Best O/C Options for Athlon XP 2100+ and EPoX EP-8K5A3+

[CYoung]

Yeah, I know. In hindsight, I probably would have been money ahead to just get a T-bred 1700+. But, at any rate, I got the 2100+. I also have two sticks of Crucial PC2700 on the mentioned EPoX mobo. I am not an experienced O/Cer, so I am looking for some advise as to the best route to take with my system to get the best potential out of it for graphics editing, CAD and a few games. Here is the whole system:

EPoX EP-8K5A3+ mobo
AMD Athlon XP2100+
2 x 512M Crucial PC2700 DDR
ATI Radeon 9500 Pro
2 x WD 80G Special Edition (8 meg cache)
Windows XP Home

Thanks in advance for any assistance or pointers to useful O/C info!

 

[Telsari]

Why the heck would you want to OC that rig? You'll get fine performance in anything... almost. Anyways, if you REALLY want to overclock it... starts first with the BIOS, it might have a few options to change FSB, multiplier, etc. Make sure you have a good HSF.

 

[CYoung]

Well, you have a point there! 🙂 Seriously, what I am really trying to do is get the best performance reasonably possible at the least amount of effort, since I have work to do! So, if the performance and stability gains make it worth fine tuning the configuration or upping the FSB or as a last resort unlocking the CPU, then it might be worth the effort to do it.

The mobo Bios provides a lot of overclocking features, although this particular EPox mobo may not O/C as well as some of the other ones do. BTW, I am using a Thermalright SK7 with a TT Smartfan II for cooling, plus an Antec AMD3700 with a single 120mm fan in the back + the PS Fan, of course.

 

[Blain]

The 8K53+ will support a 166MHz FSB with correct AGP/PCI speeds. You may get your 2100+ (13x133), to run on a 166MHz FSB. But you'd have to have the moon and stars in just the right and a strong tail-wind.
You might think about buying a Pre-Tested CPU or having them unlock your 2100+ for $15.