hi. im new to overclocking and wonder if someone could just drop the basics. also, im thinking of assembling my own pc and using a dual core, as I heard they are the most overclockable processors in recent memory. so if I buy a 3.0ghz pentium d, what can I achieve by overclocking it? thanks...
Hi t229955, You should buy a motherboard with Intel 975X chipset, which will support the new Intel Core (ie. Conroe) CPUs. Then you can stick a D-805 in there 'for now'. The FSB will increase easily from 133MHz to 166MHz (FSB666), increasing CPU from stock 2.6GHz to 3.33GHz :^) You will require a stout powersupply and good cooling. Later, a much more powerful Conroe CPU which runs much cooler and uses less power could be substituted... Meanwhile, they're givin' the D-805 away for $119 bucks or something ridiculously affordable like that, LoL :^) Very inexpensive (and will heat your apartment, too). Regards
thanks ogs, just another question, I intend to purchase a pentium d 805 (like you said) with 533mhz fsb. so as I understand when I increase the FSB, the cpu itself will increase? can I make it into 3.0ghz so it wouldnt burn out? also, Im putting in a standard 350w psu and 80mm fan inside, is this enough? thanks
The D-805 CPU speed is locked at 20x the FSB speed, so 150MHz FSB (600QDR) would give you the 3.0GHz you desire. Intel uses FSB with quad data rate, so 133MHz and 200MHz become FSB533 and FSB800, which presumably sounds much faster. You need a modern high-power powersupply, it is one of your single most important purchases. It is the foundation of a system, and good ones are worth every penny. People talk of quantity of power but quality of power is totally important too. I use OCZ ModStream powersupplies, which come in 450W or 520W. The quality of components and high-end shielded modular cabling are always delightful and impressive. I will use inexpensive components, cheap CPUs, no-name motherboards and even cheap memory (if I must) but a PC needs a good powersupply. Tommy's review showed the little D-805 sucked up power like a sponge, with the rig drawing ~400W from the wall plug while heavily overclocked, LoL :^) This is why AMD has been kickin' Intel's butt these last few years - the AMD CPUs use less power at full load than the Intel CPUs use at idle! Buy yourself a nice Sempron 3000+ for socket AM2, and you can easily use the most inexpensive case and powersupply. L8R
