A few (lot) of newbie questions.

[imported_cuddles]

Well, FX-53 (S939) coming to me in the fall. I'm a total idiot when it comes to OC'ing, but I'd like to do it on this system. I was just thinking about a few things. I heard the FX-53 is totally unlocked, and that one of the 2 or so mobos out right now have PCI/AGP locks. Am I wrong?

The FX-53 is also rated for dual channel DDR400 max. If you OC the FSB, does that mean ram will run at higher speeds? I was going for a (2x512)x2 setup, and was hoping to get some Corsair 2-2-2-5 going on, if it's DDR400, is there any way to OC it higher, or to buy DDR500 and get the processor to run it at those speeds (I know that ram only runs at what the mobo/proc runs at).

And if I were to OC the proc to 2.6 or around there, would I need some better than stock / fan cooling? How far do you have to go until water cooling is needed?

And for OC'ing video cards... the new x800XT's come with software programs to do that, right?

Sorry for my ignorance when it comes to OC'ing, I'm reading some sites at work trying to understand it further, I'm running a 667 Mhz at home right now, so this is a huge, huge leap in performance for me, and I'd like to get truly the most out of it. Plan on decking the case out with some LCD / Fan control goin on the front too. I'm excited

And one last thing, how dangerous is OC'ing as far as blowing your CPU? I'm not very keen on blowing a $900 processor.... should I try to OC my Dell as practice before I get the new CPU? Or is it generally pretty safe?

Any answers would be appreciated, as of now I'm just very confused

 

[Necrolezbeast]

Overclocking is safe as long as you don't up the voltage too much, or push it high heights at first. Just work your way up to and overclock while testing for stability and heat while doing so. Before you do anything with this new system i suggest you read up as much as possible and make sure you understand what you are doing, I would hate to see you ruin some components in the process.

 

[imported_cuddles]

Yeah, I'm trying to read the overclockers.com stuff and that sort of thing, most of it seems outdated though when it comes to the guides. It's kind of a hard thing to understand while just reading, I need to go down to this one local store (Cryo Cooling) and have a chat with the guy there for an hour or two.

 

[Sylvanas]

yeh, also just google search some of the things youd like to know about, i know thats what i did when i first wanted to know a bit more on overclocking.

 

[jjyiz28]

Originally posted by: cuddles
Well, FX-53 (S939) coming to me in the fall. I'm a total idiot when it comes to OC'ing, but I'd like to do it on this system. I was just thinking about a few things. I heard the FX-53 is totally unlocked, and that one of the 2 or so mobos out right now have PCI/AGP locks. Am I wrong?

that is true, the fx is totally unlocked, while i believe the a64 are unlocked at only the lower multipliers but not the higher ones. via came out w/their new locks for chipsets, but some mobos do not incorporate them. same with nf150 boards. NF250 boards are the only ones that are 100% locked i believe. check to see manufacterer specific to see if it really supports it.

The FX-53 is also rated for dual channel DDR400 max. If you OC the FSB, does that mean ram will run at higher speeds? I was going for a (2x512)x2 setup, and was hoping to get some Corsair 2-2-2-5 going on, if it's DDR400, is there any way to OC it higher, or to buy DDR500 and get the processor to run it at those speeds (I know that ram only runs at what the mobo/proc runs at).

if you oC the FSB, then the ram runs higher kind of. you have to mess with the ram ratios in bios. if its set at 1:1, or 6:6, etc.. and u up ur fsb, and yeah, ur ram will automatically run faster, in this case insync. there are other ratios such as 3:4, 4:3, etc.. u could run ur ram at SPD which will run it exactly what that ram is stated as, or set it manually by using ram ratios. if you are runing ur ram aggressively it is o/cing the ram, and m,ore voltage may be nessecary.

And if I were to OC the proc to 2.6 or around there, would I need some better than stock / fan cooling? How far do you have to go until water cooling is needed?

most likely yes, but it depends on the chip. all chips are diffrent. water cooling is a step up from air, but the exotics liek prometia, etc.. can oc even more.


And for OC'ing video cards... the new x800XT's come with software programs to do that, right?

usually, ATI cards use oc software called rage3dtweak, and nvidia cards use rivatuner.
coolbits is a nvidia registry hack to allow ocing in display props.


Sorry for my ignorance when it comes to OC'ing, I'm reading some sites at work trying to understand it further, I'm running a 667 Mhz at home right now, so this is a huge, huge leap in performance for me, and I'd like to get truly the most out of it. Plan on decking the case out with some LCD / Fan control goin on the front too. I'm excited

And one last thing, how dangerous is OC'ing as far as blowing your CPU? I'm not very keen on blowing a $900 processor.... should I try to OC my Dell as practice before I get the new CPU? Or is it generally pretty safe?

if the oc doesn't work, it just wont POST. all modern cpus' have safeguards to shut down when a specific temp is reached, ie) 90C, or highers, etc.. also, dell's dont oc in geneeral. some ppl have by i believe using a specific bios, but in my readings, have not really been worth the trouble.

Any answers would be appreciated, as of now I'm just very confused