Questions on Overclocking

[Tool]

First of all, how would I know if I should do it or not so I don't overheat. And how do I do it? =o

[Karant]

What are you wanting to overclock?

[Aemaeth]

His pc. You can turn up your processing speed to more than you should have, but its extremely dangerous and can cause you computer to basically set on fire. or at least i think.

[Karant]

I don't know about your computer bursting into flames, but there is a chance of melting the chips.

[Tool]

Yeah, I mean my processor. And just that. How would I do it safely and how would I know if I should or shouldn't?

[Aemaeth]

I wouldnt do it if i where you, Just try out different speeds and check the heat of everything inside while your doing it, dont go over the top though.

[Tool]

How do I try out different speeds? =\

[Aemaeth]

In your cmos settings. I suggest you find a real tech forum and ask

[mpeck]

to monitor your temp, dl Mother Board Monitor(dont ask me how to configure it, the sensors are diff for each computer), but mess around with it untill you find a temp that seems about right, then, O/C some, and let your computer idle, and keep an eye on the temp, and then do something that takes up a good bit of ur processor and watch the temp, i have water cooling, and i O/C as much as a could, and the temp didnt even go up, ram also plays a part in how much you can O/C, i got PC2100(slowest), and i could only overclock 300 Mhz, which is higher then the average overclock (100-200 Mhz), but, i know it can go higher, just need to get some better ram. Most newer computers also automatically shutdown if they hit a certain temperature, i think mine shuts down when it hits 70 C, which it has never went that high, highest i've seen it is like 50 C. it also depends what kinda chip and motherboard your using, i believe all can O/C, but some higher then others

[Tool]

At what temperature should I know to stop at? Like, what's too high? I just have one cooling fan, I believe. Never really looked at how many I have.

[ken2520]

i suggest u dont over clock it until u get water cooler caz a fan is just not enough to cool it down.... ya get a water cooler and until u do u can overclock it even higher

[Tool]

Well, I'm a poor bastard. How much do water coolers cost? =o

Also, where do you find out what kind of motherboard you have? System Information and then what...?

[ken2520]

o go to www.a-power.com and check its got the cheapest price

gimem rep i helped u so much ^_^ lol

[Karant]

Personnally, I don't recommend overclocking, especially if your (as you said) poor. lol
There is a risky chance of frying your whole computer, including other chips, not just the one you were overclocking.

[Tool]

Well humph. =\ Now I don't think I will.

[splintercell]

I have a friend with an OC AMD, I forgot the exact soecs, but he was using about 7 oversived computer fans with neons in them, and a super cool looking jet fan inside his case. Don't ask how he packed all of it in there, I looked at it dumbfounded for about an hour and still didn't figure it out. lol My point is an OC can be done with just fans, you just need a crap load of them.

[Shihan]

Uh, yeah.. To overclock, you can go into your BIOS, (By hitting delete during POST). And from there, you can *SLOWLY* increase your FSB and voltage. But should you raise the voltage too high, it will fry your chip if you don't have a good cooling system. (Copper is good) Also, when you overclock, there is a chance that your system will be unstable.

For safe thermal levels, I suggest getting a Fanspeed controller with Thermal probes like the Thermaltake Hardcano 13. It can control the speeds of 4 fans via 3 pin or 4 pin molex connectors and has 4 probes to monitor 4 seperate areas in your case.

AMD XPs should run at less than 40C
AMD 64s should run at less than 55C
Pentium 4s that are based on the Northwood core should be limited to 60C while Prescott cores should be limited to 65C. (Northwood = C, Prescott = E)

Also, to find the type of motherboard you have in your computer, it should be showed somewhere under your AGP slots.

NOTE: Should you use the stock Intel Heatsink on an LGA775, do not swap the thermal pad that comes with it for higher quality thermal paste like Arctic Silver 5. It *WILL* overheat.

[Obfuscate]

If you didnt build the computer yourself and study how well components perform under stress and different cpu speeds I highly recommend you leave your proc just the way it is.

[Shihan]

That's also a great idea.