Does overclocking my P4 2.4c help ?

[sriram174]

Hey,I've just downloaded the SP demo,and got it working fine.But the fps is always between 10 and 20...the gameplay is smooth at the framerate[kinda :P],but I wish to get better framerates out of my existing rig :
P4 2.4c [HT] [I know,this is below the min reqs]
Intel 865 Mobo
1 GB DDR
GF 7800 GS 256 MB
SoundMAX [onboard sound]

So,I'd like to know whether OCing my CPU to say 3 GHz will bring a substantial increase or not. I wish to play this game at 1024x768,max detail at a moderate 25 to 30 fps

I'm sorta in a fix as I have recently upgraded my vid card[from an FX 5200 128MB] and I have no plans on buying a new dual-core CPU[unless there is a motherboard which supports AGP8X AND Dualcore CPUs ?]
I take that my CPU [I]IS the bottleneck here,but I'd also like to know if upgrading my RAM to 2 GB helps with framerates


Thanks

[sriram174]

Hey,I've just downloaded the SP demo,and got it working fine.But the fps is always between 10 and 20...the gameplay is smooth at the framerate[kinda :P],but I wish to get better framerates out of my existing rig :
P4 2.4c [HT] [I know,this is below the min reqs]
Intel 865 Mobo
1 GB DDR
GF 7800 GS 256 MB
SoundMAX [onboard sound]

So,I'd like to know whether OCing my CPU to say 3 GHz will bring a substantial increase or not. I wish to play this game at 1024x768,max detail at a moderate 25 to 30 fps

I'm sorta in a fix as I have recently upgraded my vid card[from an FX 5200 128MB] and I have no plans on buying a new dual-core CPU[unless there is a motherboard which supports AGP8X AND Dualcore CPUs ?]
I take that my CPU [I]IS the bottleneck here,but I'd also like to know if upgrading my RAM to 2 GB helps with framerates


Thanks

[sriram174]

*bump*

I could surely use some advice here,
Thanks

[neildittmar]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by sriram174:
So,I'd like to know whether OCing my CPU to say 3 GHz will bring a substantial increase or not. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Upping the clock on your CPU would probably bring about some sort of appreciable increase in-game. However, there are a number of factors to consider before you follow through.

First, that processor (as well as many others) work off of a multiplier logic to determine the clock speed of the chip. That is, the value of the multiplier times the Front Side Bus (FSB) of the motherboard gives the resultant clock speed. Therefore, any increases to that CPU's clock speed are done indirectly via incrementing the FSB of the motherboard. You'll want to make sure your motherboard is capable of this change in the BIOS. Most off the shelf computers (Dell, HP, Gateway, etc.) are not.

Second, realize that overclocking the Front Side Bus will not only effect the CPU speed, but could also effect the speeds of your memory, graphics card, and other devices as well. Typically, the speed of the memory and AGP port are tied to the FSB speed as well, with the AGP bus speed being a quotient of it and the memory running analogous to it. If your motherboard supports a fixed speed for the AGP port independent of the front side bus, then this is probably ideal. Otherwise, you'll be overclocking the AGP bus and possibly run into issues. You'll also need to affirm that your memory has the extra overhead to take a higher clock speed.

Third, understand that computer hardware components are specifically rated to perform at a given speed and other factors come into play if they're clocked higher. For example, heat often becomes an issue the higher you overclock. While you may be getting "free" performance by overclocking, you may have to spend some money to upgrade your cooling solution to support it in a "safe" manner. Also understand that not all hardware is created equal when it comes to overclocking. While one user may get a stable 3.0Ghz out of their 2.4Ghz P4 chip, this is not guaranteed for every chip despite all other hardware, cooling, etc. being equal. It really is hit or miss.

Finally, it's important to note that in most scenarios and with most hardware vendors, overclocking voids any and all warranties that you may have. If you can afford to take the chance, there can be some significant gains attained by overclocking. However, it's important to know the risks and understand what you may be sacrificing by doing it.

[sriram174]

Hey,thanks a ton for your time neildttmar,that was a very infromative post;It gave me a better insight into OCing[until now I thought OCing a CPU would be as simple as rasing a slider ala OCing the graphics card...I didnt knew about the link with FSB/AGP bus speed etc etc]

After Googling a bit about OCing the 2.4c CPU,I found some very interesting articles...

Here is a quote from an extremoverclocking.com article :
Here is all that can really be said about overclocking the 2.4C. It's is a great overclocking processor and provides good results with whatever cooling you decide. The CPU easily does over 3GHz with just stock cooling. Another good reason that this processor is a good choice for overclockers is because of what we said earlier. It has a very low multiplier allowing for much higher FSB's, which accounts for higher system bandwidth and insane memory speeds. The other reason to get one of these CPU's is that they are well priced and can easily be replaced if you happen to burn one out.

Links : http://www.extremeoverclocking.com/articles/overclockin...clocking_2.4C_1.html (http://www.extremeoverclocking.com/articles/overclocking/Overclocking_2.4C_1.html)
http://www.cluboc.net/reviews/cpu/intel/p4/2.4c/index.htm


from the above info,I smell good news http://forums.ubi.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif I have no plans on investing in a new cooling system for now[mostly coz they are hard to find where I live;India]....so,I'll take their word and OC with stock cooling to around 3 Ghz.....it will hopefully get me the extra framerates I need[I'll be more than happy if i get 20 to 25 fps at 1024x768]
If I couple the OC with an upgrade of RAM to 2 Gigs,I guess I'll get there !

Thanks for the info again,much appreciated http://forums.ubi.com/images/smilies/11.gif

[neildittmar]

Sounds good :-) Glad I was able to help you out and clarify some things. Just be careful, take the overclock slow (go up a few mhz, then test, go up a few more, test) and everything should be fine. I run a 7800GS with a Pentium 4 3.0Ghz processor and my framerates are around where you said you wanted to be. Hopefully it'll all work out good for you.

ADDED: To test for stability, you may want to download and install one of the free programs that stresses your system. Good choices are Prime95 (in torture test mode) or MemTest86. Both of these should be easily found via a Google search.