Should I Overclock?

Bigman

New Member
Hi,

I have been thinking for a while, should/could I overclock my system.
I do not have special cooling features.. just 3 Air cooling fans (CPU, huge side fan, standard back fan).

Here is my specs:
Code:
CPU:  DualCore Intel Core 2 Duo E6400, 1600 MHz (6 x 267)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-965P-S3
Memory: 2048 MB  (DDR2-667 DDR2 SDRAM) (1024X2)
GPU:  Radeon X1950XT (256 MB) (R580)
 
Temperatures; 
Motherboard  39 °C  (102 °F)
CPU   50 °C  (122 °F)
CPU #1 / Core #1 56 °C  (133 °F)
CPU #1 / Core #2 55 °C  (131 °F)
GPU   57 °C  (135 °F)
GPU Ambient  46 °C  (115 °F)
GPU VRM   56 °C  (133 °F)
SATA    WDC WD3200JS 37 °C  (99 °F)
 
Cooling Fans; 
CPU   1600 RPM
 
Voltage Values;
CPU Core  1.31 V
+3.3 V   3.33 V
+12 V   12.25 V
+5 V Standby  5.13 V
DIMM   1.81 V


So, Can I overclock my GPU/CPU/MEMORY without doing any damage? (Using my current cooling options)
If yes, how far could I get?


Thanks!
 

My Computer

System One

  • CPU
    Intel Core 2 Duo E6400
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte GA-965P-S3
    Memory
    [1024GB DDR2 667MHz] x2
    Graphics Card(s)
    Radeon X1950XT 256 MB (R580)
    Sound Card
    Build-In 7.1
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Samsung 2253BW 22" Wide
    Screen Resolution
    1680x1050x32
    Hard Drives
    WD 3200JS (320GB 8MB Buffer)
    PSU
    350W EZCool Real
    Case
    EZcool H-550D-F25 - MID TOWER
    Cooling
    One 4" Back Fan, One 12" Side Fan, Original Intel CPU Fan
    Internet Speed
    3MB down / 176KB up

My Computer

System One

  • CPU
    Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 / 3.00
    Motherboard
    ASUS P5K-E/WIFI-AP LGA 775 Int
    Memory
    G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB)
    Graphics Card(s)
    SAPPHIRE 100225L Radeon HD 387
    Hard Drives
    1 x 1tb western digital
    4 x 250 western digital
    2 x 160 western digital
    1 x 320 western digital

My Computer

System One

  • CPU
    Intel Core 2 Duo E6400
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte GA-965P-S3
    Memory
    [1024GB DDR2 667MHz] x2
    Graphics Card(s)
    Radeon X1950XT 256 MB (R580)
    Sound Card
    Build-In 7.1
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Samsung 2253BW 22" Wide
    Screen Resolution
    1680x1050x32
    Hard Drives
    WD 3200JS (320GB 8MB Buffer)
    PSU
    350W EZCool Real
    Case
    EZcool H-550D-F25 - MID TOWER
    Cooling
    One 4" Back Fan, One 12" Side Fan, Original Intel CPU Fan
    Internet Speed
    3MB down / 176KB up
Be careful. You could make a nice door stop out of your computer.
 

My Computer

System One

  • CPU
    pair of Intel E5430 quad core 2.66 GHz Xeons
    Motherboard
    Supermicro X7DWA-N server board
    Memory
    16GB DDR667
    Graphics Card(s)
    eVGA 8800 GTS 640 MB video card
    Hard Drives
    SAS RAID

My Computer

System One

  • CPU
    Intel Core 2 Duo E6400
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte GA-965P-S3
    Memory
    [1024GB DDR2 667MHz] x2
    Graphics Card(s)
    Radeon X1950XT 256 MB (R580)
    Sound Card
    Build-In 7.1
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Samsung 2253BW 22" Wide
    Screen Resolution
    1680x1050x32
    Hard Drives
    WD 3200JS (320GB 8MB Buffer)
    PSU
    350W EZCool Real
    Case
    EZcool H-550D-F25 - MID TOWER
    Cooling
    One 4" Back Fan, One 12" Side Fan, Original Intel CPU Fan
    Internet Speed
    3MB down / 176KB up
Something that holds your door open.
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    HP Compaq Presario/SR5113WM
    CPU
    AMD Athlon 64 X2 3600+ 1.9Ghz
    Motherboard
    Asus M2N68-LA
    Memory
    PNY Optima Memory DDR2 2GB 2x1 kit
    Graphics Card(s)
    PNY Nvidia 8400 GS 256MB
    Sound Card
    On board RealTek
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Acer X163W LCD
    Screen Resolution
    1366x768
    Hard Drives
    Western Digital 160 GB SATA 3G (3.0Gb/sec)
    7200 rpm
    Western Digital 160 GB IDE
    PSU
    Dynex 400w
    Case
    Nothin Special
    Cooling
    Stock
    Keyboard
    Standard 102 key with volume and sleep buttons
    Mouse
    Wireless Logitech LX7
    Internet Speed
    Comcrap 10mb cable
    Other Info
    Insignia 2.1 speakers, wireless Xbox 360 controller w/plug n play charger, Belkin wireless G + mimo usb network adapter.

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    Fumz' Flux-Capacitor
    CPU
    E8400
    Motherboard
    DFI LP DK P35-T2RS
    Memory
    4GB G.Skill PC-1066
    Graphics Card(s)
    eVGA 8800 GTS
    Sound Card
    X-Fi XtremeGamer
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Samsung 226BW
    Screen Resolution
    1680x1050
    Hard Drives
    500GB W.D. RE2 Primary
    1TB W.D. Caviar GP WD10EACS
    PSU
    PC Power & Cooling Silencer 610
    Case
    Lian Li Lancool K62
    Cooling
    Thermalright Ultima-90/S-Flex 120mm
    Keyboard
    MS Natural Elite 4000 Ergonomic
    Mouse
    Logitech G5
    Internet Speed
    2.5MB/430
    Other Info
    D-Link DGL 4500
Does your computer do what you want it to?
If the answer is yes then dont bother to overclock.
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    Self Built
    CPU
    I5 3570K
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte Z77-DS3H
    Memory
    4 x 4GB corsair ballistix sport DDR3 1600 Mhz
    Graphics Card(s)
    Gigabyte Geforce GTX 660 TI
    Sound Card
    creative x-fi
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Primary CiBox 22" Widescreen LCD ,Secondary Dell 22" Widescreen
    Screen Resolution
    Both 1680 x 1050
    Hard Drives
    2 x 500G HD (SATA) 1 x 2TB USB
    PSU
    Corsair HX 620W ATX2.2 Modular SLI Complient PSU
    Case
    Antec 900 Ultimate Gaming Case
    Cooling
    3 x 80mm tri led front, 120mm side 120mm back, 200mm top
    Keyboard
    Logik
    Mouse
    Technika TKOPTM2
    Internet Speed
    288 / 4000
    Other Info
    Creative Inspire 7.1 T7900 Speakers
    Trust Graphics Tablet
Well overclocking isn't for everyone. If your computer does what you'd like it to, and does it well. than no need to overclock. but when your someone like me that has a Quad Core stock at 3.0 Ghz.. I technically shouldn't need to overclock. but 4.0 Ghz is where I took it. Most can't go that high, and it's not really needed. It's just for the fun, and wanting to push your stuff the the extreme.

Yes overclocking will shorten the life of your components. but with good Air cooling, you'll be fine. CPU's last around 10+ years or more. so overclocking Safely.. you should be fine. Some people will say yes to OC, some will say no.

first off. if your CPU is stting around 55c like what you posted above. then NO, for sure do not overclock. thats a very high temp for how low your CPU is. if you want to overclock. you need to upgrade to better CPU Cooler to start. as heat is the biggest danger. is that 55c at full workload, or under idle speeds?
 

My Computer

System One

  • CPU
    Q9650 E0 4.0 GHz @1.304v
    Motherboard
    eVGA 750i FTW
    Memory
    2x2GB Corsair Dominator PC2-8500C5D
    Graphics Card(s)
    eVGA/MSI GTX 260 SLI
    Sound Card
    X-Fi XtremeGamer
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Samsung T240 & 226BW
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1200 & 1680x1050
    Hard Drives
    Seagate Cuda 500GB 32mb Cache SATA 7200.(11) + 500GB Seagate Cuda External eSATA, USB, FW400
    PSU
    PC P&C 750w Silencer PSU
    Case
    CoolerMaster HAF 932 (Water-Cooled)
    Cooling
    Plenty of Fans, and a few 230mm Fans
    Keyboard
    Logitech G11
    Mouse
    Logitech MX-518
    Other Info
    ASUS 20x Optical, Bose Companion 3, ATH-AD500 Cans :), Patriot Xporter 16GB Flash Drive (Very Fast), & Sandisk Micro 8GB.

    Nikon D40 DSLR with 18-105mm VR & 55-200mm VR
Bigman, despite gunther's warnings and admonitions, he's your man. He's a very good clocker and has the patience to walk you through each step of the process. Roll with him and you'll be a happy camper. Honestly, in 10 years at this (clocking), I've never met a guy more patient, able and willing to help out others than gunther.... run with him.
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    Fumz' Flux-Capacitor
    CPU
    E8400
    Motherboard
    DFI LP DK P35-T2RS
    Memory
    4GB G.Skill PC-1066
    Graphics Card(s)
    eVGA 8800 GTS
    Sound Card
    X-Fi XtremeGamer
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Samsung 226BW
    Screen Resolution
    1680x1050
    Hard Drives
    500GB W.D. RE2 Primary
    1TB W.D. Caviar GP WD10EACS
    PSU
    PC Power & Cooling Silencer 610
    Case
    Lian Li Lancool K62
    Cooling
    Thermalright Ultima-90/S-Flex 120mm
    Keyboard
    MS Natural Elite 4000 Ergonomic
    Mouse
    Logitech G5
    Internet Speed
    2.5MB/430
    Other Info
    D-Link DGL 4500
Thank you all for your useful posts, I`ve got answers I wanted. :)
I understood that for a decent OC I need to improve my air cooling system, which I will try to do.

I am fine with the current performance, but 'fine' is not enough for heavy games& a lot of processes needed to be calculated.

About the CPU temps, these are under idle speeds.


p/s Can I overclock my GPU without adding any more cooling systems?
p/s2 Whats normal temps for unOCed core?
 
Last edited:

My Computer

System One

  • CPU
    Intel Core 2 Duo E6400
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte GA-965P-S3
    Memory
    [1024GB DDR2 667MHz] x2
    Graphics Card(s)
    Radeon X1950XT 256 MB (R580)
    Sound Card
    Build-In 7.1
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Samsung 2253BW 22" Wide
    Screen Resolution
    1680x1050x32
    Hard Drives
    WD 3200JS (320GB 8MB Buffer)
    PSU
    350W EZCool Real
    Case
    EZcool H-550D-F25 - MID TOWER
    Cooling
    One 4" Back Fan, One 12" Side Fan, Original Intel CPU Fan
    Internet Speed
    3MB down / 176KB up
Thank you Fumz for the Compliments.. Tried to give you some Rep, but says I must spread the LOVE first.. lol

:)

OK. to start Bigman. you need to go to userCP at top left of screen. and enter all the info of your system under edit system Specs.

Also I don't know what GPU you have. so I don't know what type of overclock you can get. but I see it's running at 57c. thats not great. but not bad.. good enough to safely overclock.. depending on what model it is.

as for the CPU. your on the stock CPU Cooler I'm assuming. as those temps are to high. they should be around that temp at 100% Full load.

I'd invest in a decent Air cooler for the CPU, something like the Xigmatek 2-1283.. it's only 39.99 and it's rated in the top 5.. total! so it's one of the best price/performance coolers around. but make sure it will fit your case. that or the Tuniq Tower is a good one. I have that. the Thermalright Ultimate 120 "Extreme" is the BEST.. if your willing to sped $50 bucks.

Also almost all e6400's can hit 3.0 Ghz with half decent cooling. some higher. toping around 3.6 Ghz if your lucky on Air cooling. but thats pretty high. I'm thinkin something around 3.0 Ghz, maybe 3.2 Ghz for you. and that will show some good performance increases. plus depending on how good of a video card you have. the slow CPU could be holding it bakc. and 3.0 Ghz on CPU could unlease it's top performance. lol so fill out your system specs and look into better cooling, and you'll get to 3.0 Ghz stable... Mkay!
 

My Computer

System One

  • CPU
    Q9650 E0 4.0 GHz @1.304v
    Motherboard
    eVGA 750i FTW
    Memory
    2x2GB Corsair Dominator PC2-8500C5D
    Graphics Card(s)
    eVGA/MSI GTX 260 SLI
    Sound Card
    X-Fi XtremeGamer
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Samsung T240 & 226BW
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1200 & 1680x1050
    Hard Drives
    Seagate Cuda 500GB 32mb Cache SATA 7200.(11) + 500GB Seagate Cuda External eSATA, USB, FW400
    PSU
    PC P&C 750w Silencer PSU
    Case
    CoolerMaster HAF 932 (Water-Cooled)
    Cooling
    Plenty of Fans, and a few 230mm Fans
    Keyboard
    Logitech G11
    Mouse
    Logitech MX-518
    Other Info
    ASUS 20x Optical, Bose Companion 3, ATH-AD500 Cans :), Patriot Xporter 16GB Flash Drive (Very Fast), & Sandisk Micro 8GB.

    Nikon D40 DSLR with 18-105mm VR & 55-200mm VR
Thank you Fumz for the Compliments.. Tried to give you some Rep, but says I must spread the LOVE first.. lol

:)

OK. to start Bigman. you need to go to userCP at top left of screen. and enter all the info of your system under edit system Specs.

Also I don't know what GPU you have. so I don't know what type of overclock you can get. but I see it's running at 57c. thats not great. but not bad.. good enough to safely overclock.. depending on what model it is.

as for the CPU. your on the stock CPU Cooler I'm assuming. as those temps are to high. they should be around that temp at 100% Full load.

I'd invest in a decent Air cooler for the CPU, something like the Xigmatek 2-1283.. it's only 39.99 and it's rated in the top 5.. total! so it's one of the best price/performance coolers around. but make sure it will fit your case. that or the Tuniq Tower is a good one. I have that. the Thermalright Ultimate 120 "Extreme" is the BEST.. if your willing to sped $50 bucks.

Also almost all e6400's can hit 3.0 Ghz with half decent cooling. some higher. toping around 3.6 Ghz if your lucky on Air cooling. but thats pretty high. I'm thinkin something around 3.0 Ghz, maybe 3.2 Ghz for you. and that will show some good performance increases. plus depending on how good of a video card you have. the slow CPU could be holding it bakc. and 3.0 Ghz on CPU could unlease it's top performance. lol so fill out your system specs and look into better cooling, and you'll get to 3.0 Ghz stable... Mkay!

System Specs updated :)

I`m usign intel's standerd CPU fan, and I have Radeon x1950XT 256MB R580 GPU card - its gigabyte's (air cooling fan).


About the Air Cooling you mentioned, which one of the above did you meant to?
http://www.xigmatek.com/product/air-hdts1283.php
http://www.xigmatek.com/product/air-redscorpions1283.php
http://www.xigmatek.com/product/air-dark-knight-s1283.php
 

My Computer

System One

  • CPU
    Intel Core 2 Duo E6400
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte GA-965P-S3
    Memory
    [1024GB DDR2 667MHz] x2
    Graphics Card(s)
    Radeon X1950XT 256 MB (R580)
    Sound Card
    Build-In 7.1
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Samsung 2253BW 22" Wide
    Screen Resolution
    1680x1050x32
    Hard Drives
    WD 3200JS (320GB 8MB Buffer)
    PSU
    350W EZCool Real
    Case
    EZcool H-550D-F25 - MID TOWER
    Cooling
    One 4" Back Fan, One 12" Side Fan, Original Intel CPU Fan
    Internet Speed
    3MB down / 176KB up
Been on a vication this week. I`m back :)

xguntherc, Waiting for your word.
 

My Computer

System One

  • CPU
    Intel Core 2 Duo E6400
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte GA-965P-S3
    Memory
    [1024GB DDR2 667MHz] x2
    Graphics Card(s)
    Radeon X1950XT 256 MB (R580)
    Sound Card
    Build-In 7.1
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Samsung 2253BW 22" Wide
    Screen Resolution
    1680x1050x32
    Hard Drives
    WD 3200JS (320GB 8MB Buffer)
    PSU
    350W EZCool Real
    Case
    EZcool H-550D-F25 - MID TOWER
    Cooling
    One 4" Back Fan, One 12" Side Fan, Original Intel CPU Fan
    Internet Speed
    3MB down / 176KB up
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