Guidance on first overclock ever (AMD Athlon 64 3500+)

[krazy_taco]

I've never really overclocked before, and I know there are sufficiant options for tweaking multipliers and voltages in my MoBo BIOS, but I am afraid of making a step in the wrong direction. I'm a little short on moneys, and I constantly finding myself wishing I had a better cpu, so an Overclock seems mandatory at this point. When idle, my cpu runs at about 36C. Any advice from the overclocking wizards?

 

[krazieaznboi]

my advice is get better cooling before we talk. 36C at idle will be like 50-60C when OCed and I can't imagine what full load will be at.

 

[krazy_taco]

What should I get my temp down to before I OC, and what would you recommend me doing to get that temp down, without having to spend a boat load of money (e.g. watercooling).

 

[krazieaznboi]

Air cooling is fine. What CPU do you have? Are you using the stock heatsink and fan?

 

[krazy_taco]

That could be my problem. What is your suggested replacement for a stock heatsink/fan?
Edit: And as stated in the topic, processor is AMD Athlon 64 3500+, slot 939

 

[krazieaznboi]

Before replacing the stock heatsink and fan, what case do you have and how many case fans? When was the last time you cleaned the dust out of your case? When was the last time you changed the thermal grease?

 

[krazy_taco]

Umm..... I have an Apevia X-Dreamer II Case. I have two 35cm fans in the front, one at the top of the case, and one in the window. I cleaned the dust out yesterday, and the only time the thermal grease was changed was when it was first applied, back when the computer was built last summer.

 

[krazieaznboi]

35cm case fans? Are you sure?

How much are you willing to spend on a heatsink and fan?

 

[krazy_taco]

30 dollars at the most.

and sorry bout the type about the 35cm fans. they were 80mm case fans.

 

[krazieaznboi]

I recommend this:

Newegg.com - ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 64 Pro 92mm CPU Cooler - Retail