cpu and Memory OC suggestions

[Xandrex]

Hi everyone,

I'm new to OC'ing and I just got out of the Building, Buying, or Upgrading High Performance PC Systems forum. I have spent hours already reading the stickies and threads on first couple of pages to get an idea of what I'll need to. I think the biggest thing for me right now is which direction I should go, what I should look at first? I am really confused with the memory timing stuff and what will be best for my rig. What I would like to do is get a baseline of where my system stands. I should be getting Vista in and installed by the end of the week. After that, then start tweaking stuff. What do y'all think? Thanks in advance.

Andre

[leje0306]

I would wait on Vista till SP 1. As for the rest, google it, there are a gizillion articles on oc memory and CPU. Good luck, have fun, and remember to where your anti static wrist band.

[Sora]

go to a more hardcore overclock oriented site. I don't know if i'm allowed to post them but Overclock.net is my favorite overclocking site.

[ThirdLeft152]

Well your system should be capable of anything from 3.2-3.6ghz granted you have a good air cooler, which it appears you do. You should probably start off with raising the fsb since it'll increase the cpu and memory (I would suggest increasing in 5-10 at a time and take it slow) and you can do that either auto or manually. However you shouldn't raise it too high without either loosing the timings on the memory or lowering the DRAM ratio. Im not exactly sure how to explain memory timings as im not 100% sure what each one does myself, but i understand the basic concept. the first number, (ex: 4-4-4-12 also the stock timings for most ddr2 800), being a CAS latency of 4, and probably the most important. someone correct me if im wrong.

[synergy]

As said before I would check out a different forum. There is a wealth of information out there on overclocking. Be sure to read some guides/stickies/tutorials about RAM and what the timings are. There are so many factors involved in overclocking! The most important thing to start with is to find the max of both your CPU and your RAM. Here's a starting point for reading:

Intel Overclocking - DIY-Street Forums
DIY-Street Forums - View Single Post - "THE" Definitive DFI AMD Overclocking guide! (merged all the overclocking stickies into one guide!)
Overclocking Guide - XtremeSystems Forums

Also...I would get your PC clocked where you want it and then worry about changing the OS. Your machine will behave differently with a different OS. You may have stability in XP but lose it in Vista or vice versa.

Become familiar with your BIOS as that is the brain and where all settings should be manipulated. DO NOT overclock from a windows based application!

PS - I know that link says AMD overclocking guide, but it has valueable information about RAM timings.

[Xandrex]

Awsome, thank you for the replies everyone. I'll start branching out on other forums. This is a brand new system, so I wanted to start with Vista. I know there are many HAL issues, but I'm willing to ride it out with the industry. EVGA has been really good with drivers for both the mobo and GPU. I will continue to post success and failures for y'all.

Thanks again,

Andre

[synergy]

Yea...keep us posted! Keep in mind it's a long process and not something you should expect to have completed overnight.