athlon xp & nf7 overclocking tutorial

[groovepapa]

I'm buying an nf7-s 2.0 motherboard and an athlon xp 2500 processor. since this is a big step up from my current system anyway (P3 933), I'm not in a big need to start over-clocking immediately, but I got excited when I found Anandtech saying that these are the best over-clocking mobo/cpu combo.

I wanted to find the BEST links to basic over-clocking guides or specific guides to this mobo/cpu. I've put together and upgraded some systems for a while now, but never done any over-clocking...but I'd like to check it out and if I feel like I'd be comfortable with it, give it a try.

-n00b

 

[Corey0808]

I would go with a MOBILE Barton 2500+ if I were you. Especially if you want to overclock. They are much better than regular Bartons.

 

[Jeff7181]

reposted from another thread
Here's my overclocking method... you might consider starting over and using my method, I've found it works very well for me, as well as my friends, and even newbs =) This applies mainly to Athlon XP based systems more so than Intel, but if you understand the differences between the CPU's and motherboard chipsets, you can use the principles outlined here to help overclock your P4.

1. ***NOTE*** If at any time the CPU diode temp reads above 60 degrees C, or the socket temp reads over 55 degrees C, skip to step 12. If you're not sure if you're reading the diode temp or socket temp, it's always best to err on the side of caution.
   
   Also, your RAM may dictate the highest FSB you're able to run. With an AMD system, if you at least have PC3200 RAM DO NOT run the RAM and FSB asyncronously, it results in poor performance. The exception is if you have PC2700 or lower RAM. In my case, I use to have PC2700 RAM, and I ran the FSB at 221, with a multiplier of 10, and a RAM divider of 75% This resulted in better performance than leaving the RAM and FSB in sync and only being able to run the CPU at 2.08 Ghz due to my motherboard not supporting multipliers above 12.5

1. 1. Power on, immediately enter BIOS and check temperatures to ensure the heatsink is making proper contact with the core.

1. 2. Boot into Windows and run Prime 95 for 10 minutes (after setting up your temp monitoring program, I prefer Motherboard Monitor) to find out the max temp it gets to at stock clock speeds.

1. 3. Decide what the highest voltage you're willing to use will be and set it to that in the BIOS, for Athlon XP's, I like to keep it at 1.750 volts or less.

1. 4. Increase the multiplier by 0.5, boot into Windows, and run Prime 95 for 10 minutes again while watching temperatures.

1. 5. Repeat step 4 until Prime 95 fails. If you cannot adjust the multiplier, or you are at the highest multiplier available, continue to step 6.

1. 6. Step up the FSB in common incriments, for example, from 133 to 166, or from 166 to 200, or from 200 to 233. Reduce the multiplier to provide a clock speed JUST below your previous maximum speed (if you got to 12.5x166 before, set it at 10x200 now) and run Prime 95 again for 10 minutes to check for stability. If it fails, reduce the multiplier by 0.5 and test again. If it passes, continue to step 7.

1. 7. Repeat steps 4-6 until it fails Prime 95, then reduce to the last stable multiplier and FSB setting.

1. 8. You should now be very close to your maximum overclock. Increase the FSB in 2-5 Mhz incriments, then run Prime 95 for 10 minutes again while watching temperatures.

1. 9. Repeat step 8 until Prime 95 fails. Reduce the FSB to the last stable setting.

1. 10. Now you'll want to do a little bit more intense stress testing of the system as a whole, not just the CPU. To do this I run 3DMark2001 to obtain a benchmark score, if it completes the benchmark, continue to step 11. If it fails the benchmark, set your FSB or multiplier setting one step back, and repeat until you have a benchmark result.

1. 11. Now for long term "heat soak" testing. I like to run Prime 95 while looping 3DMark2001 overnight (8-12 hours). If it's still running after that amount of time, consider the overclock stable and continue to step 12. If it failed Prime 95, froze, or rebooted, set your FSB or multiplier or voltage setting one step back and repeat this test.

1. 12. Now you're at your maximum overclock and it's time to see if the maximum overclock can be maintained at a lower voltage. Reduce the voltage by the smallest incriment allowed in the BIOS, usually .025 volts, and repeat step 11. When it fails step 11, continue to step 13.

1. 13. You're now at your maximum overclock and lowest voltage. Some people claim that their overclock will pass the tests I've mentioned here, but becomes unstable when doing something such as encoding video or audio. It's a good idea to test your overclocked CPU in all the applications you use to make sure it's stable under every operating condition. If it becomes unstable in an application, either increase the voltage (up to your max desired voltage you decided on in step 3) if you've decreased it... or reduce the multiplier or FSB setting and retest.

Feedback on my process is welcome =) If I made a typo somewhere, please point it out so I can correct it.

 

[darkeneddays]

Couple of links I used for mine:

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