# Sticky  if you are new to overclocking / read here for starters



## linderman

SO YOU WANT TO OVERCLOCK ?????



Before we can assist you properly with over-clocking (OCing) your system there is due a modest amount of preparation.

I wont bore you with the standard disclaimer that improper over-clocking can damage and stress your system and we are not responsible for such incidents. ROFL >>>> gottcha :wave:

Proper / Safe over-clocking is not reckless modifications of bios settings. If this is your plan for over-clocking then get your wallet out, you will be needing some replacement parts very quickly!

If OCing is done with caution and understanding and research you can limit the risks to an acceptable level for most users. OCing *does *push and stress the components of a computer system, to what levels of risk & stress is acceptable must be evaluated by YOU only. 

There are easy safe levels of over-clocking as well as aggressive levels of OCing.

The most productive way to overclock a system is thru manual bios settings. The easiest way to overclock is thru the one-button does all bios settings that usually give a three step choice like i.e. = cruising, turbo, racing etc etc these type one click setting seldom produce very much upper level improvement and more often will just cause system crashes & instability. There are also overclocking software available by the motherboard manufacturers like AI NOS by Asus / Gigabyte has Easy Tune etc these offer some beginning levels of over-clocking, but you will always be able to out perform these methods with manual bios tweaking. Manual overclocking will take more effort and research by user, so if you want just quickie over-clocking answers and settings suggestions, then look to the motherboard over clocking software.

As we have all heard by now, the Intel Core 2 D’s and Quads have the ability to over-clock 20% and more! The AMD cpu’s like the dual core Athlons not so good anymore, AMD has taught Intel a lesson and Intel was a good student!

The AMD dual core Athlons can be expected to overclock 10% and sometimes 15% / but 10% is more the reality. What you are really accomplishing when over-clocking an AMD system IMHO; is you are capturing the margin of safety assigned to the selling speed of your cpu. (yep, you guessed it; 10%)


*Here are some preliminary steps which need to be evaluated before you can get started over-clocking:*

·	If your system is an OEM system (dell, Gateway, HP, E-machines) then you are out of luck over-clocking for the most part. The OEM builders don’t include the settings you need to overclock your system, this is there way from preventing you from applying any extra stress to there system which may increase warranty claims. There are some methods to over-clock OEM Pc’s like the use of Clockgen software, but I personally am not a fan of that approach. OEM PC's do not as a rule select and use parts of upper end performance and quality, there power supplies are marginal. As a general rule OEM machines will not take the stress of over-clocking.


·	We need you to submit your full system specs for evaluation so we can establish to what extent your system can be over-clocked. OCing is a marriage of all parts of your system, not just your CPU or video card choice. OCing is like building a tow chain, if you have one weak link the chain will not work as expected. 
You can use free system summary tools like Everest Home Edition to help you list your system parts if you don’t know what’s under the hood.
http://majorgeeks.com/download4181.html
Submit by pasting your system summary into your OCing forum thread. 

·	We need you to submit your ram model numbers too. You can get this info right off your memory sticks or you can use CPU-Z (free)
http://www.cpuid.com/cpuz.php
Once you are in the CPU-Z program you can enter the SPD tab where it will give you the manufacturer / model and speed and ratings of your memory. Submit this info in your thread requesting OCing assistance.


·	Next we need you to remove the side cover off your “box”. We need to find your Power Supply Unit (PSU) make and model. This is a very important part of over-clocking; even slight over clocking puts a remarkable amount of stress on a PSU, only high quality power units should be used when you want to over-clock. If this warning is not heeded, then get your credit card out, you will need it! When the power supply dies it usually will give your motherboard, ram, or hard drives a death blow of “dirty” power.

·	Next we need to establish the quality and capabilities of your cpu and case cooling. Is your CPU heat sink cooler a factory version that sold with the CPU or are you using an aftermarket high performance cooler which will assist your over-clocking goals? 

·	How many case fans does your box have? Where are your case fans mounted in the box, what size are they 80mm, 120mm etc. Which direction does each fan move air? Intake or exhaust?

·	Next we must establish how well your system is being cooled prior to overclocking.
We will need the Idle temps of your system; to establish this, let the system sit idle for 20-30 minutes then use this freeware program to check your temps, both cores if you wish ?
http://www.alcpu.com/CoreTemp/

Also submit your “Working /loaded” temps; you can run a system defrag, anti virus scanner, anti spyware scanner, play a music file all simultaneously to put the system under load, now check your temps.
Submit your workload temps also.

STRESS TESTING: its a smart idea to have a baseline understanding of how your system performs "before" overclocking; run this stress tester for atleast 30 minutes / one hour before you begin the overclocking process. Such a test will demonstrate the capability of your system before we begin to put the "pedal to the metal"
use this free downloadable tool for stress testing:
http://www.ocbase.com/perestroika_en/index.php?Download


Ok; once you have conquered all this info and the evaluation has been rendered if your system is capable of safely over-clocking then we can proceed to the education aspect of the task.

You must read at least two “good” over-clocking guides that relate to your CPU manufacturer, so you can understand the terminology and have an understanding of “what is happening and what needs to happen when you over-clock”


AMD Reading:

http://www.pcstats.com/articleview.cfm?articleid=1804&page=8

http://www.neoseeker.com/Articles/Hardware/Guides/a64ochowto/



Intel Core 2D Guides

http://forums.hexus.net/hexus-hardware/103676-c2d-overclocking-guide-beginners.html

http://forums.techpowerup.com/showthread.php?t=42336


Once you have reviewed these guides a couple of times you will be ready to begin the actual process of manual OCing and bios tweaking. This can be a lengthy process, you must enjoy the learning and adventure as much as the performance boost you will achieve for your system. Its not uncommon to take a week of on & off tweaking to establish your max safe & stable over-clock. 

There is a common misconception if you can aggressively game for two hours with an over clock setting you are stable. This is a very flawed misconception, a system can be gaming for a month and then succumb to the stress of a marginally over aggressive over clock setting. 

This is the reason why the stress testing for extended durations is so important, it’s the best way to minimize the risks of burning up your parts.

Be Patient and enjoy the adventure………………… we are here to assist you. :wave:


----------



## linderman

Intel i7 cpu system builders; read here also!

http://www.pugetsystems.com/blog/2009/02/26/intel-core-i7-temperatures/


----------

