Advice on overclocking

[DoubleAG]

I have an 2.8ghz e7400,a gtx275 and a 1920x1080 monitor. Will I get any decent perfomance increase by overclocking? Also, is it safe to overclock using a stock cooler and how high should I overclock it? My cpu is 40c at idle. I have never overclocked before so any tips or software to make this easier would be appreciated.

 

[overshocked]

Yes overclocking will signifigently help you in this case.

But you should buy a new CPU cooler first. I recommend the Core Contact Freezer, because it is only like $30 and it kicks ass.

 

[4745454b]

I have never overclocked before so any tips

Then listen to this tip. If you've never OCed before, stop and do some reading. No, do lots of reading. You will want to know exactly what to do before you start doing it. Its a bit more involved then just picking a number you want and setting the switches. (or values in the bios for you newbies.) I would start with reading the stickies in this forum and searching "e7400 overclock" online. Post back in this thread anything you don't understand so we can clarify. Once you understand what your doing, then you can overclock your CPU.

 

[DoubleAG]

Lol okay i'll buy a cooler and do some research first. Any recommendations on how high I should overclock?

 

[overshocked]

Any recommendations on how high I should overclock?

THat would go along with research 😉

 

[4745454b]

And testing on the part that you actually own. Just because someone else's 7400 made it XXXGHz doesn't mean yours will as well. It will also depend on what board you have. If you have an old G31 based board, it won't overclock as high as a better P35/P45 board. Without all the specs of your system, I'd simply be guessing as to what you could achieve.

 

[jsc]

HOWTO: Overclock C2Q (Quads) and C2D (Duals) - Guide v1.6.1
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/240001-29-howto-overclock-quads-duals-guide

Core 2 Quad and Duo Temperature Guide (need to know something about thermal management)
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/221745-29-core-quad-temperature-guide

The heatsinks that come with the 45 nm Intel CPU's are half the size of the ones that came with 65 nm CPU's. That means that they are just good enough so that the CPU chips will run at their rated speed. If you are going to overclock, you will need better cooling.

Suggestions on coolers:
http://www.frostytech.com/top5heatsinks.cfm

How to apply thermal paste:
http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=170&Itemid=1&limit=1&limitstart=5
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Overclocking since 1978 - Z80 (TRS-80) from 1.77 MHz to 2.01 MHz

 

[freezed1]

Yes overclocking will signifigently help you in this case.

But you should buy a new CPU cooler first. I recommend the Core Contact Freezer, because it is only like $30 and it kicks ass.

Lol totally agree with what he said. There are many other expensive cooler out there but core contact is pretty sweet deal for 30$, and most websites give it 90% rating. I believe it can easily handle a power rating of 150W, i was reading that at some website that tested the cooler, most quad cores are 95W, and the i7 quads are 135W.