Any Overclockers/Modders here?

[Sesquipedalian]

I'm big into computer hardware and would've built, modified, and overclocked a new "uber rig" by now if it weren't such a darned expensive hobby!

I rank about 26th out of over 50,000 members on an Overclocking forum (rather not name it... I prefer not mixing identities unless necessary). In other words, if you've ever wondered what it is or have wanted to dabble in it I'm happy to help.

I'm also open to being the resident tech support, but just don't abuse the privilege :P.

Anywho... I figured I'd just create a hub for any would-be ubergeeks.

Rock on!

[DeadSpace]

i have been known to tweak perfectly good default settings....;) not real serious about it, like you said, requires good gear=expensive hobby, get serious stability issues above 20% with my current system

[Sesquipedalian]

i have been known to tweak perfectly good default settings....;) not real serious about it, like you said, requires good gear=expensive hobby, get serious stability issues above 20% with my current system

Expensive is right :)

And yeah... If you don't build for the purpose of overclocking from the get-go, then you're bound to have some bottleneck somewhere. I actually damaged my first rig by overclocking it without even really tweaking the voltage much at all... It was just cheap hardware. For my second computer I went all-out and bought tried-and-true overclocking brands/hardware after researching each specific component.

[Vortex]

Expensive is right :)

And yeah... If you don't build for the purpose of overclocking from the get-go, then you're bound to have some bottleneck somewhere. I actually damaged my first rig by overclocking it without even really tweaking the voltage much at all... It was just cheap hardware. For my second computer I went all-out and bought tried-and-true overclocking brands/hardware after researching each specific component.

You'll always have a bottleneck. Even in a very well designed computer system, some part will perform slightly lower in some field than another, esp. in cases were data is being moved. You can, of course, design systems that have no significant points of failure.

I don't have the money to build pure OC systems. Even if I did, I couldn't really justify it - your price/performance ratio just dies when your building systems specifically designed to OC like a bat out of hell. My systems are built for maximum price/performance, and I can eeke out some decent overclocks on them without getting exotic.

[Sesquipedalian]

Yeah, I know every system has an eventual "weak link", but I'm talking about an otherwise avoidable one :)

[schmidt]

I did som dabbeling in OC when I was younger (~15-18) but my focus shifted towards software rather then hardware after that.

I still take an interest in hardware and its construction but not the OC part :)

[ShaiGar]

Overclockers.com.au?

[Theodoric]

Never done it before, but have been extremely interested in it.

Never been a big fan of overclocking. The biggest problem is the issues with heat. Maybe if I could build a closed coolant system, probably based off of anti-freeze and some heavy duty water pumps, I would go and attempt it. Don't see a point in getting a $300+ mobo and CPU combination just to overclock it to the point where its reduced to some bubbling slag ;D

I'm more interested in case mods really. Some for systems purposes, ie fan arrays and heat sinks, but more for aesthetic reasons.

[Ace1337]

Overclocking is a great way to squeeze the extra juice your computer has. I always buy the cheapest possible hardware with the most O.C.-ing potential, so I have a computer that's as fast as some people's computers who spent a fortune on them.

[Theodoric]

I always buy the cheapest possible hardware with the most O.C.-ing potential

What hardware would that be? Is there any specific brand or form factor that is better for overclocking and most importantly, stable when it is clocked? Is there any specifics that are easier to overclock than others?

I know the old Pentium Celerons (first gen) were incredibly easy to clock, but Pentium soon started hobbling the processors making overclocking difficult. Is this true? :huh:

[Ace1337]

What hardware would that be? Is there any specific brand or form factor that is better for overclocking and most importantly, stable when it is clocked? Is there any specifics that are easier to overclock than others?

I know the old Pentium Celerons (first gen) were incredibly easy to clock, but Pentium soon started hobbling the processors making overclocking difficult. Is this true? :huh:

You gotta be informed, read hardware sites and reviews. A really good example of a cheap and very overclockable processor is the Pentium DualCore E2160. Almost every one of them goes from default (1.8GHz) to 3GHz. Some people managed to get it to 3.6GHz, which is a 100% overclock. And it's less than a hundred dollars. :)

[Jakalwarrior]

Yeah im an overclocking enthusiast. The type that pushes a system to its max as soon as it comes out of the box, then piddles with it non stop messing with every relevant setting until it reaches perfection. Then if I get bored I may try different combinations to see if one setting affects the others cap and which way would be more beneficial.

[Aldanga]

I'm actually working on getting my 5000+ BE stable at 3.2 on an Asus M2N32-SLI board. It's not going to well... it's a brisbane core and doesn't read temps right, so I'm not sure if the highest I've gotten is 54 on load or 59. It idles around 39 at 1.35 Vcore.

I'm thinking my RAM is screwy.

[Jakalwarrior]

Dont pay attention to temperatures on a brisbane unless you are comparing it against its self. You cant convert it to real temperatures :(
Could tell you a million things to try to get it stable, but if you are using JUST the multiplier to overclock heat and voltage should be your only issues. Make sure spread spectrum etc.. is off and if it wont go any further all you can try is more voltage or cooler temps... or both. Of course dont toast it... which sounds difficult since you cant tell your temps, but usually they hate heat and get unstable long before they could cook. What are cooler you running?

You can easily take ram out of the equation with a divider while you are working on the chip ;) then come back to it later.

[Aldanga]

Yeah, I'm using just the multiplier. FSB wouldn't do me any good with this thing, though I know my mobo could handle it.

I have lowered my RAM timings and speed and that helped when I was stressing my 3.11, but one core (supposedly the cooler one) always gives me ILLEGAL SUMOUT in Prime95 when i push it to 3.2. Since I can't tell temps I really don't want to push it past 1.4 vcore. (I'm even wary of volting it that high.)

I'm running a CoolerMaster Hyper TX-2 I got for free from Newegg. It does a good job, but I've been thinking of getting a Zalman or another 'top' cooler to see if I can get this stable. It won't go past 3.11 with this thing. I don't really need that extra .1, but it'd be nice to finally get where I was expecting to get all along.

[Jakalwarrior]

Thermalright Ultra Extreme is supposed to be the top air cooler at the moment, but it cost more than my chip did. Good luck to you and I hope you didnt just get a bum chip. I had a 2.4C that wouldnt get past 2.7 while everyone else was hitting 3.0. - 3.3 back in the day. Luck of the draw.
You can tell if lower temps might help by testing that weak core by its self (one instance of prime with the affinity set) so it will run cooler. Or take off the side of the case and set up a monster box fan to drop the temp about as much as a new cooler would to test drive it (mine runs like that at all times lol).

[Opivy1980]

I'm building a new rig and am thinking of getting a Rampage Formula and a Xeon x3660, the x3660 is supposed to be the same as the q9550 has anyone tried this and what was the result. I am going with air cooling and want to get between 3.8 and 4.0 ghz out of it. My air cooling is a Tuniq Tower 120 and 9 120mm fans in a Coolermaster Evo 830, so I'm not worried about needing water cooling.