Going to attempt my first overclock

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Just wanted a bit of advice before I go ahead and try this. I've done my research on various websites and read the OC giude for newbies on here, but still a bit unsure about some stuff :(
My systems is as follows...

Athlon 64 3000+ (Skt 754) Newcastle Core
1GB Corsair Value DDR
Gigabyte KN8S MB
Nvidia Galaxy 6800 GT AGP Grpahics Card

I recently updated my BIOS and now I can't change the RAM timings under Advanced Chipset Features anymore. Should I flash back to my old BIOS (saved it on disk incase I messed up), or are RAM timings not that important? Do I have to OC the RAM also when OC'ing the CPU?
I've only got stock fan also at the moment. Is it worth me getting a better cooler or shouldn't I expect a good OC with my currect systems set-up?
Sorry for all the noob questions, but I don't fancy messing up my systems just yet. Not due to build a new PC till after my wedding/honeymoon in August. Saving like mad to pay it off :p

Thanks peeps!! :D
 
Soldato
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I personally don't mess with the memory timings as such, i do when i'm benchmarking, but again i don't do that through the BIOS, i use a program called A64 Tweaker. They're not that important unless you're looking to squeeze every last ounce of performance out of your PC. When i'm not benchmarking and stuff, i just generally leave the bios to sort them out on auto settings :)
 
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A random name said:
I personally don't mess with the memory timings as such, i do when i'm benchmarking, but again i don't do that through the BIOS, i use a program called A64 Tweaker. They're not that important unless you're looking to squeeze every last ounce of performance out of your PC. When i'm not benchmarking and stuff, i just generally leave the bios to sort them out on auto settings :)

Yeh I've heard of that :D
To be honest I'm not after pushing it to the limits, just want to see if I can get it slightly above 2GB (being my first OC an all). I'm not expecting massive results with my system set-up anyway.
Reason I asked about the RAM is because I'm sure I read that when you OC the CPU you OC the RAM also which can make the system unstable unless you change RAM timings. Don't know if this is true though?
Also what tools should I be using? I've got CPU-Z and I downloaded Prime 95 last night. I think I need a MB monitoring tool also don't I?
 
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