A while back I purchased an Athlon xp 2600 barton. I also have an Abit NF7-S motherboard. I can increase the multiplier with no problem. However, I want to get a 400 MHz FSB so I want to decrease the multiplier. But whenever I try to decrease it my computer won't post. I've never overclocked before this and any help would be appreciated.
Your cpu might be locked so that would explain why you cannot decrease the multiplier. That's why the 2500+ is great because it has a multiplier of 11, like the one on the 3200+. So all you have to do is raise the bus to 200mhz and you're good to go. What kind of hsf do you have on the cpu ? If it's the stock one you should replace it with a better one. I highly suggest one of the thermalright heatsinks. (SLK-800u or 900u) You *should* be able to get 400mhz on the FSB if you keep the multiplier at 11.5 (default), but you'll probably need to raise the voltage a little. Basically what you do is you raise the fsb in small increments (5mhz). Then you test it by playing some games, running some benchmarks, maybe a little Prime95 or any cpu stressing software and then you raise the fsb again. Once it becomes unstable you can raise the voltage of the cpu (VCore) a little (the next higher setting) and you retest it. Do this until you are at the edge of the cpu/mobo/ram capacity and back off a little, that should be your max oc. I'm guessing that 11.5*200 is much below the max oc though so you should be fine. At that point, you should run Prime95 for 24 hours. If you have no errors, you can say that your system is 100% stable. What good is an oc when you can't even use your system eh ? To stress it more, you can run a couple of loops of 3dmark while running Prime95. Other things to account for while ocing - your power supply (has to be a quality one that is powerful enough) - your ram (if you have PC3200 memory you're fine, keep the default timings, you can tweak them later to get that extra power from it). Also, if you're in Dual Channel, that might bring down your oc quite a bit, especially if they're not matched pairs. If you have corsair memory, you have to raise the DIMM voltage to 2.7V - your motherboard: this board supports up to 400mhz on the fsb so higher than that, it's a bonus - your cpu: again, anything higher than its default speed is a bonus. - luck: if you're lucky, you got a good ocing chip, if not, you don't, and you can't do anything about it - cooling: you have to monitor the temperature of the case and of the cpu. I personally want to stay below 50C under load, but below 55C is ok. Anything higher and you should look into it. Higher than 60C is unacceptable imo)
Okay, few questions. What is the max I should raise the Vcore to? And also what are some good benchmarking programs?
Unless you have a good watercooling setup or something even more exotic like refridgeration, don't go above 1.85V. However, you don't need to jack it up there, and actually I think you might wanna stop around 1.75V or 1.80 since the default voltage is lower on the newer Athlons. Personally, for overclocking the CPU, I usually run 3Dmark2001SE since it stresses the whole system more than 3DMark 2003. Then I run Prime 95. If you run Prime 95 for 24 hours without it giving an error or stoping, it's considered stable. To test the RAM thoroughly, get Memtest x86. You can download it for a floppy disk or an .ISO file to burn to CD (what I do).
Amd Barton 2500+ Gigabyte 7N400 PRO2 Nforce 2 SLK-900A + 5500RPM 80mm Fan 1 x 512mb Corsair PC3200 2 x 256mb Corsair PC3200 600W PSU Can some one point me in the direction of what voltages to use e.t.c for better performance? my cpu is now running at pretty much whatever my case temperature is. (just installed my SLK-900A ) its currently at 20C my CPU @ Stock temps.. pc has been on for bout 2 hours playing games / 3dmark e.t.c hasnt risen above 23C. (although its a bonus as its a cold day!) and harrack! my new 3dmark2001 score: after i did a clean install: (16,038 - with no overclock on anything) (and sorted my cooling!)
That's more like it ! You should be able to oc that chip to 3200+ very easily and without raising the vcore. If it's unstable, raise it to 1.675V if it's a desktop chip or to 1.475V if it's a mobile chip (mobile 2500+ operate at a default 1.45V instead of the usual 1.65V) Your DIMM voltage should be set at 2.7V or you're gonna get problems like DC not working or not running at spec speed, etc. This is a fine heatsink. With no oc, my chip runs at 33C under load (with a thermaltake smartfan II) but I have an slk-800A (the next best thing) and my room is the hottest one of the house. I use arctic Céramique. I have a 22g tube of this thing ! (it's big)
well i increased my dimm voltage to 2.7V, i have now not had any problems at all with my pc acting strange (which it didnt do much but on occasions) i have also overclocked my Desktop Barton 2500+ to a 3200+ i have run prime95 for 18 hours now with out an error. Pc running @ 2200mhz pc hasn't risen above 41C running at this OC for over 18 hours now.. i presume thats quite good? i'd overclock more.. but i'd be starting to overclock my Memory (which is only PC3200) so i presume to get a safer / better overclock i should go for some PC4000 ram or something? (although i don't really need to overclock anymore)
Of course PC4000 memory takes away the RAM problems in the equation. If your cpu is locked, there's no point in buying faster memory sicne you'll only be able to oc the bus so much before you're limited by the cpu. If it's unlocked, then it's hit or miss, but if I were you, I'd do some tests and find out whether you're limited by the RAM, the board or the cpu....or a combination of those three. If you're only limited by the RAM, then it might be a good purchase. 41C under load after 18 hours is very good.
that corsair memory will overclock easily if its not value select,although 2x512mb isnt going to clock as far as 2x256mb would. i expect to see you posting about how you hit 220mhz in the near future :good: .. if you cant squeeze more mhz outta that ram perhaps ajusting your timing is the way to go (try 11-2-2-2 @2.7volts)
