xp1500m/nf7s overclocking problems

[Zathras]

Hi

I'm having real problems getting anywhere with this new xp1500m in my NF7Sv2. Replacing a 1ghz Thunderbird, I put it in and booted into the bios to check temperatures and that I'd mounted the HSF correctly. It'll post at at least 11x200 and sit in the bios quite happily never getting over 40C. However I can't get past the Windows XP startup screen and safe mode stops whenever MUP.sys is loaded (hanging both times). The only way I can get into Windows is by dropping the cpu frequency down to 1400mhz or less (either at 200 or 166 fsb) which is virtually stock speed. I've set the most relaxed ram timings that I can and tried upping the CPU voltage to 1.8v but I can't get it to get into windows above 1400mhz. Now with virtually every other computer I've used there's been roughly 200mhz max between max POST speed and Windows stable speed. I'm currently attempting a reinstall of Windows at 1400mhz and will see how it goes after that, but if anyone has any tips or suggestions I'll be most grateful.

[schrickvr6]

what memory are you using?

[funnelhead]

Seems very strange to me - bios uses 100% cpu am i right? so seems the chip can handle that overclock well. I think you should tell us about your whole config Zathras..

[Zak33]

Psu?

[Zathras]

I know, it's bizarre. I've done a repair reinstall of windows, ie not a full format then reinstall, solved the probs I had when upgrading motherboard last time but not this time. I can get 7.5x200 stable as, prime95, everything. Going just 2mhz over on the FSB and it doesn't load windows. I haven't tried higher FSB and lower multiplier as I want to remove my RAM from the equation of what could be wrong. It'll post at 13x200 and get to what I think is exactly the same stage of loading Windows, as it hangs at the mup.sys step when trying safe mode. I think this may be because it's the last text to be written to the screen before the gui is invoked though, so it may not be totally indicative. I'll probably delete all my Windows directory later on using a repair install on another partition and try a fresh install as I don't want to format and lose god knows how many gb of files.

Okay, full setup as it is now, with minimal PCI cards installed:

Abit NF7Sv2 with bios v24 from Abit official site
Radeon 9500 softmodded to 9700
256mb generic (Scan) PC3200 - tried running at as low as 11-3-3-3 and at 333mhz
Taisol 790062 copper cooler with 80mm Evercool fan, keeps it at 35C running torture tests at 1500mhz
Enermax 350w PSU, all lines within 5% of exact values at 1500mhz/torture testing
Realtek 81329 10/100mbs pci nic
120gb IBM 180gxp hard drive running off serrilel adapter

I've tried all combinations of RAM timings, chipset/ram/core voltages upto 1.9v, the enhance function in the first softmenu on and off.

Any ideas at all?

[GreenPiggy]

Definitive answer i suppose would be to run memtest 86 and see if its throwing back errors.
The only other thing I can think of is that you got a complete dog CPU which is a bit of a git

[Zathras]

Right, removed the 120gb drive by taking out the SATA cable and plugged my old 40gb drive back in. It was in the case all the time but it's noisy, I have plenty of space and it's safe in there waiting for me to get an external USB/FW caddy. Formatted it and put an absolute vanilla copy of XP on it, loading absolutely nothing, no motherboard drivers, service packs, video card drivers, only the SATA drivers to let me plug my other drive back in. It runs at 1900mhz! Wouldn't post at 10x200 bizarrely but I think it doesn't like 10x multipliers as I have a feeling it did similar before. Back off to test it at higher clocks/FSBs/voltages and throw some Prime95 at it. Fingers crossed it'll still work with drivers/SPs etc loaded. Looks like I'm spending the rest of the weekend reinstalling Windows and all my apps completely. What a pain in the rear end. I'd understand if it refused to load Windows at all with the new chip in there, but loading fine under 1500mhz and crapping over that, then working with a completely fresh install? I hate computers at times.

[Zathras]

Looks good for 2.2ghz at 1.65v. Might be on to a winner after all this

[GreenPiggy]

Nice to hear dude. Keep us posted

[Zathras]

2.4ghz at 1.8v stable, 12x200mhz, still running completely vanilla OS. I'm giving it another hour of CPU stability test running to see if it craps out at all and whether I need to drop the speed before doing the full reinstall. Only problem is I haven't got enough drivers installed to have any sort of temperature monitoring program running, but it seems okay so far.

[cm_uk]

cool.nice oc what do u mean when u say vanilla OS?clean install or what?

[Zathras]

Totally clean install, loading no device drivers other than the ones automatically loaded off the Windows XP CD and the SATA driver from the Abit floppy. No display drivers, motherboard drivers, service packs, hotfixes etc. I'm going to install one thing at a time and make sure everything works at each stage.

[skattrd]

Zathras - try doing a ghost of the drive whilst everything running ok, so if it does goes pear shaped at least you can load the ghost image in a few minutes (saves alot of time reinstalling everything)

[Zathras]

That's the idea I had, but I don't have space. My main drive is a 120gb 7200rpm IBM and I'm installing Windows back on it, but it's already got 80-odd gb of MP3, games, DivX, general files on. I can't set it up to just ghost the Windows install files onto the 40gb drive.

[Apex]

the 10 and 10.5 multis on the nf7 don't work

[schrickvr6]

the 10 and 10.5 multis on the nf7 don't work

they do but they stop working at different speeds on different boards(normally around 225fsb) you can fix this with a romsip modded bios