Nervous about Overclocking - What risks?

T

TicTac

Limp Gawd
Joined
Dec 5, 2005
Messages
210
Hi all,

Compared to most of you I am definitely a newbie with overclocking.

Earlier this year I was contemplating a new desktop, trying to decide where I should build a computer myself or go for a pre-built desktop but I chose the parts.

As with this pre-built desktop I found a good company who I could get a custom build done for me. I was not happy with their selection of options for the PSU so I decided I would ask them to take the PSU out so I could buy and put one in myself. I wanted to do this so I could do a little bit of building myself. .
On reflection I am not 100% sure I did the right thing, and I maybe should have built it myself (certainly since then I have put in network cards, the PSU successfully, sound cards, and done some cable rewiring/cleaning so I think I would actually coped fine with) building but here is the system:

Asus A8N-SLI Deluxe MB
AMD 3500+ Venice
Stock cooling.
Geforce 6200TC (I dont game very much)
1gb G-SKill 3-4-4-8 1x 1gb RAM
(and the other parts will not be affected by overclocking)

The manufacturer obviously states that overclocking voids there warranty.

Even though I do not game I am quite intensive on my computer: I do quite a lot of photo editing, multi task a lot and do sometimes find I would like things to happen a little faster

The computer cost £900, and as I have never overclocked before, and the fact that if I broke a component I would not be able to afford to buy new ones, I am very nervous of overclocking.

I have looked at AIBooster and it seems exteremely simple to bump up the processer 200mhz.

However reading guides (like the ones at www.eclipseoc.com these are reliable and good yeah?) there seems a lot more to overclocking in relation to RAM, HTT/FSB ovverclocking. How much performance gain do these give me past an overclock with AIBooster?

If I could maybe aim for 2.5ghz with my 3500+ venice, how safe is this? The following are quite noobish questions, but I havent found many concise descriptions:

Do you overclock RAM and 'HTT/FSB' purely so you can overclock the processer more?

If not, are the RAM and HTT/FSB worth overclocking for someone like me, what performance boosts and where do they give?

How much of a problem is voiding the warranty? Do you have to do some really drastic things for the components to be fried, or is there always a reasonably chance they might just die? If the risk is any more than slight I am not sure if I am willing to take it. . .

Thanks in advance for any help offered in this subject. Sorry if these questions are stupid or answered elsewhere..
 
Ive been overclocking for 15+ years and havent had a single cpu die because of it. If you are careful, read and follow directions, read, and oh yes READ, youll be perfectly fine and enjoy your new computer even more. With A64's, overclocking has quite a few steps youll need to make sure you get familiar with, such as the HT multiplier and memory dividers. Yes, it does void the warranty to overclock, but I can 99.9999% promise you if you do it correctly, you will not damage your pc whatsoever.
 
just monitor your temps and you should be ok. i was skeptical at first as well till i tried it last year for the first time on my 3700 newark. a good board, good power supply, good memory, will make things considerably more easier. also, dont be afraid of the dreaded BSOD. first time it happen to me it scared the cr@p outta me. after a while, i got a grasp of why it happens, and how to avoid it. follow the instructions on this site and you should be good. yes, it will shorten the lifespan of your processor, but i doubt your gonna be using the same computer you are on now in 7 years. g/l.
 
I've been overclocking for years and have chewed up multiple components. If you can't risk losing any pieces, I wouldn't risk OC'ing. It's a high performance option, nothing like a necessity. In the learning stages in particular, people end up losing parts with some frequency ... used to anyway; not sure how tough it is nowadays since every mobo and gpu seems to include it's own oc'ing utility.
 
im not taht new too overclocking (been on it for about 8 months now) and i can tell you taht the stuff is pretty simple
the best thing to find out about the simple and normal stuff is from eclipse's guide and otehr various posts in overclocking threads
hwoever, ocne u get down the nitty gritty stuff taht take long amounts of time, it can be a bit of a pia (especially if ur loaded with schoolwork :mad: ) but the overall process is realtively simple :p
and yes, if u ARE NOT careful with your temperatures and voltages and physical properties of your parts, you WILL damage them
however, many people who overclock are aware of the risk and do research beforehand; jsut remember that you got us here at [H] to help you out :D
 
omz said:
(especially if ur loaded with schoolwork :mad: )
Click to expand...

yep :( GCSEs coming up in May/June, im thinking I might learn about overclocking little by little in my free time ready to start trying some after I have finished my exams.

Thanks for the comments everyone I have taken them all into consideration . . .
 
My rule- ONLY OVERCLOCK IF YOU CAN REPLACE THE COMPONENT :)
 
You will get a performance boost by getting another identical stick of ram so you can run in dual channel.
You will be fine ocing as long as you read the guides and monitor your temps.
Find your max oc at stock volts before you start messing with the voltages.
heat kills computers and volts kill comps, watch those 2 things and you will be ok. ;)
 
my only problem with overclocking is screwing up the windows install... so now, any time i go back to tweak things, i swap in a ghosted copy of the real drive so when it blows up i dont lose anything
 
0V3RC10CK3D said:
Question, if you dont play games why do you need to overclock?
Click to expand...

I have been asking myself that as well, but as I said above, I edit quite a lot of high resolution photos and often multi-task a lot. I am not sure I need to overclock, but there are things that annoy me currently although I am not sure if they are related to power. e.g. Currently, after logging into windows after i click on the start button it will go dark green and jam for 45s before returning to normal.

I have looked at ClockGen and am slightly confused on how easy it is. Cant I just keep edging this up running prime95 or something until I get to my limit? What advantages does overclocking in the bios have? (despite being much more complicated).

Thanks
 
i would invest in more ram, and overclocking dosent affect that stuff that much
 
TicTac said:
I have been asking myself that as well, but as I said above, I edit quite a lot of high resolution photos and often multi-task a lot. I am not sure I need to overclock, but there are things that annoy me currently although I am not sure if they are related to power. e.g. Currently, after logging into windows after i click on the start button it will go dark green and jam for 45s before returning to normal.

I have looked at ClockGen and am slightly confused on how easy it is. Cant I just keep edging this up running prime95 or something until I get to my limit? What advantages does overclocking in the bios have? (despite being much more complicated).

Thanks
Click to expand...

If your windows is freezing for that long after hitting the start button I don't see what good overclocking will do, as you have other underlying problems. Need more ram? Spyware/virus? Maybe a format/reinstall would help more and make your experience more "snappy".
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top