9850x4 first time oc

hello there so ive got me a phenom 9850 which i want to oc and ive read on a thread that its possible to get upto 3.0ghz stable at stock voltage.i kinda understand a couple of things like multiplying the cpu and voltage but the rest is all new to me.i have amd overdrive installed and ready to go and im on the verge of getting either a xigmatek 1283 or ocz vendetta cpu cooler in next couple of days.

just need some help running through the different features to adjust and their functions and advice and experience on maximum speeds achieved and stability etc. thanks.

phenom 9850x4
gigabyte 4870x2
crucial ballistix 1066mhz 8500 4x1gb
win vista prem32bit
coolermaster cosmos s 1000 case
coolermaster real power 700w

????????????

If you're still on the HSF that came in the box, you should wait until you get that Xigmatek before getting into it. However, your overclocking mileage will vary--3GHz is not a given. The fact that you're using 32-bit is in your favor, however. What motherboard do you have? Do you know if your board has SB750 instead of SB600?

With all of the right sauce, I'd expect you'll be able to do 3GHz or better through voltage hikes and CPU multiplier changes alone.

my mobo is a Gigabyte AM2 AMD RS780G DDR2 MATX Audio Lan 6xSATAII
model:GA MA78G DS3H

Get your heatsink, and try OCing it. Only way to find out.

That MB overvolts massively. Be careful and keep the PWM cooled well or you'll see some fireworks.