I just wanted to thank all of you for your suggestions and responses. The solution seems to be to raise the Vcore to 1.9v! Unfortunately, this heats the CPU up to 49C idle and 57-59C under load.
As for the other components...
Memory was not holding it back: I tested the memory for errors--it was clean. Next, I set the Proc at default settings (166 FSB) but set the mem async. to 200FSB--it was stable. I then set it higher to about 414 MHz and it was still stable during Prime.
I also tested the Northbridge under default and boosted voltage. Though this is more difficult to test, I have come to the conclusion that you should not increase voltage to the Northbridge (beyond about 1.6v) unless you plan on running beyond stock (like 200+ FSB for Bartons and 133+ for Palominos). The reasoning is to reduce the heat, since once the Northbridge heats up, it will sometimes become flaky.
In conclusion, it seems that I got a POS Barton 2500+, whilst everyone and their grandma got 2500+ Bartons that do 3200+ with little to no Vcore boost. Ah well...
My last concern is twofold:
1) Is a Vcore of 1.9 too high for my Barton 2500+?
2) What temps are too high (59C too high a temp under load)?
NG, wot type of fan are using with your alpha pal heat sink. Is it a low speed, low noise one? If so then that would explain your high temps. Something like a Delta fan that pushes a lot of air would do but the trade off is noise.
Also for comparison, my temps on my second rig are very similar to yours when running that kind of volage but then i'm using a low speed, low cfm fan.
I just wanted to thank all of you for your suggestions and responses. The solution seems to be to raise the Vcore to 1.9v! Unfortunately, this heats the CPU up to 49C idle and 57-59C under load.
As for the other components...
Memory was not holding it back: I tested the memory for errors--it was clean. Next, I set the Proc at default settings (166 FSB) but set the mem async. to 200FSB--it was stable. I then set it higher to about 414 MHz and it was still stable during Prime.
I also tested the Northbridge under default and boosted voltage. Though this is more difficult to test, I have come to the conclusion that you should not increase voltage to the Northbridge (beyond about 1.6v) unless you plan on running beyond stock (like 200+ FSB for Bartons and 133+ for Palominos). The reasoning is to reduce the heat, since once the Northbridge heats up, it will sometimes become flaky.
In conclusion, it seems that I got a POS Barton 2500+, whilst everyone and their grandma got 2500+ Bartons that do 3200+ with little to no Vcore boost. Ah well...
My last concern is twofold:
1) Is a Vcore of 1.9 too high for my Barton 2500+?
2) What temps are too high (59C too high a temp under load)?
Thanks
Nah...2 volt works well with stock cooling, just exchange the goop to AS3 or AS5. However, you dont need more than 1.6 up to 220 fsb anyway. Also, the NB doesn't put out much heat at all. 207 is still not a bad overclock at all. Default multi is 11 right? Run it at 200X11 (SYNC) and lower the vcore to 1.85. I bet it's stable.
I have had the same problems with a recently boaght 2500+ Ngfazier. I have decided it is the cpu it's self. I have had 2 other chips a 3000+ and a 2500+ in this mobo (NF7-s) and no problems at all OC'ing. Same memory same settings. Some chips just aren't good overclockers and some are... Thats my viewpoint. But, with that said... If you solve this problem please let me know because I would be very intersted!
Hmmm? 1.9Volts just to go 200fsb? Man thats nuts. I never upped mine past 1.7 during testing .. I thought geeze it's only 33Mhz?? The board containing the cpu that has problems like yours is in my V1.0 board... I can only go as high as 1.85vcore on it... I guess I will try it and see if I come up with the same findings as you. Geeze it sounds like I might need that extra .05 volts lol
I had a similar issue with a 2500+ I had - I got rid of it quickly, and I'm now running a Mobile Athlon XP 2400+ (Barton Core) at 2300MHz, 11.5x200, 1.75VCore, with no problem. It might actually be capable of running 2.3GHz at a lower VCore, but I haven't, eh, 'sucked it to see' yet...
I had a similar issue with a 2500+ I had - I got rid of it quickly, and I'm now running a Mobile Athlon XP 2400+ (Barton Core) at 2300MHz, 11.5x200, 1.75VCore, with no problem. It might actually be capable of running 2.3GHz at a lower VCore, but I haven't, eh, 'sucked it to see' yet...
Yeah, yeah, go on take the mickey for my "faux pas"
I just wanted to thank all of you for your suggestions and responses. The solution seems to be to raise the Vcore to 1.9v! Unfortunately, this heats the CPU up to 49C idle and 57-59C under load.
As for the other components...
Memory was not holding it back: I tested the memory for errors--it was clean. Next, I set the Proc at default settings (166 FSB) but set the mem async. to 200FSB--it was stable. I then set it higher to about 414 MHz and it was still stable during Prime.
I also tested the Northbridge under default and boosted voltage. Though this is more difficult to test, I have come to the conclusion that you should not increase voltage to the Northbridge (beyond about 1.6v) unless you plan on running beyond stock (like 200+ FSB for Bartons and 133+ for Palominos). The reasoning is to reduce the heat, since once the Northbridge heats up, it will sometimes become flaky.
In conclusion, it seems that I got a POS Barton 2500+, whilst everyone and their grandma got 2500+ Bartons that do 3200+ with little to no Vcore boost. Ah well...
My last concern is twofold:
1) Is a Vcore of 1.9 too high for my Barton 2500+?
2) What temps are too high (59C too high a temp under load)?
Thanks
The stepping you've got is one of the best for overclocking!
Go slow and re-check all your settings.
I hope you're not using the nvidia SW drivers? Use the default IDE drivers, SW are not good in all cases. Again, read the article from Sudhian Media, here's the link:http://www.sudhian.com/showdocs.cfm?aid=307
Bartons run best with memory in sync. Your voltage is way too high, you shouldn't need more than at most 1.725 for 200 x 11
Sounds like the first thing one should do nowdays is cut the L12 bridge to a 166 barton. I did this to my first cpu and lost 384k L2 Cache. I must have cut to deep. While trying to rejoin the bridge I killed the cpu. I now have another 166 barton with same 11 X 200 no boot problem. I'm not cutting the bridge again, because this one will at least run over 200Mhz at a lower multiplier. 228 X 9.5, since NF7-S have lost 10 and 10.5 multis with cpu interface enabled.
Hi, thanks Spinner!
It's great to be here and even better to be the 1000th member!
ngfrazier, how is it going with the Barton 2500?
I've found that if you let your hardware "wear in" and get used to each other that it will give you better overclocking. I've overclocked a Barton 3 Ghz with default 166 fsb, a 2500 AQXEA Barton and a TB "B" core DLT3C JIUHB. When I review my settings I've been able to get more performance. This holds for all 3 motherboards I have: 8RDA+, NF7 and A7N8X Del (As an aside, the 8RDA+ and the NF7 do much better than the A7N8X). Sometimes, I'm hostage to my creative urges and I overlook things that should be obvious.
My need for overclocking is for video encoding; I didn't want to wait any longer..I wanted 2 pass DivX encoding in real time or better. I took the Barton 3 Ghz (13 X 166) with an SLK-900U h/s and the NF7 and replaced the NB h/s, lapped the CPU h/s, put a passive h/s on the SB, cut a 120mm blowhole on the top of the case, (2 )90mm holes on front and rear and a passive air intake hole on the case in front of the CPU, leading to the Vantec 92mm (more on this beast!) through a double Mylar insulated channel always feeding the CPU cool exterior air, not re-cirulated hot air. I also cut the 3rd L12 bridge on the CPU to drop the default fsb to 133 Mhz !!!
It took me most of last summer to play around with many fans, heatsinks, etc. and it was ready to fly! All my work was rewarded with 2 pass real time DivX encoding! Final settings 194.19 X 13 =2524 Mhz @1.875 Vcore using the NF7!
About the Vantec Tornado 105cfm fan: it's very, very loud! The minute I started the computer (and heard it!) I ran out the door to get a voltage regulator for it. I mean the thing sounds like 10,000 screaming Banshees! Funny, some of the OCing sites never mentioned this painful fact!
So there, that's the complete story of how I got into OC'ing! The good results come from knowing that it's an ongoing process more so than a final destination.
Sounds like the first thing one should do nowdays is cut the L12 bridge to a 166 barton. I did this to my first cpu and lost 384k L2 Cache. I must have cut to deep. While trying to rejoin the bridge I killed the cpu. I now have another 166 barton with same 11 X 200 no boot problem. I'm not cutting the bridge again, because this one will at least run over 200Mhz at a lower multiplier. 228 X 9.5, since NF7-S have lost 10 and 10.5 multis with cpu interface enabled.
Many CPU's will hit 200+ fsb with no problems however, mine didn't 'till I cut the 3rd L12 bridge. It took me 2 days of thinking and fretting...did I want to roll the dice? So far, I've done it to 3 Bartons and had good results. All it takes is 1 or 2 very gentle passes with a sharp blade.
Another method I've read about is to touch both ends of the bridge with the leads from a 12 volt battery. According to the person that posted this method (I contacted him) the overvoltage just burns the bridge and doesn't do harm to the rest of the CPU.
The best thing to do is to research, have all the proper tools and take your time. Wait 'till you feel more confident about what you're doing!
Hi. I've been browsing through this thread, trying to figure out how to tweak my own system. I've got an Athlon 2500+ (locked multiplier) in a Biostar M7NCD Pro mobo with an nForce2 (SPP/MCP) chipset and 2x256MB sticks of Kingston CAS2.5 DDR400 in a dual-channel DDR config. I'm using the retail heatsink that comes with the 2500 (crappy one, I know) but it's been hanging around 46-47 C under normal load. I've been running at default BIOS settings for about 2-3 weeks now, and I decided to try overclocking after hearing about everybody under the sun pumping the 2500 up to 2300 speed.
I pumped up the FSB speed incrementally, starting with bumping 166 to 170, and then 5MHz increments from there. I managed to get up to 190FSB without stability problems (I increased the Vcore to 1.7-1.725 along the way for good measure). When I tried to go to 195, Windows failed to even show me the XP boot logo. I tried both 193 and then 192 at various Vcore voltages. The closest I came to being stable is 192 at 1.75-1.775 Vcore (haven't tried 1.8 yet). Windows loaded and ran a SiSoft Sandra CPU burn-in test successfully, and then it blue-screened when I attempted to load another program.
I'm trying to figure out what's holding it back. Is it the heatsink (still holding around 46-47C idle)? Is it the Vcore? Is it the memory timings (currently 2.5 2 2 7)? Or is it something a little more obscure like the PCI bus speed mentioned earlier? I'm afraid to try too much more because if I kill this CPU, I'll be back to my old 1700 because I can't afford another 2500 right now. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
What is the divider set too? I'm not familiar with that board so I don't know whether it has an auto setting or whether you have to change it manually but it sounds like you may need to change it. But because your multiplier is locked you may have just reached the limit of your cpu speed. If you could unlock it then you could lower the multiplier a notch or two and carry on raising the fsb but that doesn't appear to be an option.
Also its highly unlikely you'll kill your cpu through playing with bios settings,the worst that will happen is that it wont boot & you have to reset the cmos.
Hi. I've been browsing through this thread, trying to figure out how to tweak my own system. I've got an Athlon 2500+ (locked multiplier) in a Biostar M7NCD Pro mobo with an nForce2 (SPP/MCP) chipset and 2x256MB sticks of Kingston CAS2.5 DDR400 in a dual-channel DDR config. I'm using the retail heatsink that comes with the 2500 (crappy one, I know) but it's been hanging around 46-47 C under normal load. I've been running at default BIOS settings for about 2-3 weeks now, and I decided to try overclocking after hearing about everybody under the sun pumping the 2500 up to 2300 speed.
I pumped up the FSB speed incrementally, starting with bumping 166 to 170, and then 5MHz increments from there. I managed to get up to 190FSB without stability problems (I increased the Vcore to 1.7-1.725 along the way for good measure). When I tried to go to 195, Windows failed to even show me the XP boot logo. I tried both 193 and then 192 at various Vcore voltages. The closest I came to being stable is 192 at 1.75-1.775 Vcore (haven't tried 1.8 yet). Windows loaded and ran a SiSoft Sandra CPU burn-in test successfully, and then it blue-screened when I attempted to load another program.
I'm trying to figure out what's holding it back. Is it the heatsink (still holding around 46-47C idle)? Is it the Vcore? Is it the memory timings (currently 2.5 2 2 7)? Or is it something a little more obscure like the PCI bus speed mentioned earlier? I'm afraid to try too much more because if I kill this CPU, I'll be back to my old 1700 because I can't afford another 2500 right now. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
I had the same problem with a couple of my Barton 2.5's and I cut the 3rd L12 bridge and was able to go above 200 FSB. Many folks report not being able to go above 190-195 FSB on Bartons. Look for the Sudhian Media link on some of my previous postings, it's got a good article on cutting the L12 bridge. Some Bartons refuse to run above 190-195 Mhz, period! I have a 3000 that has never ran dependably over 195 WITH the L12 cut! The luck of the draw has a lot to do with it. Not all Bartons are the same.
BTW, the best utility I've found for testing is Prime95. If your computer will run it overnight, it will just about run any other benchmark. I don't think too much of the Sandra burn in utility. Your memory setting seems OK; I think if you stay under 1.9 Vcore you'll be OK. I've read 1.9+ Vcore is considered burned CPU danger zone.
If after doing all that you can the CPU fails to run beyond 192 or so, then use the best memory timing for that FSB, knowing that's all you can get!
If later on you'd like to get a good OCing CPU, look to buy a good stepping like AQXEA or AQZEA.
Well, this is the first time I've ever attempted overclocking. Some of these things like memory timings and AQXEA and whatever mean nothing to me. If you could fill me in a little, or point me to some good "overclocking basics" FAQs, that's be great.
In response to Jimborae, do you have any idea where that setting might be in an Award BIOS? I don't recall seeing anything like that in the Advanced Chipset Features where I was playing with the FSB and memory timings. If I can find such a setting to change, what do I change it to?
Well, this is the first time I've ever attempted overclocking. Some of these things like memory timings and AQXEA and whatever mean nothing to me. If you could fill me in a little, or point me to some good "overclocking basics" FAQs, that's be great.
In response to Jimborae, do you have any idea where that setting might be in an Award BIOS? I don't recall seeing anything like that in the Advanced Chipset Features where I was playing with the FSB and memory timings. If I can find such a setting to change, what do I change it to?
Hi Ivorycruncher and all!
In answer to your question: Many processors are able to run at a much higher setting than stock. The stepping (production code) they come with, such as AQXEA, AQZEA,etc. makes some units better overclockers. If you start with a good stepping you might achieve a high overclock. It's best to buy a processor with a particular stepping than roll the dice and get whatever. Many of the good steppings are selling on ebay at near 100% over retail.
There are many OCing sites that will run down the basics for you. The barton 2500 with a good nforce2 board is very easy to overclock. Many times it's just setting the FSB to 200 and bumping the voltage to about 1.7 volts and it will run dependable as a 3.2 Ghz.
Not all processors are created the same. Some will do very well and some don't. It's best to get the good stepping to start with!
Could we have more info on your rig?
Stepping/power supply/bios settings/memory/cooler
You need a good power supply to overclock. Most units that come bundled with the case are not good. You should have at least a 400 Watt unit with good solid readings on the 3.3 and 5 volt rails.
PS: your temp. does seem rather high...have you lapped the heatsink?
Okay, here's what it says in the CPU-Z program. It's an AMD Athlon XP (obviously), Family 6, Model A, Stepping 0, Ext. Family 7, Ext. Model A. I bought it from Newegg.com as a retail model, which included a heatsink. I just got another one from there for another computer I'm building for somebody (an OEM 2500). The codes on that one are AXDA2500KV4D, 41F6486L30064, and AQXEA 0238MPM. If I recall right, mine says pretty much the same thing (AQXEA).
I have a 300W power supply (most likely a cheap one, since this machine started out as a $145 computer from ebay and I'm still using the original case and power supply).
My memory, as I said before, is 2 x 256MB sticks of Kingston PC3200 CAS2.5. The CPU heatsink is the retail one with the CPU. I must admit that I was kind of ticked when I found out it had a thermal pad instead of thermal grease (I'm guessing the grease cools better). My old 1700+ had a Thermaltake Volcano 6u with a copper insert, and it ran around 36-39 C with normal load, so I know there are much better heatsinks out there. It's just a matter of getting the money to buy a decent one.
As far as the BIOS settings, I listed some of them before. Could you be more specific on which BIOS settings you're interested in? Oh, and what the heck do you mean by "lapping" the heatsink?
P.S. I attached an html summary from CPU-Z in a zip file for your viewing pleasure.
Okay, here's what it says in the CPU-Z program. It's an AMD Athlon XP (obviously), Family 6, Model A, Stepping 0, Ext. Family 7, Ext. Model A. I bought it from Newegg.com as a retail model, which included a heatsink. I just got another one from there for another computer I'm building for somebody (an OEM 2500). The codes on that one are AXDA2500KV4D, 41F6486L30064, and AQXEA 0238MPM. If I recall right, mine says pretty much the same thing (AQXEA).
I have a 300W power supply (most likely a cheap one, since this machine started out as a $145 computer from ebay and I'm still using the original case and power supply).
My memory, as I said before, is 2 x 256MB sticks of Kingston PC3200 CAS2.5. The CPU heatsink is the retail one with the CPU. I must admit that I was kind of ticked when I found out it had a thermal pad instead of thermal grease (I'm guessing the grease cools better). My old 1700+ had a Thermaltake Volcano 6u with a copper insert, and it ran around 36-39 C with normal load, so I know there are much better heatsinks out there. It's just a matter of getting the money to buy a decent one.
As far as the BIOS settings, I listed some of them before. Could you be more specific on which BIOS settings you're interested in? Oh, and what the heck do you mean by "lapping" the heatsink?
P.S. I attached an html summary from CPU-Z in a zip file for your viewing pleasure.
Hi Ivorycruncher!
Looks to me like you have a good stepping for OCing however, could you give us some info. on your power supply? Like the amperage of each rail?
Lapping the heatsink is taking ever finer wet/dry sandpaper and polishing the bottom of the heatsink. Start with 600 and work your way to 2000 grit, it will drop the temps. about 5 C.
To give you my general feeling: I think you have a good stepping for OCing but your power supply is a crucial. You need at least 400 watts, and a good quality unit...no cheapos! As a guide, 3.3v @ 28+ Amps../5 Volts @ 40+ Amps../12 Volts @ 16+ Amps.. Don't scrimp on this item! Get the best you can get, plan on spending at least $70.00
You should also invest in a good, quality heatsink..do research and find something you can live with. Noise is a big factor.
Cooler: GlacialTech 2510 Pro, Link: http://www.glacialtech.com/pdf/Igloo%202510pro.pdf (I don't know who sells these anymore!) Read the specs and find something close to it. To give you an idea of what it will do, I'm running an Athlon 1800 Tb at 200 X 11.5 (2300 Mghz) at 26C idle/ 46c prime95
The bios setting is the memory divider..what is it? Are you Sync? Meaning 1/1 with the FSB?
Hi again. I sincerely apologize for taking so long to reply, but an annoying little thing called real life has been consuming all my time recently, and will continue to do so in the near future (last semester of my 2-year college program).
First off, I'm finding out I'm in over my head, because I don't have any idea what you mean by the amperage of each rail. I do know that I probably have an el cheapo power supply, because I've been noticing my Vcore voltage in CPU-Z fluctuating. That's probably why my system is unstable at higher FSB speeds. As for getting a better one, I'd love to buy a good quality case and power supply, but I can't really invest in that right now because I'm trying to save money to live on after college until I can find a job (in computer tech support, no less).
And for the heatsink, I don't really have the time to mess with sanding it, and since it's designed with a thermal pad instead of grease, that probably wouldn't work anyway. I've currently got my eye on the Vantec Aeroflow for Socket A CPUs on Newegg.com. I installed that in the computer I recently built for my sister (an OEM Athlon 2500+ running at stock speeds) and it's keeping that thing at a cool 33-35 C at normal load. But I'll probably have to wait a bit longer to get it, because I need money to live on at the moment.
I appreciate all the help you've given me, and I think I have a much better handle on the basics of overclocking now. But, I think I'm gonna have to back off the overclocking thing for a bit until I have the time and resources to do it right. Thanks again!
Comments
As for the other components...
Memory was not holding it back: I tested the memory for errors--it was clean. Next, I set the Proc at default settings (166 FSB) but set the mem async. to 200FSB--it was stable. I then set it higher to about 414 MHz and it was still stable during Prime.
I also tested the Northbridge under default and boosted voltage. Though this is more difficult to test, I have come to the conclusion that you should not increase voltage to the Northbridge (beyond about 1.6v) unless you plan on running beyond stock (like 200+ FSB for Bartons and 133+ for Palominos). The reasoning is to reduce the heat, since once the Northbridge heats up, it will sometimes become flaky.
In conclusion, it seems that I got a POS Barton 2500+, whilst everyone and their grandma got 2500+ Bartons that do 3200+ with little to no Vcore boost. Ah well...
My last concern is twofold:
1) Is a Vcore of 1.9 too high for my Barton 2500+?
2) What temps are too high (59C too high a temp under load)?
Thanks
Also for comparison, my temps on my second rig are very similar to yours when running that kind of volage but then i'm using a low speed, low cfm fan.
regards
Jim
Nah...2 volt works well with stock cooling, just exchange the goop to AS3 or AS5. However, you dont need more than 1.6 up to 220 fsb anyway. Also, the NB doesn't put out much heat at all. 207 is still not a bad overclock at all. Default multi is 11 right? Run it at 200X11 (SYNC) and lower the vcore to 1.85. I bet it's stable.
Yeah, yeah, go on take the mickey for my "faux pas"
Hi all, I'm new at the forum...here is my 2 cents
Check out this article:
http://www.sudhian.com/showdocs.cfm?aid=307
Hope it helps
The chip you've got is a good overclocker (AQZEA) you shouldn't need more than 1.7 volts, your voltage is very high just for 200 FSB.
The stepping you've got is one of the best for overclocking!
Go slow and re-check all your settings.
I hope you're not using the nvidia SW drivers? Use the default IDE drivers, SW are not good in all cases. Again, read the article from Sudhian Media, here's the link:http://www.sudhian.com/showdocs.cfm?aid=307
Bartons run best with memory in sync. Your voltage is way too high, you shouldn't need more than at most 1.725 for 200 x 11
speed_x
Spinner
(please carry on the tech talk now)
It's great to be here and even better to be the 1000th member!
ngfrazier, how is it going with the Barton 2500?
I've found that if you let your hardware "wear in" and get used to each other that it will give you better overclocking. I've overclocked a Barton 3 Ghz with default 166 fsb, a 2500 AQXEA Barton and a TB "B" core DLT3C JIUHB. When I review my settings I've been able to get more performance. This holds for all 3 motherboards I have: 8RDA+, NF7 and A7N8X Del (As an aside, the 8RDA+ and the NF7 do much better than the A7N8X). Sometimes, I'm hostage to my creative urges and I overlook things that should be obvious.
My need for overclocking is for video encoding; I didn't want to wait any longer..I wanted 2 pass DivX encoding in real time or better. I took the Barton 3 Ghz (13 X 166) with an SLK-900U h/s and the NF7 and replaced the NB h/s, lapped the CPU h/s, put a passive h/s on the SB, cut a 120mm blowhole on the top of the case, (2 )90mm holes on front and rear and a passive air intake hole on the case in front of the CPU, leading to the Vantec 92mm (more on this beast!) through a double Mylar insulated channel always feeding the CPU cool exterior air, not re-cirulated hot air. I also cut the 3rd L12 bridge on the CPU to drop the default fsb to 133 Mhz !!!
It took me most of last summer to play around with many fans, heatsinks, etc. and it was ready to fly! All my work was rewarded with 2 pass real time DivX encoding! Final settings 194.19 X 13 =2524 Mhz @1.875 Vcore using the NF7!
About the Vantec Tornado 105cfm fan: it's very, very loud! The minute I started the computer (and heard it!) I ran out the door to get a voltage regulator for it. I mean the thing sounds like 10,000 screaming Banshees! Funny, some of the OCing sites never mentioned this painful fact!
So there, that's the complete story of how I got into OC'ing! The good results come from knowing that it's an ongoing process more so than a final destination.
Yours,
speed_x
Many CPU's will hit 200+ fsb with no problems however, mine didn't 'till I cut the 3rd L12 bridge. It took me 2 days of thinking and fretting...did I want to roll the dice? So far, I've done it to 3 Bartons and had good results. All it takes is 1 or 2 very gentle passes with a sharp blade.
Another method I've read about is to touch both ends of the bridge with the leads from a 12 volt battery. According to the person that posted this method (I contacted him) the overvoltage just burns the bridge and doesn't do harm to the rest of the CPU.
The best thing to do is to research, have all the proper tools and take your time. Wait 'till you feel more confident about what you're doing!
I pumped up the FSB speed incrementally, starting with bumping 166 to 170, and then 5MHz increments from there. I managed to get up to 190FSB without stability problems (I increased the Vcore to 1.7-1.725 along the way for good measure). When I tried to go to 195, Windows failed to even show me the XP boot logo. I tried both 193 and then 192 at various Vcore voltages. The closest I came to being stable is 192 at 1.75-1.775 Vcore (haven't tried 1.8 yet). Windows loaded and ran a SiSoft Sandra CPU burn-in test successfully, and then it blue-screened when I attempted to load another program.
I'm trying to figure out what's holding it back. Is it the heatsink (still holding around 46-47C idle)? Is it the Vcore? Is it the memory timings (currently 2.5 2 2 7)? Or is it something a little more obscure like the PCI bus speed mentioned earlier? I'm afraid to try too much more because if I kill this CPU, I'll be back to my old 1700 because I can't afford another 2500 right now. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Also its highly unlikely you'll kill your cpu through playing with bios settings,the worst that will happen is that it wont boot & you have to reset the cmos.
I had the same problem with a couple of my Barton 2.5's and I cut the 3rd L12 bridge and was able to go above 200 FSB. Many folks report not being able to go above 190-195 FSB on Bartons. Look for the Sudhian Media link on some of my previous postings, it's got a good article on cutting the L12 bridge. Some Bartons refuse to run above 190-195 Mhz, period! I have a 3000 that has never ran dependably over 195 WITH the L12 cut! The luck of the draw has a lot to do with it. Not all Bartons are the same.
BTW, the best utility I've found for testing is Prime95. If your computer will run it overnight, it will just about run any other benchmark. I don't think too much of the Sandra burn in utility. Your memory setting seems OK; I think if you stay under 1.9 Vcore you'll be OK. I've read 1.9+ Vcore is considered burned CPU danger zone.
If after doing all that you can the CPU fails to run beyond 192 or so, then use the best memory timing for that FSB, knowing that's all you can get!
If later on you'd like to get a good OCing CPU, look to buy a good stepping like AQXEA or AQZEA.
speed_x
In response to Jimborae, do you have any idea where that setting might be in an Award BIOS? I don't recall seeing anything like that in the Advanced Chipset Features where I was playing with the FSB and memory timings. If I can find such a setting to change, what do I change it to?
Hi Ivorycruncher and all!
In answer to your question: Many processors are able to run at a much higher setting than stock. The stepping (production code) they come with, such as AQXEA, AQZEA,etc. makes some units better overclockers. If you start with a good stepping you might achieve a high overclock. It's best to buy a processor with a particular stepping than roll the dice and get whatever. Many of the good steppings are selling on ebay at near 100% over retail.
There are many OCing sites that will run down the basics for you. The barton 2500 with a good nforce2 board is very easy to overclock. Many times it's just setting the FSB to 200 and bumping the voltage to about 1.7 volts and it will run dependable as a 3.2 Ghz.
Not all processors are created the same. Some will do very well and some don't. It's best to get the good stepping to start with!
Could we have more info on your rig?
Stepping/power supply/bios settings/memory/cooler
You need a good power supply to overclock. Most units that come bundled with the case are not good. You should have at least a 400 Watt unit with good solid readings on the 3.3 and 5 volt rails.
PS: your temp. does seem rather high...have you lapped the heatsink?
speed_x
I have a 300W power supply (most likely a cheap one, since this machine started out as a $145 computer from ebay and I'm still using the original case and power supply).
My memory, as I said before, is 2 x 256MB sticks of Kingston PC3200 CAS2.5. The CPU heatsink is the retail one with the CPU. I must admit that I was kind of ticked when I found out it had a thermal pad instead of thermal grease (I'm guessing the grease cools better). My old 1700+ had a Thermaltake Volcano 6u with a copper insert, and it ran around 36-39 C with normal load, so I know there are much better heatsinks out there. It's just a matter of getting the money to buy a decent one.
As far as the BIOS settings, I listed some of them before. Could you be more specific on which BIOS settings you're interested in? Oh, and what the heck do you mean by "lapping" the heatsink?
P.S. I attached an html summary from CPU-Z in a zip file for your viewing pleasure.
Hi Ivorycruncher!
Looks to me like you have a good stepping for OCing however, could you give us some info. on your power supply? Like the amperage of each rail?
Lapping the heatsink is taking ever finer wet/dry sandpaper and polishing the bottom of the heatsink. Start with 600 and work your way to 2000 grit, it will drop the temps. about 5 C.
To give you my general feeling: I think you have a good stepping for OCing but your power supply is a crucial. You need at least 400 watts, and a good quality unit...no cheapos! As a guide, 3.3v @ 28+ Amps../5 Volts @ 40+ Amps../12 Volts @ 16+ Amps.. Don't scrimp on this item! Get the best you can get, plan on spending at least $70.00
You should also invest in a good, quality heatsink..do research and find something you can live with. Noise is a big factor.
Here is my setup for my Barton 2500@ 2327 Mghz:
Fortron Source 400watt power supply, link: http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=17-104-974&catalog=58&manufactory=BROWSE&depa=0
Cooler: GlacialTech 2510 Pro, Link: http://www.glacialtech.com/pdf/Igloo%202510pro.pdf (I don't know who sells these anymore!) Read the specs and find something close to it. To give you an idea of what it will do, I'm running an Athlon 1800 Tb at 200 X 11.5 (2300 Mghz) at 26C idle/ 46c prime95
The bios setting is the memory divider..what is it? Are you Sync? Meaning 1/1 with the FSB?
speed_x
First off, I'm finding out I'm in over my head, because I don't have any idea what you mean by the amperage of each rail. I do know that I probably have an el cheapo power supply, because I've been noticing my Vcore voltage in CPU-Z fluctuating. That's probably why my system is unstable at higher FSB speeds. As for getting a better one, I'd love to buy a good quality case and power supply, but I can't really invest in that right now because I'm trying to save money to live on after college until I can find a job (in computer tech support, no less).
And for the heatsink, I don't really have the time to mess with sanding it, and since it's designed with a thermal pad instead of grease, that probably wouldn't work anyway. I've currently got my eye on the Vantec Aeroflow for Socket A CPUs on Newegg.com. I installed that in the computer I recently built for my sister (an OEM Athlon 2500+ running at stock speeds) and it's keeping that thing at a cool 33-35 C at normal load. But I'll probably have to wait a bit longer to get it, because I need money to live on at the moment.
I appreciate all the help you've given me, and I think I have a much better handle on the basics of overclocking now. But, I think I'm gonna have to back off the overclocking thing for a bit until I have the time and resources to do it right. Thanks again!