Simple to upgrade/replace CPU..?

[miseryguts]

I am currently on a i7 920 (o/c to 3.2GHz) Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-X58A-UD3R & NorthQ 850W Dual Rail PSU
How simple (or not) would it be to replace it for a novice that has never done any upgrading whatsoever..?

Would it be better to just further overclock this CPU or to upgrade (i have a very limited budget at the moment) if a CPU upgrade is preferable could people suggest what would give the most performance (and overclock potential) for the least amount of money..?

Thanks.

 

[Hagar]

Overclock it to 4Ghz. Should not be too difficult. However you may need to install an aftermarket cooler which is fairly easy to do.

 

[nickrose]

I would overclock it further, I have just swapped out a i7 920 that has been running very happily @ 4ghz for the last 2 years. I know all 920's may not run at 4ghz, but even if you could get it to 3.7 or 3.8.

And the best thing is it will not cost a penny, just a little bit of work.

If you are struggling with the overclock there are plenty of us here to help.

 

[nickrose]

Overclock it to 4Ghz. Should not be too difficult. However you may need to install an aftermarket cooler which is fairly easy to do.

+1 on the cooler.

 

[miseryguts]

Many thanks for the answers, i have tried already with my (VERY) limited knowledge of overclocking to push further but can't get beyond 3.2GHz without the blue screen of death, i am unsure whether this is due to the fact that the currently installed cooler: Scythe Katana 2 Heatpipe Quiet CPU Cooler simply isn't up to the task or my i7 refuses to go any higher (as some have suggested) i have been advised to go for a: Thermaltake Frio Dual Fan as it is compatible with my case: Coolermaster CM690 Dominator Black ATX (and should allow a significant overclock) but don't really want the expense if it is simply a matter of my i7 having reached it's limits.

Any further advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Hagar]

I have a .pdf file on my domain http://eng.im which is the OCUK overclock on an i7 950 with a gigabyte board similar to you. Click to open.

The settings for the 920 should be very similar although you have a max multiplier of 20x. try the settings shown with 20 x 191 (3820) at a core voltage of 1.35V. Your ram may be different though and you should aim as close to the frequency as possible with the ram multipliers.

Cheers, andy