stuck?

BudBud Chesterfield, Va
edited December 2003 in Hardware
k guys need help! i have an A7N8X deluxe, 2500 barton, pny 512 3500 (compusa has on there site) volcano 11 heatsink with tornado on it. its all in lanboy with 350 watt power supply. Im trying to overclock it some, and im new so learning. Right now im @2205- 200 x 11 and i set that in the bios. when i try to go any higher multiplier it wont load windows boot to screen asking safe mode, normal, etc. I was wonder if there is anything else i can do to speed my cpu up. Oh also my cpu is at 41 C. Any ideas:respect:
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Comments

  • ThraxThrax 🐌 Austin, TX Icrontian
    edited December 2003
    You won't be getting much farther without some additional (Better) cooling on the CPU.

    2200 is a general limit without upgrading to the Thermalright fare.
  • BudBud Chesterfield, Va
    edited December 2003
    why do you say that thrax just curious? im at 41 and have been folding the last hour at 100%
  • ThraxThrax 🐌 Austin, TX Icrontian
    edited December 2003
    Because, in order to jump to the next step (Roughly 2.3GHz), an increase in voltage to around 1.75-1.8v is required on almost all of the Barton-series chips.

    At 2300MHz, and 1.75v with folding, it gives my objectively superior (Benchmarks! :D) Thermalright SK-7 a good run for it's money at ~46*C. You'll be touching the 52/56*C levels, which are unstable for folding, and could be unstable for your computer.
  • GHoosdumGHoosdum Icrontian
    edited December 2003
    Well, the Volcano 11 might be enough to get a little more... it does have the SmartFan2 on it, right?
    //edit: I am a dumbass, I just read the "Tornado" part of the original post... :rolleyes:
    If that thing is screaming like a vacuum cleaner, you can probably do 2.3GHz with the V11... but you can get 2.3GHz out of a Barton using a Thermalright SLK series cooler at under 50 dB, and 50-60 CFM of air going through it. Thermalright just makes a better heatsink.

    That being said, what is your VCore set at? I can't get more than 2.2 out of my Barton at less than 1.775 VCore, and your PSU might not be supporting you properly with only 350W...
  • edited December 2003
    What Thrax says!;) The Tornado is a good choice if you can live with it but there are much better heatsinks than that TT heatsink. Sidewindercomputers has the SLK900A for $29.95 and the SLK800U (uses the 4 holes around the socket) for $27.95 if you are looking to upgrade. SVC is out of stock on the SLK800A and SLK900A and the SLK947 is $39.95 and they have the SLK800U for $37.95, which is quite a bit higher price than sidewindercomputers.
  • BudBud Chesterfield, Va
    edited December 2003
    k guys ill have to get a slk-800, i tried 12x200 with 1.85v and it would just go to the safe mode screen
  • BudBud Chesterfield, Va
    edited December 2003
    thrax have you had good luck with that 400 watt compusa power supply? i think im gonna get a more powerfull power supply just debating brand
  • GHoosdumGHoosdum Icrontian
    edited December 2003
    Whoa! 12x200 is a bit much, even for an SLK-800, unless you've got a LOT of cooling on it!

    You can probably do 11.5x200 with a 1.775-1.825 VCore.

    Bud, Thrax PREACHES the CompUSA power supply. But for the price, you can probably get an Antec TruePower 430. ;)
  • edited December 2003
    Just to give you an idea of the difference the SLK800 can make, my NF7-S rig is running a mobile barton at 2400 MHz with 1.85v and my temps while folding presently are at 34 C for the proc and 21 C for the mobo. I have an original SLK800(not the SLK800A) and a Delta FFB0812SHE(68 cfm) fan on it.
  • ThraxThrax 🐌 Austin, TX Icrontian
    edited December 2003
    CompUSA is my saviour when it comes to PSUs.

    Day after Thanksgiving I picked up a 500w CUSA-brand for a measley $40.

    As it stands, with the system in my sig I get 12.02v, 5.13v, and 3.4v.

    It beats the crap out of my True 430 from antec, which on a far inferior system (Ti4200, 1 HDD, 1 CD Rom, kt266 board, less fans, smaller CPU fan) gets 11.85v, 4.95v, and 3.23v.

    I'm as stubborn as an ox on this one. GO GO COMPUSA PSUs!

    //EDIT:

    OH! And CompUSA PSUs are HEAVY! Traditionally a good sign of fantastic PSUs.
  • BudBud Chesterfield, Va
    edited December 2003
    thanks thraxs really good info. I think im gonna go have to get a compusa power suppl and slk-800.
  • ThraxThrax 🐌 Austin, TX Icrontian
    edited December 2003
    Thrax +1, Antec -1.
  • Al_CapownAl_Capown Indiana
    edited December 2003
    What? Thrax? Stubborn? Noooo. Anyways, ya don't expect to get the same results as muddocktor. I'm guessing with an slk 800 @ 1.75-1.85 vcore your temps should be around 45-48c.
  • ThraxThrax 🐌 Austin, TX Icrontian
    edited December 2003
    Stubborn:

    attachment.php?s=&postid=72838

    PFFFT @ YOU.
  • GHoosdumGHoosdum Icrontian
    edited December 2003
    Thrax? Oh no, never stubborn... always opinionated though. And the root of that word is "opinion." ;D

    But Thrax can't be opinionated, he's always right...

    Maybe "As Stable as an Antec True 430" would be a better description for him.

    I think we should have a PSU Stability Tournament at the S-M LAN... Thrax vs. TEH WURLD!
  • Geeky1Geeky1 University of the Pacific (Stockton, CA, USA)
    edited December 2003
    Personally, I'd stay far, far away from the CompUSA ps. Thrax is the only person I've ever heard recommend them (I didn't even know they sold their own "brand" of PS until he mentioned them), and since I've never seen one reviewed, I won't touch it.

    When there are more people with them that love them, I'll consider it. But for right now, I'm sticking with Antec, Enermax, and PC Power & Cooling, and I recommend that you do the same, especially since my 350w Antec has been used on a 2.4GHz 2500+ system, and my 400w Antec had no problems running a dual 2500 system with 4 hard drives.

    As for overclocking:

    Thrax is partially right. You won't get much higher with the Volcano 11; However, that LanBoy case is total CRAP. You should really replace both the hsf and the case.
  • ThraxThrax 🐌 Austin, TX Icrontian
    edited December 2003
    What the **** is that ****?

    You dispell my statements and claims as to the ability of my PSU based on my own real-world testing, yet you go on to make the same kind of claims in regards to your Antec PSU?

    Tsk.

    Where's the "Load test until it dies!" Geeky? That's the only real way to test, right? You said so yourself.

    ;D
  • Geeky1Geeky1 University of the Pacific (Stockton, CA, USA)
    edited December 2003
    You're right... I was being a hypocrite. To an extent, anyhow. I apologize... I posted before I ate dinner. Mind no work w/o food.

    Anyhow, if I had another Antec PS to test, I would. But I don't, and I can't RMA any of mine if they die, so...

    All I can do is what you did... recommend them based on the fact that they've worked well for me.

    My only point is that there are a lot more people talking about how good Antec is than there are talking about how good CompUSA's PSes are. That may not mean a thing (After all, AMD was not known for high performance CPUs when the Athlon first came out...) but since I don't have any better info to go on, I can't recommend that people try the CompUSA stuff.

    I do have an Antec TrueControl 550, a 550w Enermax, a (dead) 550w generic PS, tho... and I suppose I could RMA the generic one, and look into getting CompUSA to let me borrow one of their 500w PSes as a review sample... then I could do a more fair comparison...
  • ThraxThrax 🐌 Austin, TX Icrontian
    edited December 2003
    I would say that no one has a CompUSA because of the very same mindset that you're sporting..

    Frankly, I used to have the same one.

    WTF? Not antec? Not vantec? Not PC P&C? Forget it...

    But my first Antec died after a power surge, good thing it was the only bit that died... And I needed a new one.. Fast.

    So I zoomed with my dad over to CompUSA, got one of theirs thinking I would use it for ~10 days until I got a new one from a better known company...

    Let us just say that those 10 days turned into a year.
  • BudBud Chesterfield, Va
    edited December 2003
    K guys since lanboy is crap, can you guys recommend some good cases for airflow for overclocking too. thanks
  • SimGuySimGuy Ottawa, Canada
    edited December 2003
    Are those CompUSA PSU's actually manufactured by CompUSA... or are they another company's re-branded PSU?

    I only ask is that we don't have CompUSA up here in Canada... and a quality PSU is hard to come by for cheap systems up here. :)

    Gotta start thinking like a business owner now :)
  • ThraxThrax 🐌 Austin, TX Icrontian
    edited December 2003
    Coolermaster ATC mid tower series (Niener niener niener you full tower lovers).

    Good exterior, insides of a chieftec with support for better airflow (Not that easy to do. The chieftecs are pretty damn good I would say).
  • Geeky1Geeky1 University of the Pacific (Stockton, CA, USA)
    edited December 2003
    It could very well be just the mindset. Hell, I remember laughing @ AMD when the Athlon came out. Boy did I put my foot in my mouth on that one... :rolleyes:

    But since a PS could potentially take out everything else in a system if it died, I really, really, REALLY am not comfortable with recommending a brand that I haven't used myself.

    Like I said, I'll see if I can get ahold of one of the CompUSA PSes without having to pay $80 for one... if they're willing to let me review one (doubt it), or if they go on sale again, I may try it...

    But until I do, I can't recommend them to anyone... Power supplies are probably the only component that I am even more anal-retentive about than cooling; Just USING a generic PS (whether the computer is working fine or not) is enough to make me nervous enough to want to change the PS in question.

    So, like I said... I'll try to get ahold of one so I can take a look at it, and see what I think, but for right now, I simply can't tell someone else that they should use one.
  • Geeky1Geeky1 University of the Pacific (Stockton, CA, USA)
    edited December 2003
    Simguy, the CompUSA PSes are made by a company called FMI
  • Geeky1Geeky1 University of the Pacific (Stockton, CA, USA)
    edited December 2003
    Bud, I posted the attached pic in another thread; you may find it helpful when you're looking for a new case.

    Personally, I like full towers for the reason you'll see in the pic- more airflow from more and/or larger (properly placed) fans = fewer dead spots, which means that the system overall will (potentially) run cooler, as will the CPU itself.

    Anyhow, the minimum you should look for in terms of location, size, and number of fans is:
    2 rear 80mm exhaust fans mounted by the atx i/o plate
    2 front 80mm intake fans, with at least one mounted in front of the hard drives for cooling them; 1 fan per 3 drives maximum.


    Pic:

    The red areas approximate the space occupied by "dead" air... that is, air that's not being actively moved through the case. It sits there and warms up.

    Your lanboy is closest to the SLK-1600, btw.

    Note that the SX-835 is red-tinted because that's the way Antec took the pic. So, in that case (no pun intended) the dead air is represented by blue shading.
  • BudBud Chesterfield, Va
    edited December 2003
    what about the Aspire(Turbo Case)X-Dreamer Black Mid-Tower Case. Im trying not spent too much and i dont care about a power supply being included.
  • Geeky1Geeky1 University of the Pacific (Stockton, CA, USA)
    edited December 2003
    Stock, it's basically worthless; it'd be an improvement over the Lanboy, but not much.

    Take a look at the pics of it on newegg. Look closely at the fan grills, especially the intake fan grills on the inside of the case.

    Notice how much of the fan grills are solid? The more stuff you have in a fan's airflow path, the more noise the fan will make, and the less air it will flow. Those fan grills will cut airflow by 50% or more, easily. You'll need to remove them with a dremel and/or a holesaw to get decent airflow.

    The front bezel on that case is also extremely restrictive, which is bad.

    I'll see if I can find something in the same price range or cheaper, that's about the same size, that might be better.
  • mmonninmmonnin Centreville, VA
    edited December 2003
    Ugh. You will love the features of the Antec/Chieftec/Chenming type cases. Removeable HDD cages, drive rails, loads of space for working, great cooling, and sturdy as all get out. I can stand on it and no problem. Get anything that is similar to the bottom 3 cases. You wont regret it.
  • Geeky1Geeky1 University of the Pacific (Stockton, CA, USA)
    edited December 2003
    These ones might be a bit better:

    http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProduct.asp?description=11-150-017&depa=1
    (fan grills need to be removed from front and rear fan mounts)

    http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProduct.asp?description=11-132-002&depa=1
    (fan grills need to be removed from the front and rear fan mounts here, too)

    http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProduct.asp?description=11-132-020&depa=1
    Black
    (fan grills need to be removed from the front and rear fan mounts here, too)

    http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProduct.asp?description=11-156-133&depa=1
    Black
    (fan grills need to be removed from the front and rear fan mounts here, too)

    http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProduct.asp?description=11-156-139&depa=1
    Silver
    (fan grills need to be removed from the front and rear fan mounts here, too)

    http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProduct.asp?description=11-125-606&depa=1
    Black

    http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProduct.asp?description=11-125-262&depa=1
    Black

    http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProduct.asp?description=11-156-135&depa=1
    Black
    (fan grills need to be removed from the front and rear fan mounts here, too)

    http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProduct.asp?description=11-126-113&depa=1
    Black
    (fan grills need to be removed from the front and rear fan mounts here, too)

    http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProduct.asp?description=11-144-026&depa=1
    Comes in various colors
    (fan grills need to be removed from the front and rear fan mounts here, too)

    http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProduct.asp?description=11-124-050&depa=1
    Silver; also comes in White and Black versions
    (fan grills need to be removed from the front and rear fan mounts here, too)

    http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProduct.asp?description=11-125-608&depa=1
    Silver & Black 2-tone
  • BudBud Chesterfield, Va
    edited December 2003
    thanks geeky that helps out alot
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