Overclocking an athlon 64 3700+ 2.4 754 socket cpu

Dave_007

Hi folks,

I am new to this site and was hoping someone could point me to step by step guide or instructional thread on overclocking an athlon 64 3700+ 2.4 with 754 socket (desktop machine). The system also has an nvidia fx 5200 256mb video card and 2gig of standard memory. I have noticed that the system is a bit shaky when editing hi-def video and the like, and I do not yet have the funds to upgrade. If I am right I should be able to overclock the core 2.4 to about a 3.2 or better, which along with an overclock of the video card should make my video edits more fluid (like an entry level duo core would, I hope).

Again I am looking for step by step instructions since i have never done anything like this before, and would rather not screw up my slow but dependable system.

Thanks

Dave

BuddyJ

Welcome to SM, soon to be Icrontic, Dave! If you want to overclock your rig, it'd help to know a few things. If you can, list the brand of memory you have, and also, we're going to need to know what motherboard you've got. The motherboard, RAM and processor are really key components here.

Also, what kind of PSU does your system have? Sometimes, getting a good overclock means you've got to pump up the voltage to certain components, and you need to be sure to have a power supply that can handle pushing extra juice.

Dave_007

The memory is generic ([FONT=arial, helvetica]1GB DDR 128MX64 (64Mx8 Low Density DRAM CHIPS) Memory Module). The motherboard is the Asus K8V Deluxe (754 socket). The power unit is the ATX 12volt Thermaltake, 420 watts. Thanks for the assist.
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BuddyJ

Thanks Dave. You're gonna have to forgive me, as I'm not well versed in the K8V Deluxe's features, but from my meager research, it seems that the board has a crapton of options when it comes to overclocking; probably more than a first-timer would want to mess with.

This article will be of help to you, if you haven't read it. The third page especially covers the basics of overclocking your system.

http://www.lostcircuits.com/motherboard/a64_oc/

You're going to find that overclocking your rig really is dependent on what your memory can take and what kind of dividers your rig has. I'm willing to bet that your generic memory will be the limiting factor here. The generic stuff often times doesn't have the overclocking headroom to take higher clock speeds, whereas something like a hot set of Crucial or OCZ or Corsair is made to take the abuse of overclocking.

Hopefully, somebody with a more specific knowledge of your system will step in here. I'll do some more research on my end. For now, you need to back up all your important data on that system. Too much of an overclock will result in system instability, if the system will boot at all. And whenever you have an instable computer, data loss is likely. Be prepared. That's step one.

//edit

http://www.madshrimps.be/?action=gethowto&howtoID=58

This is also pretty good for a novice. It should get you started.

mmonnin

http://www.diy-street.com/forum/showthread.php?t=20823

From the former DFI Street forums.

Dave_007

Ok, I'm gonna go through the articles and see what happens. The board says it's designed for overclocking (though unsupported by asus). Is it advisable to try and overclock the nvidia fx 5200 vid card. I used the utility called PowerStrip and changed the engine clock and the memory clock from 250 and 280 to 354 and 519 and got the blue screen of death. Luckily I was able to use safemode to remove the program.

Thanks again

BuddyJ

Funny... I just was reading up on the FX 5200 last night! I got a free Ultra out of the trash at work. I'd get a stable board overclock first and then move to the graphics card.

From 250/280, I'd try hitting just over 300 on the core, and then pushing the memory as far as you can in the high 300s/400s. Just keep tweaking it with powestrip and benching with 3dmark to see what gets the best results. Take small steps. I fried my old Radeon back in the day from being overzealous.

One thing I thought of this morning, what type of cooling are you using in your system? Do you have the stock heatsinks on the CPU, Northbridge and GPU. What about heatsinks/spreaders on the memory?

nonstop301

Hi Dave_007,

You can have a look at this very useful Short-Media guide on overclocking socket 754/939 CPUs (http://www.short-media.com/guidebooks/amd_oc).

I followed it and successfully overclocked my Sempron socket 754 CPU and I'll use it to overclock an Athlon socket 754 CPU that I'll be getting soon as well.

Dave_007

nonstop301 the link seem to be dead. it reads:
There are currently no articles in this guide book.


Thanks anyway

nonstop301

Apologies Dave_007

By mistake the ) was added to end the of the link I wrote.

The correct link is:

http://www.short-media.com/guidebooks/amd_oc

Dave_007

Buddy Jesus,

I have the heatsink on the cpu, and the thermaltake fan is right near the gpu. far as I can tell nothing on the memory except the case fans

BuddyJ

Thanks Dave. In the article nonstop301 mentioned, there is a section on "Qualifying your system for overclocking." I'd like it if you went in and followed those instructions. We need to know just how well your cooling setup works to determine if overclocking is even doable with your current setup.

I'm a bit concerned about your heatsink. A no-name or budget brand heatsink usually cools just enough to keep things stable and quiet. An enthusiasts heatsink will set you back about $50 (sometimes less), and it offers more cooling power so it can safely handle the extra heat generated from overclocking.

Dave_007

will do, and chk back in soon.

lemonlime

Hi Dave_007,

Welcome to Short-Media/Icrontic. The http://www.short-media.com/guidebooks/amd_oc guide should provide you with everything you'll need to know. Its been a while since I wrote it but most is still valid. Please let us know if you have any questions.