Athlon64 3000+ @ 2500 reliable in the long run?

[eVaoVe]

Hey guys, I'm about to build a PC soon, and I'm wondering if running an Athlon64 3000+ @ 2500MHz is reliable in the long run? If its iffy, then I'll just buy a 3400+ w/ Corsair Value ram, but If it seems reliable (1.5-2 yrs) then I'll buy a Athlon64 3000+ Newcastle (AXBOX is CG right?) and buy OCZ EL Gold Edition PC-4000 ram.

Also can someone tell me what the difference is between CG and C0 steppings?

 

[BW86]

yes it will last u 2 or more years make sure u get a good heatsink though

about the cg co steppings do a little search and you will find....

i'll let u off this time...Text

 

[eVaoVe]

I heard that the Zalman AlCu HSF is an excellent buy. Is this a good HSF for the clocks I'm trying to go for? (2500MHz) Also Athlon64 3000+ can hit 2500Mhz right? Or is it a YMMV situation...

 

[BW86]

yes that HSF is great, you can hit 2.5 with the stock HSF but it gets a little hot. yes the 3000 can hit 2.5 but if u want to run the memory 1:1 your going to need atleast pc3700.

 

[eVaoVe]

Yeah, I'm buying 1GB of OCZ Gold Edition Rev 2 PC-4000 (2.5-3-3). That should support the OC nicely, also can you guys recommend me a nice stable mobo for S754 thats nForce3? I've heard that the ASUS K8N-E has a lot of problems so far...

 

[Jhatfie]

You might want to check out the Chaintech VNF3-250. It is a pretty nice board that is cheap and overclocker friendly. I've had good luck with both of mine so far.

 

[eVaoVe]

Also do I need to clean anything off the CPU before I apply the heatsink? I've heard some CPU's come w/ a thermal pad? Do i use the one that comes w/ it or do i clean it off and use Arctic Silver? I havent bought my rig yet, so I'm just trying to be as aware as I can.

 

[BW86]

Originally posted by: eVaoVe
Also do I need to clean anything off the CPU before I apply the heatsink? I've heard some CPU's come w/ a thermal pad? Do i use the one that comes w/ it or do i clean it off and use Arctic Silver? I havent bought my rig yet, so I'm just trying to be as aware as I can.

no you dont need to clean the cpu you need to clean the heatsink that comes with it. The heatsink comes with a thermal pad, ive never used it. Just peel it off and use some artic silver 5 on the cpu. dont apply to much though, theres a guide on it search on google.

 

[eVaoVe]

Just for the record, all I need to do to hit 2.5GHz is to raise FSB to 250 correct? I heard someone in another thread say something about setting the HTT to 4 instead of 5? Can someone explain that to me?

 

[jellysandwichx]

That's the HTT Multiplier.

-jellysandwich

 

[eVaoVe]

I'm lost =(. HTT x Multiplier = CPU speed correct? So for 2500MHz, its 250HTT x 10 Multiplier correct? I don't see where the 5 or 4 fit in?

 

[stelleg151]

HTT is just like FSB for P4- the multiplier, if at 4, when you OC to 250, will give you basically 1Ghz front side bus.

 

[Tiamat]

OP: Take a look at Crucial Ballistix. Ive read really good things about the PC3200 Low Latency one. It can hit 260fsb with 2.5-2-2 settings on normal voltages! Anandtech did a review a couple weeks back.

 

[ectx]

Are you sure any cg newacstle 3000+ can do 2.5ghz?

 

[eVaoVe]

Tiamat - The OCZ Gold Edition Rev2 also has 2.5 timings at 250Mhz but it's out of the box, and I'm not really an expert in ran so it's easier for me.

ectx - I heard a lot of people said that 2.5GHz is easily hit, but you need nice cooling. If I'm incorrect somoene please correct me, because I'm still learning.

Also the Multiplier for the Athlon 3000+ is at 10 right?

 

[BW86]

yes its at 10, i hit 2.5 pretty easily and im still using the stock heatsink

 

[Jhatfie]

2.5ghz is not gauranteed, but I'd say you have a very good chance of reaching it or maybe even higher as long as your motherboard and other components cooperate.

 

[Nyati13]

You will be adjusting the internal clock of the CPU. It is at 200MHz at default, but you will be wanting to raise that to 250MHz

SO <clock> = 250MHz

This will result in a CPU speed of <clock> X 10 (if using a 3000+) = 2.5GHz
the HTT will be at <clock> x4 = 1GHz (depending on the motherboard you buy, it might not be able to handle a 1GHz HTT speed)
if that HTT causes crashes, go to an HTT of <clock> x3

you're RAM will be running at <clock> x1 (DDR) which is PC4000

 

[eVaoVe]

How can I tell which motherboards can handle a 1GHz HTT? and is it important that it supports a 1GHz HTT?