Intel Pentium Dual-Core E5400

Shmee

Memory & Storage, Graphics Cards Mod Elite Member
Super Moderator
Sep 13, 2008
8,139
3,075
146
I am not sure about that PSU. Doesnt look so good. Motherboard isnt the best either.
 

Lonyo

Lifer
Aug 10, 2002
21,938
6
81
I got my E5200 (2.5GHz stock) to 3.4GHz on stock voltage with some DDR-800 RAM and a P43 motherboard.
You don't need to get a very high FSB to get significant overclocks due to the low default FSB, which makes it easy to overclock on a not that great motherboard.

Obviously YMMV with respect to the CPU, but due to the low FSB, it's not a hugely taxing processor. You only need 260MHz FSB to get 3.5GHz, which is less than the default FSB of the higher end Core 2s.
 

WildW

Senior member
Oct 3, 2008
984
20
81
evilpicard.com
I've had three of the Pentium Dual-Core chips, an E5200, 5300, and 5400, and two of them on cheap cheap G31 motherboards (Gigabyte G31M-ES2L - they don't come much cheaper).

Minimum long-term-usable overclock I got from the 3 was 3.5GHz.

E5200 - G31, 3.5GHz - one core runs 10C hotter than the other, limiting it on temps.
E5300 - P43, 3.7GHz, and it had more left to give. . . but it was for a non overclock-savvy friend so I didn't push too far.
E5400 - G31, 3.6GHz.

They are wonderful little chips for very little money. A bit better motherboard seems to maybe give them a bit more legs (and required less volts to the core), but I've had success with the cheapest motherboards around. For the moment they will still play all but the few "quad-only" games really well (GTA4, ARMA2, etc). Yes, 775 and DDR2 are a bit of a dead end now, but on a budget, and if you have DDR2 already, it can be a great choice.
 

Sp12

Senior member
Jun 12, 2010
799
0
76
They tend to overclock well, but every chip is different.
 

n7

Elite Member
Jan 4, 2004
21,281
4
81
PSU looks pretty sketchy there...

My E5300 runs 24/7 since i got it @ 4 GHz, but i'm using a better motherboard.

Not sure how good that mobo is, but 3.5 GHz is most likely doable if the mobo & cooling don't hold you back.
 

Surutcra

Member
Jun 30, 2008
71
0
0
Those cheap PSU's run hot and tend to have short lives but it definitely has plenty of juice. See for yourself, don't be afraid to push your clocks just make sure to monitor temps and test for stability with prime95.
 

formulav8

Diamond Member
Sep 18, 2000
7,004
522
126
If the 28amp 12v spec is at all accurate then you will have much more power than needed. I've ran modern single/dual core cpu's with not even or barely half of what that psu supplys. Although I believe that Athena psu is highly Overrated it will still have plenty of power for your setup.

Anyways, I had a e5200 that was subpar I guess. Anything above 3.3ghz required to much voltage. I did the 1066mhz fsb Pin mode and was content for a while at 3.3ghz with a increase in voltage. I think the Foxconn g33 mobo had a negative impact on the oc. Either way if you can't at least get 3.3-3.4ghz on that 2.7ghz version I would be somewhat surprised...


Jason
 
Apr 20, 2008
10,067
990
126
That dual core had a low FSB (good thing for OCing) and and great multiplier. If I had that CPU running at the highest FSB I have ever booted with my quad, I'd be at 6.28ghz with my EP45-DS3L.

Of course I'm sure the CPU would not have let me crack 4.0ghz+ on air.

Edit: That PSU scares the heck out of me. Not a chance for $20. Do you already have the PSU and motherboard?
 
Last edited:

qliveur

Diamond Member
Mar 25, 2007
4,090
74
91
Yeah, I'd definitely wait for a sale on a better PSU.

Every 45nm Core2 that I've messed around with would do 3.5 GHz on stock voltage. That includes an E5300, an E6300, an E7400 and a Q9550, so I think that the odds are pretty good that you'll get similar results.