# [SOLVED] Overclocking to improve gaming performabce



## Randy22 (Aug 19, 2010)

Hello,

I am currently considering overclocking as a way to improve gaming performance and allow me to avoid a costly upgrade. I believe my system is a good candidate as it is dated and although I would be very unhappy if something was damaged as a result it wouldn't be such a waste. Also the game I am currently trying to play, Planetside 2, runs at about 35fps while indoor and drops down to about 15fps while outdoors. I can live with 15 fps but an improvement would make me very happy!! Anyways I imagine with a bit of tweaking that I could get a small increase in performance atleast. If someone could let me know if it seems doable with my system I would be grateful! I've never done any of this kind of stuff before. Thanks!!

System Specs:
Abit kn9 SLI nvidia 570 motherboard
Windows xp x64
AMD Athlon 64X2 Dual
processor 5200+
2.60 GHz, 6.00 GB Ram 
GeForce GTX 260
Can't remember what my psu is rated for but it's definitely well above current demand.


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

*Re: Overclocking to improve gaming performabce*

Open the case and look at the label on the PSU for the Brand & Model.
Are you using the OEM heatsink/fan? OC'ing will stress the CPU and stress adds heat.
Brand-specs-configuration (how many sticks and what size in GB) of the 6GB of RAM?


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## greenbrucelee (Apr 24, 2007)

*Re: Overclocking to improve gaming performabce*

do not oc with the normal heatsink and fan or with a crap make of power supply (please tell us what it is).

I would be hesitant with the abit motherboard since its not a good brand and since its a nvidia dedicated board then it may have trouble with overclocking.


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## Randy22 (Aug 19, 2010)

Corsair 850W about a year old. 2x2GB + 2x1GB Kingston Ram. All OEM component cooling. I have additional case cooling fans as well.


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## Randy22 (Aug 19, 2010)

I bought this build from a friend like two years ago and he definitely had a preference for budget components. I bought the corsair psu myself


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

*Re: Overclocking to improve gaming performabce*

The PSU is more than sufficient.
An aftermarket CPU cooler is pretty much an essential for OC'ing.
I would suggest removing the 2x2GB RAM before attempting to OC. 4GB is plenty for normal use.


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## Randy22 (Aug 19, 2010)

Tyree,

I'm assuming you meant i should remove the 2x1GB ram sticks? That's fine by me they have seen many more years of use then my 2 newer 2GB sticks. I'll look into aftermarket cooling stuff. In the meantime do you think I could see a large performance gain? Would it be unsafe to attempt oc'ing even a little bit without additional cooling components?

Thank you!


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## Randy22 (Aug 19, 2010)

Apparently there's an nvidia systems utility and an AMD overdrive utility that I can mess around with I imagine that's relatively safe. I might play around with that a bit tonight


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

*Re: Overclocking to improve gaming performabce*

Your GPU is Nvidia so any GPU OC'ing can be done with that though OC'ing a GPU is kind of redundant.
OC'ing adds stress/heat so even a little OC can be damaging.
OC'ing the CPU would be where you would see a performance gain and OC'ing a little will show little if any improvements.
System OC'ing should only be done through the Bios.


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## Randy22 (Aug 19, 2010)

I think I'm probably going to leave it be. I don't think it's going to get my gaming Experience up to where I'd like it without aftermarket cooling components and at that point I'd rather just wait and save for a bit to buy a new mobo, processor, and DDR3 ram. Thanks a lot though!


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

*Re: Overclocking to improve gaming performabce*

I would have to agree. OC'ing rarely resolves performance problems and building a new PC will eliminate any needs for OC'ing.


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## T_Rex (Oct 21, 2012)

Even as an enthusiast myself, I agree with Tyree for the most part. The only reason i OC and tweak out my rigs is to test thresholds constantly. For the little gain you will get with overclocking ..a few FPS and bragging rights - it's not worth the wear and tear on your parts and a potentially borked system (or parts). It's better to actually enjoy the game with a stable rig and not even worry about tweaking your system, unless you are a tweaker by nature like myself.


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## greenbrucelee (Apr 24, 2007)

I always overclock but with todays newer CPUs there really is no need. A overclocking is definetly a no no without aftermarket cooling. The normal heatsink is not designed to operate past the rated speed. Well perhaps 5% but there is no need in a 5% overclock.

You overclock to the max or you dont.


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