I'm working on boosting the performance of my Intel E5400 at 2.7 Ghz.
I'm working on boosting the performance of my Intel E5400 at 2.7 Ghz.
I own a 5-year-old desktop at home. I recently installed Windows 10 and upgraded to a new 1TB HDD. I have some games like Dota 2 and Far Cry 3 that are running below 20 FPS. My processor reaches up to 70°C and 90% usage during gaming. I plan to add a graphics card, dual tower heatsink, and chassis fans soon. However, I want to overclock the processor.
I have:
- Intel dual core E5400 at 2.7 GHz.
- Zebronics G-41 socket 775 motherboard.
- American Megatrends BIOS (2012 or 2013; uncertain).
- 1TB HDD.
- 4 GB of DDR3 RAM.
- My motherboard OEM is locked, and I can't find options to increase voltages in the BIOS.
How can I unlock the OEM settings and overclock the processor? Also, any advice for improving performance on a very low budget?
No amount of overclocking will work. You must switch to a more recent system, the Haswell i3 4370+a cheap H81 motherboard can handle your RAM, and it should be sufficient for running a R9 380 or an overclocked 960 without issues.
On my previous Gigabyte G41+E5400 with sufficient cooling for both the CPU and VRM, I adjusted the multiplier to 13.5, set the FSB to 266MHz, and configured the CPU voltage at 1.4V. This should achieve a 3.6GHz overclock and remain stable. Gradually lower the CPU voltage until issues arise; I reached 1.38V. It might help prolong the PC's lifespan for another year before replacing the CPU and motherboard. If the BIOS remains locked, you're in a tough spot.