Ok, so, OCing... Where do I start? (hElP me iMa n00b OCer)

[masterspud777]

Hey everyone! I bought a new computer recently from Newegg.com (that place rocks!). Here's my new rig:

P4 2.8GHz 800FSB 1MB L2 cache (Prescott)
1GB (2x512MB) Kingston HyperX DDR PC-3200 (400MHz) (2-3-2-6-1T)
ASUS P4C800-E DELUXE Mobo
ATI RADEON 9800 PRO Video Card, 256MB 8x AGP

OK, so, I'd like to try overclocking. I've heard a lot about it, but never tried it. My main concern is that I don't want to destroy any of my computer parts (I'm a college student on a limited budget 8)). Can anyone help me get started?

It sounds like I need software of some sort to do this. Anyone know where I can get some free software?

BTW, I only have a 350W power supply. Should I upgrade that at all for OCing?

Last question (for now :wink:), should I get a water cooling system before I even consider this? Id' rather stick with fans (cheaper) if I can.

Thanks all!!

-Spud

[DaMiEn]

im not totally sure about some of the finer points of overclocking but ill try help out anyway.
before you overclock check out what your temps are like. i use a program called everest to do this http://www.lavalys.com.hk/products/everesthome.asp . ive heard that the prescotts run quite hot so definitely check this out before you try overclocking. it shouldnt be absolutely critical that you buy a new power supply, im running an overclocked amd on a generic 350 watt psu, but a quality psu is probably a good investment nevertheless (look for enermax) as for the bios, frequencies, multiplyers, ram etc i dont know anything about it cos ive had no experience with petiums so ill let others do the talking from here.

[fastedie]

You asked a big Question there,Over clocking is for plp who can talk to the Bios Iam sure some mb have oc tool but most are done from start-up del. Every mb is diff and if you have the owener manul most show pic of the diff stages of things you can change. You also need a way to monitor the voltage and temp of the cpu, and mb. I not suer where the cpu melts at but if the temps run hot enough you can kiss it bye. I would not go over 60c I think it melts at 79c.Ok I have never told anyone how too oc
before fair warning. I am sure there are plp here that can give you a better explanation than I can but this should give you an idea whats envolved.

[undergroundtech]

You should not need to download anything, your Asus mobo should have come with a CD. On that CD should be a Asus utility called "Probe", install that and it will tell you about your temps, voltage, ect...

Next, know your Bios!

[Roadracer_4ever]

Try starting from your BIOS as has been previously suggested. Most new CPU's are locked, so changing the multiplier has sort of faded unless you feel like finding a way to unlock it(requires mods to the chip). For a n00b OC'er let's stick with the basics.
Getting a stable(key word here) OC requires a number of variables. The first of these(not necissarily listed in order of importance) is FSB, or front side bus. In your BIOS you'll see something labelled as FSB frequency(or similar) simply scroll to it and slowly up it one or two increments at a time, and reboot to see if it will boot into a stable operating system environment.
The second thing is voltage. You will hit a wall with the FSB, where it no longer boots into a stable, working environment, and to get a bit further, you can up the voltage on your CPU(would be found in the BIOS under voltage settings, providing your BIOS is so equipped) Don't overdo it here as yet, try upping it one voltage setting and then try upping the FSB a bit more. You can also up the voltage to your chipset(providing it has at least a passive heatsink on it, but recommend an active cooler if at all possible...one with a fan) Here again, you'll hit a limit. You can change RAM frequencies if your BIOS provides the option to do so as well, but running in a 1:1 frequency ratio has provided me with the best over-all performance thus far, others may have found better performance in other configurations.
Before trying to clock to far, keep an eye on the temps, and definitely look at running at least a good aftermarket CPU cooler(Vantec, Thermaltake etc) to keep the cpu cool, and possibly an aftermarket chipset cooler as well. If you're looking for crazy, extreme overclocking, a water cooled rig is the best way to go.
General rule of thumb here as well....if in doubt....don't change a thing. Also, only change one item at a time, and reboot. If something goes wrong, it's often hard to remember everything you've changed and setting things back to default becomes your only way out, rather than simply undoing the last change you made in the BIOS. Good luck and keep us posted as to your success. Also read the what is overclocking guide posted here in the forums.

[Beemer]

When you boot into your operating system after changing setting and your checking to see how stable your system is, you might want to use a porgram to really put your processor through its paces.
http://www.ocia.net/downloads.shtml
That links to sandra, use the cpu burn in or cpu benchmark within that program. Run it a couple times, it will basically max out your cpu for a couple minutes. As it is doing this it is a good idea to check your cpu temp, as it will be running at its hottest. If it makes it through a couple runs of sandra without locking up, and your cpu isn't running too hot, you should be good to go.

[masterspud777]

Awesome! Thanks guys! I will try to mess with my setup as you've suggested. I'll keep you posted. It may take me a few days to actually get back to you all as my computer is actually still in the mail coming to me. I ordered it on Sunday night. (OK, so I got excited about OCing and maybe jumpd the gun a little...) :D Anyway, thanks a bunch.

With great anticipation,
-Spud

[KryoNexus]

lol, well best of luck to you then.

btw, you have a very good setup to begin overclocking, particularly with the motherboard you selected. the new prescotts don't overclock quite as well as some of the older P4's, but you should still be able to squeeze at least a 500mhz overclock out of it.

techniq and I both have P4 2.8C processors as well, though ours are one generation behind yours. if you are going to overclock though, i would definitely recommend buying a Thermalright SP-94 if you are going to be air-cooling (though the new Thermalright XP-120 looks very promising).

a couple of other tips i thought of for you though that i don't think have been mentioned thus far....

when you hit the brick wall and can't push your processor any further at 1:1 ratio (cpu:memory), try changing the ratio to 5:4 and see if it is the memory holding you back or the processor itself. then adjust the voltage on which ever needs it accordingly. also, i noticed that you only have pc3200 memory. you will likely need to run a 5:4 divider if you plan to overclock very far with this memory. the memory will almost definitely bottom out before your cpu does if you run 1:1. so down the road, some better memory, such as Corsair 4000 might be in order.

also, keep your memory timings as low as you can. if the memory is holding you back a few Mhz, then you can relax the timings up a bit, but if you are only talking about 5 Mhz FSB or so, then it's better to knock it down a bit and keep your memory timings tight.

[ericxw]

seems like everyone have said everything u need.............

just to add in that if ur going to OC ur Vid card.......... try ATI Tool, and easy to use auto OC program.