Overclocking a locked Dell motherboard using Windows
Overclocking a locked Dell motherboard using Windows
I have a Dell OptiPlex 980 and plan to upgrade it with an RX400 or RX500 series card, aiming to overclock the i7 870. I understand the low chances of success in a locked BIOS, but I’m curious about using Windows’ "Intel Extreme Tuning Utility" for this purpose. I’d like to know the advantages and disadvantages, as well as the highest stable overclock speed before it crashes. Also, I don’t think a motherboard with an unlocked BIOS is worth it, since I’d prefer one that supports future upgrades. I’m mainly interested in whether my current Dell board is still usable for this project.
Cons
- Higher temperatures could surpass the capabilities of the restricted OEM coolers.
-Pros
- It seems to run slightly quicker, though the actual improvement is minimal.
Cons
- Higher temperatures could surpass the capabilities of the restricted OEM coolers.
-Pros
- It seems to run slightly quicker, though the actual improvement is minimal.
When the core voltage is fixed, further overclocking becomes impossible.
If we consider the changes in numbers, we can determine the exact fps improvement from this level of overclocking.
I'd be surprised if you considered the higher FPS without still having fingers on your first hand. This isn't the kind of hardware you need to achieve what you're aiming for, whether it's the motherboard or CPU. Using the OEM cooler won't help much either, and with a lower-end Dell prebuilt PSU (like an AcBel instead of a Delta), you might not even have a suitable power supply.
It seems only around 100-300mhz will bring about about 2 frames per second, which means you'll need to push the CPUs further for real improvements. I already overclocked an i7 920 to 3.8ghz and noticed some good gains, though it was a significant overclock.
You have the ability to handle a 600Mhz overclock.
Using SetFSB for OC is possible, but ensure your RAM is fast.
What are your PSU's 12V amperage ratings?
Monitor temperatures closely to keep them below 85°C.
I once overclocked an HP Q9550 Workstation from 2.8 to 3.4Ghz with SetFSB.