PC Upgrade advice needed

[eastyy]

i think if there kept cool enough shouldnt impact to much though would imagine would be shorter lifespans

though got to say i think the performance gains from overclocking are really minimal

[monel]

I see what you mean about the gains, but most of the bundles at the online retailers are sold pre-overclocked for some reason.

[Kongster]

As long as the overclock is stable and has adequate cooling, it'll be fine for a good while.

Intel's I5 and I7 range overclock like a beast, the performance gains are definitely worth it.

[abigsmurf]

Overclocking will reduce CPU and motherboard lifespan but provided they're not allowed to overheat, they'll still probably outlast the ram, hdd and PSU by a number of years.

[monel]

thanks for all the advice guys, is there any sites you can recommend for overclocking a Phenom X4 till I replace the CPU and mobo?

You guys are the best.

[abigsmurf]

Overclocking is actually fairly simple, most motherboards let you do it by altering the multiplier (CPU speed = multiplier x bus speed). If your CPU has a locked multiplier or it's near maxed, you can increase the bus speed but that puts additional strain on the RAM as well as the CPU and is less successful in creating a stable system.

In general you can do a 10-15% clock speed boost on most CPUs with minimal hassle.

Do a search for detailed guides on how to overclock and they'll give advice for how best to go about it. Before you do anything, make sure you know how to do a hard reset of your bios. There's always a chance you can make a change and the system won't boot at all.