Posted May 19, 2008 After reading up on overclocking a PSU and then staring perplexedly at the Bios, I thought that it might be Dell that is the problem. Lo and behold, after a little research, it seems that Dell's can't be overclocked that way. But there was a lot of guides explaining how to do it another way, and a lot of warnings saying don't do it at all. Do you guys know if you can do it safely? I don't want a massive OC just a small one to boost performance a little. I have an E4500 @2.2GHz. Thinking about putting it up to 2.4-2.6ish. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted May 19, 2008 Technically speaking, you can overclock anything... but a Dell could need a BIOS flash (basically a rewrite) which is possible but: 1, It depends on if your board is a custom Dell board of its a normal manufactured one. 2, Even if its not custom Dell, doing so is likely to balls your machine up 90 ways from Sunday... so its not recommended at all. Afaik, theres no way to raise your FSB or multiplyers within Windows (although i'm probably wrong). Speaking of overclocking. This is what i managed (admittedly... i could push it further but this is still a very nice temp and speed) with the new fan i bought. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted May 19, 2008 Buy a new Motherboard and OC like a bitch. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted May 19, 2008 Is there a safe way of doing it without buying a new mobo? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted May 19, 2008 OCing can be fun sometimes, but going from 2.2GHz to 2.4 or 2.6GHz probably won't give you much of a noticeable difference. Think, do you actually need to overclock? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted May 19, 2008 Don't mention the words safe and overclocking together Overclocking is always dangerous because you stress hardware beyond its tested capability. Yes Intel often sells CPU1 with 2GHz and CPU2 with 3GHz and both are from the same branch - but that does not gurantee success at all. More/less voltage for a electronic device is dangerous and seriously hurts the components if you are in bad luck. Even if it works - the increased power amount, lack in cooling, ... silent but deadly killer. Don't know much about Dell ... maybe they offer there components already at their limits that might be a reason why overclocking a Dell machine is a bad idea. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted May 19, 2008 OCing can be fun sometimes, but going from 2.2GHz to 2.4 or 2.6GHz probably won't give you much of a noticeable difference. Think, do you actually need to overclock? Well this will be my first OC so I just want to test the water first. Don't mention the words safe and overclocking together I meant as safe as overclocking any other computer. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted May 19, 2008 With your case you cant just install a new motherboard, you would have to buy a new case and motherboard for you to be able to OC it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted May 19, 2008 Why do you want to overclock anyway? You only play Battlefield 2 and that's hardly pushing it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted May 19, 2008 Why do you want to overclock anyway? You only play Battlefield 2 and that's hardly pushing it. I'm not just gonna do that all my life. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted May 19, 2008 I'm not just gonna do that all my life. And here's me thinking you were. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
