Overclocking Options 6000+

Hi Guys,

I know there's a lot of info on how to overclock but i just want your opinion on this PC i will be buying very shortly, i have all the parts sorted so before i build just want to know if what i have will be alright to pull a little more power out of.

430w PSU Standard Case x 2 Fans

Motherboard: M2N32-SLI-DELUXE
CPU: AMD ATHLON X2 6000+ (Stock Heatsink/Fan)
RAM: 1 x 1gb DDR2 800mhz RAM
HD: 160gb SATA Drive

Im after a bit of a bang for buck overclock just a little more power than stock and im happy.

My questions are:

Will the PSU be enough to power this providing i have just the standard sort of accessories?

Can i achieve a slight overclock with the stock materials ive got (heatsink etc) or is it worth investing in something a bit better and getting a fair bit more overclock?

What kind of graphics card do you have?

430w will do for the cpu and standard excessories but if you plan on running a big 8800 you'll need to at least check how many amps you have on your 12v rail.

Thanks for the reply.

At the moment i havent bought a graphics card for it needed some more feedback on that as well, with my current set up am i best opting for 2x cheapo PCI-e SLI cards running together or going the 1 higher quality PCI-E.

So with the 430w PSU can i run a 8800 okay? (Just a guess as i cant tell you anthing about power so far as its not set up!)

Well it depends on the brand as well Zalman's 350W psu did handle SLI with and 430W load stress test, and the other is also true some noname ones would fail under the same load even if labeled 500W.

Get an OCZ, seasonic, enermax PSU might cost bit more but those won't fail you.

You'll have to read the sid eof your PSU and see how many amps the 12v rail supplies....8800GTX requires like 30 amps. I think it is recommended to have a atleast 450w for the 8800GTX. However if you have a high quality PSU that has enough amps you might get away with 430w. What are the specs on your PSU?

Think ive got the el cheapo PSU guys, heres the stats

Red Orange Yellow Blue Purple White
+5v +3.3v +12v -12v +5vsb -5v
38a 28a 17a 0.8a 20a 0.5a


Now assuming i want to power an 8800GTX and Overclock the CPU a tad what should i be looking at?

Some options i have available:

HIPER M 580W EPS PSU (Completed with: exTenderTM up to 14 devices 630 Watt peak power 20 and 24 pins compatible Full ATX 2.2 compliance P8 connector is included ATI Crossfire certified up to X1950)


SILVERSTONE 600W STRIDER MODULAR (ST60F Power Supply, Titanium black, SLI ready, 1x120mm low noise sleeve bearing fan, noise level 24 dBA, quad +12V rail for superior performance, 100% modular cabling system, connectors include: 24pin motherboard connector, 8-pin ATX12V connector, 4-pin ATX12V connector, 6-pin AUX connector, Dual 6-pin PCI-E, SATA power connector, (includes dual PCI-E), 4-pin IDE power connector, 4-pin floppy power connector; support for ATX 12V 2.01 & EPS 12V, Active PFC )

Of your two options I would recommend the silverstone (but I don't know the specs on that model). Does it have 30amps on the +12v rails , or do two or more combine.

The key is to get one that gives you 30amps on the +12v rail. PSU is very important so don't try to save money with a lessor PSU.

http://www.guru3d.com/article/cases/330/

There is a review of the silverstone PSU....it may not be able to handle two 8800GTX cards, one 8800GTX might be ok. Like I siad before, don't skimp on your PSU, save money else where.

Hi Guys,

Ive decided to run just the 1x XFX 8600GTS 675M Graphics Card, from research it needs around 26a minimum to run but 30a nicely.

Now looking at power supplies everything i can find is quad rail (around 16a-18a) but does that mean that you can combine it to push 32a dual or you are stuck with having to use 4 seperate rails?

Here's the PSU im after: SILVERSTONE 750W STRIDER MODULAR

Supposily Quad 18a per rail or something like that but obviously if they link to dual 36a is perfect?

That is a good psu.

Concider the corsair 620hx as well.

I'd seriously concider stepping up to a 8800GTS 320mb if you want dx10, or just get a x1950pro, 7900gs, 7950GT, x1800XT, etc.

The Antec Truepower was a nice choice for me. Has three +12v rails, but lack of wiresleeves and individual connectors are the only drawbacks. Newegg has it for about $120. Replaced a cheap 500W with it about 6 months ago and its been all good.Another nice bang for buck PSU is the HIPER HPU-4B580. Has the extender cable which allow you to use the connector you only need, plus they are sleeved very nicely. Which allows more room and less clutter.

Well I doubt 8800GTS will handle Dx10 games even the ultra will suffer, get a 7900 or a 1800 the later runs more hot and draws more power but slightly faster unless you get a 7900gtx.

The next gen cards might be enough for DX10, NV comes out with the end of this year and new AMD mid range cards appear as well.

Another vote for upping the PSU. Definitely don't want to skimp there. Also, why buy the minimum for the current system? Buy something that can handle another upgrade so you don't end up buying another later. I would recommend OCZ (700W range), Fortron (FSP), or the others mentioned above.