Athlon XP 2600+

[PrayForDeath]

A friend of mine has got a new rig, with an Athlon XP 2600+ ,512MB DDR 400Mhz ram and an MSI KT4VL
motherboard, when he starts his computer, it says Athlon XP 1250Mhz, then it says DDR 333Mhz,
I know that only Athlon 64 runs DDR 400Mhz, but what's up with the 1.25Ghz??? Why does it run like that?
It shows the same thing in Windows, I thought he got the wrong CPU by accident, but there's no such Athlon XP that is 1250Mhz! The slowest one is 1.4Ghz, right? And how does such CPU run 333Mhz memory? Isn't it too slow to run this memory?
Any help would be appreciated.

 

[mechBgon]

Set the CPU's bus speed to its intended 166MHz/DDR333. I believe you'll find that in the BIOS under Frequency / Voltage Control.

 

[PrayForDeath]

Forgot to say that overclocking the FSB to even 105Mhz results in system not booting up!!!!

 

[mechBgon]

Hmmkay, lemme go download the manual for that one. The closest I've got was the KT4 Ultra.

 

[mechBgon]

Guess what, PFD... I can find the KT4VL's page at MSI here, but it's non-existant on their download page and I can't get into their FTP site to rummage for it.

[ editorial remark ] Your pal should've bought a Shuttle AN35N Ultra. [ / editorial remark ]

On a practical note, I see that MSI is urging people to twiddle their memory timings and voltages. Try 2.7 volts and relaxed timings on your memory, particularly if you happen to be using two modules instead of one. Lock the memory at 1:1 ratio with the CPU's FSB and then try raising the FSB to 166MHz. Or say heck with it and order up a shiny blue Shuttle AN35N Ultra for $55

 

[PrayForDeath]

Well, my friend got the new rig from a local store, so don't you think he got the wrong CPU for his money? He paid around 120$ for his CPU+Mobo! And he thought he was getting the 2600+
Why would I raise the memory volts not the CPU volts? I need to overclock the CPU not the Ram, right? If no, can you explain please?
And as for timing, does increasing the numbers give me better overclocking headroom?

p.s: why are you advertising for that AN35N U?

 

[mechBgon]

Ok, do you want your problem solved, or do you want to philosophize about it here?

1) Insert one stick of RAM.

2) Set the RAM voltage to 2.7 volts.

3) Lock it to a 1:1 ratio with the CPU's bus speed.

4) Set the CPU's bus speed to 166MHz.

5) Save & Exit from the BIOS, and see what happens.


The recommendation for the AN35N Ultra is because it's affordable and works well (even overclocks). I could give a lengthy list of other reasons it's better than a KT400 board (KT400, not KT400A even), but my goal is to find you a solution and that's one possibility. Even if you get an AN35N Ultra, you're probably going to have to set the FSB properly to get full 2600+ speeds, so let's start with the steps I outlined above.

 

[nick1985]

MSI KT4!!!!1111


AHHHHH!!!! SATAN!!!

that fvcker ruined christmas for me 2 years ago.

DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE!!!!! frickin grinch stole my christmas. i want it back...

 

[Jeff7181]

Originally posted by: nick1985
MSI KT4!!!!1111


AHHHHH!!!! SATAN!!!

that fvcker ruined christmas for me 2 years ago.

DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE!!!!! frickin grinch stole my christmas. i want it back...

I had the exact same board... MSI KT4VL (VL = value). The IDE ports are in one of the worst places... the chipset is unstable... it's just an all around BAD board. My advice to the OP is to get a new nForce2 motherboard for $50 or $60... in fact, I have one with onboard video for sale (Epox 8RGA) if you're interested... I'll sell it at a fair price.

*EDIT* Oh by the way... you're not going to be able to inch the speed up... there's dividers at 100, 133, and 166 MHz to keep the PCI and AGP buses in spec since it doesn't have a good PCI/AGP lock. You won't hit a new divider until to get to 133 or 166... so set it to 166 right off the bat and you should be in business.