Overclocking Confusion

[Begley95]

Hi all,

 

I'm kind of a noob when it comes to OCs, so I apologize for my ignorance in advance.Long story short, I've just finished building a computer for a friend, and, upon going into the BIOS to check out settings and such, I noticed some overclocking features were unlocked! The CPU is a Core 2 Duo E7500, mobo is a Gigabyte ga-g41mt-s2pt. I didn't end up touching any of those settings yet but I recall at one point I was able to get the CPU up to well over 4 GHz. My questions are, which settings should I be adjusting for a mild overclock, what consequences are there if I take it too far, and how can I confirm that the CPU is running at the new overclocked speed? It's not intended for anything super CPU intensive but it's an older Core 2 Duo and a little extra speed never hurt anyone

[aeroencychris]

Hi all,

 

I'm kind of a noob when it comes to OCs, so I apologize for my ignorance in advance.Long story short, I've just finished building a computer for a friend, and, upon going into the BIOS to check out settings and such, I noticed some overclocking features were unlocked! The CPU is a Core 2 Duo E7500, mobo is a Gigabyte ga-g41mt-s2pt. I didn't end up touching any of those settings yet but I recall at one point I was able to get the CPU up to well over 4 GHz. My questions are, which settings should I be adjusting for a mild overclock, what consequences are there if I take it too far, and how can I confirm that the CPU is running at the new overclocked speed? It's not intended for anything super CPU intensive but it's an older Core 2 Duo and a little extra speed never hurt anyone

In any overclock you'll be adjusting the clock ratio (or core clock) and the voltage. Increase the ratio bit by bit until it crashes, then increase the voltage to give more power. Then rinse and repeat until temps get too high. Watch one of Linus' videos on overclocking for a more in depth tutorial, but that's the basic concept. Not sure how much the Core 2 Duo can take but go as far as you'd like. Are you using a stock cooler?

Edit: Follow your topics.

[Imakuni]

To confirm a better OC, just grab a benchmark (say... cinabench) and see if your OCed speeds yeld better numbers.

 

As to how far can you push, so long as you are within 75C or less and your PC doesn't crash, you should be good.

[Fulgrim]

FSB x Multiplier = CPU Frequency

 

FSB = front side bus speed

 

Keep that formula in mind when overclocking. Also, set the voltage manually, and never exceed 1.45 volts. All whilst keeping the temperatures below 70c whilst stress testing.

 

Use CoreTemp to monitor cpu temps, and stress test with Prime95 for stability, and to find your max temps.

 

I reckon ~3.5GHz should be doable.

[Begley95]

In any overclock you'll be adjusting the clock ratio (or core clock) and the voltage. Increase the ratio bit by bit until it crashes, then increase the voltage to give more power. Then rinse and repeat until temps get too high. Watch one of Linus' videos on overclocking for a more in depth tutorial, but that's the basic concept. Not sure how much the Core 2 Duo can take but go as far as you'd like. Are you using a stock cooler?

Edit: Follow your topics.

 

The CPU cooler is a MassCool 8WT15-38. Nothing fancy. Like I said it's not going to be used for launching the space shuttle or anything, just looking to squeeze a little extra juice out of an older CPU. ThanksQ

[Begley95]

Got it up to 3.30 GHz so far with no issues. I'll report back with the final OC. Thanks everyone for your responses!

[Begley95]

 

This is the best I could do. Not bad if I do say so myself