Overclocking Intel E5400

[intelfan00]

I was thinking of overclocking my Intel E5400 cpu and wanted to know how easy it would be and how higih it can go. I also have a utility on my pc from foxconn which allows me to over clock it automaticaly would it be worth just doing that to be on the safe side?

 

[damoh]

Hi
Well i will offer you some basics when thinking of overclocking.
1st, Please do your homework before dabbling into bios. Its tempting to increase this here and increase that there, then wonder why you have to take the side of the case off to pull the jumper to clear.
2nd, in my ex windows based software to overclock is usefull but not allways safe, however for the new to o/c peeps perhaps a safer alternative then bios clocking.


From memory your CPU may hit around 3gig, if your system specs are accurate. BUT and this is a big but. The cooling (if stock) will not cut it out. The cost involved with o/c sometimes outweighs just buying a new cpu and board. Esp is something goes wrong and pops something (which does happen)

But then ask yourself why you clocking? Simple question really but can effect what u do. If you want higher FPS in games, o/c will not do much as that graphics card not CPU. If your wanting a faster. snappier system, then consider a SSD hdd, will make a diff trust me.
And if your wanting to do it just for the sake of it and see how high u can go, my advice is dont. Save up and get a new and faster mobo/CPU

Hope that helps

 

[intelfan00]

I was only gona do it for increasing my system speed and that as i got a foxconn mother boad i have the FOXONE tool that has an auto overclock option on it so i thought as it came on the disc with the motherboard it would be safe to do.

 

[omegasega]

Hi
Well i will offer you some basics when thinking of overclocking.
1st, Please do your homework before dabbling into bios. Its tempting to increase this here and increase that there, then wonder why you have to take the side of the case off to pull the jumper to clear.
2nd, in my ex windows based software to overclock is usefull but not allways safe, however for the new to o/c peeps perhaps a safer alternative then bios clocking.


From memory your CPU may hit around 3gig, if your system specs are accurate. BUT and this is a big but. The cooling (if stock) will not cut it out. The cost involved with o/c sometimes outweighs just buying a new cpu and board. Esp is something goes wrong and pops something (which does happen)

But then ask yourself why you clocking? Simple question really but can effect what u do. If you want higher FPS in games, o/c will not do much as that graphics card not CPU. If your wanting a faster. snappier system, then consider a SSD hdd, will make a diff trust me.
And if your wanting to do it just for the sake of it and see how high u can go, my advice is dont. Save up and get a new and faster mobo/CPU

Hope that helps

nah ur wrong i have the same CPU and i overclocked it to a 3.5GHz and it was completely stable AND i used the stock cooler with no prob also my temps are always under 50 degrees celcius of course, and i didnt use anything special.

 

[thefabe]

When comparing the ability of a certain chip to what you have it clocked against what someone else can, it's like apples and oranges. Two of the exact same setups won't even guarantee the same overclock. Their are to many variables. You are saying your clocked to 3.5 on stock cooling but you may have a different case and air flow, your particular chip may be seated better and dissipating heat better. You may have been fortunate to get a higher quality chip or the best chip stepping for overclocking. It may be able to clock higher with less of an increase in voltage. It is not good advice to tell someone that stock cooling is sufficient for overclocking a chip to 3.5. 99% of anyone who overclocks will tell you cooling is the most important part of the process, and stock cooling is the first thing to go. Then researching the chip for the best stepping, seating it properly, having compatible ram modules that work well with the cpu, a motherboard with a bios that will allow you to change all the proper settings. Using an application software to overclock is never recommended, knowing how to use your bios options is the best way. You also say it is stable at 3.5 This is of course after you stressed it with Prime 95 for 24hrs or more right? No one can tell you (OP) what your chip can "safely" be overclocked to. If you want to get into Overclocking the first thing you need to do is a lot of research,go to the overclocking specalty forums, Search for information on your cpu and motherboard combo and what settings have been tweeked. But don't even try without first replacing stock cooling. Overclocking shortens the life span of you hardware, so maximum cooling is a must. It takes a lot of trial and error to find the sweet spot on a CPU. It's not someting someone can explain to you on how to do it,it's a learning process, no one can tell you what settings to set your cpu at they may give you a place to start but you always take baby steps increasing things a little at a time constantly monitoring your temps. Overclocking is for advanced users and you have to invest a lot of time to learn how to do it correctly. Or have a lot of money to replace fried hardware. Fabe

 

[Fumz]

... It is not good advice to tell someone that stock cooling is sufficient for overclocking a chip to 3.5. 99% of anyone who overclocks will tell you cooling is the most important part of the process, and stock cooling is the first thing to go...

QFT.

Even two identical chips bought at the same moment in time will usually display very different OC results. Much of overclocking is just "luck of the draw" in terms of what chip you get. Some require no volts for 4GHz, some will never make it no matter how much you increase vcore. That's just life.

As for the OP. Avoid software based utilities. Do it yourself in the bios, but, read first: Howto: Overclock C2Q (quads) And C2D (duals) - A Guide V1.7 - OverclockersClub Forums

 

[Etihtsarom]

Nah, most of the new C2D's will clock real well (3.5 is easy), even with stock cooling. Here is the thing: You will not really kill the chip, and if you do, it's only some umpty bucks to replace. Don't worry about a shortened lifespan, your computer will be obsolete before your CPU dies, so go for it with the automatic tool that Foxconn gives you, and push it to the max. Be brave and reap the rewards. Just make sure to cool the system well. If you need help with cooling, let us know.

 

[Fumz]

Nah, most of the new C2D's will clock real well (3.5 is easy), even with stock cooling. Here is the thing: You will not really kill the chip, and if you do, it's only some umpty bucks to replace. Don't worry about a shortened lifespan, your computer will be obsolete before your CPU dies, so go for it with the automatic tool that Foxconn gives you, and push it to the max. Be brave and reap the rewards. Just make sure to cool the system well. If you need help with cooling, let us know.

Not only is this whole post one big contradiction, it's just flat out really bad advice.

The first sentence is contradicted by the last sentence. The filler is incredible in its irresponsibility: it suggests, "so what if you fry your cpu doing what I say, it's only a few dollars, just buy another".

 

[Etihtsarom]

Nah, there's nothing irresponsible about it. Accept the risk, and go for it. Your house not gunna burn down, your life not gonna be ruined. E5400's can easily go past 3.5Ghz. Just provide the cooling.

 

[valtonray]

anytime your overclocking step it up in small increaments test it for a while make sure it's running stable and cool. if all is well bump it up a tad more if you feel the need.

 

[Nemix]

A good stress testing tool for overclocking: Free Software - GIMPS

 

[omegasega]

Nah, most of the new C2D's will clock real well (3.5 is easy), even with stock cooling. Here is the thing: You will not really kill the chip, and if you do, it's only some umpty bucks to replace. Don't worry about a shortened lifespan, your computer will be obsolete before your CPU dies, so go for it with the automatic tool that Foxconn gives you, and push it to the max. Be brave and reap the rewards. Just make sure to cool the system well. If you need help with cooling, let us know.

Not only is this whole post one big contradiction, it's just flat out really bad advice.

The first sentence is contradicted by the last sentence. The filler is incredible in its irresponsibility: it suggests, "so what if you fry your cpu doing what I say, it's only a few dollars, just buy another".

lol dude hes not contradicting himself, its very easy to keep a cool system with stock cooling. it's a simple one, just raise the fan's RPMs. case closed.

 

[omegasega]

Nah, most of the new C2D's will clock real well (3.5 is easy), even with stock cooling. Here is the thing: You will not really kill the chip, and if you do, it's only some umpty bucks to replace. Don't worry about a shortened lifespan, your computer will be obsolete before your CPU dies, so go for it with the automatic tool that Foxconn gives you, and push it to the max. Be brave and reap the rewards. Just make sure to cool the system well. If you need help with cooling, let us know.

Not only is this whole post one big contradiction, it's just flat out really bad advice.

The first sentence is contradicted by the last sentence. The filler is incredible in its irresponsibility: it suggests, "so what if you fry your cpu doing what I say, it's only a few dollars, just buy another".

Fums your wrong. first of all Etihtsarom is completely right, that damn CPU is like 50 bucks it'd be a perfect way to test ur oc'ing abilities and what not. and if you cant afford a measily 50 bucks then you shouldnt be overclocking anyways, cuz oc'ing is a gamble anyway... even the best overclockiers burn a CPU now and then so do wut Etihtsarom said and take the risk, you dont have to jump straight to 3.5GHz you can go up a few 100Mhz each time and test it for stability, then find ur max. Your max may not be as much as mine, but you never know it might even be better then mine. Like i said earlier as well as ethisarom said take the risk and reap your reward. Unless you don't like to risk the cheap processor, then just get an extreme or an i7 and leave it at stock.

 

[Fumz]

Nah, there's nothing irresponsible about it. Accept the risk, and go for it. Your house not gunna burn down, your life not gonna be ruined. E5400's can easily go past 3.5Ghz. Just provide the cooling.

Make up your mind. You began by telling the man "bahhh, no problem, forget about cooling and just crank it up with the stock cooler", now, well... what you're saying is different, which is why the advice provided here has been irresponsible. After all, you're not donating any money if things go wrong, are you?

It's best to let the reader get a full understanding for him or herself, so they're fully aware of what they're doing. I don't disagree with you on the cores, to a point, because no two cores are the same, but you can't just toss out some random figure like 3.5 because you've read it a few times.

Links to guides. If you've got one that's going to provide more or alternative info than the one already given, link away.

 

[Fumz]

Fums your wrong. first of all Etihtsarom is completely right, that damn CPU is like 50 bucks it'd be a perfect way to test ur oc'ing abilities and what not. and if you cant afford a measily 50 bucks then you shouldnt be overclocking anyways, cuz oc'ing is a gamble anyway... even the best overclockiers burn a CPU now and then so do wut Etihtsarom said and take the risk, you dont have to jump straight to 3.5GHz you can go up a few 100Mhz each time and test it for stability, then find ur max. Your max may not be as much as mine, but you never know it might even be better then mine. Like i said earlier as well as ethisarom said take the risk and reap your reward. Unless you don't like to risk the cheap processor, then just get an extreme or an i7 and leave it at stock.

First off, your prices are inaccurate: Newegg.com - e5400 Add taxes and shipping and it's a bit more than just "a measily [sic] 50 bucks".

Second, the highlighted portion is what should have been said from the get go. To not tell the user that he could fry his cpu following your advice is irresponsible. There's no way around that reality... no matter how hard or fast you dance.

Third, if you warn the person in advance, then you don't have to make assumptions. For instance, you both have just assumed that because it's a lower priced cpu, that it's within anyone's budget to just go out and fry one as "a test", which is absurd.

I mean really, to tell a guy to go ahead and crank it, then a few posts later say, oh wait, you really should think about cooling, and oops if you fry it just buy another because it's cheap ... well... that's incredible "advice".

... just sayin.

 

[Etihtsarom]

This post is for the OP. You can take a little from what Fumz said (which I've also said from the beginning but he missed it somehow) and be mindful of the cooling. Cooling means not necessarily changing the stock heatsink, just better airflow in the computer case - tuck away cables, may be add a fan. But I'm pretty sure your board and 5400 will do very well. Why? because I've done enough of it to know. Don't let people scare you. MOST of the time, the worst that happens is your CPU or RAM or board will not be able to clock as high as you want because of their limitation and lack of cooling, in which case, you have to improvise. That's it, nothing devastating will happen when your CPU overheats and crashes, it won't fry like these people tell you. Go for it. And if it actually fries, let me know, I'll send you another one. Don't think that I don't have these things laying around the house.

 

[Fumz]

Hi Etihtsarom,

I didn't miss anything, I just disagree with a few points; however, we do agree on others.

We pretty much agree on what the chip is capable of. We also agree that cooling is important; although, imo, if you're going to tell someone to shoot for 3.5GHz, then you should probably also tell him to budget in an aftermarket cooler.

We just happen to disagree on how to go about clocking the chip: with software based tools or through the bios. I linked a guide that would educate the OP, and explain in great detail what needs to be done and how to go about doing it. Again: Howto: Overclock C2Q (quads) And C2D (duals) - A Guide V1.7 - OverclockersClub Forums

I'm sure we can agree that clocking a chip without any idea of what you're doing isn't the best advice in the world, no matter how cheap we may think the chip is.

 

[Darryl Licht]

Etihtsarom:

I am an old Overclocker... I cant handle a stock car, nor stock PC. I've always got to fiddle with speed!

As long as you realize the risks, the rewards are worth it! Now, as some have pointed out you need to do your homework. There are many forums devoted to Overclocking, such as Overclock.net - Overclocking.net ... read them for specifics. Maybe someone out there has some advice on your specific MB. I personally ran an E4500 at 2.8GHz... a stock 2.2GHz CPU. I also agree that you should go in small steps... 5% at a time max... find the fastest you can get your system to operate, then I back it down about 10% from that. As many have said cooling it very important when OC. Get a quality heatsink and fan... and use Arctic Silver thermal paste.

Not putting down your mobo but when I think OC, foxconn isnt a name I think of. Your other components are also crucial... quality MATCHED sticks of memory are a must! Good case cooling, good power supply...

Just start your homework and take it in small steps... you will be fine!