Pre overclocking help

S

safehaven

Limp Gawd
Joined
Apr 28, 2008
Messages
224
On the advice of a couple of members here, I am going to tackle overclocking my system. My system is as follows:

Gigabyte P35-DS3R Mobo, FSB 1333, DDR2 800/1066 (OC)
Intel Core 2 Duo E6320 1.86Ghz
2GB RAM, (2) Super Talent 1GB DDR2-800 PCS6400
GeForce 8600 GTS 256MB
(3) Western Digital HDs, 250GB, WD2500JS
RAID 5 array, 500GB net hard drive space
Antec Sonata III tower
Antec EA-500 power supply
WinXP 32-bit
Nothing is overclocked ATM

I want to overclock to nice and safe conservative level. 3.0 GHz was suggested and after reading here and a couple of other places on the internet, that seems very conservative, as I saw one as high as 3.39 GHz. Most were around 3.15 GHz, so maybe 3.0 GHz isn't so conservative.

Anyway, I think that the first thing to do is to get some cooling coming. This is correct, right? I cannot overclock with the stock HSF, correct? I've been reseaching HSFs. I think I have decided on the Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro. It gets great reviews, is pretty quiet (more quiet than the stock fan anyway), and it is inexpensive. The one common downside, however, is that when people complained about it (which weren't many), they complained about the not so easy installation. Would this be a good choice for what I am trying to accomplish? Does anybody use this HSF in a similar setup to mine?

I have only ever removed a heat sink from a CPU once and it came right off. I read that somebody else had a bear of a time getting there's off. Do I need to get some thermal material remover, just in case? Maybe I should just try and remove the stock heat sink before I order?

If there is anything else I should be made aware of, prior to my adventure, please do not hesitate to mention it. I do not really know what I am doing other than looking at other peoples set up and reading the "overclocking how-to" on this forum.

Thanks.

EDIT: Doing all of the calculations for RAM speed, do I need faster RAM? I just read that an ideal ratio is 1:1 when comparing RAM speed and real FSB. Achieving a 1:1 ratio with DDR2-800 RAM, a 400MHz real FSB would only put me at 2.8GHz. I would need to be at 428MHz to achieve 3.0 GHz, which would require 856MHz RAM (if it were made). Is 800MHz RAM close enough to work? I am almost definitely going to order RAM with my HSF, I want to put 4GB in the system. I just want to make sure I get the right stuff. Again, thanks!
 
Nothing wrong w/AC 7pro minus the push pins for mounting. Most, like myself prefer bolt thru which is a more secure HSF mount.

Regarding OCing, your cpu has max 7x multiplier x 400fsb (ddr2 800) nets you 2.8ghz which should be fine @ stock vcore. Anything beyond 2.8ghz requires OCing your memory.

Just a heads up, anyhow gl on your OCing....always fun to tweak.
 
Yeah, I caught the RAM thing. You replied while I was typing the edit. Thanks for the heads up!
 
While buying a new cooler, buy some good TIM (heatsink compound) to go along with it. The most common is Arctic Silver 5 but there are many others which are even better.

Use lint free cloth (some use coffee filters) with Isopropyl Alcohol (as pure as possible) - not rubbing Alcohol etc. You can buy special TIM cleaning stuff (e.g. Artic brand again) but I know know if its really worth it.

Wait until you have all the stuff you need before removing the old cooler unless you like doing things twice.
 
If you're buying RAM anyway, I would get a set of DDR1000 or something similar since it's not much more expensive (if any). Most DDR800 RAM will most likely OC to 850Mhz, but I would rather have a little headroom. You shouldn't have too much trouble removing the stock HSF. I wouldn't worry about, as long as you know how to remove the pushpins.
 
aethelwulf said:
If you're buying RAM anyway, I would get a set of DDR1000 or something similar since it's not much more expensive (if any). Most DDR800 RAM will most likely OC to 850Mhz, but I would rather have a little headroom. You shouldn't have too much trouble removing the stock HSF. I wouldn't worry about, as long as you know how to remove the pushpins.
Click to expand...

I am most definitely buying 2X2GB RAM anyway. But, I THINK my mobo will only support DDR2-800. The specs for the mobo say DDR2-800/1066 (OC). Doesn't that mean that I can only use 800 without overclocking? Am I wrong? Can I use DDR2-1000? What type of RAM would be used to get to the 1066?

I don't care what I need to buy, I just want to buy the right stuff the first time.
 
safehaven said:
I am most definitely buying 2X2GB RAM anyway. But, I THINK my mobo will only support DDR2-800. The specs for the mobo say DDR2-800/1066 (OC). Doesn't that mean that I can only use 800 without overclocking? Am I wrong? Can I use DDR2-1000? What type of RAM would be used to get to the 1066?

I don't care what I need to buy, I just want to buy the right stuff the first time.
Click to expand...

I think if your motherboard specs say it supports 1066(via OC) then you're pretty safe to assume that it will support 1066 memory speed (and probably a bit more if you push it).

If you need 1066 memory to get the speed you want just go buys some. The Corsair PC8500 models are apparently quite good. Others might give you alternate brands...
 
Technophobe said:
I think if your motherboard specs say it supports 1066(via OC) then you're pretty safe to assume that it will support 1066 memory speed (and probably a bit more if you push it).

If you need 1066 memory to get the speed you want just go buys some. The Corsair PC8500 models are apparently quite good. Others might give you alternate brands...
Click to expand...

Thanks for the reply. I am actually looking at some g.Skill 2x2GB-1000 from newegg.com.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231145

1000MHz RAM would allow me to OC to 3.5GHz, and I am quite certain I am not going to go that far, even if my components would let me.

I read the HUGE OC chart in the Intel forum here and there are many entries of people getting well above 3.0GHz with the Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro. So I am pretty confident in that decision as well. However, on the recommendation of someone else, I REALLY pondered getting the Xigmatek S1283. I really do not want to remove my mobo to install a bolt through adapter. And, I think it is too heavy to use the suplied push pins. Unless somebody convinces me otherwise, I am probably going to order the HSF and the RAM later tonight.

I have been learing a lot in the last couple of days. I am fairly confident that I at least partially know what I am doing now. Well, at least until I receive my parts and actually start the process of OCing. When that happens, I am sure my barrage of questions will resume.

Hey, just another thing... While I am waiting to get my parts, would ther be any harm in OCing to 2.8GHz (the limit of the RAM) with the stock cooler? If so, how about OCing to a lower number, say even 2.4 GHz? I want to start fiddling and getting some hands on learning. But if it is not safe, then I can wait.

Thanks again to everyone. I appreciate the help!
 
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