what is the best way to overclock your processor

[mikeandike22]

i have a dell dimension 8300 with xp how would i overclock it. The processor is a pentium 4 ht 3ghz (and something about 2 cpu's it said in dxdiag but i do not have 2 processors).

[TallCool1]

i have a dell dimension 8300 with xp how would i overclock it. The processor is a pentium 4 ht 3ghz (and something about 2 cpu's it said in dxdiag but i do not have 2 processors).

The "two processors" sensing and the "ht" reference is because of hyperthreading. As far as I know, it's almost impossible to overclock a Dell--the motherboard and BIOS simply do not support it. Most Dells of this series use an Intel-manufactured motherboard, which is great for corporate IT applications but lousy for home users; as I'm sure you can imagine, Intel doesn't support overclocking as a matter of policy. It's one of many reasons why I don't recommend Dell computers or, for that matter, Pentium 4 processors.

[killa62]

Furthermore, if you want to overclock your processor, i would recommending buying a new Motherboard that supports overclocking, but that would start a whole chain of events, including buying a new case, cpu heatsink/fan combo, and PSU. Thus i believe it isn't worth it for you to overclock your processor.

[Narue]

> what is the best way to overclock your processor
The best way to overclock your processor is to realize that overclocking doesn't do as much as you may think, and usually has detrimental effects. Then you can perform a safe upgrade that actually makes a difference. :rolleyes:

[Catweazle]

The best way to overclock a processor is slowly and carefully, monitoring stability and temperature levels diligently and carefully as you go.

As said, you can't do it on proprietary name-brand PCs.

And Narue, people who overclock seriously don't do it to gain the performance boost really. Those people who are serious overclocking enthusiasts are generally quite knowledgeable enough to recognize that performance improvements to processors don't really translate to much system performance improvement. In fact, they're usually quite technologically proficient people to start with. Just like 'Hot Rodders' in the automobile world, the activity is a hobby/pastime valued for its own sake.

And like every human activity it has its newcomers and onlookers. One of the first things newcomers learn is that overclocking doesn't really turn your PC into a 'supercomputer', and most drift away rather quickly.

That's why the activity really only 'belongs' to enthusiasts ;)

[mokkema]

Being a crazy OCer myself...its more for the fun of seeing how high you can get your processor...or how stable you can get it. I watercooled my PC for stability issues...and I love it. Though others wouldn't notice much of a difference, when you get to be really into it, you just do...I dunno...its fun!

But yeah...Dell + Overclocking = No.

[mikeandike22]

i was thinking about getting an asus motherboard would that be a good choice. and if i ever had the money i would get water cooling(my processor heat is some ridiculous number like 174 farenheit) and a 64 bit processor.

[Catweazle]

What are you using to measure that temperature. It sounds ridiculous!

[mikeandike22]

it is just what my computer told me i guess that is what the cover is for. my comp was probably wrong in its assesment. anyways what motherboard should i get my bro says asus.

[Catweazle]

Most enthusiasts in my circles would prefer the ABit IC-y series of motherboards for a performance system. Relatively inexpensive, very good performance and overclocking capability, very good value.

The Northbridge chipset fan on them is a weak point, but it's easy enough to get a better aftermarket replacement unit later on if you need to.

[mikeandike22]

what do you think of the Abit ag8 is that a good one it is about $129 on newegg.com
what else are you running with it i need my motherboard to be able to use pentium 4 ht, Nvidia geforce fx 5200, soundblaster audigy 2 (thats all i can think of w/o openin up my machine) i forget what type of memory i have because my dad got new one a little while ago and so can that run all that. Also one more question how much does water cooling usually cost.

[Catweazle]

oops, that was a typo. Should have been ABit IC-7

The ABit AG8 is no good to you unless you're planning on purchasing a new processor and video card as well. It's a motherboard for LGA-775 (Socket T) processors, and the board uses PCI-Express slots not AGP slot.

A new motherboard won't give you bugger-all performance improvement, and neither will an overclock on your processor. A 3GHz Pentium 4 is plenty enough for just about anything and will be for ages yet. If you want to improve performance on your PC the best thing to do is to replace that FX5200 display card, which is a kids toy rather than a real 3D card, and ensure you have at least 512Mb of RAM and preferably 1Gb of RAM.

[mikeandike22]

i have 512mb ram if i ever saved up enough i would get 2 gb if i have enough slots (i should it would be a little over 2 if i have 4 512mb cards) adn what do you suggest for a video card my brother might give me his geforce 5500 when he custom builds his comp. the 5200 was upgraded from a geforce 4 after my powersupply ran out and dell just sent us a whole new way more upgraded computer for no extra cost (steal)

Old comp:
512 mb ram
2 (or around 2)ghz pentium 4
geforce 4
cd burner
dvd drive
xp
sound blaster audigy card

new comp
512 mb ram
3 ghz pentium 4 ht
geforce fx 5200
dvd/cd burner
xp
sound blaster audigy 2 card.

[Catweazle]

512MB of RAM is half a gigabyte. A Gigabyte is 1024 megabytes ;)

This topic has my recommendations for good price/performance points and what display cards to get at those points.

you'll have to do a little research yourself (or hope someone else jumps in and provides further information) because I'm only familiar with prices in Australian dollars

[mikeandike22]

it doesnt matter what currency you are using as long as they sell the same card world wide then it will be fine. I justed wanted to know in your opinion what the best video card it is.

I am also pretty satisified with the 5200 performance it can run doom3 at high quality res without going slow it only goes slow when i do halo campaign but that is because the game engine is crap. My friends dad called the 5500 a piece of $hit when i recommended buying it and when i asked what he was thinking about getting he said a fx 4 (shows how much he knows). They didn't get a nvidia card they got a ati radeon 9600 pro which from my experience is notorius for driver problems.

[Catweazle]

I edited the post above, because I forgot to include the link earlier. sorry about that.

And Dude, you are definitely not getting the best in display quality from Doom 3 on an FX5200! The best display cards available on the market can't extract the best that game has to offer! What you think is good quality will only be a quite reduced set of available features. Doom 3 is very scalable, and can run quite playably even on a Gf4 MX card.

[Coconut Monkey]

My friends dad called the 5500 a piece of $hit

I'm afraid I'd have to agree with them. It's a cut-down 5600 which is a bad card to begin with!

they got a ati radeon 9600 pro which from my experience is notorius for driver problems.

A good buy! They can have problems, but there are numerous fixes available and the performance is well over that of a 5500.

[alc6379]

i was thinking about getting an asus motherboard would that be a good choice. and if i ever had the money i would get water cooling(my processor heat is some ridiculous number like 174 farenheit) and a 64 bit processor.

Just an FYI:

There's not a single Dimension system with a 64-bit processor. You will absolutely be unable to overclock that chip in that system, and it wouldn't be to your advantage to try to change out the motherboard. Dell's cases aren't really designed to have their motherboards upgraded. After all, it wouldn't be a Dell anymore-- it'd just be a new motherboard in a Dell case.

[jermaghs07]

i have 512mb ram if i ever saved up enough i would get 2 gb if i have enough slots (i should it would be a little over 2 if i have 4 512mb cards) adn what do you suggest for a video card my brother might give me his geforce 5500 when he custom builds his comp. the 5200 was upgraded from a geforce 4 after my powersupply ran out and dell just sent us a whole new way more upgraded computer for no extra cost (steal)

Old comp:
512 mb ram
2 (or around 2)ghz pentium 4
geforce 4
cd burner
dvd drive
xp
sound blaster audigy card

new comp
512 mb ram
3 ghz pentium 4 ht
geforce fx 5200
dvd/cd burner
xp
sound blaster audigy 2 card.

IF you have at least a 500w PSU i would suggest a BFG 7950. great card for a good price on newegg.com. that will run about any game or program you want. just make sure you have a PCIe slot on your board, but unless it is like 5 years old that shouldn't be a problem

oh BTW don't use 4 512Mb sticks of ram. unless you are running DDR2 that won't be benificial at all. just go to newegg or tigerdirect and get 2 1Gb sticks for like $40.

Oh also i agree, overclocking is a waste of time expecially with an older Intel, it will melt like butter. as soon as that thing gets over 65 degrees C it will be toast.

[The New Normal]

Resurrection!

[jermaghs07]

Oh BTW if you want a real good suggestion. get rid of that Dell. sell it and build you own. dell computers can't really be upgraded.

[jermaghs07]

Also one more question how much does water cooling usually cost.

Don't water cool. with a 3GHz pro you don't need to water cool. plus it's way too expensive and you have to know exactly what you are doing when you install it or you could break a hose and ruin your entire computer the second it kicks on.

the heat sync that came with the processor will be adequate. if you are going to put a bigger video card, just get a PCI video card cooler. their cheap and they work.

Water cooling + Newbie = $900 Whoopsie

[caperjack]

making suggestion in a 3 year old post make no sense at all ,god making suggestion in a 3 month old thread, almost make no sense around here .lol

[jbennet]

you cant overclock a dell

also the dells have ZERO fan speed or temp sensors and ZERO additional fan headers

[jermaghs07]

WOW!!!! I didn't realize this thread was that old. I feel like an idiot!