Hi,

I just finished building a PC and was wondering how big of an effect overclocking can do for my computer. Yet alone, how to overclock my PC? I am currently running Vista Ultimate 32-bit from a clean install.

Specs are:
E8400 - 3GHZ
OCZ GameXStream 700W ATX12V Power Supply
CORSAIR 4GB (2 x 2GB)DDR2 800
GIGABYTE GA-G31M-S2L LGA 775 Intel G31 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard
GIGABYTE GV-NX88T512HP GeForce 8800 GT 512MB
Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD3200AAKS 320GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb hard drive

I just want to do a mild overclock and do not plan on upgrading to extra fans, heatsinks or water cooling. Would i notice 100-300mhz increase in speed? This PC is used for mainly gaming and basic productivity(word, internet browsing, instant messaging)

Thanks!

The typical "easy" OC is squeezing the FSB little by little. There u can gain like 300-400MhzMhz almost for free. If u want bigger gains, then u will need after market parts (coolers) and a little more complex schemes. Anyway, for that (FSB OC) u only have to go into your BIOS, search for that menu and hope it has 1Mhz stteping.

Now, i really don't think u might want to OC your system with that spec. It is a very capable PC in my eyes. At least for a couple of years u won't need to squeeze any extra Mhz to play fine most of the titles to come.

Esop!

How fast do you think I can get my processor to safely without having to upgrade hardware? Would it be safe to push it to around 3.33ghz?

Cool. So my system specs should be able to play games on high settings with no problem? (I havn't had a chance to test the games yet..still downloading from the EA download manager - 9 more hours :\ )

I also read that Vista can't read all 4GB of ram..is the 3.5gb's of ram that it can read sufficient enough? Or should i try to downgrade to XP or a 64bit version of vista to use all of the ram.

The E8400 should be able to reach 3.5Ghz with the stock cooler with no sweat, BUT the question here is will your RAM handle that FSB without further tweaking? I don't know about that.

Now, the 8800GT is a very capable card for most of current games. I wouldn't say (in future games) u'll play all max'ed out everything that comes out, but u won't have to play it all in minimum details settings.

Esop!

XP can't use the full 4GB either, only the 64-bit version of XP. But XP64 is the worst OS ever produced in my opinion...
I'd upgrade to Vista 64 if I were you, while your hard drive is still quote emty (well, I presume it is, since you just bought it?).

yes my hard drive is empty. I'm really new to overclocking, so I'm unfamiliar with increasing voltage, monitoring temperatures,etc..

All i've done before was increase the cpu multiplyer and I know how to increase FSB. Would it be possible for me to just increase the FSB to get up to 3.17-3.5ghz and safely leave it there? How can I check if my ram can handle that fsb without further tweaking?

My case is a XION-101. It's a fairly large case with 3 case fans.(not sure if that helps or not)

1- the overclock is to pish your FSB to 400. Your processor will work at 3.6 GHz and do not touch you RAM cause it will be working at ratio 1:1 with your FSB. The only question is will you need aftermarket cooler or not? Mostly you'll need

2- Do not worry about 32 bit system recognizing your 4G memory, it will not , it will recognize 3-3.5 G only but everything will work perfectly, and no need to go for 64bit OS if you're satisfied with what you have

3- If you'll overclock my advice keep C!e and SpeedStep enabled in bios to save power and heat, at normal use your processor will work at 2.4 GHz ( with your FSB set to 400) but when you run a demanding application processor will jump automatically to 3.6 GHz

with DDR 800, you can take the E8400 up to 3.6ghz without worrying about the RAM or voltages. I'm pretty sure people have taken it up that high with the stock cooler. i have the E8400 and an aftermarket cooler, and its currently at 3.6ghz with no problem. its an easy way to give yourself a little performance boost. 600 mhz is definitely good for a small increase in fps in most games

In BIOSes, FSB can appear in a lot of different ways unfortunately =/

It's really up to your MoBo and it's BIOS, but it's really weird for a MoBo to not have it. Do a little search in google and your vendor's MoBo website to get BIOS rev's and updates (remember to read carefully the instructions given).

Now, there are always common paths to find the FSB menu: it's usually located under "Advanced/CPU/Chipset features" or "Memory". That's what i remember so far.

Anyway, hopefully u'll get decent OC with your RAM without the need of improved cooling solutions (RAM, CPU or Rig).

And yeah, forgot to mention that: If u really want that "lost" RAM u have in 32bits, switch to Vista64, but it's no biggie like kad pointed out.

Esop!

Cool. I'm gonna try to push my FSB to about 370 to play it safe.
What is C!e and SpeedStep? Is that a generic name on all mobos or can my mobo have it listed as something else?

I'm going to be using the stock cooler. I don't have to touch my voltage settings or anything else right?

Also forgot to add that my motherboard is Micro ATX form. Does the small size affect overclocking compared to a regular sized ATX mtoherboard?

C!e = C1e

Its a low power state for your CPU saving heat and electricity. I suspect its named that for the command given.

bump::Unanswered questions

I'm going to be using the stock cooler. I don't have to touch my voltage settings or anything else right? Just set the FSB to 370?

Also forgot to add that my motherboard is Micro ATX form. Does the small size affect overclocking compared to a regular sized ATX mtoherboard?

Thanks

You might need to up your voltage a bit but be careful too much and you risk damage. I would try setting your FSB to where you want it and if that does not work reset your CMOS and try either a lower FSB or bump your voltage up just a bit. (continue in this manor until you get what you want)

The size issue is another thing, could be less space to use better phase conditioning on your board and limit your OCing a bit but its not 100% a fact it could be that your board has 3 phase power blah blah and your just fine The only way to know if its good or not is to try it out

how do i know if it's "safe" or not. I don't have any way of monitoring it. would you recommend letting my computer automatically control my voltage?