Overclocking

[madflava54]

I really don't know a thing about OC'ing, but after reading through so many forums, I want to do so myself for the performance gains. I have a P4 2.67GhZ processor the 533mhz version. Anybody willing to explain to me how to OC in lame-man's terms?

 

[compslckr]

please give more system specs,

for example, what motherboard, what ram, and what psu

 

[madflava54]

The PSU is the standard PS that is rated at 250W. MSI MS-6577 v 2.1 (i845GE) is the mobo, I'm not exactly sure what type of RAM it is, but it's DDR at PC2700/PC2100/PC1600.

 

[madflava54]

Oh, I'm not looking to do anything drastic like go to 3GHZ, but maybe 2.8 and pushing the FSB, if possible to 600. I'm really content with my computer after swapping out a ton of parts. I guess I just want more.

 

[compslckr]

alright, so what you want to do is go in to the bios when you start your computer up (usually by pressing del or f10 when your first turn the PC on)

then look for the front side bus (FSB) settings in your bios. once you find these just raise the front side bus a little and see if it works after you restart, if it does then go back in and raise it a little more.

keep doing this until it will not start at all. when you hit this point reset your CMOS witht the jumper (usually near the battery on your motherboard)

once the cmos is reset go back into the bios and put the FSB at what you have determined is your CPUs maximum. then start windows up and see if it is stable or not. if it is then you are done, and your cpu is running at its absolute fastest that it can, if it is not stable then lower the speed a little.

have fun, and happy overclocking!

-zac jackson

 

[ChingChang]

Generic 250 watt PSU = death

I suggest getting a quality name brand PSU before you do this. And if your RAM is PC2100 you might run into problems : \

good luck

 

[compslckr]

i run pc2100 and my P4 2.0a runs just fine at 2.67 with stock vcore, but that is only 533mhz fsb since my stock fsb is 400mhz

 

[madflava54]

It is as simple as that?

 

[compslckr]

yeah, that is it. once you run it for a while restart and head back to the bios and check your temps and make sure they are not extremely hot.

if they are at a reasonable level and it is stable then you are done and you have an overclocked sysyem

 

[madflava54]

I downloaded MBM5 for the heck of it and I usually run 38 at idle, but like now, with 3 IE windows open, winamp, AIM, and playing Starcraft, it's up at 55. I've heard good stuff about the Zalman7000, should I get one of those (will it work in my case) and a new PS before I OC?

 

[ChingChang]

Well how much are you willing to spend on cooling and what is your case airflow like? I think you should upgrade that PSU, and if the temps go over 60C under load after overclocking, I would also add fans and/or upgrade the heat sink. You also might want to lap the heatsink and remove the dust from it. It is very easy and inexpensive, and lapping can decrease temps by like 2-3 degrees (depends on surface and the application of thermal grease). By washing the dust off and reapplying thermal grease you should see a big decrease too (if it has been awhile since you cleaned it). I recently brushed some of the dust off of mine while it was in, and my CPU temps dropped 8 degrees. I'd probably get at least a couple degrees less if I reapplied thermal grease using AS5.

 

[Mad_Pyro]

I believe the term you are looking for is "layman".

 

[V0ltage]

get a new case with a new powersupply, that will help your cooling more than any heatsink.
if you have a crappy case with no airflow, getting a zalman wont do crap.
I recommend any case made by antec with at least a 350W power supply.