Can i overclock my computer?

[fight2fight]

hi,

just wondering if i could overclock my computer, like is it safe, can my computer do it etc...

specs are as follows...

motherboard: Asus P5N-E SLI
Ram: 4 gig
CPU: Quad core 2.8gig
GFX: 9800GT in sli 2x
power supply: 1200 WATT thermaltake


and im running triple boot xp, vista and windows 7...

thanks...

 

[Highwayman]

Also like to point out that on normal screen resolutions upto to about 1200x800-ish theres little issues with that old whore "Texture buffer" memory which also kicks in the higher res you go stealing fps as it goes...and nothing looks worse than scaling down resolutions on a LCD...lol so thats another spanner in the works for users on bigger monitors when it comes to overclocking...since you cant add more ram to a GPU, only buy cards with more of it.

So looks like I'm still dreaming of the day Crysis runs super fast maxed out on that 22" monitor of mine...till january at least....mwhahahaa then is Dx11 time...assuming theres any 2gig versions by then. At the minute I can get huge speed gains dropping the res to say 1200x800 and all I see is how blocky it all gets, not the speed gains....I WANT QUALITY AND SPEED DAMMIT! IWANT TO PLAY GTA4 at 60fps solid maxed to the hilt and not have 2 of my CPUs cores sitting idle *rant* *foaming at mouth*

 

[epk1950]

Also like to point out that on normal screen resolutions upto to about 1200x800-ish theres little issues with that old whore "Texture buffer" memory which also kicks in the higher res you go stealing fps as it goes...and nothing looks worse than scaling down resolutions on a LCD...lol so thats another spanner in the works for users on bigger monitors when it comes to overclocking...since you cant add more ram to a GPU, only buy cards with more of it.

So looks like I'm still dreaming of the day Crysis runs super fast maxed out on that 22" monitor of mine...till january at least....mwhahahaa then is Dx11 time...assuming theres any 2gig versions by then. At the minute I can get huge speed gains dropping the res to say 1200x800 and all I see is how blocky it all gets, not the speed gains....I WANT QUALITY AND SPEED DAMMIT!

yea, enjoy the 22" i hate this boxy 17" even with everything set to high it still looks like crap no hdmi, etc. sick of the 1280x1024 cannot wait for the 1920x1080 , soon soon samsung here i come.

 

[Highwayman]

yea, enjoy the 22" i hate this boxy 17" even with everything set to high it still looks like crap no hdmi, etc. sick of the 1280x1024 cannot wait for the 1920x1080 , soon soon samsung here i come.

Nice I might go up to a 24" next build since a 5870 or Nvidia equivalent (IF they do one) will be able to cope...got my missus eyeing up this rig of mine for her so hoping it wont be too long...maybe Easter since give the xmas price hikes time to settle.

 

[tblount]

yea same here, I get too over excited over stuff.

Some of us need some king of excitement when we are too old to get laid.

 

[kemical]

Getting back to the original op's question... If I had his system I'd overclock it....

Running an overclocked CPU does not necessarily shorten it's life...Fact.

The whole point of overclocking is to to utilise the headroom left over by the manufacturers. When chips are made they are not made to run exactly at 2.4GHz for example.. Intel or AMD when 'speed binning' will choose a chip they know will run at say 3GHz all day long to produce the above chip (the most popular speed) this way they know that the chance of the chp failing are massively reduced. Now that that chip manufacture has to such a stage where this headroom can be quite large...To the point where 7GHz is now being attained with superior cooling... (obviously with a voltage of 1.9v these chips wouldn't last that long)

Overclocking needs knowledge. Do it wrong and you'll end up with some shiny bits of metal that don't really do a great deal.... But get it correct... You get a system that would have cost $500 dollars more to buy and the performance that comes with it..

So read, read and do more reading on this subject. Find a forum that deals with overclocking and your board specifically..
As to whether raising the gigerhertz gives you more FPS or not..... As with everything it depends on the game played.. Some are GPU bound and some are CPU.. (like Crysis believe it or not.. You overclock your CPU and see how the fps climb)

Your system is a viable overclocker and was made to do so by the manufacturers thmeselves.. If your unsure then thats fine... Leave it until at such point you feel confident enough to have a go..Just be aware of the consequences if it goes wrong...

 

[cybercore]

I would say do it gradually in steps, paying particular attention to the temperatures. Make sure they are below the critical. As pointed by Kemical, get a decent cooler.