Can I overclock a prebuilt PC

[kmatthews24]

Im familiar with PC builds but have stayed away from overclocking in the past. I found a good deal on a prebuilt PC a few weeks ago and decided to jump on it.
Parts:
Asus b350
Ryzen 7 1700
GTX1070
8gb ram 2400hz
256ssd + 1tb
500w psu

I use this PC mostly for gaming so I want to get as much performance as I can out of it, is it a good idea to overclock this build?

 

[kmatthews24]

This post was moved to a different thread but no answer, was this a stupid question?

 

[CMH]

Not exactly a "how-to" instructional, my FAQ (written about a decade ago!) Is still useful to know what and why of it. Check the sig.

 

[fadingfool]

Main problem with overclocking pre-built systems is the cooling is normally only adequate for normal use and frequently the bios on the system has been locked down (looking at you here Dell). Taking this into account there you can always use AMD's own software over clocking and MSI afterburner for the GPU. I'd be careful of temps and power draw though you should have some headroom on the latter (should only be using approx 350W at the moment).

 

[delrey]

You should also post a link of what you bought (Brand/Model). This goes along with what @fadingfool stated above. Based on those specs, you could have a Cyberpower PC, ABS, or CLX for an example that will have a better chance of overclocking than say an Dell or Acer. Also, I would recommend getting another 8GB or RAM. Those specs are too good to limit your self to 8GB total.

 

[MaikuTech]

https://www.cpuid.com/downloads/cpu-z/cpu-z_1.85-en.exe
https://www.cpuid.com/downloads/hwmonitor/hwmonitor_1.35.exe
Bring us back your mobo, ram, vga, hdd/ssd specs both of these tools will reveal that info.
Also yes you can overclock on that mobo, given its asus board becarefull of how you overclock.

 

[kmatthews24]

Thanks for the replies, the model I bought is the asus g11df
https://www.asus.com/Tower-PCs/G11DF/specifications/
I do plan on upgrading the RAM to 16gb in the future when I find a decent price. Do you have any recommendations? Also is it better to overclock through software or bios?

 

[MaikuTech]

Although I hate Asus more than any other manufacturer, that's a nice looking case they built up.
Also it's always best oc through uefi bios,others prefer software to do it.
I find it highly annoying and problematic if the system gets unstable.

 

[kmatthews24]

Yeah its very quiet and looks sharp, temps have been fairly cool so far. I havent heard many recommend tweaking through software so far so I think bios is my best bet. Ill take some time to watch that video you linked later on tonight, thanks for the help. Ill keep it posted.

 

[kmatthews24]

Also watched this video

 

[kmatthews24]

Update: Ive decided to put off overclocking for now because im having trouble finding information about my mobo. That being said, I want to focus on upgrading my RAM, I contacted asus support to obtain a QVL list for my PC and they said they dont have one which I thought was strange. Any suggestions on what RAM I should be considering? I want 2x8gb modules.

 

[MaikuTech]

Download cpu-z and bring me back the motherboard information tap the motherboard Tab and it will give you the information.

 

[kmatthews24]

 

[MaikuTech]

Ok I did some digging around I need to ask you somethings ?
Look inside the case, find the memory, how many sticks does it have ?
Pop out the memory, look at the module and give me the serial number for it and name if it says so.
If you feel comfortable, take gfx card out find out what brand it is read the serial number and run it through google.

Kingston and crucial ballistix memory should work, if you're not too eager to upgrade the memory.
Wait till july 4th passes and wait for the back to school, tax free holiday kicks in.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01D8U2B8W/?tag=httpwwwtechsp-20

You will be pretty limited if you want to do any upgrades on that little weak asus mobo.
Here is some hope for you to really make things worth it:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07D84HKZT/?tag=httpwwwtechsp-20

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00TBHYYFK/?tag=httpwwwtechsp-20
Set this upside out of the case on a static free table, once you're done you pluck it back inside the case and hook up everything correctly.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00918N4A0/?tag=httpwwwtechsp-20
Since you want to be an overclock maniac on that ryzen 1400, give it a premium psu to remain perfectly stable.

 

[kmatthews24]

Hey, sorry for being MIA was busy on the weekend..ill open her up tomorrow and get those serial numbers for you. I dont think I want to buy a whole new motherboard seeing as I just bought this PC a month ago but if I could get away with upgrading to 16gb of ram for now ill be happy.

 

[MaikuTech]

Whatever floats your boat then.

 

[kmatthews24]

So I finally got around to removing the RAM and snapping a pic of it. Its 1 stick, and the mobo has 2 slots. The GPU was a bit more involved and had a bunch of wires in the way so I left it alone. Hope this helps. http://imgur.com/gallery/QBBCph1

 

[MaikuTech]

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=0RN-001H-000S4
This is what you have currently now, even though the ram I recommend is 40.00 bucks more.
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820156080
If you find this somewhere else brand new a little bit cheaper later this year.
That would be roughly 32gb of ddr4 2400, also that ram stick has good voltages for overclocking on good mobos.
So yeah the ball is in your court you can go Kingston, crucial, or corsair vegence.
I do recommend you check with asus phone technical support to see which ram is recommended.
I imagined by after 4 years of screw ups, Asus Tier 2 technical support shouldn't be stupid enough to not know and help you.