# Can/Should I overclock



## Needfish (Oct 26, 2010)

I have just learned a marvelous thing today called overclocking and it seems I can finally get my computer faster without buying that amd phenom x4 from newegg for $ 600.

BUT I don't know if my computer is qualified for such "Destructive Activity," so can anyone help me determine my qualification... PS I only want from 2.2 ghz to 2.6 ish

MotherBoard:

Foxconn MCP73M01H1

Form Factor:

Micro-ATX: 24.4 cm (9.6 inches) x 24.4 cm (9.6 inches)

Chipset(Watever this is):

GeForce 7100/nForce 630i 

Front Side BUS Speed:

800/1066/1333 MHz (processor dependent)

CPU Stuff:

Socket type: 775

Intel Pentium Dual E2200 @ 2.2 GHZ

Video:

Integrated Graphics GeForce 7100

Other Random Stuff:


One 24-pin ATX power connector

One 4-pin ATX power connector

One PATA connectors

Four SATA connectors

Two 12v fan connectors for CPU fan and PC fan

One 9-pin header for power button, reset button, power LED, and HDD LED 

One SPDIF digital audio output header

One Line input connector (interrupts line input on back panel, Vista capable, requires matching front audio jack module)

One 9-pin audio header for headphone-out and microphone-in (yellow, Vista capable, requires matching front audio jack module)

Four USB headers supporting 6 additional USB 2.0 ports or devices

One 1394a header

One jumper for resetting BIOS settings

One jumper to disable BIOS password checking

Plz feel free to post if anything else is needed!


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## Needfish (Oct 26, 2010)

BTW the Hp code, motherboard, for this is 
HP/Compaq name: Napa-GL8E


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## visseroth (Oct 25, 2010)

being that your machine is a HP machine I doubt you can overclock it. Does your CMOS setup have a option for changing your voltages and frontside bus speed?


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## 1 g0t 0wn3d (Jan 31, 2007)

The only overclocking i've done on an hp is with setfsb but you have to find the code for your motherboard. However i doubt your cooling is sufficient for overclocking


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## greenbrucelee (Apr 24, 2007)

yep oem machines usually have the BIOS locked so you cant overclock and when things go wrong put in a false warranty claim.

You also likely have a crap power supply which is one of the most important bits when it comes to overclocking and you are probably running the standard cpu cooler which is a no no when it comes to overclocking.


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## Needfish (Oct 26, 2010)

Extra Stuff:

Bios: Phoenix- Award Bios v6.00PG

Power: Donno but probably low

So..... Over clocking is a no no?


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## greenbrucelee (Apr 24, 2007)

most likley. Can you get into the BIOS, can you change the FSB setting? if not then no you cant overclock.

if you have the standard cooling then no you cant overclock.

If you have the standard power supply that came with your system then it would be very foolish to attempt to overclock even by a little bit.


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## visseroth (Oct 25, 2010)

Like he said, and over clocking isn't a no no, look at my signiture, I love how fast mine runs. I click something and it goes, I play a game and it doesn't lag, I run 4 screens and nothing hesitates but my overclock is an extreme overclock being cooled by an extreme heatsink that barely fits in my case.

But going from 2.6 to 2.8 is not that big of an overclock and is achievable, just need to watch your temps and get a better power supply to be safe. The power supply is the life blood of the machine, not enough supply and things start to starve and work harder than they should.

However, if your machine is still under warranty I would advise against it until it is out of warranty unless you don't care about voiding the warranty.


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## greenbrucelee (Apr 24, 2007)

visseroth said:


> Like he said, and over clocking isn't a no no, look at my signiture, I love how fast mine runs. I click something and it goes, I play a game and it doesn't lag, I run 4 screens and nothing hesitates but my overclock is an extreme overclock being cooled by an extreme heatsink that barely fits in my case.
> 
> But going from 2.6 to 2.8 is not that big of an overclock and is achievable, just need to watch your temps and get a better power supply to be safe. The power supply is the life blood of the machine, not enough supply and things start to starve and work harder than they should.
> 
> However, if your machine is still under warranty I would advise against it until it is out of warranty unless you don't care about voiding the warranty.


I was saying overclocking is a no no if you have the standard cpu cooler and psu. overclocking by 10% is pointless as its not that much of an increase my system is clocked at 4GHz from 3GHz.


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

OC'ing voids warranties. OEM PC's tend to use lower quality parts to reduce costs and increase profits. Those lower quality parts are not friendly to the unnecessary stress induced by OC'ing.
If it was possible to OC your HP your not going to see the small performance gain from 2.2 to 2.6GHz.


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## Needfish (Oct 26, 2010)

Well, Seems like I should get a overclockable computer next time.....

P.S. Is it safe to overclock a notebook?


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## greenbrucelee (Apr 24, 2007)

Needfish said:


> Well, Seems like I should get a overclockable computer next time.....
> 
> P.S. Is it safe to overclock a notebook?


thats an even worse idea.

Laptops and netbooks are very small so they create heat very easily. They are not like a desktop where you can buy more fans and install aftermarket cpu coolers.

So they overheat very easily. There is a reason why when using a laptop/netbook should be placed on a desk or table because laying them on synthetic material such as a bed or a chair can cause the bed/chair to catch fire and this without overclocking.

There is a story of a guy in California if I remember correctly who fell asleep with his laptop which he has on his lap, he was wearing cotton trousers at the time. He ended up with 70 degree burns to his thighs and legs when the laptop caught fire to his trousers.

Some laptops like desktops have the BIOS locked anyway so you cant do it. Buying oem stuff usually has the bios locked so cant do it because in the past people have made mistakes and rendered their systems useless and then put in warranty claims saying the computer doesn't work anymore and in some cases the companies paid out. They got wise to what was going on and so they lock the bios so you cant do anything with it.

Netbooks generally haven't got any capacity to overclock anyway even if the bios wasn't locked.


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## visseroth (Oct 25, 2010)

I wasn't saying you were wrong, so don't get me wrong, but for the user that wants to experiment and learn and maybe pop a thing or two, why not.

None the less, your points are accurate, 2.6 to 2.8 you will see next to no improvement, from 2.2 to 2.8 you will see some improvement and yes, a off the shelf PC has crap for parts, there is no doubt about that but it sounded to me like he just wanted to play around as it seems he's willing to flash his BIOS and possibly fry it in the process of trying to OC his machine.


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## LMiller7 (Jun 21, 2010)

Today's computer market is highly competitive and manufacturers who wish to stay in business must do what what they can to keep costs down. Unfortunately, that means using lower quality components with lower ratings, low capacity cooling systems, weak power supplies, etc. Overclocking increases both power consumption and heat, putting extra stress on many components. OEM computers are simply not equipped to handle this extra stress and will exhibit a variety of problems and fail prematurely if subjected to them.

To protect their customers computers from failure, and themselves from the resultant warranty claims, manufacturers lock the BIOS to prevent overclocking. This effects few of their customers as most do not even know what overclocking is. 

The best way to do successful and safe overclocking is with a home built computer where you can control the quality and specifications of components.


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## BlackHatJack (Sep 18, 2010)

I messed with overclocking for about 9 months. Read all the stuff, messed with all the settings and I learned a lot, but the performance gain was really marginal. Had I spent the same amount of time earning money, I could have bought a new computer that was twice as fast as the one I got 15% more performance out of.

If you just want to learn a lot, then OCing is worth doing, but if you are trying to get more performance, get a part-time job and buy a whole new computer. It'll take less time.


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## Johnny1982 (Oct 15, 2010)

I overclocked my e2160 from the stock 1,8ghz to 2,70ghz, benchmarked it quickly with 3Dmark 06 just the first 2 tests (too lazy) and I gained 12fps. Went from 27 to 39fps running at 1920x1200. Quite worthwhile but yet again that is a 50% overclock which is quite a bit, but I do have a cpu cooler. I can't push it further as it starts getting too hot. So I think overclocking is worth it, just don't expect miraculous speed improvements, unless its an extreme overclock. I'm happy with mine, will never run stock speed again.


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## LMiller7 (Jun 21, 2010)

I once experimented with overclocking, but with less then satisfactory results. I have since come to the conclusion that overclocking is just not worth the time, effort, and risk involved - at least not for me. For others it is different.

I think in many cases overclocking is more about bragging rights than real performance gains. I don't deny that overclocking can be a great learning experience.

For any who wish to overclock, be sure to do your research and understand what you are doing. It isn't following a few simple instructions but an experimental process.


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## greenbrucelee (Apr 24, 2007)

LMiller7 said:


> I once experimented with overclocking, but with less then satisfactory results. I have since come to the conclusion that overclocking is just not worth the time, effort, and risk involved - at least not for me. For others it is different.
> 
> I think in many cases overclocking is more about bragging rights than real performance gains. I don't deny that overclocking can be a great learning experience.
> 
> For any who wish to overclock, be sure to do your research and understand what you are doing. It isn't following a few simple instructions but an experimental process.


it can be for bragging rights but for me, I specifically bought the hardware I have in my system so I could overclock it to a high level as I had heard good things about the cpu I have an its overckabilty.

Overclocking by a little bit is pointless as the gain wont be noticeable. First when I overclocked I had my system at 3.6GHz then at 3.8GHz I didn't notices a difference and 3dmark gave me 20 more points but then I overclocked to 4.2GHz but I didn't like the temps I was getting but I did notice a difference so I scaled back to 4GHz which is a 33% increase and it did show.

Unless the equipment is right and you know what your getting into then overclocking is worth the risk but if you dont then dont risk it. Its slightly pointless on todays CPUs like the i7s anyway.

I have overclocked many systems I even overclocked a i7 extreme the other day for a customer to 4.6GHz it was super quick but for the amount of threads that thing has at stock hardly any of it was being used so overclocking just minmize the usage a bit but created a bit more heat.


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## Johnny1982 (Oct 15, 2010)

I also specifically bought the e2160 for overclocking at the time as they say it was such a good overclocker. The best bit about overclocking for me besides the free increase in speed is the challenge, the trial and error and ultimately the end result of your efforts. I'm sure all the fellow overclockers will agree with me on those 3 points, plus the technical aspects of changing fsb's, volts etc, etc.


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## greenbrucelee (Apr 24, 2007)

Johnny1982 said:


> I also specifically bought the e2160 for overclocking at the time as they say it was such a good overclocker. The best bit about overclocking for me besides the free increase in speed is the challenge, the trial and error and ultimately the end result of your efforts. I'm sure all the fellow overclockers will agree with me on those 3 points, plus the technical aspects of changing fsb's, volts etc, etc.


Agreed. 

I started out for those reason then eventually entered some competitions I even won one once.


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## 1 g0t 0wn3d (Jan 31, 2007)

Johnny1982 said:


> I also specifically bought the e2160 for overclocking at the time as they say it was such a good overclocker. The best bit about overclocking for me besides the free increase in speed is the challenge, the trial and error and ultimately the end result of your efforts. I'm sure all the fellow overclockers will agree with me on those 3 points, plus the technical aspects of changing fsb's, volts etc, etc.


I love it as well main reason i bought the e8400 over the quad. 4050 mhz and it doesn't go over 50c under orthos testing rarely tops 40c with games. Over clocks like a dream :grin:


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## greenbrucelee (Apr 24, 2007)

1 g0t 0wn3d said:


> I love it as well main reason i bought the e8400 over the quad. 4050 mhz and it doesn't go over 50c under orthos testing rarely tops 40c with games. Over clocks like a dream :grin:


I have the e8400 although I dropped the OC from 4.2 to 4GHz

I max out in prime95 at 53 degrees c when the case gets a bit dusty but usually its 48. Never gets pass 45 in games


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## visseroth (Oct 25, 2010)

Personally I love having my machine overclocked, I think it is well worth wild. My machine acts like a turd (can I say that?) if I leave it at stock speeds. It's like compairing a geo metro to my 7.3L turbo deisel. Yea, neither will do the quarter in 3 seconds but my deisel will stomp a geo with the last two gears tied behind it's back.
So, it's all about user preference, time and in some cases money and time.


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## visseroth (Oct 25, 2010)

greenbrucelee said:


> I have the e8400 although I dropped the OC from 4.2 to 4GHz
> 
> I max out in prime95 at 53 degrees c when the case gets a bit dusty but usually its 48. Never gets pass 45 in games


That's a nice overclock! I'm running 80C at the cores at 100% load, 65 at the Tj. I'm maxed.


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## 1 g0t 0wn3d (Jan 31, 2007)

greenbrucelee said:


> I have the e8400 although I dropped the OC from 4.2 to 4GHz
> 
> I max out in prime95 at 53 degrees c when the case gets a bit dusty but usually its 48. Never gets pass 45 in games


What volts are you runnning? Honestly i cant tell a diff from when mine is dust and when its not (maybe because im ocd about dust being in there)


And 80c is scary i would never let my cpu get to that


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## BlackHatJack (Sep 18, 2010)

1 g0t 0wn3d said:


> And 80c is scary i would never let my cpu get to that


80C is not scary. 80C is stupid.


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## greenbrucelee (Apr 24, 2007)

1 g0t 0wn3d said:


> What volts are you runnning? Honestly i cant tell a diff from when mine is dust and when its not (maybe because im ocd about dust being in there)
> 
> 
> And 80c is scary i would never let my cpu get to that


The vcore is at 1.218 but cpu-z never reports more than 1.18 even under the psu test in OCCT, OCCT also reports 1.18 at full load. I think I was lucky.


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## visseroth (Oct 25, 2010)

LOL, stupid? No, I think not being that the cores are rated for 100C and the tj is rated for 65. I've been running it this way for over a year on the same CPU. The only thing that has changed is the MB due to a known issue in regards to the chipset that happen to rear it's head on my machine.
So stupid - no, fun - yes, worth it for me - yes, stable - yes, runs multiple tasks at once without issue or question - yes.

My core voltage is rated for 1.35, many run higher with higher overclocks, I am running at 1.35. So being that I am at my max core voltage running below my maximum core temp, stable and have had no major issues IE a failed CPU I will not change it, I like it, it is not a problem.

So now that I have explained myself even though there was no need to do so I would like to you please respect the choices of others.

As it has been said to me and as I have said to others, live and let live, other people's choices are theirs, not yours and you should not impose your views upon others without all the proper knowledge necessary to make a educated assumption or decision.

Also, as a side note my idle temps are the same as that of a un-modified CPU running a stock heatsink and normal running temps never exceed 60C at the cores, 45C at the tj and that is with normal use, games running, movie playing and surfing the web in a 80 degree F room.

Now please to NOT let this turn into a flaming thread.


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## greenbrucelee (Apr 24, 2007)

Not sure who your directing that at but I Wont be flaiming anyone, wether they be noob or pro.


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

At 80C the CPU is throttling itself back to prevent damage.


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## BlackHatJack (Sep 18, 2010)

visseroth said:


> LOL, stupid? No, I think not being that the cores are rated for 100C and the tj is rated for 65.


What is/are the CPU(s) ? I'd be interested in looking up the specs.


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## visseroth (Oct 25, 2010)

greenbrucelee said:


> Not sure who your directing that at but I Wont be flaiming anyone, wether they be noob or pro.


Nope, sorry, wasn't directing that at you, was directing that at anyone that wants to argue the point of it being stupid. Really it's like anything else, live and let live or to each their own.

As to the specs of my CPU, here ya go...
http://ark.intel.com/Product.aspx?id=37147

Please note that the specs don't list core temps, just the Tj temp which is 67.9. Tj is the point at which the cores interface with the casing. This is called the Tj or Thermal Junction.
My Tj temp will get up to 65 or 68 with a 100% load for several hours. This is only done during testing to determine stability. Once the system has been deemed stable I don't stress it but once every now and then just to check that things are still stable which can be about once every 6 months to a year.
Mean while my idle temps are (at this moment and time) 29 to 40 (typical loads on the CPU) at the Tj and 44, 44, 40, 40 at the cores currently but it is also currently 77F or 25C in my room. Of corse as the temps in my room drop so does the Tj temp and core temps, as the temps rise my Tj temps rise but rarely does it get over 80F/26.6C in my room.


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## greenbrucelee (Apr 24, 2007)

ahh get ya.


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## wally246 (Aug 4, 2006)

I am thinking of either oc'ing my present setup, and I have two questions: How can I find out what my motherboard will support and/or maybe look on Ebay for a faster chip. When I watch almost any kind of movie, I am seeing CPU usage in the 90's to higher %. This is based on Cntrl Alt Delete. I hope I posted in the right place and asked the right questions. If not, then I am open to being flamed / edumacated!


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## wally246 (Aug 4, 2006)

wally246 said:


> I am thinking of either oc'ing my present setup, and I have two questions: How can I find out what my motherboard will support and/or maybe look on Ebay for a faster chip. When I watch almost any kind of movie, I am seeing CPU usage in the 90's to higher %. This is based on Cntrl Alt Delete. I hope I posted in the right place and asked the right questions. If not, then I am open to being flamed / edumacated!


Possibly could this be more of a memory problem as I have 512Mb installed as per the Crucial scan I just did.:4-dontkno

Here is what the Crucial Scan said: 
Maximum Memory Capacity: 2048MB
Currently Installed Memory: 512MB
Available Memory Slots: 1
Total Memory Slots: 2
Dual Channel Support: No
CPU Manufacturer: GenuineIntel
CPU Family: Intel(R) Pentium(R) 4 CPU 3.00GHz Model 2, Stepping 9
CPU Speed: 1499 MHz

Someone please tell me how to find out what make the motherboard is, if that is an issue. Thank You.


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## greenbrucelee (Apr 24, 2007)

wally246 said:


> Possibly could this be more of a memory problem as I have 512Mb installed as per the Crucial scan I just did.:4-dontkno
> 
> Here is what the Crucial Scan said:
> Maximum Memory Capacity: 2048MB
> ...


download cpu-z it should tell you or open up the case and have a look usually the name is printed on the board. If your system is prebuilt system like a dell, copaq or HP then you wont be able to overclock it because the manufacturer will lock those features in the bios and the motherboard will be a propietry board designed by them.

Also please start your own thread it is not nice to hijack someone elses thread.

BTW if your getting high cpu usuage watching a video it could be down to ram, it could be down to a virus, it could be down to a number of things.


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## MonsterMiata (Jan 5, 2010)

Interesting thread, makes me want to go back and give my 4.16 another go. It was stable but a bit warm. Its winter now though :wink:


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## visseroth (Oct 25, 2010)

OCing for the win! BSOD's FTL! Well sometimes. It's funny that when you're overclocking you almost in some sick ways welcome the BSODs so that you know whether or not you're 100% stable and so you can determine which voltages to adjust. But to much of anything is not good no matter what it is! LOL


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## Niram (Jun 20, 2009)

I have had this crappy cpu for years on stock speed never realized I could overclock it without changing the cooler or raising voltages and the 500MHz difference is incredible

can't even imagine what would it look like to get it over 3GHz.. though my mobo, psu and cooler won't let me go higher than 2.6 :laugh:


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## wally246 (Aug 4, 2006)

Niram said:


> I have had this crappy cpu for years on stock speed never realized I could overclock it without changing the cooler or raising voltages and the 500MHz difference is incredible
> 
> can't even imagine what would it look like to get it over 3GHz.. though my mobo, psu and cooler won't let me go higher than 2.6 :laugh:


Being that this is a 1.5 I would be happy with anything like 1.7 or so. But as you said if it turns out to be a PITA, it would not be worth it. Pls advise.


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## greenbrucelee (Apr 24, 2007)

.15 - 1.7 is not worth the hassle you would not notice a gain. BTW you have hijacked someone elses thread again please start your own and I will tell you how to overclock which will be dependant on a number of things.

You are not using a prebuilt system like a HP
You have a good cpu cooler
You have a good power supply.


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