the Tom!
I'm looking to unlock the full (potato) potential of my desktop PC. I'd like to overclock my RAM and CPU if it will provide any marginal boost as far as moderate gaming is concerned, and if it's possible with my mobo's BIOS. Anything else I could do to increase performance that anyone could recommend would be helpful as well. That said, I would be open to graphics card suggestions as well with my current setup.
I've read that OC'ing my current GPU is rather useless, so I'll skip that. I'd like to update my BIOS as well, as there have been several updates to the version running on my mobo, but I can't figure out a safe way (that includes backing up the current version via flash drive) to do it. From what I remember, it asks for a CD, but the method it uses might be locked to IDE input and I can't get it to recognize a flash drive at the BIOS flash screen. I may start a separate thread for that.
Back to OC'ing - I think I can work out RAM timings and voltage on my own, but I read somewhere that oc'in memory has the potential to negatively impact the longevity of a GPU. I'd like to know if this is true before deciding to fiddle with oc'ing my RAM.
My specs are as follows:
Foxconn M61PMV (Mobo)
BIOS v.P05
-Nvidia GeForce 6100 (or 6150?) NForce 400-430 (Onboard GPU [DISABLED]-
AMD Athlon 64 X2 5200+ Dual Core 2.7Ghz (Brisbane AM2 CPU)
2*2GB Kingston DDR2 PC2-6400 800Mhz (RAM)
+CPU-Z states they are running at 400Mhz per slot. Also, they are not matching serial numbers. I +read that could be important for oc'ing?
Nvidia GeForce 9400GT DDR2 128-bit DX10 1GB (Dedicated PCIe x16 GPU)
Windows 7 64-bit
My mobo's BIOS has some useful settings. I've found pages with settings for RAM, CPU, and GPU. Rather limited on settings for CPU and GPU though. I'll take note of any settings and post further details of my specs and settings if needed.
I have CPU-Z, PCI-Z, GPU-Z, and HWiNFO readily available.
PS: My computer has had a sleep issue since I received it as a gift last year. I finally fixed it VIA BIOS USB wake settings last night! Problem is, that I can't wake it with keyboard (or mouse) input with the setting marked as disabled. But it sleeps! Yay!
I'm looking to unlock the full (potato) potential of my desktop PC. I'd like to overclock my RAM and CPU if it will provide any marginal boost as far as moderate gaming is concerned, and if it's possible with my mobo's BIOS. Anything else I could do to increase performance that anyone could recommend would be helpful as well. That said, I would be open to graphics card suggestions as well with my current setup.
I've read that OC'ing my current GPU is rather useless, so I'll skip that. I'd like to update my BIOS as well, as there have been several updates to the version running on my mobo, but I can't figure out a safe way (that includes backing up the current version via flash drive) to do it. From what I remember, it asks for a CD, but the method it uses might be locked to IDE input and I can't get it to recognize a flash drive at the BIOS flash screen. I may start a separate thread for that.
Back to OC'ing - I think I can work out RAM timings and voltage on my own, but I read somewhere that oc'in memory has the potential to negatively impact the longevity of a GPU. I'd like to know if this is true before deciding to fiddle with oc'ing my RAM.
My specs are as follows:
Foxconn M61PMV (Mobo)
BIOS v.P05
-Nvidia GeForce 6100 (or 6150?) NForce 400-430 (Onboard GPU [DISABLED]-
AMD Athlon 64 X2 5200+ Dual Core 2.7Ghz (Brisbane AM2 CPU)
2*2GB Kingston DDR2 PC2-6400 800Mhz (RAM)
+CPU-Z states they are running at 400Mhz per slot. Also, they are not matching serial numbers. I +read that could be important for oc'ing?
Nvidia GeForce 9400GT DDR2 128-bit DX10 1GB (Dedicated PCIe x16 GPU)
Windows 7 64-bit
My mobo's BIOS has some useful settings. I've found pages with settings for RAM, CPU, and GPU. Rather limited on settings for CPU and GPU though. I'll take note of any settings and post further details of my specs and settings if needed.
I have CPU-Z, PCI-Z, GPU-Z, and HWiNFO readily available.
PS: My computer has had a sleep issue since I received it as a gift last year. I finally fixed it VIA BIOS USB wake settings last night! Problem is, that I can't wake it with keyboard (or mouse) input with the setting marked as disabled. But it sleeps! Yay!