To OC or Not to OC Xeon L5640

[kelfox]

So, I recently got my paws on an Intel Xeon L5640 (LGA 1366), and after doing some reading and research, decided to pick up the Asrock X58 Extreme motherboard, due to its low price, the compatibility with the Xeon cpu I have, and some nice features. I'm pairing this with 6gb (3x2gb) of G.Skill 1600mhz DDR3 memory.

My question then to all of you is, what sort of Overclocks can I expect from this CPU, Motherboard, and RAM combination? And even more interesting yet, with it being a Gulftown based Hexacore, clocked at 2.26ghz, would I even need to overclock it?

Also bear in mind that I'm coming from an AMD Athlon II X4 630, plugged in to an MSI NF750-G55 motherboard and OC'd to 3.06ghz. The primary use of this computer is gaming, and possibly now folding should I also decide to upgrade my graphics.

Any input is appreciated.

 

[lowjack989]

Honestly that CPU is not meant for such a thing....I do know it will stomp the"computational guts" out of your old X4 630 @ 3.06 GHz at its stock speeds without breaking a sweat....Yes you will need vid card as you did not state that you had a GPU

 

[kelfox]

I already have a pair of GTS 250's, but I didn't mention them because I felt it was not relevant to the question I was asking. I was just curious if anyone had used this type of processor for non-server applications, and if so what sort of performance gains were realized with overclocking, especially given the very low TDP of this CPU.

 

[geekapproved]

You wanted to know if you should upgrade your graphics, but you didn't think it was relevent to the question to tell us what graphics you have now? LOL

Anyways, overclock the cpu to 3ghz. If your not happy with the current performance of your GTX250's in the games you play (you didnt mention) at the resolution you use (didn't mention that either) then upgrade them. Only you can answer if you should upgrade your gpu's or not.

 

[kelfox]

Ahh, actually I never did ask if I should upgrade my graphics, I simply noted that I am considering getting in to folding but only if I were to upgrade my graphic card(s).

But if you really must know, I play mostly FPS games @ 1920x1080. Such as BF:BC2, Crysis 2, L4D2, Stalker Series... The usual fare. And I'm happy with the performance in most games up to a point.

Still, as I said before, I am inquiring mainly about the OC potential of the Motherboard, CPU, and RAM I had listed, and if anyone has had any experience with that particular processor. Which is why I posted on this board.

 

[lowjack989]

Like GeekApproved stated..... take it up to 3.0 GHz....throw some 570's in it.....That should play just about anything and fold@home like a beast....Yes it is easily possible to OC on that board and with that RAM....drop the RAM to 1333 in BIOS then raise the FSB to 240...that will be RAM @ 1600....CPU @ 2.88 GHz...I calculated with a x12 multi

 

[kelfox]

Like GeekApproved stated..... take it up to 3.0 GHz....throw some 570's in it.....That should play just about anything and fold@home like a beast....Yes it is easily possible to OC on that board and with that RAM....drop the RAM to 1333 in BIOS then raise the FSB to 240...that will be RAM @ 1600....CPU @ 2.88 GHz...I calculated with a x12 multi

Thank you, this is the kind of discourse I was looking for. :b

 

[lowjack989]

Hey just wanted to let you know that CPU is a beast even at stock speeds although for gaming purposes the extra clockspeed will help with gaming and keep the bottleneck down on those 570's to a minimum...another scenario is set the ram to 1066....then FSB to 280...RAM would be at 1492 MHz....CPU would be at 3.36 GHz...this may require some over volting....just be cautious when raising voltages check to see what the maximum rated voltage of the chip is before proceeding with the OC

 

[lowjack989]

For calculating OC's it goes as follows: FSB*multi. for the CPU--->for RAM I use half of the increase in bus speed which is the percent of speed increase and add it to your BIOS RAM clock setting...i.e. 240 = 20% RAM speed increase....so 1333 + 266.6=1599.6 MHz

 

[kelfox]

Best answer selected by kelfox.