Overclocking an E2160 on a p45?

[Seanydude678]

I plan on getting this motherboard and this ram soon:

-A-DATA 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820211294

-ASUS P5Q Pro LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131299

Firstly, this is a gaming/enthusiast setup. I am an experienced overclocker (even though I'm 15, don't think I haven't set fire to old celerons heheh), and I want to get the most out of my limited budget.

The CPU I currently have is an E2160 Dual Core @ 1.8ghz. With the current motherboard I have now though, (asrock 775dual vsta (YUCK, only get it if you're upgrading alot like I did. (DDR->DDR2, AGP->PCIeX16 (x4 really...))) ANYWAY, this motherboard crashes with the slightest overclock, something about the combo-ness not liking FSB increases. The current ram i have is 2 gigs of DDR2 667, so that's not the problem. But that's not what I'm interested in right now.

I'm looking to overclock this cpu to at LEAST 2.8ghz, but I would gladly push it as far as possible on air. (my cooler is a Cooler Master Hyper TX2 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103031&Tpk=cooler%2bmaster%2btx2)

Secondly, if there's any advice on anything better I could get for the price, I'd be up for it. I'm not really interested in Dual GPU setups at the moment, I'm only playing on 1440x900 (19").

The current graphics card I have is a BFG 9600gt OC, I'll get to that later though.

Anyway, if I'm able to overclock my E2160 to around 2.8-3.0 ghz stably, will I see a noticable performance increase in anything? I play tons of games, such as CoD4, Crysis, Team Fortress 2, Counterstrike: Source, Oblivion, etc.

I've read things about the small cache on the E2xxx series kind of limits it, so in the future would I be better off getting an E8400 or an E7200? (I'd overclock them of course) Keep in mind that I have a high schooler's budget and I mow lawns for money, hehe.

I'll probably be upgrading my graphics to a 4850 (or a 4870 when the price is set)

Thanks for answering my numerous questions, and answer them with completeness, even though I'm young I have a great understanding of this stuff. Any suggestions or advice is greatly appreciated.

 

[flyin15sec]

I just picked up an E2180 and I got it to 3ghz easy. That P45 board should get your E2160 to 3ghz without too much trouble. If you haven't already read this article: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/cpu-gpu-upgrade,1928.html

It will give you a very good idea of the performance you can expect with your setup of OC E2160 and 9600GT.

For future processor, since you only game, go for the fastest stock clocked you can afford. Given a choice between an E7200 or E8400, take E8400. Also you might consider this:
http://www.ewiz.com/detail.php?name=E8300

Newegg does not carry it, but is appears to be between the E8400 and E8200, so if it fits your budget you might want that.

 

[iluvgillgill]

i would spend money on the p45 if i was to get a e2180.because he e2180 is the low low end of the speed binned chip.so it max out at 3.4Ghz.and 3.2Ghz is what most people can get.

 

[Mondoman]

I'd stick with decent DDR2-800 (1.8 or 1.9V) RAM. The factory-overclocked DDR2-1066 stuff will just cause problems, and DDR2-800 will let you go to 1600MHz FSB.