Overclocking help... trying to avoid further problems

[AstroManLuca]

First things first, my system is a bit older, I put it together a few years ago and haven't felt the need to upgrade since:

Biostar TA790GX 128M motherboard
Phenom II X3 720 BE processor (2.8 GHz, 1.325V stock)
Running Windows 7 Ultimate x64

I know there are guides out there; I've read many of them. But I can't help but think that they've left out some piece of information that is so obvious to expert overclockers that they'd never think to even put it in.

So I tried overclocking my CPU when I first got it and wasn't able to get much out of it. Stock is 2.8 GHz, I could get to maybe 3.1 or 3.2 GHz but even then it wasn't that stable. Because of the mild overclock, I just gave up and left it stock.

Now for whatever reason I feel like I want to give it another shot. I mean, I have an unlocked CPU, an overclock-friendly motherboard, and an aftermarket cooler, why not try?

Problem was, earlier this weekend, I was dumb enough to use AMD Overdrive. Long story short, everything works again now, after a clean install of Windows. So I'm going BIOS-only from now on for sure. But I want to be extra safe and make sure I'm not forgetting anything.

What's the best way to do this? Bump it up 100 MHz at a time? How high should the voltage go? Do I bump voltage and MHz at the same time, or in a particular order? Are there any other things I should do? A friend told me to disable TurboCore, but it turns out my CPU doesn't have that feature. Should I leave on Cool'n'Quiet?

Sorry if these are total noob questions that could be answered by a guide. I'm a little gun shy now regarding overclocking, and I want to be extra careful and do things the right way.

 

[Soulkeeper]

That motherboard only has a 3+1 vrm setup
this will almost certainly limit your overclocks
especially since there is no cooling on it.

The higher you overclock the hotter the mosfets will get.
The hotter the mosfets the less efficient they'll be
you'll hit a stability wall at some point likely around where you've already overclocked to.

 

[suteck]

First thing I like to do is a stress test at stock settings. Super pi is a good one, or OCCT. Monitor your temps when you do it so you have a starting point.

Once you have done that then you can try bumping up the bclk. Bump it a little, boot to windows and run a stress test for about 20 mins while watching your temps. If it bsod on you that's ok. Check the code - if it's 101, then bump up the cpu volts a little. Try again. Monitoring temps the whole time. Temp regulation is THE most important part. If it burns up the cpu you're done. There is no quick or easy way to do it. It will be trial and error all the way.

V core
1.15V - 1.425V V NorthBridge1.15V - 1.3V Maximum operating temperature ? 55°C - 73°C

I wouldn't go too much above the stated values. A little, maybe, but whatever happens it's on you.
Let us know how it goes.