worth overclocking?

farley2020

farley2020

farley2020

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Joined
19 Feb 2010
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7
Hey all,

i've had my pc for about 2 years, and i'm thinking of getting it over clocked nothing fancy just a bit more power if it needs it.

My spec is:

Processor - Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Quad CPU Q6700 @ 2.66GHz (4 CPUs), ~2.7GHz
Memory - 4096MB RAM
Graphics card - NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GTS 512
Motherboard - Asus P5N-E sli
Case - X-blade gaming case

I'm going to upgrade the Graphics Card to an ATI Radeon HD 5770 1024MB
what about the CPU should i overclock this to 3GHz? or wouldn't it make any differnce?

My CPU sits around 54c on the desktop should i upgrade the case? or just the CPU fan? any idea what kind?

thanks
Rob
 
You'll need to ditch the stock Intel cooler and get yourself something in a tower design with heatpipes and a large fan, preferably 120mm.

Maybe the Akasa freezer pro (92mm fan)

or the Titan Fenrir

depend how much you wish to spend.

Top end would be Prolimatech Megahalehms, Noctua D14 and possibly Corsair H50.
 
I have the E6600 and the corsair H50-1 with apache 120mm fan in an Antec Sonata I case.

I've OC'd it to 3.302GHz from the standard 2.39Ghz with this combo, which is just under a 40% overclock! Go ahead, its easier than you think!

I'm no expert at overclocking and I haven't properly stress tested it, yet its stable enough that it doesn't shutdown, windows operates as normal, temps after being on for 10 hrs in "normal usage" are 48/50C Idle and I think max in games is around 58/59C.

I doubt I would pass an extended 10hr Prime test at the present clock without tweaking it a little more. I added about 0.035 volts to the CPU to get it to run through a few minutes of Prime95.

I reckon I'd be better off at 3.2Ghz but I cant be arsed to change it back. I know we dont have the same cpu but it should give you a rough idea of what should be possible.

3.2Ghz would be where I'd start with once you get a decent cooler.
 
I believe overclocking is always worth it. Sometimes you might need to spend a little more money on cooling to get a decent overclock but its usually cheaper then upgrading the actual hardware.

As mentioned before, I have the Megahalems cooler with an Apache 120mm Fan. This keeps my Q6600 cool and allows me to overclock to 3.4Ghz, trying to get 3.6Ghz soon, thats 50% extra power for the cost of about £55 for the cooling.

I have seen a difference in my PC since overclocking, in games and applications. So yea, do it! :D
 
I hate to be the bearer of bad news but don't get your hopes up about overclocking higly with that board.

I used to have one with a Q6600 (model down from your CPU) and the best it could do was 2.7-3ghz depending on how it felt. The same CPU moved to a p45 based motherboard was capable of 3.8ghz stable or 4ghz unstable but benchable.
 
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It's always worth it really if your PC starts to struggle, just don't expect miracles. Post above me mentions mobo not liking overclocking so could be a good idea to update BIOS in case there's been better releases and stability on those.

I presume when you say on desktop you mean it's your idle temp, in which case it's little high at 54C as that's roughly what my PC reaches on full load. Getting an aftermarket cooler such as AC Freezer Pro 7 will certainly help but you also need have a look at the airflow within your case, because if the temperature inside the case is high then a new CPU cooler won't make much difference. Basic principle is that it pushes heat from the CPU and the case fans then create an airflow that takes that hot air out the case. If your current case can't provide that then may be worth looking at a new case. If you're on a tight budget then could have a look at Coolermaster Elite range and Antec 300, those are around £30-40.

Also while you're considering a GPU upgrade, worth reading up on 460GTX reviews as they seem to provide a healthy performance boost for the money.
 
yea i wouldnt go with a 5770 graphics card if you really are upgrading the graphics, as the above poster said try the GTX460, even though it is a few more £££ its worth it.
 
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