Help overclocking XPS 700

swtyflip · Mar 7, 2007, 02:40 AM

Back in august of last year I purchased a Dell XPS 700.

I have the following in my system:
Intel Pentium D 930 processer
4gb RAM
2x Nvidia 7900 GTX 512mb gfx cards
Creative x-fi sound card
2 160gb SATA drives in RAID 0

Im interested in overclocking my Pentium D processor but I would like a little bit of advice on how I should go about this. Any advice is greatly appreciated.

cozumel · Mar 7, 2007, 02:57 AM

Hello swtyflip and welcome to DH!!

You need to raise FSB from the BIOS as the multipler is locked.

However

I could be wrong but I believe you may have big problems trying to overclock the Dell as the BIOS will probably have the appropriate options locked. I have just pulled the quote from another forum to explain why. If I'm wrong could someone else post here accordingly.

Quote:

Basically, you can not overclock a Dell. They were not designed for this, and let me explain why:

Dell uses custom made parts. Those parts were designed to be as cheap as possibile for the system (Try to build a similar pc with exact the same specifications and you'll know).

* Dell motherboards won't use extensive power circuitry for example. Which means that the motherboards can't supply the power the cpu needs when overclocked. Fortunately, Dell realises that and supplies those boards with a bios that lacks every overclocking option imaginable. (Those are: FSB| multiplier adjustment| ram frequency, dividers and timings| voltages of cpu, chipset, ram | agp/pci lock and frequency adjustment. ). Last big problem with those boards is that they often lack thermal sensors. Remember > 45°C your fingers hurt, so you could use those to see if your system can handle the heat. You should feel when loading your system 100% though (burn wounds: at least 10 minutes under streaming COLD water, then apply flammazine if not too serious or contact a doctor if serious). As far as I know, the "unknown combination of keys enables secret overclocking menu" option does not exist on a dell.

* - Dell psu's are able to power the system at stock speeds, perhaps enable a small upgrade, but are unable to power the extra demands introduced by overclocking. Here is a calculator that will tell you what high quality psu you'd need to power a system. Fiddle around with it, look at the psu in your dell, gaze in horror at it, read this sticky and you'll know what you need. Dell psu's are not considered high quality.

* - Dell's cooling options are just horribile; sometimes the pc's overheat when running stock. No way this cooling would be able to output the extra heat generated by overclocking. Fortunately, Dell uses intel processors, that turn themselves down when too hot. So you'll be overclocking a system that turns itself down to lower speed than your initial values.

* - Dell's ram is the cheapest ram available. Overclocking an intel means overclocking your ram. Cheap ram doesn't overclock well, so your ram will be holding you back if the above things survive your experiment. (Note: this is due to the fact that often ram and fsb speeds are linked to eachother. Sometimes there are dividers, but those are overclocking options your board doesn't offer. Dividers might decrease performance. )

* Since no die hard overclockers buy dells, no die hard overclocking tool supports them. Start programming! But beware, overclocking tools require temp monitors... and you do not have that on your dell.

* Sometimes, you could overclock your videocard. That's the only thing you can overclock on a dell (they can't lock it). Check the video forum for more information (there are stickies that tell you how to do it there, and you can always search if you want to find more).

But then, you're a die hard, and you still want to overclock the dell...

* Sometimes, dell's are based on boards that appear in the retail channel as well. In even rarer cases, you could flash your bios with that of a retail board. Things you should know about this:

1. We don't know which dells are based on which boards, nor do we know which of those boards are based on known retail ones. Sometime google knows, so you should ask him.
2. Flashing will void your warranty. It's a risky business, especially when you are flashing with a bios that was not meant for your board. You risk losing your board, and everything connected to it. Don't do this if you aren't 100% sure that you know what you're doing.
3. Even if you manage to flash your board to a bios with minimal overclocking options, don't expect to get a big overclock. Dell doesn't buy the über high end parts, they buy the cheap mainstream parts... retail boards not meant to be overclocked.

But even then, other things will hold back your overclock. So you could change those.

* You could buy a new motherboard. But, the latest generation dell's use btx layout cases. Retail motherboards are atx standard - they simply won't fit your case. (note: Don't try to find a btx motherboard. I believe they exist, but have never seen one in real life). You'll have to buy a new case before you can use a new motherboard. And then, other things like the psu and ram will still end your overclocking fun. Oh, and if you have a thin dell, you're sure about the new case as you won't be able to fit any board in them.

* You could buy a new psu. Here is the best psu guide you could find on the web (coincidentally, also made by a forum member ). But, if you have an older dell, it won't be atx (standard for cases and psu's). So your supply won't work with the dell motherboard (one of both will be fried). Newer dell's fortunately use standard atx layout (though you should check the wires - see if they are the same in the same place on both connectors). I don't know when they changed to standard atx. If you buy a new one, check if it fits the case.

* You could buy better ram. But beware, some ram doesn't work in dell motherboards... another gift of the dell bios.

Oh, and remember that if you change all things above, you'll need a new windows xp licence as you are basically having a new computer, and microsoft will not recognise it as the same old pc.

So suppose you're very stubborn, and have a lot of money and want to overclock that dell. Then my suggestions are:

1. find out what type the dell is
2. find out what processor rests inside, what socket is is based upon (intel has a tool for that or find it out through your dell model number)
3. buy a new board, search this forum (don't make new threads, there are already a lot of "which board should I buy") threads.

Prolly the best ones will be a socket 478 asus P4C800-E deluxe or 775 asus p5wd2 premium. But that's a discussion not to be done here.

Just a few remarks:

* AGP (ati 8...x, 9... and nvidia 4..., 5... videocards) boards are not compatibile with pci-e (ati x...., nvidia 6....,7....)
* DDR1 boards are not compatibile with DDR2. So at this stage, you need to know if you your videocard is agp/pci-e and if your ram is ddr1 or 2.
* Normally, it will be socket 478 -> AGP& DDR1; socket 775 -> PCI-E and DDR2

1. Buy a new psu. Use this, then david get's some credit for his fenomenal guide.
2. Buy new ram. Depending on your socket and board, you either need DDR1 or DDR2. Don't buy the wrong type, as it won't work. (and might fry things when you try to install it anyway. They are keyed, so you should not be able to install the wrong one).
3. Buy a new case and a new cooler for your processor. And don't go cheap on it, you want to overclock. Cooler and case suggestions can be found in the respective forums.
4. Buy a new windows xp licence.

But then, this looks a lot like a new pc.

Only your drives, graphics card, input devices and monitor can be transferred. Prolly it would have been cheaper if you bought an overclockers pc at the beginning. It will take less time as well.

What can you do to improve the speed of your dell?

* Add more ram. Add more drives.
* Tweak windows. There are a lot of great guides on the web. Personally, my favorite is this.
* Uninstall norton or mcaffee and get a lighter antivirus like avg (free), antivir (free).
* Use an alternative browser (firefox, opera, moox ...)
* Use easycleaner.
* Defragment your drive.

Just a (not really meant to be insulting note, but always nice if you can do that at the same time ) note:

People that know enough of overclocking, know that oem (prebuilt) machines are not a good choice for overclocking.

Since you bought a dell and want to overclock it, it doesn't prove of much knowledge in this area. Know that overclocking can very easely damage your system (and your health), and that you shouldn't do it unless you know enough about it. We are not responsibile for your attempts, nor for the problems caused by it.

GutterPunk · Mar 7, 2007, 03:05 AM

wow thats a sad quote. Also, I hate dells for the shit cooling they have. To even be able to overclock in preperation I would double check your air flow in the case. Make sure everything is staying cool, and there isn't any dead air. Dead air will just warm up and like a heater, keep the case warmer than needed. Now if the post above is true, its a bummer that you may not be able to OC. Explore your bios, and see if there are any overclocking features (increasing the FSB). Take it easy when you start. Have testing tools ready superpi, orthos, prime95. Be sure to have a temperature monitoring software so you can keep track of your temps. Overclocking can physically damage your processor.

good luck

cozumel · Mar 7, 2007, 03:20 AM

Just thought - it almost sounds like we're talking down your Dell. The quote I posted is biased in its overall tone.

I am considering whether to buy a Dell Outlet PC (ie someone elses cancelled order) to use mainly for work. Although components are not high quality, I don't believe you can beat the Dell for overall value when taking into account the supplied bundle. OS, MS Office, other software, printer, scanner etc etc. I would not be able to build a like-for-like rig at the same price, it would cost me considerably more. The only thing I would add is that straight away on arrival of the Dell I would be improving case and component cooling.

swtyflip · Mar 7, 2007, 04:39 AM

The is only one option available in the BIOS pertaining to overclocking and it is "Enable Overclocking". So I guess what dell is saying is that any o'cing has to be done with a third party application.

By the way, my past experiances with Dell have not been very good, and it is true that the hardware they use is Dell-ized. Dell tech support is also very bad, and I suggest to everyone to stay away from Dell.

H3X4D3C1M4L · Mar 7, 2007, 08:49 PM

I was under the impression that most of the new XPS's had the Overclock (n)% in the BIOS? I saw something about that in Maximum PC

Just Learnin' · Mar 11, 2007, 04:11 AM

[COLOR=#810081]Dell Offers Free Motherboard Upgrades for XPS 700 Customers[/COLOR] Could be of interest!!!

cozumel · Mar 11, 2007, 01:17 PM

The same article also says BIOS will have some overclockability (is that a real word?) and you will be entitled for a 25% discount on upgrading to quad core processors.

Mar 7, 2007, 02:40 AM	#1
swtyflip DriverHeaven Newbie Join Date: Mar 2007 Posts: 2 Rep Power: 0	Help overclocking XPS 700 Back in august of last year I purchased a Dell XPS 700. I have the following in my system: Intel Pentium D 930 processer 4gb RAM 2x Nvidia 7900 GTX 512mb gfx cards Creative x-fi sound card 2 160gb SATA drives in RAID 0 Im interested in overclocking my Pentium D processor but I would like a little bit of advice on how I should go about this. Any advice is greatly appreciated.

Mar 7, 2007, 03:05 AM	#3
GutterPunk I = Greatest Dood Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Nebraska Posts: 5,949 Rep Power: 71	wow thats a sad quote. Also, I hate dells for the shit cooling they have. To even be able to overclock in preperation I would double check your air flow in the case. Make sure everything is staying cool, and there isn't any dead air. Dead air will just warm up and like a heater, keep the case warmer than needed. Now if the post above is true, its a bummer that you may not be able to OC. Explore your bios, and see if there are any overclocking features (increasing the FSB). Take it easy when you start. Have testing tools ready superpi, orthos, prime95. Be sure to have a temperature monitoring software so you can keep track of your temps. Overclocking can physically damage your processor. good luck __________________ Rock On \m/ Thank you Mousey for the Sig! --------------- Intel Core2Duo E6660 (3.4GHZ) ~ Tuniq Tower 120 ~ Enermax Galaxy 1000W ~ Corsair Dominator @ 1090MHZ 5-5-5-15 (OCZ XTC Modded Cooler)~ EVGA 8800GTX W/ HR-03 Plus 120MM ~ Asus DVD-RW LiteScribe ~ LG DVD-RW ~ Corsair Voyager 2GB ReadyBoost Drive ~ Vantec Nexus Fan Controller ~ ThermalTake Armor 25CM fan ~ Personal Finance Blog: Dent Your Debt

Mar 7, 2007, 03:20 AM	#4
cozumel I'm dangerous but cute... Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Under the waves... Posts: 3,577 Rep Power: 60 System Specs	Just thought - it almost sounds like we're talking down your Dell. The quote I posted is biased in its overall tone. I am considering whether to buy a Dell Outlet PC (ie someone elses cancelled order) to use mainly for work. Although components are not high quality, I don't believe you can beat the Dell for overall value when taking into account the supplied bundle. OS, MS Office, other software, printer, scanner etc etc. I would not be able to build a like-for-like rig at the same price, it would cost me considerably more. The only thing I would add is that straight away on arrival of the Dell I would be improving case and component cooling. __________________ Don't worry about money - Be a beach bum! Scuba Rocks

Mar 7, 2007, 04:39 AM	Thread Starter #5
swtyflip DriverHeaven Newbie Join Date: Mar 2007 Posts: 2 Rep Power: 0	The is only one option available in the BIOS pertaining to overclocking and it is "Enable Overclocking". So I guess what dell is saying is that any o'cing has to be done with a third party application. By the way, my past experiances with Dell have not been very good, and it is true that the hardware they use is Dell-ized. Dell tech support is also very bad, and I suggest to everyone to stay away from Dell.

Mar 7, 2007, 08:49 PM	#6
H3X4D3C1M4L DriverHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 6,794 Rep Power: 0	I was under the impression that most of the new XPS's had the Overclock (n)% in the BIOS? I saw something about that in Maximum PC

Mar 11, 2007, 04:11 AM	#7
Just Learnin' HardwareHeaven Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada Posts: 1,414 Rep Power: 56 System Specs	[COLOR=#810081]Dell Offers Free Motherboard Upgrades for XPS 700 Customers[/COLOR] Could be of interest!!!

Mar 11, 2007, 01:17 PM	#8
cozumel I'm dangerous but cute... Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Under the waves... Posts: 3,577 Rep Power: 60 System Specs	The same article also says BIOS will have some overclockability (is that a real word?) and you will be entitled for a 25% discount on upgrading to quad core processors. __________________ Don't worry about money - Be a beach bum! Scuba Rocks