Hi all, just wanted some opinions for my computer i have recently built, as i am i student i skrimped on the processor and re-used an old pentium d 930 processor, which i bought a 10€($15) and use this pc for gaming and general computing, atm i have my friends hd 3850 in it and am goin to buy this graphics card.
8800gts(G92) 512mb http://www.pccomponentes.com/CLUB_ [...] PCI_E.html
Now i am aware that my processor may hold my system back a little and i was wondering if it was worth maybe overclockig this cpu to keep up with the system a litle better while i wait for funds for a new processor.
My mobo is Gigabyte Ga-ep35-ds3 Socket 775 and my case is the antec 900.

Also when i go into the bios to look at the settings the mulitplier is only set at 12x which gives it a frequency of 2.4GHz although the processor is rated at 3.0Ghz, should i start by increasing this multiplier to 15x and maybe u could advise me on some other tweaks i could do to improve the speed.

The problem with the Pentium D 930 is that it does not have a inbuilt thermeter so there is no telling what temps it is at, i'm thinking this may be a problem but as long i i don't over do it then it should be ok no.

thanks in advance for any help u can give me.

You most likely won't be able to increase the multiplier, only the FSB. That Pentium D might be able to get near 4.0GHz (with excellent air cooling of course). Any overclocking should provide a notable difference in performance compared to stock. I noticed you said there's no internal thermometer? What you could do is buy a sensor and put it as close to the CPU as possible on the heatsink (NOT UNDER THE HSF THOUGH). It won't be near the core temperatures, but from stock to the overclock, I'm sure you'll be able to judge a safe temperature

Ye ye well i have the reading from the motherboard which goes up acordingly to the cpu usage so i can tell from that mostly. Yes i can change the mulitplier, its set at 12x and i can change it and boot up with 15x mulitplier at 200Hz fsb. Wow 4.0GHz, well i was looking at more like the 3.2 to 3.4 range to just help a little but not damage anything. What would u suggest i do??? This is the first time i've overclocked so please bear with me. thanks again

GUIDE: Overclocking On P35-DS3L

If you are using the P35-DS3L those BIOS settings should be identical. If using any other DS3x those settings may be identical or similar. The Pentium Ds are not known for their OCing, but they are quite known for their heat when OCed along with the P4s.

Ye i know about the heat and i realise this is goin to be an issue, but just a little more speed will help me alot. And yes i saw ur guide before its very good thankyou for that, i will definately follow the intructions from that. What speed to you recommend goin to with that setup? and also should i up that mulitplier to 15x just for a start or do the games already utilize this multiplier.
thanks

I usually run the CPU Multiplier at Max possible (15x for the Pentium D 930), so that it puts less strain on FSB/RAM. I really can't tell what speed you will eventually get, since each CPU is different. Increase FSB by ~50-150 each time you pass Prime95 stability (~3hrs, for the first few increases, then 6hrs+). When you become unstable:

1. Increase CPU voltage
2. Decrease FSB
3. Do both of the above at once
.
Do keep an eye on CPU temps. (Read CompuTronix's guide on how to calibrate SpeedFan)

Ye thanks for all the help i'll try it over the next few days. Can it not be dangerous messing with the voltages though?? I don't need to go too high but ye i'll try that prime and make sure its stable, might be able to get some extra performance out of the old cpu yet
thanks again, i'll let u know how i get on.

while your at it try the memory strapping see if you can get a ltl on that side as well

Ok shadow bincreasing the FSB by 50 on a 15x muiltplier gives me and extra 0.75GHz, what should i do??

Run Prime95 for ~2-3hrs at those settings, if it passes, then increase FSB by another 50-100Mhz. Re peat this until Prime 95 Crashes or you reach a +400-500Mhz over stock, then run Prime95 for ~8hrs, if Prime95 crashes before 8hrs, increase voltage, or decrease FSB. Also makesure the RAM divider/SPD is at 2.

Ye thanks for all ur help, bin messing with it today and got it running at 3.6Ghz stable so alls good, added an extra 400 to my cpu score on 3dmark06 so alls good
I will not go any higher as i cannot see my cpu temp so not worth risking it lol. thanks

How stable is Prime95? You need to run that for ~6hrs+ for best stability.