overclocking question too shy to ask elsewhere

Zantham · 09-13-07, 10:52 PM

cont'd

I've just touched on a small part of overclocking your system... you still have RAM and video card to do, if you choose. The basic principles still apply...watch your temps and check your stability.

On a system like yours with a 8800GTX and fast RAM, the CPU will generally be your limiting factor in games. I run a single 8800GTX powering my screen at 2560x1600....and I still play the latest games at max resolutions at max settings (Bioshock, Supreme Commander, SH4, Stalker, etc). I don't use any AA since its not really needed at that high of a resolution.

So I probly just wrote a small novel here, and hopefully it might help someone....I planned to write this anyways as a guide (for other places), so i guess I just wrote it a little sonner than I planned. Good luck with your overclocking and hopefully let us know how it goes!

ReDRuM71 · 09-14-07, 10:47 AM

Its not as overwhelming as it looks. Im not going to get into detail (Zanthem did a good job of that), but that motherboard you have makes it REALLY easy to OC. I have same mb and cpu. I have it clocked to 3.4ghz on air (Artic Freezer Pro). A big factor is air flow in the case. If you have a good case w/ lots of room and air flow, you can get some very nice overclock w/o going to H2O. I also have my 8800gts 640, and ram oc'd, it took me about 4hrs (not counting the time to stress test).
Check out www.extremeoverclocking.com

-Pv- · 09-14-07, 11:36 PM

You can have the best cooler on the planet but if you can't get the heat out of the box fast enough, it won't matter. I ran overclocked with a water cooler for a couple years. That was before the larger, tube coolers made now days.
-Pv-

maerean_m · 09-15-07, 12:14 AM

I use a

AMD Barton 3200+ (2.2 GHz) - bought early 2004
2 Gb DDR 400
7800 GS+ AGP - bought 2006
Iiyama Vision Master Pro 454 - bought 2004 (can handle 2048x1536x75Hz use ease, no LCD will ever beat this monitor)

and it handles everything beautifully: programming (latest tools and technologies), gaming (SH4

, NFS, Oblivion etc with settings maxed out) etc.

From the benchmarks, is clear that a configuration like yours will score 3 to 4 times better than mine.

You don't need to become addictive to overclocking (because you will, it's like a disease), your computer will be powerful enough for many years to come.

Remember you paid for it so you can have fun and be entertained.

Once you've started overclocking, you'll never stop dragging those sliders to the right and the PC parts will start to fail (I've seen so many cases, first it will be the video card, then the RAM). It's neither fun nor entertainig to run around for weeks hoping that your computer gets fixed.

So, close the overclocking forums and start playing!

Zantham · 09-15-07, 01:23 AM

Quote:

Iiyama Vision Master Pro 454 - bought 2004 (can handle 2048x1536x75Hz use ease, no LCD will ever beat this monitor)

OH-OH! Challenge detected!

Hey..for a guy that thinks overclocking is a disease...you've overclocked your monitor!!! That 19" CRT only supports up to 1920x1440 at 85Hz! That's a...what...15% overclock you've achieved?

However...resolution-wise I have you beat...I'm running 2560x1600... and I assure you it runs great, stable, and looks absolutely beautiful! You guys have done a great job with this game if I may say so.

(btw yes i'm aware you can run CRT's higher than spec just fine)

disclaimer: No part of this post was intended to be flammatory. No good intentions were harmed in the making of this post. The poster assumes no liability if this post causes a huge amount of stress in your life. Side-effects of this post may include red face, vomiting, gasping... If you experience any of these symptoms please see your local moderator.

maerean_m · 09-15-07, 03:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zantham

you've overclocked your monitor!!! That 19" CRT only supports up to 1920x1440 at 85Hz! That's a...what...15% overclock you've achieved?

The original model was named HM903DT. Mine is a 2nd generation model, called HM903DTB, which supports the 2048 resolution.

The bad thing about the LCD is that it has only one resolution at which it looks best. Depending on your computing power (and no matter the computing power, now and in the future), the PC can run certain games at 1600x1200, other only at 1280 or even 1024. Running a LCD at 1024 resolution would result in a poor image on the monitor although the game displays a perfect image.

The CRT displays a perfect image every time

. And can display all sorts of aspect ratio resolutions: 4:3, 16:9, 16:10, 5:4

. I can run one game at 1600x1200 and another at 1680x1050 very easily.

disclaimer: No part of this post was intended to be flammatory. No good intentions were harmed in the making of this post. The poster assumes no liability if this post causes a huge amount of stress in your life. Side-effects of this post may include red face, vomiting, gasping... If you experience any of these symptoms please see your local moderator.

Zantham · 09-15-07, 12:10 PM

I run pretty much all my games at 2560x1600, except one, because that particular game only goes up to 2048x1536. That same game also does not support wide screen. While running the 'wrong' resolution on an LCD doesn't look optimal, my screen has a very good dot pitch so it actually looks pretty good still. My video card (an 8800GTX) does screen and aspect scaling, so at least I get to still play the game fullscreen, or I can set it to keep the resolution aspect, in which case any other resolution looks exactly the same quality as the native on my screen, except the image is smaller.

Also, I build my computers to be fast enough that I anticipate being able to run any game at 2560x1600 for the next two years or more, at reasonably high graphic settings. Hence...why I overclock the CPU

. I can always add a second video card for SLI when I need to, my board supports 8GB RAM, and it supports quad-core CPU's. Besides...I get all my parts for free...sorta!

I've found it interesting over the years, as I've sold thousands of screens to as many people. I run into a very small minority of people that HATE lcd screens. They claim, (and I believe them) that even at the proper resolution etc etc, that its very blurry, they can't read it properly, gives them headaches, eyestrain, etc. For myself, I left CRT's a long time ago and have stayed with LCD ever since. I find that CRT's will give me a headache after using one for a few hours, even at refresh rates over 100Hz. I can stare at an LCD for 12 hours or more straight and...other than looking (and feeling) like a zombie, feel fine.

In the end it comes down to available choice, individual preference, and, of course, the almighty dollar!

09-14-07, 10:47 AM	#2
ReDRuM71 Mate Join Date: Oct 2005 Posts: 51 Downloads: 18 Uploads: 0	Its not as overwhelming as it looks. Im not going to get into detail (Zanthem did a good job of that), but that motherboard you have makes it REALLY easy to OC. I have same mb and cpu. I have it clocked to 3.4ghz on air (Artic Freezer Pro). A big factor is air flow in the case. If you have a good case w/ lots of room and air flow, you can get some very nice overclock w/o going to H2O. I also have my 8800gts 640, and ram oc'd, it took me about 4hrs (not counting the time to stress test). Check out www.extremeoverclocking.com __________________

09-15-07, 12:14 AM	#4
maerean_m Captain Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Bucharest, Romania Posts: 529 Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	I use a AMD Barton 3200+ (2.2 GHz) - bought early 2004 2 Gb DDR 400 7800 GS+ AGP - bought 2006 Iiyama Vision Master Pro 454 - bought 2004 (can handle 2048x1536x75Hz use ease, no LCD will ever beat this monitor) and it handles everything beautifully: programming (latest tools and technologies), gaming (SH4 , NFS, Oblivion etc with settings maxed out) etc. From the benchmarks, is clear that a configuration like yours will score 3 to 4 times better than mine. You don't need to become addictive to overclocking (because you will, it's like a disease), your computer will be powerful enough for many years to come. Remember you paid for it so you can have fun and be entertained. Once you've started overclocking, you'll never stop dragging those sliders to the right and the PC parts will start to fail (I've seen so many cases, first it will be the video card, then the RAM). It's neither fun nor entertainig to run around for weeks hoping that your computer gets fixed. So, close the overclocking forums and start playing! __________________ Kilroy was here

09-13-07, 10:52 PM	#1
Zantham 中国水兵 Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Canada Posts: 283 Downloads: 63 Uploads: 1	cont'd I've just touched on a small part of overclocking your system... you still have RAM and video card to do, if you choose. The basic principles still apply...watch your temps and check your stability. On a system like yours with a 8800GTX and fast RAM, the CPU will generally be your limiting factor in games. I run a single 8800GTX powering my screen at 2560x1600....and I still play the latest games at max resolutions at max settings (Bioshock, Supreme Commander, SH4, Stalker, etc). I don't use any AA since its not really needed at that high of a resolution. So I probly just wrote a small novel here, and hopefully it might help someone....I planned to write this anyways as a guide (for other places), so i guess I just wrote it a little sonner than I planned. Good luck with your overclocking and hopefully let us know how it goes!

09-14-07, 11:36 PM	#3
-Pv- The Old Man Join Date: Apr 2006 Posts: 1,434 Downloads: 5 Uploads: 0	You can have the best cooler on the planet but if you can't get the heat out of the box fast enough, it won't matter. I ran overclocked with a water cooler for a couple years. That was before the larger, tube coolers made now days. -Pv-

09-15-07, 12:10 PM	#7
Zantham 中国水兵 Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Canada Posts: 283 Downloads: 63 Uploads: 1	I run pretty much all my games at 2560x1600, except one, because that particular game only goes up to 2048x1536. That same game also does not support wide screen. While running the 'wrong' resolution on an LCD doesn't look optimal, my screen has a very good dot pitch so it actually looks pretty good still. My video card (an 8800GTX) does screen and aspect scaling, so at least I get to still play the game fullscreen, or I can set it to keep the resolution aspect, in which case any other resolution looks exactly the same quality as the native on my screen, except the image is smaller. Also, I build my computers to be fast enough that I anticipate being able to run any game at 2560x1600 for the next two years or more, at reasonably high graphic settings. Hence...why I overclock the CPU . I can always add a second video card for SLI when I need to, my board supports 8GB RAM, and it supports quad-core CPU's. Besides...I get all my parts for free...sorta! I've found it interesting over the years, as I've sold thousands of screens to as many people. I run into a very small minority of people that HATE lcd screens. They claim, (and I believe them) that even at the proper resolution etc etc, that its very blurry, they can't read it properly, gives them headaches, eyestrain, etc. For myself, I left CRT's a long time ago and have stayed with LCD ever since. I find that CRT's will give me a headache after using one for a few hours, even at refresh rates over 100Hz. I can stare at an LCD for 12 hours or more straight and...other than looking (and feeling) like a zombie, feel fine. In the end it comes down to available choice, individual preference, and, of course, the almighty dollar!