Overclocking for gaming

[k2xblazer]

hi everyone i can play games like black ops and gta4 at 60+ FPS but flight simulator x runs at about 15-40 i did play with the setting and took off the frame limiter and im guessing i might need to do some overclocking to get it running fast so heres my setup

Intel I5 2500K (stock cooler)
Gigabyte P67A-D3-B3
Sappire HD 6850
Corsair Vengence 8gb (no idea about the speed as every program tells me different heres a shot of cpuz)
http://img233.imageshack.us/i/screenshotstudiocapturep.png/
http://img808.imageshack.us/i/screenshotstudiocaptureuf.png/

Any advise would be great thanks guys.

 

[Ubrales]

Start with a good after-market heatsink of your choice.

 

[k2xblazer]

Thanks for the reply
i was thinking about the corsair h70 would that do the job?.

 

[Ubrales]

Yes! That would do a terrific job of cooling! Much better than air cooled heatsinks. Just make sure that you use the proper recommended coolant, and not tap water. Tap water contains minerals which will get deposited on the cooling tubes thereby lowering the cooling efficiency (heat transfer). If you need to dilute the coolant per instructions if necessary, use distilled water.

 

[k2xblazer]

is there any other decent liquid coolers coolers other than that for under £100 thanks

 

[k1114]

SB runs pretty cool so unless your room is a sauna even a cheap air cooler is good enough to cool the cpu before you hit the multiplier wall. You can look a lot on this forum the cm 212+ is suggested. Even higher end air coolers cost less and perform as well as the h70. Take the NH D14 for instance. http://www.futurelooks.com/corsair-hydro-series-h70-high-performance-cpu-cooler-review/2/

 

[brentkhack]

The H70 is self contained, so it is ready to go right out of the box.

 

[k2xblazer]

well i got like £100 so what cooler would you guys recommend?

 

[Ubrales]

Look at Prolimatech Megahalems or equivalent.

 

[k2xblazer]

for an air cooler its as expensive as the h70

 

[Ubrales]

for an air cooler its as expensive as the h70

Right! Two different manufacturing processes.

 

[k1114]

The d14 is better than the megahalem. http://www.frostytech.com/articleview.cfm?articleid=2562&page=5

 

[k2xblazer]

it looks like an amazing cooler and ive seen some people say its just as good if not better than the h70 in some cases but my only problem is would it fit in an NZXT Phantom case?

 

[Ubrales]

it looks like an amazing cooler and ive seen some people say its just as good if not better than the h70 in some cases but my only problem is would it fit in an NZXT Phantom case?

It is *** full tower case, and the Megahalem will fit. One advantage of an air heatsink is that there is no water (coolant) to mess with and cause leaks.

Your main concern should be clearance for the tall heat spreaders in certain models of RAM (one example - Corsair Dominator).

 

[k2xblazer]

ah okay thanks do you know how much you can OC the i5 until you have to change the voltages because i know how to change the speed etc. but i dont want to mess with the voltages.

 

[k1114]

Every cpu is different but you'll get around 4.3.

 

[k2xblazer]

wicked thanks im just suprised how i can play black ops/gta4 on max but FSX lags like hell

 

[Ubrales]

Adjust the voltage upwards in small increments of 0.050 volts. Do not exceed 1.350 volts even though Intel's specs will say 1.502 volts or something like that.

(BTW, I will get my Black Ops delivered next week).

 

[k2xblazer]

i would adjust the voltages but im worried id break it 0_0

 

[Ubrales]

i would adjust the voltages but im worried id break it 0_0

As long as you do not exceed 1.350 volts, and as long as you do not get abnormally high temps, you will do fine.
Acceptable temps: Idle <40 degs C, Load <70 degs C

 

[k2xblazer]

ok thanks well im getting the nzxt phantom case very soon as soon as the shop has it ile set it up and let you know how it goes with the OCing (have fun with black ops god mode on zombies is wicked XD)

 

[k2xblazer]

one more thing is it the cpu holding me back on fsx or the gpu? thanks

 

[Ubrales]

one more thing is it the cpu holding me back on fsx or the gpu? thanks

No. The CPU you have is plenty fast and powerful even with no overclocking.

 

[k2xblazer]

why would it lagg then? i cant figure it out.thanks

 

[Ubrales]

why would it lagg then? i cant figure it out.thanks

Set the GPU to default settings. Then set the game settings to default settings. Give it a try. You have plenty of RAM (8 GBs).

I have an i7-920 and a GTX-275 (not as good as your GPU) and COD and Flight Sim. run great. FS requires only a 1 GHz processor per their specs. Therefore, it is not your hardware, but some settings probably on the game.