Overclocking i7 980x

Sorry if this has been asked before. I would like the know the best/easiest way to overclock my processor. I don't know much about overclocking and I don't want to get into changing voltages or doing anything to crazy or demanding on my cpu. Just looking to give it a little extra boost but not sure how to do it. Any guidance would be appreaciated. Below are my specs.

Thank you.


--OS: - Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate (64 bit) SP1
--Monitor: - Dell UltraSharp U3011 30-inch Widescreen (w/ PremierColor)
--Case: - COOLER MASTER HAF X RC-942-KKN1 Black Steel/ Plastic ATX Full Tower Case
--Motherboard: MSI Big Bang-XPower LGA 1366 Intel X58 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX
--CPU: - Intel Core i7-980X Extreme Edition Gulftown 3.33GHz LGA 1366 130W Six-Core
--CPU Cooler: - Liquid Cooler - CoolIT Systems VAN-R120 Vantage A.L.C.
--Power Supply: - CORSAIR Professional Series AX1200 1200W ATX12V v2.31 Modular
--Sound Card: - Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium Fatal1ty Champion Series 7.1
--Video Card: - EVGA SuperClocked 015-P3-1582-AR GeForce GTX 580 (Fermi)
--Memory: - G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 24GB (6 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800)
--Memory Cooler: - G.SKILL FTB-3500C5-D Fans
--1st Hard Drive: - Intel X25-E Extreme 64GB SATA II SLC Internal Solid state disk (SSD)
--2nd Hard Drive - Intel X25-E Extreme 64GB SATA II SLC Internal Solid state disk (SSD)
--3rd Hard Drive: - Western Digital VelociRaptor 600GB 10000 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s
--4th Hard Drive: -Seagate Barracuda XT 2TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s
--1st Optical Drive: - LG WH10LS30K 10X Blu-ray Burner - LightScribe Support
--2nd Optical Drive: - LG WH10LS30K 10X Blu-ray Burner - LightScribe Support
--Keyboard/Mouse: - Logitech MX 5500 Revolution Black Bluetooth Cordless Desktop keyboard & Mouse Kit
--Card Reader: Nippon Labs Delux 3.5" Internal All In One Card Reader/Writer with USB2.0 & eSATA Ports
--Speakers: - Altec Lansing ADA995 5.1 surround speakers

Hi magicant, I can understand why you wouldn't want to get all crazy with over-clocking. I'm overclocking my CPU from 2.66 to 3.4 and if I had not lowered the voltage, my temp would be over 70C instead of 50C. I think if you are serious about over-clocking at all, you should be willing to change your voltage settings.

Ok I'm not completely opposed to changing my voltage. But can you help me in what the best way is to do this? Not sure exactly what values to change and what to change them to. Should I overclock in small steps and wait several days before going to next step? How far should I go?

Thank you.

Personally, I don't really see the point of overclocking that rig of yours as it already looks like a powerful machine by itself that will probably run the latest games all maxed out in the next two years. I think you should just leave it stock and take good care of your rig. The fact that you mentioned that you don't know much about overclocking further supports my stand. I doubt you'd see any noticeable differences in gaming/video rendering should you be successful in overclocking your rig.

It would probably be best if you followed a guide such as the one linked below. I am over-clocking my CPU but far from being an expert on the topic.

I do know that if you are not sure about the settings, small steps are always preferred. And by all means watch your temps, even though you have a water cooler, your temps can still get away from you.

Newbie Overclocking Guide

It wouldn't hurt to find someone who is over-clocking with a comparable system. That way they can give you settings that will match your system better.

I'm with shadowalk - but that's just me. The problem with watercooling is that it often neglects the cooling requirements of the components purposely placed surrounding the CPU socket which typically benefit (by design) from the CPU's fan. This means careful and constant temperature monitoring is a must, as is the necessity to keep the interior free of heat-trapping dust and dirt. And unfortunately, the discipline to keep up those practices tend to wane as time goes by.

If you feel you must OC, you bought a quality board that comes with an overclocking utility, OC Genie. I would suggest you use the Genie. It has received some good comments.

Thanks c_c, that was some interesting reading there.

Many stock systems can be bumped up a little. Every bit counts.

Cat

Thank you for all the replies. I will look into that newbie overclocking and make a decision. If I do overclock it will be slow and steady and minor and I will keep track.

I have an old AMD Athlon 64 system that I overclocked when I first got it. I didn't change voltages. Just changed the multiplier in the bios. I did it in steps til I got to the point I wanted (nothing crazy) and I never had a problem with it. That system also had liquid cooling.

Whatever I do, I will be careful and keep track of temps.

Thank you.