2700+ T-Bred Vs. 2800+ Barton, plz help!...

[FragFreak]

Hey guys, I just recently upgraded my computer.

Asus A7N8X 2.0 Deluxe
nForce 2 Ultra SPP chipset + nForce MCP chipset
AMD XP 2800+ barton, and 2700+ T-bred (I have both)
2 x 256 Kingston PC 3200 Value RAM (KVR400X64C3/256)
Radeon 9600 Pro 128MB
Using on board NVidia Sound Storm chipset for audio.

I am working on overclocking my system. I have gotten my radeon 9600 to a conservative and very stable 450/330 mhz. I have actually traded back 2 FX 5600 256 MB cards cuz they couldn't come close to the 9600. I fried one too. Never put a heat sensor directly on the Nvidia graphics chipset, even with a nice layer of thermal compund on both sides. I just eneded up putting the heat sensor on the bottom outside edge of the new fan I mounted to the chipset.

Anyway, on to the real issue. I originally bought the the Barton 2800+ cuz I thought it was a good value to quality ratio for the chip. Anyway after two weeks of overclocking and testing with the barton I have run into a brick wall. I have it overclocked to 2.2 ghz which ain't that cool. I had it up to 2.3 and it was cool but when I started overclocking the video I ran into probs. I have now found out that if I want to go higher with the barton I have to set my cpu interface from optimal to agressive and play around with the memory timings.

Any way at one point I heard that the thoroughbred would overclock better than the barton (2800+ barton stock 2.0 ghz , 2700+ T-bred stock 2.2 ghz) and they just happened to have one left at my local computer store. I went ahead and picked it up real quick cuz I didn't know how long they would still have them. But now I might be stuck with 2 processors.

I have three days left to return the T-bred and get my money back.

What shoild I do? Will the t-bred really be faster? Or should I just try to mess with my memory timings and get the barton up to snuff?

I have found places where they have gotten a 2800 + barton up to 3.464 GHZ and 230 MHZ FSB http://www.vr-zone.com/guides/AMD/Barton/ that seems pretty kick ass, but is it stable?

Here is the link for the T-bred 2700+ 3.328 GHZ 220 MHZ FSB http://www.vr-zone.com/guides/AMD/TBred/ but is this stable also?

I'm tired and frusterated and this is going on 3 weeks chained to the computer hoping not to have to re-install windows, loose data, or have my computer lock up. I have already fried 1 video card and lost all my netscape bookmarks and the last 9 months e-mail.

I am still determined and I am not giving up the overclocking dream. But I need a little help. So can anyone out there be of assistance. Also I would really like to get my hands on a memory timing matrix for overclocking with AMD 2800+ barton on an Asus A7N8X 2.0 deluxe with PC 3200 Ram that has standard timing stock. What I really need is just a 2800+barton w/ PC3200 RAM overclocking timing matrix.

Man that was a mouthfull, can any one out there save my day and by my overclocking Rock Star? You'll get a new groopie out of it, and maybe I might be able to help you out too.

 

[MDE]

I'd keep the Barton unless the Tbred can do 2.35+. Most Bartons hit a wall at around 2.2 anyway, so don't feel too bad about having it at 2.3.

Those 3.6GHz AMDs probably are just stable enough to take a CPU-Z or WCPUID screenshot before they crash. Take a look at the cooling methods and voltages required to get those speeds (ouch).

I'm running my 2500+ Barton at 2.2 (200x11) on a Rev 1.04 A7N8X Deluxe with 1 stick of 512MB Buffalo PC3200 (11-3-3-2).

 

[hytek369]

i agree, i doubt at those clock speeds they are stable

 

[pspada]

4 points:

A) You are getting a nice overclock anyway - pushing it to far, and/or crappy memory will always cause problems. Just back off a bit until the system is stable. You really need better performance than you current chip, blow the bucks on a faster processor.

B) You are overclocking several components, any one of which could be the culprit. Take them all back to stock, and then oc one element at a time, in series. That is, the lowest upping of the fsb or multiplier, and test for a day. Once you've confirmed all is well, perhaps by running the system that way for a day, then oc the next piece (i.e. the video card) at the lowest oc possible, and again confirm the system works correctly.

C) Heat can be a major factor, are you sure that all the components are being cooled enough? Especially since you are likely overvolting, or if not, that could be at least one element of the problem. And overvolting makes heat issues worse.

D) Lastly, I'd go with the Barton. I had the 2700+, and it was a great chip, running 11.5x200fsb with no problems @ stock voltage! But that extra L2 cache increases the speed of math operations. In my experience it seems to make the computer feel more responsive, although that may be entirely subjective.

 

[FragFreak]

Ok, here's where I have gotten with air cooling.

350W Power Supply with weak exaust fan
2400 RPM Zalman CNPS7000A-AICu CPU fan <----Pretty kick ass
6000 RPM Vantcec Tornado on front of case
3000 RPM 80mm Back mounted exaust fan
6000 RPM Vantec Iceberq 4 on Radeon 9600
3200 RPM PCI Slot exaust fan at bottom of case in PCI slot

Asus A7N8X 2.0 Deluxe
nForce 2 Ultra SPP chipset + nForce MCP chipset
AMD XP 2800+ barton Overclocked to 2370 MHZ
2 x 256 Kingston PC 3200 Value RAM (KVR400X64C3/256)
Radeon 9600 Pro 128MB Overclocked to 450/325
Using on board NVidia Sound Storm chipset for audio

3803 3DMark 2003 Score

Any suggestions?

Link to Jpeg of system settings ---->
http://www.sysopt.com/forum/attachment.php?s=&postid=1021483

 

[myocardia]

Frag, I have to agree with pspada. Getting any Barton to run at 2300 Mhz gives you roughly an XP3400. That's not too shabby in my opinion... BUT, the reason you ran into stability problems is your cheapo power supply. Return either of the cpu's, and get an Antec psu, and you will wonder why you didn't buy the good power supply first!