thinking of overclocking. is it worth it?

[tazman1259]

System specs :
Asus P4P800VM,AMI BIOS v 1005.03
P4 2.6c Northwood
Stock Intel HSF
GeForce FX5200 128MB
Geil Ultra 1024MB(512x2) DDR 400 PC3200 CAS timing: 2-3-3-6
Samsung 80GB Serial ATA 7200rpm,8MB buffer
Lite-On CD/CDRW 52x32x52x
Windows XP Home SP1
I've been thinking of oc'ing my pc to around 3.0Ghz. However I read that I will have to change me fsb dram from 1:1 to 5:4 because the fsb is higher than the ram frequency. Is this correct and will I notice a difference in performance?

 

[zanejohnson]

hell yeah it is

Yes, you'll need to adjust the ratio to keep your memory still operating at or near its respetcive clock frequency.

my 2.4b went to 3.2, and the temps are low 40's idle/ low 50's under load, on air..


im limited my my PC2700 memory, i'll replace it eventually, and hopefully squeeze anothe 200 or 300mhz out of it..

 

[sandorski]

Depends on what you use it for. If for gaming, I don't think it'll help much with that vidcard in there.

 

[ROJAS]

Sometimes its an ego builder or you can tell everybody how successful you were in your overclock.

 

[lookouthere]

does that mb really can overclock?
i thought they can't

 

[o1die]

As a long time overclocker, I would say no. I've recently tried to replace defective mobos from msi, and while waiting for replacements, I've been running at the default settings. I really can't tell the difference anymore. I prefer a quiet pc over a higher numbers anyway. Many people have reported problems with overclocked p4's recently. They boot up one day, and find their cpu can't run at the overclocked settings anymore. They either have to run at lower settings, or try increasing the voltage more.

 

[ectx]

Originally posted by: o1die
They boot up one day, and find their cpu can't run at the overclocked settings anymore. They either have to run at lower settings, or try increasing the voltage more.

Most likely it is heat related.

You really have to do it to find out it is worthwhle. If you have addicitive perosnality, my advice is to staty away from oc - it would end up costing a lot more money and time,

 

[DAPUNISHER]

Definitely a subjective topic, and certainly has many variables to be considered when attempting to answer "is it worth it?"

For myself it is worth it, it reduces the time needed for my systems to complete DC projects, and that alone is sufficent justification for me. Of course having a A64 3700+ system for the price of a 3000+ I classify under "Things that do not suck" as well

 

[imported_michaelpatrick33]

Originally posted by: DAPUNISHER
Definitely a subjective topic, and certainly has many variables to be considered when attempting to answer "is it worth it?"

For myself it is worth it, it reduces the time needed for my systems to complete DC projects, and that alone is sufficent justification for me. Of course having a A64 3700+ system for the price of a 3000+ I classify under "Things that do not suck" as well

Ditto

I think, also, that like good art when overclocking one (me!) has to learn to leave well enough alone. Getting a good overclock and then staying there and being satisfied. I think the biggest downfall is trying for that extra 10megahertz to squeeze every drop out (like Da Vinci trying to put a dog into the Mona Lisa) of the computer and watching in go down in flames. Common sense (my weakness) for overclocking

 

[moretoys]

I've viewed overclocking as a hobby, as for most users, they will not notice much difference in overall usage, unless you have a specific task the computer can't quite do, like video capture/encoding, or choppy gaming. Then overclocking can have the benifit of saving you an upgrade.
Other than that, it's a hobby, how far, or just because. It does void waranties officially. It can be costly in some cases if you don't take the time to understand limits & methods, but it is usually fairly safe unless going to extremes.
I'm not saying don't do it, as I do. Just that you need to figure out why you want to do it, read how to do it & figure out for yourself if you want to.
Good Luck...

 

[FlameDeer]

You can oc'ing by changing fsb dram ratio to 5:4 first. Then increase fsb 5 MHz each time and carefully monitor cpu temp. If you do corectly you may to achieve 3.2 GHz. You will have faster performance from 2.6 to 3.2

 

[AristoV300]

Most 2.6c's will do 3.25 out of the box with no voltage adjustments, and if you have don't have memory that can run at ddr500 move the divider to 5:4.

 

[lookouthere]

but his mb is P4P800VM, can it still be overclocked?

 

[smahoney]

Worth it? well if you are only going for 5-10%, then probably not. If you are getting better performance for less money - of course it is. Paying for a 2.8C and getting a 3.6 - Definitely. Using that saved money for a better video card and other components - it's like free money.

 

[tazman1259]

No it can't. Only with software like clockgen which I tried but didn't really care for.

 

[Safeway]

I like overclocking because it is just fun. I can tinker with things, and get my computer stable. As you can see in my sig, I only went from 3.0 to 3.4 - a relatively small OC. I don't want to put in 5 case fans or set memory to 5:4. I think 227 fsb * 15 - 3.405 with DDR effective 908 is faster than say, 3.6+ at 5:4. I like my 1:1 settings. I like my 2 120mm fans that I can't hear =)

 

[PhoenixOrion]

Overclocking is well worth it especially if you run CPU-intensive games and applications.

For example, you will notice better frame rates in games or shorter video encoding times with a 2.8C overclocked to 3.0 than just a stock 3.0C because of the higher bus between all of your system components.

 

[SickBeast]

Overclocking a 2.6C is definitely worth it IMO. That's one of the best overclocking chips out there.