Tempted to Overclock my new I3 build ... Should I?

T0M0

T0M0

T0M0

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Joined
11 Feb 2010
Posts
109
Hi all,

Just decided to try and give this overclocking lark a go, especially if it means I am going to see faster speeds from my computer.

Here's my current spec, all running fine at stock...

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Intel Core i3 530 2.93GHz (Clarkdale) (Socket LGA1156) - Retail

Corsair 4GB (2X2GB) DDR3 PC3-10666C9 1333MHz Dual Channel Kit (CMV4GX3M2A1333C9)

Gigabyte GA-H55M-UD2H Intel H55 (Socket 1156) DDR3 microATX Motherboard

Corsair CX 400W ATX Power Supply (CMPSU-400CXUK)

Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 500GB SATA-II 16MB Cache - OEM (ST3500418AS)

Coolermaster Elite 335 Case - Black

Sony Optiarc AD-5240S 24x DVD±RW SATA ReWriter (Black) - OEM

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Just really wanting to know whether it would be worth it, and more importantly whether it would be possible?

Is it hard to do for someone who has never done it before? I understand it voids the warranty, which is a bit worrying!

Thanks,
Tom
 
you can get extra performance at absolutely no risk.

At lot of the intel chips will overclock by as much as 1GHz without even touching the stock voltages.

Its only when people start getting silly with voltages that problems can start happening.
 
You'll be able to get at least 4Ghz, should be able to get 4.2, possibly even higher depending on how well cooled the CPU is.

I have mine in a Lian Li V350 running at 4.2Ghz, and that is a very small case.
 
Yeah, I was going to say make sure you get a good cooler. Something that at least cools i7's, just so your i3 is frosty :p
 
Thanks for the advice.

I was concerned about the lack of cooling I currently have, stock cooler that came with my coolermaster case, and the stock cooler that came with the cpu.

Is it definitely worth upgrading the CPU cooler? I would like to try and keep costs to a minimum on this one, having just purchased the PC.

I wouldn't necessarily need to go as high as 4GHZ. I have never done this before, but would like to increase performance if I could.

How high would I be able to go on stock coolers? Or is that a "how long is a piece of string" question?

Thanks for the advice.

Tom
 
U could hit 4 Ghz with stock cooler but temps wont be too good

dont bother with a stock cooler stick a Tuniq Tower 120 Extreme Rev. C I would have used one on my 950 if i had not been water cooling since my core 2 E6600

And clock the the pants off it i did with a mates build well happy and that was in a crappy case with no other case fans managed to hit 4.4 GHZ
 
If you want to keep costs down and are not too concerned with getting every last Mhz of performance out of the chip why not go for something like the hyper tx3 or similar? It is cheap but still better than the stock cooler. Should give a nice boost in OC headroom.
 
I am after a good cooler fo my i3. Don't want to spend a lot though. Any ideas guys? I already have some good 12omm fans.

Also, as a noob to overclocking, where do i start? I have read through the sticky but remember, i am a complete noob! lol
 
The sticky is really a great starter guide, just start by raising the cpu multiplier a notch and see if it's stable (run prime95 or IBT to test this, monitoring temps of course as you go), and repeat until it isn't stable. At that point you can raise the cpu voltage in increments until it's stable or temps become too high to continue, at which point back it off a bit. Once you max out the multiplier on the cpu (no idea what the max on an i3 is) start raising the fsb.
 
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