How easy/difficult is it to OC a CPU?

[tsponholz]

Can anyone comment on how easy it is to actully OC the CPU. I've never done anything like that, but I'm not completely clueless when it comes to messing with BIOS settings and the like.

I probably won't bother OCing anything else (unless necessary to OC the CPU). I am just looking to save money by buying a low end chip instead of the e6700.

 

[alcattle]

IF you know about BIOS, you can overclock. The simple stuff is all in the FSB setting, crank it up slowly then run it for an hour under load, if the temps are ok, and it's stable, repeat.

 

[tsponholz]

Thanks for the tips.

That is a great guide but, I must admit, a bit over my head with just looking at it. I guess I have some research to do.

What's the "downside" if I do something wrong?

 

[Mondoman]

...

What's the "downside" if I do something wrong?

Although it's unlikely if you don't push it too far, the extreme downside is that your CPU doesn't work right anymore. Look into "electromigration".

 

[skyguy]

If you have a popular motherboard, decent RAM, and a good heatsink, then OC'ing a C2D is a piece of cake.

Post your specs and we can tell you if it'll overclock well or not.

 

[tsponholz]

Post your specs and we can tell you if it'll overclock well or not.

No specs yet, but the offer is awesome and a great idea. Step one was picking the processor. I am looking for future proofing mostly, and I could get by with a 6420 for now, but will definately want more juice later. But since it seems so do-able, I'll probably go with the 6320 and push myself to 3.0ish.

The big thing I'm waiting for right now is P35 (Bearlake). With PCIe 2.0 so close, I don't want to miss out. Afterall, the "main" bits of this computer will likely have to last me 5 years (like my existing box).

 

[proof]

Well, if you were as cool as me, you could just up your multiplier. But, since not everyone is wicked cool like me, you will have to up the FSB. You should be able to get a decent OC on or close to stock vcore.

 

[skyguy]

^^^^ his sense of humor is tough to pick up....it's there, but it sounds like conceit.

 

[rodney_ws]

Click. Click. Click. *cross fingers for good luck* Click. Wait for reboot. Smile. Enjoy.

Yes, it is that simple.

 

[proof]

Hahahaha! Nice. Anyway, message me on MSN if you can or hit me up with an email. I have some good news.

 

[Farhang]

Click. Click. Click. *cross fingers for good luck* Click. Wait for reboot. Smile. Enjoy.

Yes, it is that simple.

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: Damn Nice man!
5Star From me! :trophy: 8)

 

[chuckshissle]

And make sure you have proper cooling for them components.

 

[Alsone]

I've just taken my E6600 to 3Ghz (from stock 2.4GHZ).

Performance now exceeds E6800 and Xeon 2.9Ghz but is still a modest overclock and easy for a beginner as no voltage adjustments were required, everything is at stock voltage - which makes it very safe.

A more comprehensive guide can be found here:

http://forums.extremeoverclocking.com/showthread.php?t=79266

 

[proof]

Good job man!

 

[rdhood]

Click. Click. Click. *cross fingers for good luck* Click. Wait for reboot. Smile. Enjoy.

Yes, it is that simple.

It's so easy, a neanderthal... er... rodney_ws could do it! Seriously, the current round of C2D is the closest thing to a slam dunk overclock that ever existed in the computer world. I am running a 6300 at 3 Ghz. I stopped their because 1) it required no increase in core voltage and 2) I was able to do it with a bolt on cooler that did not require motherboard removal and 3) I didn't want to put more money into memory than necessary to hit 3Ghz CPU/430FSB/ 860Mhz memory.

Nothing is stressed, everything is cool, and hopefully it will run this way for at least three more years.

 

[JuiceJones]

Modest overclocking on Core 2's is so ridiculously simple that buying high end chips is almost stupid. I consider the E4300 and E4400 as the 1/3 cost 2Mb cache versions of the E6600 and E6700, it's as easy as typing in "2-6-6". Of course, understanding RAM settings and messing with vcore can be a little confusing at first for higher overclocks.

Follow a guide and you'll be happy you saved the cash.

 

[tsponholz]

I consider the E4300 and E4400 as the 1/3 cost 2Mb cache versions of the E6600 and E6700,

Are you suggesting that I should maybe go with a e4300 instead of e6320? Doesn't the extra cache make a difference?

Anyone else want to add their two cents to this question?

Thanks. So far you have all been great help.

 

[proof]

Yes, contrarry to popular beliefe it does make a difference. Get a 4MB cache.

 

[tsponholz]

I consider the E4300 and E4400 as the 1/3 cost 2Mb cache versions of the E6600 and E6700,

Are you suggesting that I should maybe go with a e4300 instead of e6320? Doesn't the extra cache make a difference?



Also (and I might be wrong here) the e4x00 chips can't run 64-bit OS. I have a copy of XP Pro x64 just sitting waiting for a computer to go on.

 

[proof]

Yeah, your wrong. And can you seed that XP x64 for me? I need a copy.

 

[tsponholz]

... can you seed that XP x64 for me? I need a copy.

If you can believe it, it is a genuine paid for copy with an actual CD and serial number and all!! Paid $15 and got a copy of XP Pro (installed on my current computer) and XP Pro 64 (waiting for my new one). Got to love faculty discounts.

But now that you mention it, perhaps I could make an iso and ensure it is "properly backed up" by sending many copies over to "friends" drives for safe keeping

 

[proof]

That would be great! Will you?

 

[tsponholz]

That would be great! Will you?

If I can ever find the time to learn how, yes. Unfortunately I can't make any promises.

 

[JuiceJones]

Yes, contrarry to popular beliefe it does make a difference. Get a 4MB cache.

By what percentage? From almost all benchmarks I've seen, same clocked C2Ds with 2Mb are within a few percentage points of their 4mb siblings. Roughly a 3-10% performance hit clock-for-clock is definitely worth saving 50% of the cash to me. Of course, the E6320 and E6420 are attractive since they offer the more cache for the same price, but the higher multipliers on the E4X00 series allow the same FSB speeds to easily offset the disadvantage.

Assuming a low FSB cap, 333Mhz, for example, a 3.0Ghz E4300 will beat an E6420 at 2.66Ghz by a good margin. And it's cheaper.

It all boils down to budget. The E6600 has now fallen to an extremely attractive $235, and should easily reach 3.0Ghz stably. But so can the E4300 for $110 less... I would rather spend that 110 bucks on booze and cigarettes than a 5% increase.

 

[jaedaddy]

i've been looking to learn how to OC for a bit now... let's do it together and make a post for idiots on it... i plan to make a picture by picture guide for those of us who have 0 clue on what a fsb is... let's do it... make a OC for seriously stupid tech wannabes =) (not that you are... but i sure am)


jae
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