Overclocking - Need some advice

[Davoguha]

I had a stock Gateway G505 desktop. A while back, I fried my mother board with a bad power supply. So anyway, I purchased a new motherboard and new case w/ power supply. Turned out the old ram was 184-pin DDR, but the new board I bought supported 240-pin DDR2 memory. So I've replaced my ram as well, and basically, I now have a custom built PC. Next on my list of parts to replace is the P4 processor.. Since Im gonna trash the old bastard anyway, I want to push the CPU as hard as humanly possible, while still maintaining a semblance of stability.

*NOTE* Temperature issues pose no problem. I've had her clocked up to 3.6 GHz and it still runs below 50C on a full load.

So anyways, here are my specs.

Pentium 4 Prescott 530 (3.0 GHz stock)
2GB DDR2 800 RAM (1 stick)
Gigabyte GA-G31M-ES2L Mo-Bo
350W Allied Power Supply (Next on list to upgrade)
Radeon HD3650 GPU (256 MB model)
200 GB HDD @ 7200 ROM
DVD-RW Drive
CD-RW Drive (Can remove to spare power)
Two sets of USB powered speakers (Also willing to remove one set for spare power)

Anyways, so far I have only been successful at OCing the system to 3.5~ GHz via BIOS... Yet I have been able to get it to run at 3.7~ GHz through software overclocking.

My BIOS has the following options:
Robust Graphics Booster - WHAT IS THIS!?
FSB Clock Speed~
Performance Enhancer - What exactly does this do?
Memory Multiplier (Auto, 2, 3.33, 4.0+) (System doesnt boot unless under Auto [Note: Not 100% tested])
PCI Express Speed (Auto, 90-120)
Options to disable serial ports - Does this save power?
Voltage Controls (Auto or Disabled)
[VOLTAGE CONTROLS]
Memory (+0.1-0.4)
FSB (+0.1-0.3) - Any real effect?
CPU (WIDE range, every 1/8th V from 1.2V-1.6V) (Stock Volt- 1.375~)

(There are plenty of other options of course, and some of those listed aren't 100% accurate in options/wording, Im listing from memory.)

Anyways... I want to overclock everything as much as possible. Currently I know my PSU is a bit weak, but I'm looking for some advice.

Some questions I have:
Is there any ratio of power-voltage I should follow?
Is there any TRUE limit to overclocking beyond heat and power limitations?
Any way to optimize the power production of my PSU?
Can I monitor my PSU wattage?
What wattage PSU should I invest in? - I intend to upgrade this system further in the future with a quad core, more RAM, second hard drive, new GPU, and a blu-ray drive. I wish to be able to overclock the end product as well.
Does having a single RAM stick rather than dual channel RAM effect my overclocking potential?
Last but not least... Software overclocking VS BIOS overclocking - Major differences?

I know a lot of what I have said is kind of silly, but I actually do wish to risk frying some parts in my quest to beast-out this Pentium 4.

All input is appreciated! Thanks.

 

[FATALiiTYz]

Wow... I'm going brain dead & I'll let some of the smarter members help you out more, though before you start overclocking you should upgrade your psu, its not about wattage, its about the brand, efficiency and quality. That's why you get corsair 400w beating off brand 1000watts.

 

[mx344]

Is there any ratio of power-voltage I should follow?
Uhh, not really, you basically overclock as much as you can with the least amount of voltage for it to run stable.
Is there any TRUE limit to overclocking beyond heat and power limitations?Theres only a certains amount a chip can take, your main factor is heat.
Any way to optimize the power production of my PSU? No.
Can I monitor my PSU wattage? There are meters that can read how much voltage is being supplied, not sure where you can get those tho, probably at your local hardware store.
What wattage PSU should I invest in? - I intend to upgrade this system further in the future with a quad core, more RAM, second hard drive, new GPU, and a blu-ray drive. I wish to be able to overclock the end product as well. I would go atleast 500watt.
Does having a single RAM stick rather than dual channel RAM effect my overclocking potential?It hasnt effected mine, i tried them both and they both produced the same results, so im going to have to say no.
Last but not least... Software overclocking VS BIOS overclocking - Major differences?Stability.

 

[Davoguha]

Advice appreciated, mx. I think Ill just forget about overclocking at this point. My PSU seems to only support a 10% overclock or so. Not worth it at this point.