overclocking my new kit

feedorf

just bought a new machine and added a few bits in myself, but i think for the money i have spent i should have better performance from it :mad:

has anyone got any tips or help as to how to get more out of it?

i have two additional case fans to be installed and some ram sinks in the post if thats going to be any help

zoro

I very much doubt you'll get any constructive comments out of this thread unless you give us a _VERY_ detailed description of your new PC.

BadCharlie

I think its in his sig?

feedorf

Originally posted by zoro
I very much doubt you'll get any constructive comments out of this thread unless you give us a _VERY_ detailed description of your new PC.

what more do u want to know?

Stephen

he might have sigs turned off, since most peoples sigs are lame pieces of crap.

unkel

Originally posted by feedorf
has anyone got any tips or help as to how to get more out of it?

You need to overclock it

Pity your memory is a bit slow for the P4C/P4E, but with a 5:4 divider and the tight timings of that great memory, you should be fine. What cpu cooling do you use? Needs to be pretty decent to cool the Presshot

What PSU do you have? You need a good PSU to start seriously overclocking that machine. What case do you have with what cooling (fans). What mobo do you have? Have you tried overclocking your 9700pro? What's the max vdimm your ram is still guaranteed for? What are the SPD timings of the ram?

Basic overclocking the P4E: in BIOS up the FSB a bit, say from 200 to 210 and run prime95 to see if it is stable (10 hours) and it doesn't overheat. Also run benchmarks (quick good one is superpi). Repeat this step for higher FSB until unstable and then up the vcore to the cpu a notch and run prime95 to check stability and run benchmarks.

Provided you got the right air cooling, you should get it to at least 3.3GHz and maybe even 3.8GHz (25% improvement). With a bit of LNG cooling, 5GHz should be possible

Col_Loki

If you have an intel motherboard then your **** out of luck im afraid, and also your case / PSU could be a problem for fitting a new one.

Is your system built yourself? If not what brand? What motherboard?

Great Ram but it makes it harder for overclocking, you have to pick your other components very carefully....... where with Pc4000 its pretty easy. Like the guys said list more, motherboard, PSU (power and make), case etc......

feedorf

atm the cpu cooling is stock fan and heat sink. i have an additional 120mm intake in the side and an 80mm exhaust in the roof of the case. the fsb:dram ratio is 1:1

the psu again is stock, a 250w Bestec (which along with the case will be changed), and the case is e-machines finest biscuit tin. (although fairly handy cause its riddled with usb slots and has a 7-in-2 card reader in one of the drive bays)

CPU-Z tells me my mobo is a FIC P4 865G series /VL33 (if that means anything), and the labels on the mobo itself are ambigious to say the least.

i've tried to oc the gfx card with AtiTool 0.0.19 but in other forums it has been slated for melting components, so i'm not overly enthusiastic about using it.

i dunno what 'max vdimm' of my ram is (i dunno how to find it either), but it appears the timings are 2.5-3-3-8.

and after a quick experiment it turns out my phionex bios wont let me change any of the timings or the fsb

unkel

Originally posted by feedorf
my phionex bios wont let me change any of the timings or the fsb

If you're gonna buy a case and psu anyway, I'd cut my losses and buy a good mobo as well

Before you buy check COL_LOKI's guide in the stickies

Col_Loki

Well firstly that PSU is very weak so prob wont be any use for overclocking. The motherboard prob doesent support overclocking..........try a BIOS update to be sure.

Id say you would prob have to do as unkel says and mabye get a new case & PSU & Motherboard .......... and also prob a good cooler for the prescott. Theres also the Ram speed issue. Mabye its better off at stock as this is going to cause you some bother?

That system should be performing pretty well as it is. Run a couple of benchmarks and you might be able to see any problems....... ie mabye SiSandra, 3dmark and mabye PCMark?

[edit] PS about melting your graphics card, dont worry about that. You have the artic cooler on it yea? That means the temps are a good 30 degrees lower than the standard cooler which gives you huge headway. Just dont go overboard, and prob wise to stay well away from voltage mods (electronics).

Sir Random

I upgraded an e-machine (not sure which model) and I got an ATX mobo in there no problem. What are your case measurements?

You definitely need a new PSU and a decent mobo so you can run that BH5 at 2,2,2,5 with 2.85v+. You might be able to run that ram 1:1 up to 250fsb+ which is about the max you'll reach on air. A good HSF is needed too, as those Prescotts run much hotter than the Northwoods.

feedorf

i'll need to find a tape measure so watch this space for dimensions.

i've spent 200 on top of the original 8 for the pc (9700pro, the BH5 ram and new fans), and i'm kinda running out of funds. i've been looking for a new bios but is a bloody needle in a haystack, and every site seems to say 'well heres one u can have if u want, but go to ur manufacturer/retailer/mobo brand website for compatibility etc. i'm running in circles.

i've a new HSF on order... the chips not called a preshot for no reason.

i reckon a new case isnt required, but hey if i knew it all i wouldnt be posting here.

any idea what a good mobo and psu will cost bearing in mind my current parts and diminishing hard currency

ps. there are reasons why i bought an emachine, although i'm beging to question my thought process at that time.

Col_Loki

PSU wise a 350w Fortron will sort you out (400w+ Power Output) ............ Here - PC-LOOK

Its a very cheap but good quality PSU so you cant go far wrong.

Motherboard wise on a budget look at the Abit IS7's there very decent stable boards, and abit are always very overclocker friendly.

Sir Random

Yeah, there's a budget version of the IS7 (less features) that should suit you fine.

EDIT:
Just checked, it's the IS7-E2, €80 from Komplett.