Complete Noob - Humbly Asking For Some Advice

[r-dog]

Just bought a ton of new stuff, thinking about OCing some of it, should I?

 

P4 3.2 EE

Abit IC7-MAX3

Dual Raptors - 74gb 10,000rpm SATA

1gb Corsair TwinX-1024 XMS4400

ASUS x800xt PE

 

I know this is already a nice setup, and would handle any game out right now pretty well ...

 

But there's a part of me that just wants to overclock the s@!# out of it. Just to see what it can do. I'm sure if there's anyone who can identify with that feeling, it's you guys. I mean, I'm closer to the absolute top of the technological ladder than I've ever been (though not quite at the top), and I feel like I should take advantage of it before my system is completely outdated, which should be in...oh, about 7 minutes or so.

 

Is it worth the risk? (Keep in mind that I am a Noob at overclocking, I've just done a few minor BIOS adjustments in the past.) I'd like to maybe do some water cooling, but I don't want to have to build a custom kit (I don't have that kind of time), and I'm not a hardcore Modder, just a gamer. Bottom line: I want to crank out as much power and performance as I possibly can (as safely as I can.)

 

Any expert advice (type of equipment, techniques, recommended brands, etc...)is welcome and will be much appreciated.

 

Cheers,

Ryan

 

I told those fudge-packers I like Michael Bolton's music.

That is not right, Michael.

[r_target]

Trade in that PC4400 for some PC3700 or PC4000. I don't think an EE can hit the 275+ front side bus to get that memory up to speed. Get a good aftermarket cpu cooler, and start raising the front side bus.

[ciddono]

Well, start small, maybe tighten(lower) the ram timings, or ease the fsb up just a little. First, deal with cooling though, in the forums here, you can find references for cooling solutions, maybe some good air setups, that won't cost an arm and a leg, nor be too complicated. Just take it easy when tweaking the bios...

 

and welcome to occ

[the11ama]

Good game. Welcome to OCC.

 

If you need OCing help with an AMD chip, I can help.

 

Nice Sig. This site does have a dedicated area for those, under my controls. That's if you plan on staying around.

[r-dog]

r_target:

Trade in that PC4400 for some PC3700 or PC4000. I don't think an EE can hit the 275+ front side bus to get that memory up to speed.

 

are you saying that pc3700 or pc4000 will work just as well as the stuff i got,

or that pc4400 will actually run slower than the other two due to the fsb? sorry, don't know a whole lot about ram, obviously. What I think you're saying is that i've got a lot of unnecessary headroom with the 4400. Is that what you mean?

 

Also, if i decide to go the water cooling route and manage to OC up to 3.8 or so, then will the memory be up to speed?

 

Thanks for the quick replies, btw. You guys or wicked sweet.

 

Later.

[Cyberfury]

r_target:

What I think you're saying is that i've got a lot of unnecessary headroom with the 4400. Is that what you mean?

Yes, that's what he means. What's your powersupply? How many and where are the fans located in your case? What is your current heatsink/fan combo?

[r-dog]

I've got a 450w power supply, 2 case fans (80mm, I think) - can't remember where they blow from as I haven't opened my case in a while. I'm currently waiting for all my new hardware to come in before installing because I have to take apart my desk to get the computer out, and it's kind of a hassle - don't want to have to do it more than once.

 

I'm thinking about getting a Thermalright SLK900u and a Panaflo 92mm High Speed for the CPU. I think I'll use that at first, and maybe upgrade to water cooling later - possibly a Swiftech kit with PolarFLO waterblocks.

 

I'm also considering a few 120mm Panaflos to replace my current case fans.

 

How far do you think I can OC the 3.2ee w/ the Thermalright? I've seen some benchmarks online, and even if I only manage to get the fsb up to 250mhz the performance gains are substantial.

 

I think with a high quality thermoelectric water kit I could get close to 275, right?

 

Again, kind of new to this stuff. Thanks for the advice.