I think Don made a good point...Video cards are a nice "begining" for OCing. But this is not to say that there is no danger. I had a x700 in my rig (back when they were a high-mid range card) and i actually ruined the card. I pushed the timings and clock to the braking point and kept it there. I learned my lesson.
Ati tool is a very nice program, allows you to adjust both the clock speed and timings. But i would just go for clock speed for now.
Sean
TO help cool the card, i would clear and PCI devices blow that you dont need, (say an unused modem or nic) to allow some room to breathe. Also they make PCI blowers (they are like 3 bucks) that can help.