Overclocking questions<3

N

Nhoxic

New Member
So I'm looking to get my computer to run Warhammer Online more smoothly for the head-start tomorrow. I played Open-Beta and my FPS suffered horribly in quite a few situations. My computer specs aren't terrible, and I know that my processor is the problem. However, of all things I know - I know very little about processors. This is my board and processor:

ASUS M2N-E NVIDIA nForce 570 Ultra Motherboard
AMD Athlon 64 X2 3800+ Windsor 2.0GHz 2 x 512KB L2 Cache Socket AM2 89W Dual-Core Processor

I saw the minimum system requirement for Warhammer Online includes a 2.5Ghz processor. Mine is 2.0GHz. go figure. So my question is, can I overclock this safely and try to match the 2.5GHz minimum to run the game?

I use this CPU Cooling Fan for my processor.

I've never OverClocked, but I'm sure with googling I can figure that part out. I just would like to hear from you guys how much you think I should be able to over-clock and be safe, and if there are any tips I should know. Thanks!
 
it's not your processor. 2.5ghz would be netburst standards, your processor runs around the speed of a pentium d at 3ghz or 3.2ghz (its all performance per clock). also, yours is dual core. it says it requires a p4 (single core) at 2.5ghz or higher.

how much ram do you have, and what type of video card do you use? my guess is you need a new video card.. but it could be ram too. maybe you're using too much system memory and you need to turn off some other programs before you start playing, it does say it requires 1gb for xp or 2gb for vista, which means running a few extra programs could back the game up onto the paging file (hard drive).

if you really want to overclock, try pushing the fsb from 200 to 220mhz. it should handle that just fine, my old x2 3800 (yes i owned one, sold it with a 7900gtx) overclocked to 2.4ghz, 2.6ghz with an overvolt.

is that socket 939? or AM2? ahh ddr memory, lol i remember my single core 3400, my dual core 3800.. i miss AMD, but these core 2 processors just crush anything you throw at them lol. actually this is the only processor i've ever owned clocked above 3ghz. someday i hope to be above 5ghz on air though. just wait! lol
 
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Hmmm... I really need to stop being stupid about processors and learn more. I fail :(

I have 3GB of ram, and a Radeon X1800 GTO 256mb card. However I started getting screen-tearing pretty bad about a month ago - I've used this card for almost 4 years so it may be dying on me. I've been leaving the side-window of the Computer Case open and blowing a huge fan into the computer to keep the card from Graphic Tearing too badly. I didn't think it would cause bad FPS though... Am I wrong?

EDIT: The processor is AM2
 
I still have a gateway from years ago with a 3800+///

I really liked that machine...still use it for random things.

..Depending on your budget, perhaps you want to look into a new vid card?

The cpu is fine for your game..

Is your vid card slot pci-e or agp perhaps?
 
really? those specs should run it just fine!
that's weird, maybe your settings were just too high. ATI's cards handled AA and AF better than the NVidia cards of the time, but even setting the resolution too high could cause lag. set the quality to the highest, but dont use AA (try AF, i actually do notice the difference) and make sure triple buffering is enabled, and don't go above 1024x768 when you run it.

lol warhammer, don't tell me you're switching from warcraft?

i quit warcraft like 2 months ago lol
 
It is PCI-Express 16x, so I guess that'd be called pci-e.
I really wanted to avoid getting a new video card unless I absolutely needed, but if it's clear I'm going to need one at least sometime down the road soon I may as well look into a new one.

Seeing that my processor runs faster than 2.5Ghz as you explain... and I have well over the minimum requirement for ram...
*points at video card*
 
well, its not that your processor runs faster than 2.5ghz.

lets say a pentium 4 performs 5 million instructions per ghz. its just that an athlon 64 can perform 7 or 8 million instructions per ghz... so it performs better at a lower frequency.

its like people who seem to work slower, but in reality they're getting more done because they're doing it in the right order and not wasting their time going back and forth making multiple trips when really all they needed to do was take one trip. or something like that.

but yea, if you want to run it on its highest settings you might need a new video card. i HIGHLY suggest the HD 4850.

if you want a cheaper solution, the geforce 8800gt is probably your best performance per dollar.. but the HD 4850 isn't much more expensive.
 
fade2green514 said:
really? those specs should run it just fine!
that's weird, maybe your settings were just too high. ATI's cards handled AA and AF better than the NVidia cards of the time, but even setting the resolution too high could cause lag. set the quality to the highest, but dont use AA (try AF, i actually do notice the difference) and make sure triple buffering is enabled, and don't go above 1024x768 when you run it.

lol warhammer, don't tell me you're switching from warcraft?

i quit warcraft like 2 months ago lol
Click to expand...

I played a ton of WoW :X quit about half a year ago. Been waiting on WAR for quite some time! In Warhammer I had almost all the settings turned off or to "fastest frame rate," and played in window-mode at my screen's normal resolution (so it looks full-screen but its not). I found it ran smoother that way. But I still lagged like crazy in Scenarios and such. I do screen-tear in games like Counter Strike Source and WoW when I don't try to keep my computer cool with external fans.. So I think my video card just may finally be giving up.

How do you not use AA? My only options for it are "Application Managed" "2x, 4x and 6x". Is Application Managed basically turning it off? Also, AF has 2x, 4x, 8x, and 16x, and application managed as well.. Do I set it to 16x because bigger numbers are always cooler?
 
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fade2green514 said:
well, its not that your processor runs faster than 2.5ghz.

lets say a pentium 4 performs 5 million instructions per ghz. its just that an athlon 64 can perform 7 or 8 million instructions per ghz... so it performs better at a lower frequency.

its like people who seem to work slower, but in reality they're getting more done because they're doing it in the right order and not wasting their time going back and forth making multiple trips when really all they needed to do was take one trip. or something like that.

but yea, if you want to run it on its highest settings you might need a new video card. i HIGHLY suggest the HD 4850.

if you want a cheaper solution, the geforce 8800gt is probably your best performance per dollar.. but the HD 4850 isn't much more expensive.
Click to expand...

Awesome, thanks for explaining that. I'll look into the HD 4850, I'm all about nice video cards :)
 
i think you can force enable it through catalyst control center, all triple buffering does is backs up more video memory instead of having to bring it in and out of hard drive or system memory constantly.

also AA is anti-aliasing. AF is Anisotropic filtering. the x1800gto wouldn't handle them too well. lol

Anisotropic Filtering
Anti-Aliasing

anyways, if you do plan on getting a new card, what's your budget looking like? my video card cost me around $155 and it runs all my video games at the highest settings without any lag.

personally, i'd rate your system on a scale from 1-10 (by todays standards) around a 3 or a 4. dual core is nice, but it still doesn't run very fast. i mean, a wolfdale overclocks to 4ghz easily, and even core 2's perform faster than athlon 64's do per clock, so thats more than twice as fast right there.

a year ago i might've rated it a 6. i mean i have a 7800gt sitting across my room right now un-used, i replaced it because it was slackin'... it would beat your x1800gto in a benchmark lol

edit: if your video card gives you artifacts on the screen it might be overheating, what temperature is it running at when your video card is at full load? catalyst control center should tell you. the fan speed might be a bit low.
 
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My budget would be around $150 for a card, $200 is pushing it but if it's worth it that's fine. I'm not surprised you'd rate my crappy system for 3/4 out of 10! I built this a long time ago xD

Right now my card is running at 63C and I'm not doing anything that would stress it. I'll give it some hell right now and see how hot it gets. I'll post back with the results
 
63C is kind of high for an idle temp, i dont think my 4850 gets above 55C under maximum load, and right now its running at 44C under maximum load (folding @ home is stressing it). maybe you need better airflow in your computer case. heat buildup can be a problem with running a high-end video card.

Visiontek HD 4850

why visiontek you ask? it comes with a lifetime warranty :D

"Zotac" 8800gt

the 8800gt is probably the best performance per dollar as i've noted already, and this one comes with a slight overclock. its basically the same card as the 9800gtx, except the 9800gtx had minor changes i think, im not 100% sure but the architecture is the same.
 
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Alright, with WOW running the card is now at 70C - is that pretty hot? And yes, my card idles in low 60's. Is this bad? Uhoh
 
what type of case cooling do you have? or let me guess, nothing more than the power supply fans right? lol you could decrease its temperature by a good 15C by adding a 120mm fan to the back of your case if theres a fitting for it.

ok my video card is idling, and its running at 26C lol
 
that video card is PCI-Express 16x "2.0".. I don't think that a 2.0 version of 16x express even existed when I bought my motherboard. Would it still be compatible?
 
I have 5 computer case fans, one 12mm on the side-window, a 12mm on the back, and a smaller one on the very top of the computer, as well as two smaller fans at the bottom front of the computer. Theres no way I need more fans man! And damn.. Sounds like my Video Card is on fire :S
 
lol ok nice good good, but hey good news, pci-express x16 2.0 is twice as fast, but it's backwards and forwards compatible.
actually, they say there's no performance decrease even with a pci-express x16 slot running at x8 speeds. maybe 1-2fps but it won't make it lag.
 
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