how much can i overclock an Intel Core Quad Q8200 2.33GHz

i want to overclock my Intel Core Quad Q8200 2.33GHz
without it ovreheating or giving me blue screen cause i have overlocked in the bios and it gives me blue screen sometimes and i have to revert it why is it giving me blue screen and what should i overlock it to to be safe i want to oc it to 2.8ghz but how long will i get my cpu lastings at the oc speed ive had the cpu for about 6 months

 

Hi,

Its not a case of how much the chip can be overclocked, it depends on many things and the biggest one being the MOBO
Can you list what make and model of the following you have:-
MOBO
RAM
CPU (stepping model please, it will say on the box)
PSU
Heatsink on the CPU
CASE

Overclocking your system only requires a few variables, but you do need the correct match of components in order for it to be stable

 

MOBO- Gigabyte EP45T-UD3LR
RAM- Corsair 4G DDR3 (2 X 2GB)
CPU- I cant find my cpu box or i didnt recieve one but what is stepping model?
PSU- 650W
Heatsink-How do i find what heatsink i have?
Case- Thermaltake Armour MX

 

The heatsink is the fan or the big thing ontop of the CPU, did yours come with the CPU, or did you buy it separatly?

I am guessing you didn't build this yourself then? Was it bought off the shelf or put together by someone else?

 

the cpu came with a heatsink and i didnt build it myself i got it custom built from a place where you buy all the parts you need and then they build it for you.

 

Ok, No overclocking for you with a standard Intel cooler as they are quite frankly rubbish.

If you want to start overclocking you are going to need an uprated heatsink....if you want to do that, and invalidate whatever warranty you got from the people that built your PC then let me know...
Overclocking is considered dangerous as it can theoretically decrease the life expectancy rates of your components and for that reason invalidates warranties that companies give.

 

He states in his inital post, that he has already tried to overclock it but it failed. Would this not have already invalidated his warranty?

 

so when buying a cpu look for a good heatsink? and are you trying to tell me that i cant overclock it without it overheating because a program that came with the motherboard cd called "easy tune 6" is designed for overclocking it.
what quad core do you reccemend for overclocking and good performence (are i7's good)

 

What Dalo is saying, is that the heatsink that came with your CPU (The standard Intel one) Is not good enough to cool an overclocked CPU as they generate a lot more heat.

If you wish to overclock, you need to buy another Heatsink for your CPU. They are not very expensive, just that installing them means you have to open your PC to replace the old with the new.

Generally, bought PCs come with a warranty, and by opening the case of the PC and messing around inside, or overclocking any component of your system both invalidates the warranty.

Now if your warranty hasn't already been invalidated by you attempting to overclock it before, or you don't mind about invalidating it now, then we can advise you on a decent replacement heatsink and guidelines on how to overclock your PC. But only if you acknowledge the consequences of overclocking or messing with the inside of your system.

Almost any CPU can be overclocked, it's just a matter of having the right tools to do it and keep your system stable As you can tell, yours wasn't due to the blue screening.

 

Most MOBOs come with overclocking software now and some even have different profiles stored in the BIOS for it.

Polo is right in the fact that when you overclock components they need to be able to handle the extra heat and that is where 'uprated' components come into it, such as CPU coolers.
The software that you will be using can overclock a PC, but they are not as good as a HARD overclock (as in using the BIOS)

I doubt that using the software that came bundled with the MOBO would invalidate your warranty, but things like playing in the BIOS and even opening the case most definately will - call them and see what they say or it will say in the documentation you got from them

 

i am interested in overclocking it but dalo you say something about cpu coolers is a cpu cooler just a heatsink or a seperate fan just for the cpu and polo you say something about getting a new better heatsink are you guys talking about the same thing cpu coolers and uprated heatsinks because if the cpu cooler is not the same and its a seperate cooling componant then id rather get the cpu cooler and in future for buying cpu's do you have to buy a new heatsink for every cpu out there so you can overlock it without overheating or there cpu's out desinged for overclocking with good heatsinks what cpu do you reccemend for overlocking one quad core and better then the one i have (i7 possible or somthing around 2.8ghz cpu)

 

Scan.co.uk: Akasa AK-CC017 Freedom Tower CPU Cooler 4x Nickel Plated Copper Heatpipes S775/1156/1366/AM2/AM3

this is what they are refering to, and unfortunatly it would seem that you get what you pay for.

 

right, you have this Scan.co.uk: Intel Original Heat Sink Fan for Socket 1366 Core i7 Nahelem CPU upto i7-965 Copper Base/Alu fin OEM

You need ideally this http://www.scan.co.uk/Product.aspx?WebProductID=1000983&source=froogle

Before you go splashing out you could also go down the watercooling route with this http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/Cors...atercooler-LGA775-1156-1366-AM2-2plus-AM3-NEW which you could then overclock more with

With the above cooler and some help here I am confident you can easily get 3.0GHz or 3.5Ghz per core out of the chip you currently have

 

would i get both the water cooler and the titan fan? is it better to have both or do i just need one or other. But i live in australia and my mum (im 15) probably wont be buying the cooler and fan off a site so il show you the store where i bought my parts for my comp and they built for me: This part of the site shows all the colling fans and stuff not sure if they have watercooling.... but check it out and choose a good fan and if they have it water cooling for me
CentreCom Online - Notebooks & Computers

 

Hi,

No you buy one or the other.
The watercooling one would be better as it keeps the CPU much cooler, BUT from the link you sent I cannot see any watercooling parts on there.
It all depends how much you want to overclock.
3.0-3.4 per core AIR will be fine, anymore and you need watercooling.
Just make sure that you dont just buy any uprated heatsink as some are worse than the Intel one.
Check here first

 

Of all the advice you have been given that is probably the most important. If I were overclocking I would not move a muscle toward my wallet without Dalo signing off on what I am buying.

 

thankue for all your help dalo i think i will get water cooling one will the water cooling cool all the parts in my comp or just the cpu?
and do you know of any other websites that sell the water cooling part you showed me?

 

here is a link to one, but if you do a quick google for computer shops you should get a whole list to choose from. and then if you give us links to ones that are by you or you can use its just a case of having a quick look to see if they do liquid or water cooling kits

PC Superstore

 

how long will i have before the cpu dies if i overlock it to, (time,6 months a year more??)
3.0 ghz-
3.5ghz-
3.5-4.0ghz-

 

I really wish I could give you a definitive simple answer to that question.

what you need to understand is that the life of any CPU is dependant on temperature, not how fast it runs or how much work it does, they don't have moving parts that wear out. what they do have is very small, microns small wires that as they get warm stretch and as they cool contract, which over time will cause them to break and result in the CPU failing (or any electronic component).

so the key to a long lasting CPU is keeping it at a constant temperature, unfortunately the heavier work load you put a CPU under the more current it requires to work and the more heat it produces as current (Amps) + Resistance (Ohms) = Heat.

but also you need to understand that when they manufacture CPU's they don't make them with different clock speeds, but manufacture them all the same!! however in the production you get some cpu's that are better than others (Lower Resistance better CPU) and will run faster with more stable temperatures and so you will find that these chips are sold with a clock speed of around 3Ghz where as the ones that aren't so good will be sold with a lower clock speed at a cheaper price.

So to estimate the life of any CPU you need to know how well it was made in the first place and what work load it will have during its life.

Now obviously taking a CPU and running it faster than the manufacturer estimated its safe speed to be will cause it to run hotter and have more unstable temperatures, however this can be compensated for with better cooling.

but better cooling would also extend the life of a cpu that wasn't overclocked, but their are some CPU's that don't make it to the end of their warranty regardless of how much you cool them or look after them

so to your question.

with sufficient cooling you could expect the CPU to last as long as it would not being overclocked. as to exactly how far you will be able to overclock your CPU I would say expect 20% air cooled and 30% liquid cooled and anything over to be a bonus.

however when overclocking the best way to do it is to increase the clock speed and the monitor the temperatures for a couple of days and if all is well then you can speed it up a little more, till you get to where you want to go, or your temperatures become unstable,

But the one thing that is definite is that Overclocking your CPU will Void any warranty on any component in the case.

but providing things are done correctly and that caution and care is taken I see no reason why an overclocked CPU shouldn't last as long as it would not being overclocked, however realistically you can expect it to have a shortened life span in relation to how much it is overclocked, so if you overclock it by 20% you can expect it to have a 20% shorter life span

but another consideration is that I have rarely thrown a CPU away because it stopped working more over because it was just too slow and not powerful enough to cope with today's applications.