2100+ at 2300 or 2500+ at 2200?

[Cherub]

I have been running a 2100+ Thoroughbred B for some time now at 11.5x199 (the FSB limit is due to my 9800Pro's dislike for any higher AGP speed) at 1.78v. Temps run 102F idle to around 111F loaded during this time of year with an ambient around 70F.

I have an opportunity to swap this for a Barton 2500+.

Due to the multiplier lock, I will loose 100 MHz and the performance that goes with it (I have tested it at 2200 MHz, but I believe it has much more in it).

I will gain an extra 256KB of cache, but it seems the majority of reviews/tests have concluded that raw speed is more important, especially since cache speed depends on CPU speed.

I can also run it at lower voltage (still testing, but I've tried it as low as 1.65v at 2200) and temps seem to run about 10F lower. But then, this is of limited value, as lower temps help overclocks, and I've hit my limit because of the locked multiplier.

Any wisdom out there to make my decision easier?

 

[butch84]

i would most likely go for the barton because that extra cache really does come in handy ...... but it also depends on wether the stuff you are doing depends on cache or raw clockspeed. either way, my guess is the difference isnt gonna be huge going from one to the other

 

[hytek369]

good question. i was in the same situation.

in your case (the barton has more headroom than just 2200), i would go with barton

the lower voltage doesn't always matter. my barton ran hotter even at default voltage. i think it is due to extra cache

 

[Cherub]

Update: I found that I can set the vCore as low as 1.60v and still run 100% stable at 2200 (actually, it's 2188 to be exact).

I think the chip has a lot of headroom, but with a locked multiplier, I can't access it.

 

[pspada]

You ought to be able to up the fsb to get to around 2300 - 11x210 and yer there.

 

[myocardia]

Cherub, first of all, a T-bred at 2.3ghz will give you roughly the same results as a Barton at 2.2ghz. Plus, why not see how far your T-bred can go? If your motherboard is one of the boards on this ClockGen download page, you're in business, because ClockGen lets you raise the fsb and adjust the agp clock speed indenpendently (so you could run your proc. at 210 or 215fsb, while running your video card at 66mhz).

 

[Cherub]

You ought to be able to up the fsb to get to around 2300 - 11x210 and yer there.

Obviously I would love to try to find the limit of the chip if I could, but as I mentioned I am limited by my video card. My motherboard is an EPoX 8K5A2+ which does not have a /6 divider.

If your motherboard is one of the boards on this ClockGen download page, you're in business, because ClockGen lets you raise the fsb and adjust the agp clock speed indenpendently (so you could run your proc. at 210 or 215fsb, while running your video card at 66mhz).

Unfortunately, my 8K5A2+ is not on the ClockGen page.

The the point of my question was to get opinions on which is better, given the situation I'm locked into. I know I could use PowerNow, conceivably, but I'm not convinced about that method yet.

 

[JustStarting]

How high do the multipliers go in your 8K5A2+ bios?? With my XP2100+ AIUHB I get the upper multipliers, and have mine set to 13.5 x 167fsb= 2255mhz. It will go higher- 2.4g+, but I like to keep the PC/AGP in spec.

AIUHB's clock very high- 2.4g+ with only 1.85v or so. I'd see how high it goes with the XP2100+ before I purchased a locked Barton. Stock cooling may be OK if you have good ventilation in your case.

100mhz on a Tbred will make up for the extra cache the Barton has.

 

[Cherub]

How high do the multipliers go in your 8K5A2+ bios?? With my XP2100+ AIUHB I get the upper multipliers, and have mine set to 13.5 x 167fsb= 2255mhz. It will go higher- 2.4g+, but I like to keep the PC/AGP in spec.

I use 11.5 for a multiplier and 199.9 for the FSB, which equals 2288 when checked in WCPUID. My 2100+ tops out at 2300 (11.5x200) at 1.78 vCore, which is as high as I care to go with voltage. My watercooling setup is very effective, so more is very likely possible. I believe, however, that the Barton is capable of even higher speeds, if only I could change the multipliers.

I have considered switching to an NForce2 400 Ultra (specifically the EPoX 8RDA3I) to get AGP bus control (my 9800Pro will only accept 79 MHz and locks in 3D apps at 80 MHz), more voltage adjustments, and the ability to change many settings from windows. The task will be major, however, because my in-case watercooling system is rather complex.

Until there is a solution to the Barton superlock, I'm up in the air. (The Powernow option may be viable if it really works, as I only reboot my system occasionally...)