Can I overclock?

[Monkey]

I just built my pc about a month ago and I dont need to OC, but I would like to just to get the performance boost and to say I did it.
I have a stock cooler and my CPU idles around 30C. Also, my mobo came with some overclock utility software.

So.. should I just use the software for overclocking and if so it already has some predefined settings i can choose for the OC should i just do that or should i do it another way?

What would you guys do.. ?

 

[Luke]

^nah, overclock threw the bios. But you won't get to far with just stock cooling.

But if you still just want to do it a bit.

Download these programs:

cpuz
super pi
coretemp

Then post up your tems, you cpu core voltage, and your cpu vid. Also post up your computer specs.

 

[Cunjo]

Do you have a Core processor? if so, you'll want to use Orthos StressPrime to test stability, not superpi.

CPU-Z will give you useful information about processor performance, while coretemp will help you keep an eye on temps if you're using a core processor.

Idle temp means NOTHING. The only thing that matters is your load temp. The stock coolers will not provide adequate cooling against an increase in voltage, and only a slight increase in frequency. Be very careful trying to OC on a stock cooler.

A Core processor shouldn't go above 65C under load if you can help it, and you should aim to keep it below 55C if you're overclocking as a safety margin to insure stability.

Be sure that when you stability test, you are stressing all cores simultaneously. single-threaded apps will not do it.

Never use a software utility to overclock your processor -- they're all crap. Always use your BIOS. Turn up the FSB frequency in small increments, stress testing for a few hours each time, until the system becomes unstable, then either turn up the voltage to regain stability, or turn the FSB back down a bit and stress test for a longer period to ensure stability before calling it good.

With a stock cooler, I advise against turning up your voltage. Increasing the frequency will increase heat linearly, while increasing voltage will increase heat exponentially. You can usually get to 60-80% of a max overclock per cooling solution without increasing your voltage at all, so it's not worth meddling with unless you're equipped for it.

 

[Monkey]

I see, maybe i wont try to Oc. i have no need for the performance boost right now and I don't really want to risk my processor.
Thanks for the info guys. you're great !

 

[Cunjo]

I see, maybe i wont try to Oc. i have no need for the performance boost right now and I don't really want to risk my processor.
Thanks for the info guys. you're great !

If you're keeping the temps down, there shouldn't be any risk to your processor. If it crashes or won't post, you can just reset the BIOS. The important thing to remember though is to take everything in small steps, and not bite off more than you can chew.

 

[kobe24]

oc is safe ur mobo will just crash to save ur cpu like cunjo said, no risk at all

 

[BongWizard]

you might be able to squeeze a 10% OC (maybe a bit more) out of stock cooling and still have temps within a safe range... i wouldn't try to go too much more than this unless you get an aftermarket cooler

 

[Luke]

no, you could use super pi, it works just fine buddy. But yes, you could use prime 95 also, as it is also good.

 

[Cunjo]

no, you could use super pi, it works just fine buddy. But yes, you could use prime 95 also, as it is also good.

SuperPi isn't multi-threaded, so it will only run on one core.

The only way around that is to run multiple instances of it and set them for different core affinity.

I prefer Orthos, since it is designed for multi-threaded processors, and will work accordingly, and provide live error checking in addition to memory stress testing. It's a more rounded torture-test.

 

[Luke]

^u sure? im fairly sure (not positive so you could be right) that it is multi threaded. Any proof to back up your statement? (not asking you ignorantly, if its not multi threaded then i would like to know)