# Complete Novice Needs Advice OCing



## soupard (Aug 20, 2010)

Hi I'd like to overclock my system but since I've never done anything like this before I really want step by step instructions in case I destroy my pc. 

Here are my system specs:

2.67 gigahertz Intel Core i5 750
MotherBoard: Gigabyte Technology Co., Ltd. P55M-UD2 (i think)
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 275
4gb of DDR3 RAM (2 x 2gb DIMMs)

If anymore information is needed please let me know.

I know the basic idea of overclocking but I really don't know where to start or how to judge how far I should go.

If you know of anything that may seem very obvious while doing this please don't leave it out because I really do love my rig.

I would greatly appreciate any of you helping me out with this. 

Thanks in advance


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## LMiller7 (Jun 21, 2010)

Overclocking is operating the computer outside the parameters established by the manufacturer. There are risks involved in doing this. These include, but are not limited to:

1. Loss of manufacturers warranty.
2. System instability. Problems may only occur under specific circumstances that do not occur very often.
3. Shortened component life, possibly seriously.
4. Data loss. (from personal experience)

Overclocking is experimental in nature. There is no way of knowing ahead of time how far you can go with a specific system.

If you wish to proceed others can help you with the details.


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## soupard (Aug 20, 2010)

I'm definitely ok with the risk but I'm really just wondering how do I even overclock my computer to begin with. There's 0% risk involved if I can't even proceed from where I am at the moment... which is nowhere.

Thanks for the info though. I didn't know it could result in data loss. What's that from? The hard drive overheating?


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## grimx133 (Jan 15, 2008)

Data loss could occur with a dodgy power supply giving off some voltages spikes, as it releases it's magic smoke. 

What are you using for a cpu cooler, very important in overclocking.


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## soupard (Aug 20, 2010)

I'm not sure how would I go about finding that out. (No manuals or documentation)


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## soupard (Aug 20, 2010)

Also I can give my psu spec but am not sure what to write down here. I've taken down a table of info from the side of my psu. What info is important? I think its 750 watts.


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## soupard (Aug 20, 2010)

My average core temperature while idle is 38° I'll test out what it is when being used intensively and I'll edit this post.


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## soupard (Aug 20, 2010)

soupard said:


> My average core temperature while idle is 38° I'll test out what it is when being used intensively and I'll edit this post.


Woops can't edit the post. Anyway I got 50° when running an anti virus scan + anti spyware scan + defrag + running itunes + having google chrome open.

I'm going to stress test my comp now but after that I have no idea what to do with all this data or how to overclock my system.


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## soupard (Aug 20, 2010)

Stress tested my computer and established its not already broken. I would REALLY REALLY appreciate a guide as to what to do in the bios and all that now.


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## grimx133 (Jan 15, 2008)

The information on the power supply label that's needed is the make and model, as well a the output (in amps) for the +3.3, +5, and +12volt rails. That'll be the chart.

You can also take a clear photo of the label and attach it to a post by hitting the "go advanced" button, and then uploading a .jpg file. Just trim down the file size a bit, so the picture isn't so big as to require scrolling. Usually 800x600 or 1024x768 or somewhere around there, trims down the physical size and the file size. 
Since you can attach two images per post, take a picture of the inside of the machine too, so we can see what you are using for cpu cooling, that can greatly limit overclocking.


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## soupard (Aug 20, 2010)

Well I didn't take a picture but I took down all the info so I wrote it out in word and took a screenshot.

I put the image as an attachment I think.

I've found out that the fan is the stock fan that comes with the i5 750. I've read that it is quite a bad fan. Would the Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus Cooler be sufficient to get somewhere near 4ghz? Because my friend got one and realized it doesn't fit his but it does with mine.


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## greenbrucelee (Apr 24, 2007)

Amps are more important than wattage, your is okayish but might struggle if you add components when your overclocked.

You overclock by upping the fsb in small increments usually 10MHz and saving and rebooting. if you get into windows you go back and increae by 10MHz again

Once you have increase by 60MHz you need to stress test with OCCT or prime95 whilst monitoring the temps with real temp or core temp. If you get bsod whilst trying to get into windows then you have increase the vcore (voltage) of the cpu.

You also want to set the pcie frequency to 100 and you want to set the ram voltage to what the ram manufacturer states (usually a sticker on the ram).

When stress testing you do not want to go over 80 and reallyt you dont want to go anywhere near that. 72.2 is the Tcase so you should be aiming for 70 at most when fully loaded.


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## soupard (Aug 20, 2010)

Thank you very very much. That was very helpful I'l start as soon as I install my new fan. One question by how much should I increase the vcore if I get a BSOD??


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## greenbrucelee (Apr 24, 2007)

to the next available setting, if it doesn't work try the next one. Never jump in big amounts with anything or you might kill your system.


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## soupard (Aug 20, 2010)

OK, I would've tried in the end but I haven't see the vcore setting yet so I don't know how close the settings were to each other, e.g setting fsb from 133mhz to 134mhz and so on, lol.


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## greenbrucelee (Apr 24, 2007)

yep just keep raising the FSB the vcor will but in the same section in the bios. The section will have the fsb then dram and your southbridge and northbridge and vcore amongst other settings.


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## soupard (Aug 20, 2010)

Thanks I'll write back in a few days to say how things went


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## grimx133 (Jan 15, 2008)

The Hyper 212+ is a decent unit. The install is a bit daunting the first time, but it really isn't all that difficult to fit the backplate. You might want to put in a second fan, it comes with an extra mount, and by using a push/pull configuration with two fans, you'll get lower temps.

That's an old psu that you're using, it's basically from the Pentium III era, when there were more amps available for the +3.3 and the +5v. That's what computers needed back them, now more amps are required on the +12v., and you don't have a whole heck of a lot. Essentially, you have 288 watts available on the +12, I suppose we could be real generous and call that a 350watt psu. Not really enough, I think you're going to experience some underpowering issue in the near future. I'm surprised that it already hasn't had problems trying to power a GTX275. 
Here's what a TX750 outputs, nominally the same wattage as yours.
[email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected] 
That's 2.5 times the available amps on the +12volt rail. Or 720 watts available on the +12. Big difference eh.
Full specs at newegg - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139006


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## soupard (Aug 20, 2010)

So basically I could increase my psu power by 2.5 by getting the TX 750?
(no, everything else you said didn't go over my head I just want to make sure I understand you on a basic level) :tongue:

Also do you think my current psu will be OK for my new fan? I somehow forgot to consider my psu when I asked my friend for it.


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## greenbrucelee (Apr 24, 2007)

corsair and seasonic are the best power supply makes, whilst no psu is perfect there aren't any makes which beat corsair or seasonic.


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## Aus_Karlos (Mar 10, 2007)

Dont forget to stress your CPU and RAM to the max to ensure stability. Even though it can boot it might not be stable.
Download Prime95 and run it for about 10mins. Your temps will skyrocket as a result. If there's no errors proceed with upping your FSB again. If your system crashes or Prime95 fails quickly increase your Vcore (or CPUvoltage) by one increment and test again. If it passes raise FSB again until you cant boot or primer fails. Once your satisfied that you have overclocked enough and the system is stable what i do is drop the FSB by 5mhz (to really get it stable) and run Prime95 for a minimum of 6hrs. This ensures that the overclock is rock solid and it wont cause any problems. 
If Prime95 fails within the 6hrs drop your FSB back again and test for another 6hrs.

Keep a good eye on your temps. The i7 will work itself to death if your not careful, i dont recommend the CPU Cores go over 80c (70c is the max i allow mine to go to.)

http://www.mersenne.org/freesoft/ (Prime95)


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## soupard (Aug 20, 2010)

I've managed to overclock it to 3.5 ghz and I tested it with OCCT to see that its stable. I benchmarked with Crysis before and after to see the difference in FPS and it was visually noticeable as well as the figures. I gained over 20 fps which I wouldn't care about in another game but am quite proud of in Crysis.

Thank you everyone who's posted to help me out. :grin::grin::grin::grin::grin::grin::grin::grin::grin:


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## greenbrucelee (Apr 24, 2007)

make sure you stress test properly. A couple of hours doesn't mean your system is healthy. You need to stress test for 6+ hours. some people stress test for 24 hours.


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## shotgn (Aug 10, 2008)

greenbrucelee said:


> make sure you stress test properly. A couple of hours doesn't mean your system is healthy. You need to stress test for 6+ hours. some people stress test for 24 hours.


Agreed...Very important


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