A question before I begin overclocking.

I have been reading up on overclocking and it seems quit complicated. I read up on my processor, AMD Athalon 64 X2 3800+, it is a 2.0 ghz processor and it can EASELY reach 2.4 ghz with overclocking and up to 2.6 ghz with extra fans. If I were to read up and actually learn how to overclock a processor and ram and GPU, Can I just find out what people have been getting stabely and just apply it to my hardware with overclocking?

Some motherboards come with an overclocking utility. Mine is an ASUS and it is built into the BIOS. I got my 2.8 P4 up to 3.2 before it became unstable with air cooling.

I'm not an overclocking guru and don't find it necessary with todays hardware. Overclocking is for those enthusiasts who want to get the most out of their PC or get a few more FPS's in a game.

Ok, so with my setup, I can play everything on full graphics just fine. I should probably wait till newer games come out to start overclocking?

dont overclock unless you understand that doing so will void your warranty

yeah, what he said^^

Just because you can do a thing doesn't mean you should. The only time you should even consider overclocking is when you're all out of hardware and you absolutely need your system to operate faster.

Here's a great analogy for you: When I was 19 and in the USAF, I put a combination of (tweaked) split-fire spark plugs and JP8 (jet fuel - like civilian Jet A-1 fuel) into a 1978 Dodge Diplomat police interceptor (318c.i. 8 cyl). That thing absolutely flew - for 2 whole weeks. On the way to the base one morning, the crank snapped with no warning (luckily it snapped cleanly in the center and I was still able to drive the rest of the way on 4 cylinders - though it was a rough ride).

There was nothing "wrong" with the engine aside from the severe modification to the impact force on the pistons. Though on a smaller scale, this is exactly what you're doing when you overclock a processor.

Processors are cheap these days. If yours isn't putting out the way you want it to, get a better one. If you can't afford it, you probably won't be able to afford it when you current processor "snaps its crank" either - and then you'll be out a system.