[Shulaw05]

So, as some of you probably are aware, i gots me a new computer. i'm going to put it all together on saturday, and before i do so i'm looking for some opinions on what speed to overclock. The mobo is the asus a7n8x-x and the cpu is 35 mobile xp 2400+ (266FSB, 1.8ghz operating speed). i have looked for all the reviews i can about how others have overclocked similar setups (usually with the 2500+). Since the mobo is capable of 266FSB, is it better/more stable to go with a higher FSB and lower multiplier, or lower the FSB to 200 and up the multiplier to 12 or so? also, what about vcore (it will max at 1.75V in 0.025V increments)? does anyone know what the defualt multiplier is?

 

[meat01]

I think increasing the multiplier is more stable than increasing the FSB, but increasing the FSB gives you more performance gain. I have a 2500+ and I increased the multiplier some and did not have to change the voltage. I don't remember how much I jacked it up though.

 

[lizzardfire]

FSB speed gets you the most performance. I have an Asus a7n8x deluxe, my multiplier is actually underclocked so I can get the fsb higher. Make sure to run your ram synced with the fsb

 

[Elec]

It should be noted that 266 is a DDR speed (as in 133x2) while 200 is not

In other words, running at a 200MHz FSB will give you an effictive 400MHz DDR speed, which is probably what you want to aim for initially if your memory is PC3200 (by the way, that comes from 8 bits in a byte times 400MHz = 3200 megabits a second theoretical).

A good initial speed to aim for is 2.2GHz. A lot of people just refer to it as 3200+ because it's the stock speed of the 3200+ CPUs - 11x200 = 2.2GHZ. My year and a half old desktop Barton 2500+ will do 2.2, though a bit reluctantly, and I've heard reports of most newer Bartons and mobile chips hitting at least that or higher, so I think that'd be a good starting point (and you can always adjust upward or downward from there).

The 2400+ mobile looks like it is 13.5x133 = 1.8GHz (roughly). Basically you'll want to set your FSB as high as your memory can handle in a stable and reliable fashion, then set the multiplier so you get your CPU speed as high as is stable. You may have to increase the voltage on your memory or CPU to do so, but do it carefully (there's a reason it's in small increments) because more voltage means more heat and more risk to your components.

 

[Shulaw05]

my memory is going to be 512k pc3200 (corisar)...so i'll probably start with 200FSB x 11 = 2.2ghz. i think the voltage starts out at 1.35. from the reviews i read i think most people upped the voltage to around 1.65-1.7 (i think 1.75 is max). would it make sense to start at 1.35 and slowly work up, or just start at 1.6 or so? i'm assuming if something is not stable i'll know cause something bad will happen (either not boot up, or shut down, freeze, etc.)

 

[MuZI]

You do have te proper cooling, right?

 

[Shulaw05]

i sure hope so...
coolermaster praetorian case - 4 fans
thermalright slk-900a heatsink
YS tech 92x25mm cpu fan
artic silver 5
and i got a aerogate II which has a little 40x fan for the hard drive

 

[Mr.Radar]

What power supply are you using? The ones that come with most cases are junk and aren't suited for the high stresses that overclocking creates. The two most highly reccomended brands are Fortron (and also Sparkle because that's just a rebranded Fortron, often sold at a lower price) and Antec's TruePower line.

With AthlonXP's you should try to keep your temps below 65*C at load. IMHO, the maximum voltages you should use for your CPU should be somewhere around 1.9 volts and the highest for your memory should be 2.9 volts. Higher than that and you could fry them. To test for system stability you should use Prime95's torture test. If it fails before 12 hours of continuous testing has passed then your system is unstable and you'll have to reduce your overclock. If you're just doing quick testing when you're still finding your max stable clockspeed 30 minutes of the torture test should be enough.

Generally when you overclock you want to set your multiplier to it's lowest (I think that's 8x for AthlonXP's) and then take the FSB up 5 MHz at a time from the stock speed (for the 2400+ mobile that would 133 MHz) until you need to bump up the voltage. When you bump the voltage do it one unit at a time (if your motherboard increases the voltage in .025 volt intervolts then you should increase it by .025 volts) until the system stabalizes. When you reach the point where your FSB goes over 200 MHz and the system is still stable then when it becomes unstable and you can't get it stable by increasing the voltage to the CPU you might want to try adding more voltage to the memory (VDIMM) or chipset or you may need to loosen your memory timings. When you reach the point where you can't get your system stable by increasing the voltage then you should decrease the FSB by 1 MHz at a time until your system becomes stable again. At this point you should run Memtest86 for a few passes to be sure that your FSB overclock is stable. After that you should then start increasing the multiplier until your system becomes unstable at which point you should increase the CPU voltage until it becomes stable. If you find a multiplier where it won't become stable with more voltage then reduce the multiplier and start the 12 hour torture test. If the test fails then try running Memtest86 again to be sure your FSB overclock is stable at this clockspeed. If Memtest fails you'll need to lower your FSB or increase the voltage to your memory. If Memtest doesn't error out after 5 or 6 passes then your CPU is unstable and you'll need to reduce the multiplier or increase the CPU voltage. This process is very tedious and time consuming but if you follow it, it will pay off with a very fast, stable computer.

 

[Shulaw05]

wow...that is by far the most helpful explanation i've seen on how to find the best overclock speed. thanks.

my psu is - Thermaltake W0014 Silent Purepower 480W with Black housing - Xaser Edition ATX 2-Fan Power Supply

 

[Shulaw05]

Well, i've got my computer together and it is working fine off of the base specs (133fsb x 14 = 1.8 or so). however, every time i try to overclock it just locks up. i don't see how i can raise the fsb 5mhz at a time. my only choices are 100, 133, 166 and 200. when i try 166 or 200 and lower the multiplier to it's lowest (i think 6.5) it just locks up everytime. i've tried upping the vcore to 1.75, but it still locks up. so, any ideas?

 

[MuZI]

There is a option in there, User something that lets you adjust the FSB by 1..look for it.

 

[Mr.Radar]

Is there an FSB setting under the SOFTMENU III setup?

 

[skitlets]

Make sure you update to the latest bios for your mobo

 

[MuZI]

Quote:

Originally Posted by skitlets Make sure you update to the latest bios for your mobo

Don`t try to fix it if it ain`t broken..somtimes that can cause more problems.

 

[skitlets]

The only time updating a bios can cause more problems is if your floppy disk/drive is faulty, or your power goes out while its loading a new bios. I think the option to adjust fsb by 1 is in the "advanced chipset" menu, and from there find something anything that says auto and relating to the cpu and change it to user defined or manual. From there, your fsb shuld be locked. Whatever you do, make sure you lock that agp speed at 66. Agp speed is rationally connected to the speed of the fsb, and having it at non "normal" fsb speeds (anything like 100,133,166,200) can kill your video card.