should i overclock my gpu?

[nathansnider6]

hi right now my system consists of:
winodws 7 64bit
4gb ddr3 ram
intel core 2 duo e7500 @2.93ghz
1gb gddr5 r7 240 diamond overclocked edition
i have noticed that my cpu will run at 90+ percent load and my gpu will hardly hit 60% so i tryed software overclocking my cpu but i couldnt find my pll because i have a dell optiplex 380 computer my question is it worth overclocking my gpu or not

 

[Danbuscus25]

it sounds like your cpu is working harder than your gpu, so there is no need to OC the gpu. check your bios, you might be able to OC the cpu in there, with either the multiplier if its unlocked, or fsb if it is locked.

 

[chris987]

this is what you need to study. you defenately have cpu bottleneck since gpu isnt running above 90% while gaming. according to dell, Intel® G41 Express Chipset with ICH7 will have limited o/c ability though. also optiplex 380 are equipted with a 255w generic psu at best. overclocking with such low power psu isnt advised. proceed with caution. if you experience sudden restarts or overheating or any weird noises from your psu better upgrade asap.

 

[Kisianik]

So, sorry for intrusion, but it would be nice to know that Dell doesn't support BIOS overclock, since BIOS is locked on all Dell PCs except Alienware (which has only preset options, no full access).

However, first we need to know your form factor, because only MIni Tower is more or less easy to upgrade

From left to right, models are MT, DT, SFF

So which one is yours? If it is Mini Tower open panel, note BTX layout, still possible to upgrade video card and power supply

If it is DT or SFF for factor, power supply is proprietary and video card space is very limited. But the main topic is processor, so lets come back to it.

So, in cases like present the only viable option is to upgrade processor

This is the list of possible upgrades and options

Chipset

Intel® G41Express Chipset w/ICH7

Processors, I will make yours BOLD and obviously they are listed from the strongest to weakest

Intel® Core™ 2 Quad Processors

Intel® Core™ 2 Quad Q9650/3.00GHz, 12M, 1333FSB
Intel® Core™ 2 Quad Q9550/2.83GHz, 12M, 1333FSB
Intel® Core™ 2 Quad Q9505/2.83GHz, 6M, 1333FSB
Intel® Core™ 2 Quad Q9400/2.66GHz, 6M, 1333FSB
Intel® Core™ 2 Quad Q8400/2.66GHz, 4M, 1333FSB

Intel® Core™ 2 Duo and Pentium® Dual Core Processors

Intel® Core™ 2 Duo E8600/3.33GHz, 6M, 1333FSB
Intel® Core™ 2 Duo E8500/3.16GHz, 6M, 1333FSB
Intel® Core™ 2 Duo E8400/3.0GHz, 6M, 1333FSB
Intel® Core™ 2 Duo E7600/3.06GHz, 3M, 1066FSB
Intel® Core™ 2 Duo E7500/2.93GHz, 3M, 1066FSB
Intel® Core™ 2 Duo E7400/2.80GHz, 3M, 1066FSB
Intel® Pentium® Dual-Core E6500/2.93GHz, 2M, 1066FSB
Intel® Pentium® Dual-Core E6300/2.8GHz, 2M, 1066FSB
Intel® Pentium® Dual-Core E5400/2.7GHz, 2M, 800FSB
Intel® Pentium® Dual-Core E5300/2.60GHz, 2M, 800FSB

Intel® Celeron® Processors

Intel® Celeron® Dual-Core 3300/2.50GHz, 1M, 800FSB
Intel® Celeron® Dual-Core 3200/2.40GHz, 1M, 800FSB
Intel® Celeron® Dual-Core 1600/2.40GHz, 512K, 800FSB
Intel® Celeron® Dual-Core 1500/2.20GHz, 512K, 800FSB
Intel® Celeron® 450/2.20GHz, 512K, 800FSB

So, looking at above, it is safe to say that you can dramatically improve your PC by upgrading to Quad.

Your present motherboard will support this upgrade, no power supply upgrade is necessary for this job (MT comes with 255 watt, DT and SFF with 235 watt).
If you decide to upgrade video card, then power supply might be compromised (based on your GPU choice).

Anything else I can help you with?