Help for a first-time overclocker

[aburnley]

Hi, I'm new to here so bear with me!

I currently have a Packard Bell (please don't run away) 2579, full spec:

C2D E6300, 1.8Ghz
2 Gb Crucial Ballistix RAM (upgraded from PB rubbish)
ATI X1650 graphics
Cuba/MSI NI996 motherboard
Basic Asus heatsink/fan
FSP group 250-60HEN PSU output from 3.3-12V

I want to overclock this but I know I will need a new motherboard, is it possible to get a decent one for less than £100 (about $200), that will support my processor and RAM and let me overclock. How much can I overclock without needing a new cooling system, and will I need a new PSU?

Sorry if this has been covered elsewhere

[staffsMike]

The psu is a little low on power.. 250w isnt a hell of a lot to work with.

Something like an asus p5b-e plus is quite a good overclocking board for that system and should be around £85.

The heatsink may let you down as well depending on what it is.

[Mossy]

you may need to upgrade RAM also to get a good overclock, but if you purchase the Asus P5B deluxe this is a good board to start off with especially with CLUNKS guide

http://forums.hexus.net/showthread.php?t=103676

Regards

[aburnley]

Many thanks

[Pob255]

Ok it looks like you have one of These which uses DDR2 so you should be ok there, although it would be nice to know some more details on that Crucial Ballistix ram

The chip set on the Cuba motherboard (MSI MS-7301) is the VIA PT890
But I don't know what that's like for overclocking my guess would be that you can get some overclocking out of it.

And I would seriously consider getting a new PSU before you try to overclock.

[StaffsKieran]

Yeah dito on the new PSU for the overclock, you may wish to get an artic freezer pro cooler aswell.