Tech Support Forum banner

Overclocking a CPU

914 Views 5 Replies 4 Participants Last post by  whodat
A year ago I built a computer for school, but didn't have all that much money so I went for a celeron. Now that the waranty on the chip has expired, I was thinking of overclocking it. However, I'm kinda new to overclocking and don't know quite what to do. I was briefly showed a program called CPUz, but I'm not positive this is the correct program I need.
I am running a 2.8ghz celeron on a Soyo P4X400 motherboard. What I would like to do is over clock it to about 3-3.2 ghz and overclock the FSB from 400 mhz (100 quad pumped) to 533 or 800 (the motherboard claims it can take up to 533, but I also read that it can be overclocked to take 800 mhz).
I think what I need to keep in mind is voltage and cooling. Is there anything else I need to consider?
I'm running XP Pro if that makes a difference, a 9700 PRO all-in-wonder video card, and a 430 watt powersupply.

Any advice on this matter and how-to steps on overclocking this is greatly appreciated.
Status
Not open for further replies.
1 - 6 of 6 Posts
first of all, read up on good overclocking sites such as www.overclockers.com

voltages and cooling are factors to keep an eye on but also remember that overclocking can reduce the lifespan or even damage your computer hardware permanently, so be careful if you plan to overclock your computer.

do you have good system cooling and cpu cooling?
greetings
a celeron is not made to multi-task, or to push [extream overclock]... Upgrade to a cheap pentium with Hyper-threading technology..also you need to think about the ram.
Although the Celeron is not a great "clocker", none the less it should clock to the numbers you posted, no problem. Forget about making changes to any voltage settings, unless you have money to "burn", literally!
By increasing the CPU "host frequency" (in small increments) you will effectively increase the CPU speed.

You must also be aware that not all Ram is created "equal". Overclocking depends largely on Ram that will allow it. Some Ram just simply does not overclock well, even if you stay with in spec. That said, you don't necessarily require high dollar sticks, to get the job done. Stay within your current Ram speed.

Overclocking your machine will take several hours of "trial and error" to find the "sweet spot". What is the sweet spot? That would be the number you achieve, that not only gives good CPU numbers, but also the best "read & write" numbers and with stands a stress test such as "Prime 95".

As far as cooling goes, by NOT increasing the voltage you will note only a slight increase in heavy load CPU temps.
See less See more
You suggested I buy a cheap P4 with HT support. Do you have any in mind? Northwood or Prescott core? I originally bought a celeron because of the cheap price. I am still on a small budget, so what kind of price range is out there? Of the ones I see on newegg.com, they are all 200+ and out of my price range.
1 - 6 of 6 Posts
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top