what lets me overclock further?

[AcesTranquility]

Hi,

just wondering if it is the chipset that allows me to overclock my CPU higher... IE. one may let me overclock to 4ghz while one will only let me overclock to 3.7?

thankyou

 

[BTRY B 529th FA BN]

Not normally but under specific situations it can. Can you be more specific.

 

[Sylvanas]

Well provide info on what CPU and chipset you are using please, can't give feedback on something we don't know.

 

[BTRY B 529th FA BN]

Now that I read this again, the only thing I can think of is the Memory speed. DDR2 800 will allow 400fsb to overclock the multiplier on the CPU. Take that formula and apply it to what ever CPU you are using (Intel right?) You use the cpu multiplier (times the) fsb speed. 1066 will allow 533 fsb... get it?

Now moving on the the second part. Pay attention here.

The mobo chipset on a 775lga platform handles the fsb to the memory controller hub. There are a bunch of different scenarios that pertain to various configurations. Generally Quads are harder to reach high fsb as in 479 and above. Normally what the chipset has to do with overclocking is its NB voltage. Quads require more NB voltage, dualies do not. 8g is harder to OC with,4Gb is not. Certain mobo's handle Quads better than others. Then there is the CPU termination, PLL, Vcore, clock skews (xpert OCer) etc that can dictate the outcome of an overclock... GET IT?

So it depends on the cpu, amount of RAM sticks, the speed of the ram, and the actual quality of the mobo.

PLEASE CORRECT ME IF I AM WRONG HERE ANYONE - thanks

 

[yh125d]

(In 775 terms)

Your overclock can be limited by one or both of two things. The max achievable clock speed of the CPU, and the max achievable FSB of the NB


So if you have a nice P45 board that can do 450FSB, and a CPU with a 10x multiplier, you could theoretically hit 4.5gHz. But, the max clock the CPU can do is 3.8gHz, in that situation you are limited by CPU max clock


But what if you have a cheap G31 board and a q8200 with a 7x multiplier. Your Q8200 might be able to run at 3.5gHz, which would be 3500mhz/7 = 500FSB. But, that cheap chipset might only be able to do 375 FSB, so you're limited to 2.6gHz. There you are limited by NB max FSB

 

[Zap]

Besides the CPU itself and the chipset/mobo, a number of other factors may affect maximum overclock.

Cooling - You can have the best CPU and motherboard, but stock coolers may not cut it.

Power - I have heard of instances where people switching to a higher capacity and/or "better" PSU get better results. "Better" means less voltage sag, less ripple, etc.

RAM - Trying to overclock low multiplier CPUs means high FSB, meaning high RAM speeds. If your RAM can't cut it, doesn't matter how good your CPU and mobo are.