Don't understand my K6-2 300

[Lynx3D]

My K6-2 300 won't run at anything higher than 333MHz. Temperature is definitely not the Problem, but that's not what makes me confused.
It runs at 2.2V at 333MHz (3.5x95). And even with 2.5V it will only beep if I switch to 3.5x100.
Okay, you could say it just doesn't make more. But with 4.5x83 (my Epox MVP3-E displays 366 instead of 375...) and 2.4V it nearly booted Windows, with 2.5V it booted, but crashed before I could do something.
Is there some explanation for this behaviour?
How far can I go up with the core voltage without risking my CPU?

(btw, I'm german, so excuse me if my english is too bad...and the K6 will have to make room for a Tbird anyway as soon as the 800MHz will be available here)

 

[SuperSix]

Is that a 100Mhz K62-300? Or a 66mhz model? Looks to me like it just doesn't like the higher FSB. Try 75xwhaterver and see what happens.

 

[Lynx3D]

It is a 100MHz K6-2 (I hope so at least!)
And it ran at 3x100MHz without any problem.

That's why I don't understand this behaviour...
Is there some AI in those Chips that fools me?

 

[BurntKooshie]

I assume you are running windows 98....windows 95 had a timing issue (get this: the K6-x chips execute the LOOP instruction TOO FAST for win95....hence problems with that OS, but those were corrected in win98), but that still doesn't explain the lack of ability to OC.

Early K6-x chips (most notably, the early 300's and 333's) didn't overclock that well. I would stay under 2.5 volts. Have you tried 5.5 * 66mhz? That will prove a performance DECREASE for many things, (lower bus speed), but it will at least show if its your CPU or not.

If that motherboard is the one I'm thinking of, you have FSB's of over 100mhz...perhaps try upping it to 103 if you have it? Or 112 even (That's about 333mhz, and with that bus setting, probably better than a 100 * 3.5 chip). If that doesn't even boot up, then you have other parts that just aren't up to snuff for the higher bus speed (and you'll have to play around more with some settings).

But, if you have it, i recommend trying a higher FSB and try OCing.

It may just turn out that you have already ( ) ) reached the limits of your particular chip.

 

[Lynx3D]

hmm...seems like there's no hope for me...but it stays lame anyway

Highest FSB is 100MHz, highest multiplier is 5 (although I had in mind Epox support for CPUs up to 550MHz when I ordered it...) And yes, I'm using Windows98(big mistake actually)
It's also an early K6-2, had to wait pretty long for it. According to the datasheet the absolute maximum voltage is 2.6V, but I don't think that's the real problem.

I'll better look out for some faster stuff, 3DS Max on such a weak FPU isn't much fun anyway.

But thanks for your help.
(who spoke the words "better tried and failed than never tried"?)

 

[rc5]

It might be a remarked 266Mhz k6/2

 

[Lynx3D]

I admit I never looked up what's written on my CPU, since it came ready mounted on the board with heatsink, wich is mounted with that white paste (don't know the english word for "Wärmeleitpaste&quot, so putting it off would be useless unless you clean the CPU und smear it on again afterwards...
But they would have delivered much faster if they had mounted a K6-2 266

Hey, I only know the joke "The day Microsoft makes something that doesn't suck is probably the day they start making vacuum cleaners."

 

[Rankor]

BurntKooshie

"....windows 95 had a timing issue (get this: the K6-x chips execute the LOOP instruction TOO FAST for win95...."

That only affected K6-2 and faster procs clocked @ 350 and above.
I was lucky. I had a K6-2 300 that would oc to 350. As soon as I did that in Win95 OSR 2. *Boom* Dl the patch. That was awhile ago.


Lynx3D

Curiousity...I would check the proc just in case It's either remarked or you got one that couldn't oc.

 

[Tominator]

It could just be the motherboard or another part of the system. I bought a K6-2 300 from Step-Thermo and it was guaranteed to hit 350. It never did, and I never found the cure.

 

[garrison]

the early K6-2 chips are not OC friendly cpus.
(maybe you can OC the 500 to 550).
they run very hot, and mine can't load win98 over the 333 (obtained lowering the FSB and rising the multiplier) even with higher vcore settings.
however the k6 is very sensible to FSB decreasing, for this reason the 333 is very slow, compared to the 300/100.
remember that the L2 cache is external to the chip (synchronous to the FSB), and running it at lower speeds is not a good idea.

SuperSix: the k6-2/300 is available only in the 100MHz version. There's no reason to sell such cpu, since the 300/100 is unlocked.

rc5: i exclude could be a remarked 266. simply the 300/100 don't overclock at all.

 

[Zephyr]

I never got my ol' K6-2 300 past 333Mhz either. But it was one of the really early ones so I have to admit I just left it at the one try, and went back down on 300Mhz.

 

[sandorski]

Yup, your cpu is probably just reaching it's limit, although it might go higher with a better quality power supply or newer mobo. I was able to run my old k6-2 300 at 375mhz with the occassional error, 350 was rock stable so that's where it stayed.

Since, as you point out, that the mobo reports the wrong speed when going to higher overclock, you may want to check Epox's site for a BIOS update.

 

[ObiDon]

I think there IS some sort of AI in those K6-2 processors. I have a k6-2/266 that will do 300/66 but won't even POST 300/60?!? What's with that?

Also, I'm pretty sure they made a processor that was marketed as K6-2/300 @66mhz FSB

 

[gtd2000]

They certainly did make a K6-2 300 with 66mhz FSB - I fitted one in my mates ASUS TX-97 motherboard ;-)
And guess what - it overclocks to 360Mhz and absolutely stable too!