So I have this crappy Dell Studio PC with Intel C2D e7200 in it and today I decided I'd try to see if I can squeeze a bit more power out of it (it's currently the most powerful computer in the house...), but turns out - BIOS has no options for OC'ing...
Is there any windows software that would let me OC this CPU even a tiny bit or is this a lost cause?
Although you can do it via software, the issue with it is that the software just taps into the BIOS and does it for you. If there is no options within the BIOS itself to overclock then you wont be able to do it via software.
OEM products tend to have pretty locked down BIOS's to prevent people who do not know what they are doing, doing damage to the machine.
Sigh, that's what I tought. It's a shame, I read e7200 overclocks very nicely too.
Thanks for the input!
See if you can pick up a old LGA775 Intel Core 2 Quad like this
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Intel-Core-2-Quad-Q6600-SLACR-2-40GHZ-8M-LGA775-CPU-Processor-/370852858543?pt=CPUs&hash=item56588d8aaf that shude go with your mobo it will give you a good boost to performance over your Intel C2D e7200
you need an unlocked bios to flash, there are ways and means, i just googled it and this is my first hit
http://www.bios-mods.com/forum/Thread-Unlock-Phoenix-Award-Bios-to-Overclock-Dell-Inspiron-530
That PC is not worth upgrading, nor am I willing to fiddle with BIOS flashing, don't wanna break the only PC that can "run" (more like crawl) games here. Just wanted to squeeze some more out of it before I actually get a new PC, which I'll probably do after I move to the new apartment in september.
On an upside - I overclocked that old crap of a graphics card, aka GeForce 8600GT from 540/400 to 620/430 Mhz, and it seems to be running a decent bit faster, so yay for that at least!
does it have a Nvidia Chip set, if it does then you can use nvidia (NVS?) tools to addjust the FSB and very unlikely voltages and memory, don't expect to get very far on stock volts
you can also try a bsel mod which is essentially putting electrical tape and condutive ink on certain pins to up the FSB and voltage
http://www.overclock.net/t/341123/intel-bsel-vid-mod-guide
Nope, it's an Intel chipset. I don't think I really want to mess with the pins, nor do I really care about voltage, just wanted a minor overclock, I'm running a stock fan anyway.
You say "don't expect to get very far on stock volts", how far are we talking? I've been able to OC my previous Athlon +300-400 Mhz on default FSB and voltage settings on a cheap Asrock motherboard, seemed like a decent boost without any effort. Is that something unusual?