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changing my BIOS...?

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notquitedead

Registered
Joined
Nov 27, 2005
Hi, sorry if this is a stupid question.

My BIOS doesn't have any options for overclocking so I want to know if I can change it or if there are any free programs that allow you to OC your cpu. I found a link to a program earlier that let you OC from your desktop, but I don't want to pay for it since I'm going to build a new one in a couple months. The new pc shouldn't have any problems oc'ing.
 
notquitedead said:
Hi, sorry if this is a stupid question.

My BIOS doesn't have any options for overclocking so I want to know if I can change it or if there are any free programs that allow you to OC your cpu. I found a link to a program earlier that let you OC from your desktop, but I don't want to pay for it since I'm going to build a new one in a couple months. The new pc shouldn't have any problems oc'ing.

:welcome: :welcome:
Welcome to the forums!!!

Clockgen is probably the only program I can think of.
 
Thanks.

I don't know what mobo I have, though. EVEREST just says "Dell Dimension 8300" and "<DMI>". I have a 2.6GHz Northwood P4 if that matters...

Edit:
If I can't overclock with this mobo, after I build my new pc I might just turn this one into a server. What's a good socket 478 mobo for overclocking? Cheaper is better. I'll be broke after I build my new pc, lol.
 
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There won't be any BIOS you can flash that will work and give you O/C options for that motherboard. Might try a program call softFSB, it's a free download. There are lots of cheap socket 478 motherboards, but most will not be Intel chipsets and thus will not O/C very well, if at all. About the cheapest I can recommend for a Northwood would be the Abit IS7 series or Asus P4P800 series. Dell often uses non-standard power supplies and cases too. So, you might end up replacing more than just the motherboard.
 
Thanks. I'll probably end up rebuilding this pc cheaply after I get my new one built.
 
Thanks for the help.

the ABIT IC7 series is also excellent for 478 cpus. should be cheap nowadays.
$142 for a new one.

Would it be bad to buy a used mobo off of ebay or something...? It will just be going in a secondary computer.
 
Get an ABIT AI7 instead mine was just about 100.00 usd thru Ecost. I pulled my cpu from my dell and the HDD. Dells mobo is intel but made for dell only same with the psu. My 4550 is now a stand for my new one till I figure out what to do with it.
 
How big of a psu would I need to overclock a system like this? I'm about to order a case off of newegg so I might as well try and pick up a cheap psu.

Right now this system is running on a 250W psu that came with it, and all that is going to change is the case and the mobo.
 
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Thanks. I won't upgrade to a prescott because I'm building a new pc with an amd, this pc will just be used as a server for games, etc.
 
That PSU is quite wimpy. What case are you getting? It might have some generic PSU included that would work.
 
Cooler Master Cavalier 3 without a psu. How many watts would I need? Again it's running fine on a 250W, and I'm just going to be changing the mobo and case. I wouldn't think a system like this would need a 400W psu just to overclock.
 
notquitedead said:
Cooler Master Cavalier 3 without a psu. How many watts would I need? Again it's running fine on a 250W, and I'm just going to be changing the mobo and case. I wouldn't think a system like this would need a 400W psu just to overclock.


250W is got to be the bare minimum. 400W I would say for an OC. You might want to look at the Antec SmartPower (2.0 ) serios. I have a SmartPower (1.0) 350Watts thats working just fine for me, but I don't have alot of head room for OC'ing. So 400Watts is probaly a good bet.
 
I would say nowadays that a 350 to 400w PSU is minimum for overclocking. For a modest O/C on a Northwood, you can get away with less. But be aware, the total watts rating don't tell the whole story. You also need to look at what the amps are rated on the +12v rail. The PSU you listed only had 11A, that ain't going to cut it. Even with a Northwood you'll need something more like 18A if you plan to O/C (at least 16A mininum for modest overclocks). Prescotts need even more. I know you are trying to keep the budget low, but don't skimp too much on the PSU. Here is the cheapest one I would get ($39.99 with free shipping). I put one of these babies in a friend's computer recently (2.8C Northwood overclocked to 3 gig) and it's doing very good. It's a dual power PSU, so it has 15.5A on each of the two +12v rails.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817104953
 
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