Newbie Here... Need Help With Overclocking My System

Hi there guys. Anyone mind showing me how to allow my Barton 2500+ XP to run at 200 MHz FSB? I've tried lowering the multiplier to 9.0 and increased the FSB clock to 200 MHz... but to no avail... Before I can even load into the Window XP slash screen, the system reboots. I've recently bought a pair of 512 Kingston PC3200 and its almost going to waste if I cant get my system to run at DDR 400.

My System Specs are as below,

CPU: Athlon XP 2500+ Barton
Motherboard: ABIT NF7 Nforce2
RAM: 2 x 512 MB Kingston PC3200 (I have an old spare pair of 512 MB Kingston PC2700)
Sound Card: On-board
Graphic Card: Leadtek 6800 GT 256MB 8X AGP (a waste on an old system... I know... it was a gift last xmas)
HDD: Maxtor 120GB 7200 rpm

PLease help... Oo.. I would be also nice if someone could shed some light on overclock-ing my 6800GT using stock Leadtek (as large as a brick) fan.

Thanks!

At work i have the same mobo as you with the XP 3200+. I tried clocking that and only got it to 2.3ghz, stock cooling though. i had the FSB running at 210 and running X11.

If i went any higher than that it would crash, i tried lowering it to X10 and increasing the FSB, but still same problem.

It sounds like either the motherboard or memory is holding you back. Some NForce2 boards have difficulty running 1GB of RAM at 200MHz. For a start, what memory timings are you using in the bios?

I wouldn't say that a 6800GT was wasted on a system like that:).

The standard voltage to the CPU is 1.65. Increase the FSB in smaller increments and when it becomes unstable increase the voltage 1 notch. Be aware that increasing the voltage will increase the temperature so use a hardware monitor to check the temps until you are confident it's OK with your cooling setup. Use Prime95 to torture the CPU and check stability with each increase. My 2500+ does 11x200 @ 1.725 volt and I wouldn't advise going past 1.75 volts unless you have good cooling.

He's only trying to run the CPU at 1.8GHz for the moment though. He shouldn't need any extra voltage for that. As I say, I think his problem is the memory or the motherboard.

I've set the memory timing to automatic... I'm not a pro in all these stuff.. I thought I might as well let the BIOS handle it for me. Well... The motherboard is already 1.5 yr old. When I got hold on it, it came wif 1GB of 2700's. The RAM are brand new... 1 month old... at the most... But its hurts my heart to see that a 3200 is running at 333MHz. I don't intend to overclock my CPU. 2500+ is still a decent enough punch at 1280x1024 for any of todays games with my 6800GT. I just want to make my RAM work at 200MHz FSB so my 150 quids won't go down the drain. Anymore suggestions? I'm dying for anything that might work.... again... 9x multiplier with 200 MHz doesnt work... should I go lower on the mutiplier? But its gonna mean lower clock speed for my CPU.. no? Umm... just another silly question... Would running FSB at say... 180 MHz... hurt my 3200 memory? I mean... since if I can't push it to hit 200MHz.. I might as well make it run as high frequency as possible.

My 6800GT is now running at 380MHz GPU and 1100MHz DRAM and its operating at around 60C ambient and 75C when Im playing HL2.. 1024x768 4xAA.. 8xAF... Is the temperature comsidered high? Cs I've always been sceptical about my GPU going above 65C.

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Originally Posted by sawyen

I've set the memory timing to automatic... I'm not a pro in all these stuff.. I thought I might as well let the BIOS handle it for me.

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That could well be your problem then. In the bios, choose manual memory timings, and set them to CAS 2.5, TRCD 3, TRP 3 , TRAS 11. Then try again. If it still doesn't work, then try 3-4-4-11.

As a thought, if the board allows it (I think it depends on which revision of NF7 you have) you could try increasing the VDD- this is the voltage going to the chipset. Try 1.7 or 1.8V. Before you do that, check that the fan on the northbridge is still spinning, I seem to recall they have a reputation for dying.

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Umm... just another silly question... Would running FSB at say... 180 MHz... hurt my 3200 memory? I mean... since if I can't push it to hit 200MHz.. I might as well make it run as high frequency as possible.

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No that's fine- my board can't cope with running 2x512 of memory at 200MHz- well it can, but it's not Prime stable. I run at 185MHz- the performance difference between that and 200MHz will be minimal, 1-2% probably.

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My 6800GT is now running at 380MHz GPU and 1100MHz DRAM and its operating at around 60C ambient and 75C when Im playing HL2.. 1024x768 4xAA.. 8xAF... Is the temperature comsidered high? Cs I've always been sceptical about my GPU going above 65C.

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It's high but not that unusual for the latest generation of cards. You could look at improving your case airflow though. Also check that the card's heatsink isn't full of dust- get the hoover out if it is:).

thanks a million guys.. will try it tonite when I finish work. Will give u guys an update tomorrow. Cheers..

oh.. another question... should I also leave the CPU FSB/DRAM ratio on auto? the options on manual available to me are... 3/3, 3/4, 3/5, 3/6, 4/3, 4/4, 4/5, 4/6, 5/3, 5/4, 5/5, 5/6, 6/3, 6/4, 6/5, and 6/6.. any comments?

Hmm...auto should work, if not try 6/6. You definitely don't want to use ones like 6/5, always keep the RAM running at the same speed as the FSB.

thanks again Rave... Will try ur suggestions tonight...

Umm... do u have any nifty methods in clearing out dust in the CPU/GPU fan? It seems blowing it out wif 'artificial pressurised air gun a.k.a my lungs' doesnt really work... not to mention the rediculously long coughs I get after attempting to mimic a pressure gun on the CPU fan.

Cheers again,

I usually just use a hoover. Be a bit careful with the fans, because they can apparently spin up to warp speed and then break. I do it in bursts, or just put something in the fan to stop it spinning. On a lot of CPU heatsinks you can remove the fan altogether which makes things much easier.

To get it really clean, a can of 'compressed air' (actually butane) will completely blast all the dust off, but they tend to cost a fiver or so.

thanks

umm... the memory timing didn't seem to work.
Here's what I've tried:
I've changed the memory timing to 2.5,3,3,11... and allowed 200MHz FSB with 9x multiplier. I've increased the board voltage to 1.7v (the northbridge fan is working). When i saved the new BIOS settings and reboot... the system won't even enter my 6800GT memory count screen. The screen is blank.. and I keep hearing the same noise my mobo makes everytime i start my rig... on and on. When I turned the power off... pulled out the BIOS battery and place it back again, it boots fine but at CPU 1100MHz.. (10x mult at 100MHz FSB)... however the memory states its DDR400. WIERD!!!! HELP!!! ITS A MESS!!... i've set everything back to default now. PLEASE HELP!!

Helllppp!!!!

ok, this happened to me also, set the user define clock settings to enables and fiddle around there, this will then set it to the speed it should be, don't panic it's nothing major i don't think

With the NF7 boards with the newer Bios there was an option when the mobo detected an X2500 to either run it at 2500 speeds or 3200 speeds ie 11x166 or 11x200 you could just select what you wanted.Or you can use user defined

I would look at putting the vcore around 1.75 some even have it at 1.85 but I wouldn't go much higher.

Set the FSB/dram ratio to 6/6

One thing you haven't mentioned is what PSU you are using, with that card you have a big draw on the power and putting up the FSB may just be the straw that breaks the camels back

ohh.. I'm running 450W power supply.

I managed to get my system to run at the following settings with modest stability

FSB: 185MHz
multiplier: 11x
DRAM ratio: 6:6
DRAM timing: 2.5 , 3 , 3 , 11
CPU voltage: 1.6v
Mobo voltage: 1.7v (northbridge fan still working)

CPU idle temperature: 44C
CPU during 180MB DIVx conversion: 54C
CPU during UT2004 (20 bots DM): 57C

To John-boi... I've tried the native settings for 3200+ (200Mhzx11).. wouldnt get into windows splash screen (reboots when i see windows xp). I tried to put more voltage into CPU (1.725v) still wouldnt work. Will try 1.75v tonight.

I am also worried that CPU may be a little too hot.
Cooler Master fan is making wierd creeking noise... maybe dust caught between CPU fan ball bearings?

I've also tried using my gf's corsair twin PC3200... STILL didn't work at 200FSB. So i guess the solves whether my memory was holding me back. I guess its just my NF7 then.

That sounds likely. If you know what you're doing, you could flash to a different bios and see if that helps. It might be that you need to run with CPC off to run the memory faster. Have a look at the xtremesystems.org forums for more details, there are lots of hacked bioses for the NF7 which apparently are a big help if you're overclocking.

Also 57C under load is pretty hot for a processor that's only running at 2GHz- although having said that it could be an innacurate bios reading. Did you clean the dust out of your heatsink? What's your case airflow like? If it's stable at that temperature it doesn't really matter, it just seems a bit hot to me. I know that my processor starts to get unstable at an indicated 57C.

yeap... bot one of those invertible butane sprays from Maplin... literally froze my hand when cleaning off those dust... I cant really tell the air flow... but its spinning at like 4400 rpm. Umm... Pardon my knowledge, but what is a CPC? I'll try to put somemore voltage on the mobo and CPU to push it to run at 3200+ settings John Boi. Since my rig is so bloody hot.. I might as well consider changing to another cooling solution. Anyone mind giving me some hints on what type of fan I should change to??

Quote:

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Originally Posted by sawyen

Umm... Pardon my knowledge, but what is a CPC?

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Command Per Clock (a.k.a. command rate). It's one of the memory timings; nearly all NForce2 motherboards have it on as default, but if you disable it you can often clock much higher especially if you have 1GB RAM installed. It does cost a bit of performance, so it's only worth doing if it increases your overclock by a reasonable amount.

AFAIK it can only be switched on and off by modifying bioses, that's why modded bioses tend to come in two versions, CPC-on and CPC-off.

okay.. thats probably a little too pro. AHH! why is it so hard to make my memory to run at its maximum speed? I guess I could live with 185 MHz FSB..

Anyways.. does larger memory timing like, 3,4,4,11 mean slower performance? Do you think I'll be able to run 2,2,2,7 on my current settings?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by sawyen

okay.. thats probably a little too pro. AHH! why is it so hard to make my memory to run at its maximum speed? I guess I could live with 185 MHz FSB..

Anyways.. does larger memory timing like, 3,4,4,11 mean slower performance? Do you think I'll be able to run 2,2,2,7 on my current settings?

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You might be able to, it depends how good your RAM is. I'm at 2-3-3-11 at 185MHz, if I switch the TRCD or TRP to 2 it's just a bit unstable. You might find that 2-3-2-11 is stable while 2-2-2-11 is not. Suck it and see is the answer.

You should always leave TRAS at 10 or 11 on NForce2 systems, it's faster for some reason.

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Originally Posted by sawyen

ohh.. I'm running 450W power supply.

I managed to get my system to run at the following settings with modest stability

FSB: 185MHz
multiplier: 11x
DRAM ratio: 6:6
DRAM timing: 2.5 , 3 , 3 , 11
CPU voltage: 1.6v
Mobo voltage: 1.7v (northbridge fan still working)

CPU idle temperature: 44C
CPU during 180MB DIVx conversion: 54C
CPU during UT2004 (20 bots DM): 57C

To John-boi... I've tried the native settings for 3200+ (200Mhzx11).. wouldnt get into windows splash screen (reboots when i see windows xp). I tried to put more voltage into CPU (1.725v) still wouldnt work. Will try 1.75v tonight.

I am also worried that CPU may be a little too hot.
Cooler Master fan is making wierd creeking noise... maybe dust caught between CPU fan ball bearings?

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Your cPU voltage is way to low for a decent overclock.I guess you have a desktop 2500+ in which case it runs natively on an NF7 at 1.65 (mobile 1.45) to get a 11x200 clock on a mobile 2500 I'm running mine at 1.6 which is below average.For the desktop to get a 11x200 you want at least 1.75 volts higher overclocks need upto 1.85.

If you are concerned about your cooling watch it like a hawk at the higher volts.

By the way this is a great resource for your board note the Bios section

http://www.lvcoyote.com/

Its for the NF7-S but the same applies for the NF7

I managed to run at 200Mhz FSB!! Finally... Here's what I've done!

Increased CPU Voltage to 1.8V
Mobo Voltage: 1.7v
Memory Timing: 2-2-2-11
DRAM ratio: 6/6
Multiplier:11.5
FSB: 200MHz

For some reason, turning it to higher clock speed actually works (technically just means I can boot my PC fine)! Tried using native 3200+ settings but didnt work.. Went into manual and have the multiplier reach 11.5 with 200 FSB. Previously 11x200, 10x200, 9x200 all didn't work. Wierd.. I have no explaination for the situation.

But nonetheless, I'm currently running at 2.3Ghz @ 200 FSB. But the board is getting a little hot. Have to turn winbond up to pay strict attention on the variation. Tried one of the stress test I read somewhere. Recall that I have another thread outside saying my disk cleanup doesnt work anymore? Well... I managed to used that as the load variable that stresses my CPU at 100%. (not conventional.. i know)

15 minutes idle (cold weather): 32C CPU / 12C Ambient
15 minutes idle (not so cold weather): 46C CPU/ 27C Ambient

30 minutes 100% CPU load (cold weather): 53.5C CPU/ 18C Ambient
30 minutes 100% CPU load (not so cold weather): 60.5C CPU/ 29C Ambient

I didn't dare to go into 20 bot DM in UT2004.. just worried that I might tear my CPU apart.
I really really think the temperature is a little too high.
And I am really looking for some suggestions for good socket A cooling.
I am using Cooler Master Ball (not sure of the product number) @ 4400 rpm

If you can put your fingers on the heatsink without them burning I would say that your CPU is not in any danger. It may start to get unstable at temps above 60C though....although I had one that ran for days at 63C with absolutely no bother. Have you tried reducing the CPU voltage? If it's some wierd setting issue in the bios that caused your problams you may well be able to bring the CPU voltage down now that you've found a setting that works.

Anyway congrats, that's a very nice OC:).

it's strange that you need that much voltage, as rave suggested try downing it a bit, i am running the same situation as you, but i only need 1.625 to get it to 200fsb@2.3ghz. Anywhere above that needs a serious amount of voltage like 1.8 like what you are running. Try taking things down one a time to try and reduce heat, and then test it porperly using memtest86 or prime 95 and then you know you are truly stable ;)

will try lower voltage later tonite.. downloaded memtest86 and prime 95 from the office computer... will try it tonite as well. Cheers! Will give everyone an update tomorrow

Found out that my system was not entirely stable.. Gosh...

Pulled up my pants and tried a 20 bot DM in UT2004.. My rig crashed 3 times during the match. Have made alterations to the memory timing, now its 3-4-4-11. Seems to be working correctly after that... not so sure. I don't have a floopy drive, so I can't really run memtest... I don't have an internet connection at home... so I can't run Prime95 as well. Anyone got any better idea to check whether my system is actually stable?

Managed to pull voltage down to about 1.7v anything below that causes the system to crash the minute I press the start menu after boot-up. Comments guys?

If you can burn CDs at work and nobody's going to mind an 82MB download, you can use UBCD, which contains both Memtest86+ and Prime95. Very handy tool:).

But i thought u will need a disc drive to run memtest86? Prime95 is a little tedious if I don't have an internet connection at home.. and no.. my boss won't mind me downloading a couple of a hundred megs.

You download it, extract the .iso and then burn the image to a CD. You then boot from your CD-Rom drive and it runs memtest and prime95 (and loads of other programs which I've never bothered with) straight from the CD:).

cheers man... downloaded.. burnt... and waiting to be used... thanks a million Rave..