help overclocking brand new rig

[ThaiAssassin]

i have asus rampage formula x48 board ddr2 board
e8600 core2duo
2x2gb corsiar dominator pc8500 1066 mhz ram ddr2
diamond radeon hd4870x2 2gb card
gamextreme 850watt psu
antec 900 case

i am putting it together now, but what is best approach or software and the catalyst to use for card,
i have had nvidia stuff til now and have only ever overclocked simply the gpu with ntune, which was very basic

i have read about "overdrive" but i cant tell if that will even work with my setup since i have an intel processor...

i want to play around with overclocking memory, cpu and gpu over time but i could really use some good clear help on what software to use to configure all of this and monitor/test it, along with some basic settings to start with.

im pretty smart with all of this but need a good smart push in the right direction...thanks so much for your help..

*************also, i spent about 3 weeks researching on what i should buy, and im not all knowing when it comes to this stuff in new hardware, but i tried to get the best bang for the buck on my new gaming only pc, that will last a couple years hopefully, comment on how i did with my choices, cost me around $1700 or so i guess. bought vista 64bit home premium with it also...and a seagate barracude 1tb sata drive and a liteon dvd/cd DL burner with lightscribe, seems like decent setup from all reviews i read..

but my main concern is learning how to overclock all of this and playing around the smart way, but dont know if overdrive is giong to work for me since i went the intel cpu way..

the more descriptive you can be on the process the more i would appreciate it...along with specif settings and what program to use to set those settings would be awesome... thanks so much

General overclocking thread, it belongs in General Hardware. Punting for 50 yards.

-ViRGE

 

[ther00kie16]

Does Asus have overclocking software bundled with the mb?
Also, most people just overclock their CPU and RAM in BIOS so read the sticky in "CPUs and Overclocking".
As for GPU, just use ATItool. It has search max clock functions that will automatically increase the clock until artifacts are found. Don't expect too much out of the GPU as it runs very hot and the cooler isn't adequate to take too much overclock.

Most people would go with a p45 board to save $100 or so.
You could've gotten a cheaper (lower-rated) PSU (Corsair 750W would be plenty still and is a common recommendation).
Otherwise, it looks pretty good hardware-wise. Deal-wise, I think with a cheaper p45 mb and a cheaper psu, you could've gotten the hardware for $1300 or so.
Bud don't sweat the deals that you didn't get. Take the e8600 to 4+ghz and add a mild overclock on the 4870x2 and you'll have a rocking machine ready to tackle any game.

By the way, budget gaming machine to me would've meant $800 e7200 on p45 overclocked to 3.8ghz with overclocked pc6400 ram, cheap antec case+psu combo and a 4870 1gb for $230 off of ebay after cashback.

 

[DSF]

Apparently my post last night never took. I would read the stickies in the CPUs and Overclocking forum to get plenty of advice about overclocking your CPU. For a gaming only PC though, I don't know that you'll really need to overclock an E8600.

As far as your component choices, I'm not a fan of the 900, but that's personal taste. If you like it, it's a good choice.

The E8600 is overpriced for what you get, considering that the E8500 offers 90% of the performance for 75% of the price, and overclocks about as well. Same with the RAM - overpaying for the same chips that are in a lot of DDR2-800 modules.

With a single GPU, the X48 board isn't doing you much. It really wouldn've been better to ask for parts advice first. You built a nice computer, but you could've put one together with identical performance for around $300 less or so. Maybe even more, depending on how much you paid for the PSU.

 

[ThaiAssassin]

i want to add another graphics card someday down the road, so that is why i went with x48 board, and the psu i would like to use in a couple of years when i buy a new system with core i7.. so are these two choices still maybe not the right ones, no big deal i already have them but that was the reasoning behind those picks,,,wanted bull x16 by both slots for crossfire at some point

also, can anyone please tell me if I will be able to use overdrive or not? this is really one of my main questions, some articles i read said that you have to have phenom processor to do this...does anyone know if it will work with intel cpu>?

Originally posted by: DSF
Apparently my post last night never took. I would read the stickies in the CPUs and Overclocking forum to get plenty of advice about overclocking your CPU. For a gaming only PC though, I don't know that you'll really need to overclock an E8600.

As far as your component choices, I'm not a fan of the 900, but that's personal taste. If you like it, it's a good choice.

The E8600 is overpriced for what you get, considering that the E8500 offers 90% of the performance for 75% of the price, and overclocks about as well. Same with the RAM - overpaying for the same chips that are in a lot of DDR2-800 modules.

With a single GPU, the X48 board isn't doing you much. It really wouldn've been better to ask for parts advice first. You built a nice computer, but you could've put one together with identical performance for around $300 less or so. Maybe even more, depending on how much you paid for the PSU.

 

[Blain]

Originally posted by: ThaiAssassin
help overclocking brand new rig

im pretty smart with all of this but need a good smart push in the right direction...

my main concern is learning how to overclock all of this and playing around the smart way, but dont know if overdrive is giong to work for me since i went the intel cpu way..

-ViRGE[/b]

You don't need to double post threads...
"CPUs and Overclocking" :roll:

 

[ThaiAssassin]

someone advised me to post here instead of where i did it first, thanks for the education 101 though...

Originally posted by: Blain

Originally posted by: ThaiAssassin
help overclocking brand new rig

im pretty smart with all of this but need a good smart push in the right direction...

my main concern is learning how to overclock all of this and playing around the smart way, but dont know if overdrive is giong to work for me since i went the intel cpu way..

-ViRGE[/b]

You don't need to double post threads...
"CPUs and Overclocking" :roll:

 

[Blain]

You don't need to bump this thread.
Just let it die and focus on your other OCing thread in the "CPU and Overclocking" forum.

 

[ThaiAssassin]

the otherone is the one i posted and they said to move it to graphics cards, so i put this one in graphics card section but sometime overnight it appears maybe an admin moved it to this section, so who knows...or at least that is how it appears,,,i just need some help, not trying to mess anything up or be cluttered....sorry for any inconvenience to anyone..

Originally posted by: Blain
You don't need to bump this thread.
Just let it die and focus on your other OCing thread in the "CPU and Overclocking" forum.