Can I Overclock My Old Ass PC?
Can I Overclock My Old Ass PC?
I recently purchased a refurbished HP Pro 3500 to experiment with and assemble a PC. Would I be able to push it beyond its default speed using its original motherboard? The CPU I have, an i5 3470, can also be overclocked, similar to what I did on my gaming rig.
This model uses the same chipset and lacks overclocking capabilities, only allowing basic sharing.
No, that's correct. The OE board won't permit any kind of overclocking, and BCLK overclocking isn't advised for Sandy/Ivy chips because it causes stability problems. In ideal conditions with a stable system and a high-end chip, you might reach about 7% BCLK overclocking, but most processors cap at around 5%. With a P67/Z67/Z77 board and an i5-3470 that has a locked multiplier, you'll likely be limited to no more than 7%. You'd need a specific K-SKU to bypass these restrictions. Also, Ivy Bridge isn't very old... 
Using BCLK, but with the Z77 Pro3 on my gaming rig, I can reach 4Ghz without BCLK and up to 4.2 with BCLK at its maximum.