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geforce 9800gx2

You only need to achive 3.6Ghz and job done.

IF you can go higher whilst mainting control of volts and heat, then do so, but 3.6Ghz is the target.

Edit* I see your cpu is 2.6GHz at stock... so I would estimate your max overclock, if your using air to be about 3.2Ghz-3.4Ghz although you may be lucky and achive more than this.

The process of overclocking is a gradual one, so dont rush it. It takes time. A gradual overclock and a well tested on is a stable overclock. One you can game on and have it not crash on you.
 
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ok m8 will do
btw im not sure what cooler i have because the one on the cpu is way bigger then the stock cooler for a q9450
 
Kash said:
ok m8 will do
btw im not sure what cooler i have because the one on the cpu is way bigger then the stock cooler for a q9450
Click to expand...

Thats probably a good thing, becuase stock fan will limit the overclock due to heat.

In all honesty, spen this weekend getting your cpu overclock sorted.

After that you can look at your gpu options. Im thinking your best bet is the ATI 6970, becuase it will be powerful, and if its anything like the rest of the 6000 or 5000 series will be relatively quiet and cool running which the GTX 470 or the GTX 480 will not be.

If you choose not to wait for the 6970, then I would go for the GTX 470.

Currently there are a few 470's to choose from, but this one come's pre overclocked and with a good cooling solution:

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-066-GI&groupid=701&catid=56&subcat=1810

But its important to get that cpu overclocked at a stable frequency inorder to get the most from any future gpu upgrade.

Find out what make psu you have as well, as its important to know if it is powerful enough to even run a GTX 470...
 
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what should i be looking for in temps. also will primo will give me any message saying if the overclock is to much?
 
All prime does is run mathimatical calculations.

Overclockers use it, becuase if it makes a miscalculation it means the overclock is unstable.

It will tell you that an error has occured. When his happens you stop it, reboot, up the voltage slightly and try again.

As with temps I say max out at around 55c... no more.

With volts, no more than 1.4v in the bios.

Play with it your know once you start testing where your cpu is, currently with volts and temps.

Follow my instructions above and your be ok.

The only two things which will tell you if overclock is too much is the temps start hitting 55c or the amont of voltage your setting in the bios, is getting near to 1.4v.

Everything else beneath these two values you test using prime 95, as it basically is telling you if the overclock is stable or not (error)

Your need monitoring software as well as prime 95 to start however. Temperature monitor and voltage monitor.
 
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basically i put my pc to 3.5ghz on the q9450 and voltage is set automaticaly at 1.31v
idle temps are at 38-40 and primo has been running for 45 mins at 59-62
 
hmmm

Ok, well the temps are high.

But if they dont get any higher..... you may be ok.

Once you think you'v found a stable overclock leave prime 95 for about 5 + hours (seriously) and if it stays stable with out one single error, you can be fairly confident the overclock is stable.

Just remeber to right the voltages and clock settings own or create a profile in the bios if it lets you, and you should be ok.
 
ok will do
do you think i should be changing the cooler from the huge cooler i have? also i have never cleaned it, should i?
 
Kash said:
ok will do
do you think i should be changing the cooler from the huge cooler i have? also i have never cleaned it, should i?
Click to expand...

If its full of dust, clean it. Also if you do take the cooler off, make sure to put some decent thermal paste on the cpu.

Also find out what cooler you'v got and let me know.
 
MCP is Northbrdige which is fine at 52c

Not sure about SPP, might* be southbridge. At 52c is ok as well.

Is the cpu still running prime 95? Temperatures?

As long as your cpu is not exceeding 55-60c its ok....

You may need better cooling....

It is very importnat to find out what wattage your psu is as any future gpu will need a good power supply.

Then again if your running a 9800gx2 off of the psu, then that gives you an indication of what kind of gpu it can power.
 
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well in primo its at 67 degrees

so now i got paid today from work yey
meaning eitha i wait for a new card or buy the 6870 or gtx470 or wait for a new card
i really want somethin less power consuming
 
If your cpu is 67 degrees under load thats very hot.... but it may be ok, as according to Intel your cpu's max is 70c. But its still going very close to the max which is never good. Could cause damage. If your overclcok is 3.5ghz currently, either look in to better cooling or lower the clock speed so temps go down to 65c max.

Even that is too hot as well. It sounds like your cooling could be better.

If you want low power consuming graphics, then you need to buy an ATI Graphics card.

A 6870 or wait and spend a lot more money on the 6970.... due out in a few weeks probably.

As it stands, however, due to the fact that it sounds like your cpu currently is going to have to be down clocked to 3.2-3.4 I would save my money and get a 6870.

Look at some benchmarks for the 6870 and see what you think. Its about as powerfull as a stock 470.
 
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From what I gather from looking at overclcoking resultson thei nternet for your cpu, 3.5 is already at the maximum end of the results.

I dont think you'r achive any higher without water cooling and much higher voltages.

I do think your temperatures are high however. I think you may need to lower the overclock or buy some better cooling.

IF* the cpu can run prinme 95 continuously for 5-8 hours (more the better) then it is more or less stable and yu should see a crash whilst gaming.

However if your temps are at 67c and one hot day your gaming away... the cpu will over heat and probably throttle back the cpu speed to protect its self from damage... thats why cooling is important.

AS with graphics cards... I personally think you should save a bit of money and buy a 6870.

The reason is becuase you want to buy hardware which is at a similar level as the rest of your system. If you by the best most expensive gpu it will bottle neck on your cpu.

Its up to you, if you buy a 6870, your getting a cool runing, quiet card of the speed of a 470 or somewhere inbeteen a 5850 and a 5870. Plus I think tis performance is on the same level as your cpu.

If you get the 6970 which will probably close to £300 in games which are GPU bound the card will perform, but in games which need a little bit more cpu performance I think the card will be slightly bottlenecked on your cpu.

Save the money and get a 6870. Honestly no need for a ram upgrade or an ssd.

Save your money, and in two years upgradethe whole system (ram, cpu, mobo, gpu) as I am.
 
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Alternativly if you find out what cpu cooler your using, I can try and estimate if buying a new cooler would allow better cpu overclock and then your be in a better position to see if buying a 6970 is going to be worth while.
 
Ok, as you can see I started a thread in this part of the forum asking if your cpu would bottleneck the 6970.

The general consensus is not really. So if you want to spend all your money on a graphics card, then wait for the 6970.

If you want to save a little bit of money and want to buy now, then a 6870 or a GTX 470: http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-066-GI&groupid=701&catid=56&subcat=1810


The 470 uses a lot of power but is considerably better than than the stock 6870.
 
ok i looked at the corsair hydro h70. would that drop my cpu temps a lot more down for better clocks. I havent read any new info online about people overclocking their q9450 in 2010, all those i seen are from 2008ish
 
Becuase you dont have a top of the range CPU, I wouldnt bother getting a really expensive water cooler like the H70.

Maybe if you wanted to go down that route, there is a slighty cheaper version such a the H50.

How are you getting along with the overclocking? Do you understand the process, and how Prime 95 works now? Its veru important to understand how the overclocking process works, otherwise buying expensive kit is a bit of a waste.

Its up to you.

If you want better cooling and can afford the money get a H50. I would create a thread in the overclocking section of this forum, to ask if it's worth while and if it will indeed drop your temps on the cpu.

Beyound that the gpu option you choose is also up to you. Buy now and get a 6870 or a GTX 470.

Better yet, wait a few more weeks and see what the 6970 is like.

A cpu cooler ad a graphics card, is far better for imporving your fps in games than upgrading your ram, ssd and a gpu.
 
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