First Time OC'er Looking for Help Here Too!

[Gibberish]

First, let me tell you about what I have:
- DFI AK76-SN Rev. A+ mobo,
- 256MB PC2100 Crucial RAM.

Now, let me tell you what I'm going to buy next:
- AMD 1.4 GHz TBird 266 FSB,
- A cooler/heatsink/fan/whatever.

And finally, I will ask my questions:

- Question 1: What kind of CPU do I want? I'm confused by this whole "Y" variety. And is "AYHJA" the same thing? And what is "stepping" on an AMD? I've heard you can get a better gain with the "Y" variety. An AMD 1.4@1.7 is not unreasonable, I'm told. Basically, I want someone to tell me what all the different choices for an AMD 1.4 GHz TBird 266 FSB there are. And where I can get that specific one for cheap (definitely OEM). (Newegg.com?)

- Question 2: My mobo has a CPU frequency ratio setting and a CPU core voltage setting. If I want to OC my CPU to 1.7GHz, what will my ratio and my voltage need to be set at? Furthermore, how do you know that's what it will be set at?

- Question 3: What's the difference between a cooler and a heatsink, or is "cooler" just a generic term for both the heatsink and the fan? What should I buy if I want the best price/performance ratio? Keep in mind I want to OC my 1.4 to 1.7 GHz. I'm not too concerned about noise level, unless it's REALLY loud.

- Question 4: When I unlock my AMD, how do I do that? Someone actually SPELL it out for me (not literally). When you say pencil it in, do you mean just draw a line between them using any old pencil? Or must it be a #2 pencil, etc. I'm serious. I know you're laughing, but I don't care. I want this done RIGHT. Also, just using a pencil like that doesn't sound very stable. What else could I do that would be more stable? Or is it really stable enough? HELP!

- Question 5: When I OC my CPU, do I need to start at 1.6, test it out, go to 1.65, test it out, then go to 1.7 and test it out? Or something like that? How should I do this?

- Question 6: I've never heard of OCing RAM. Someone explain the process. Is it stable with the Crucial brand? Do I need some additional fans or something?

- Question 7: I've never heard of OCing the FSB either. In fact, I've only heard of OCing the CPU. So someone tell me anything else I should consider while building this system. What kind of power supply am I going to need with all this OCing going on? Figure in a CDRW, CDROM, soundcard, and a GeForce 2 MX400.

*AARGH!* So many questions!

Thanks a TON everybody! If there's anything else I'm forgetting, just go ahead and tell me about it. Also, if you can only answer one or two of my questions, just answer those. I don't expect one person to answer everything. (Although I'm sure there will be some who do.)

Thanks again!

 

[h0vic]

1) Stepping, in theory, is the markings on the chip indicating its quality. It's only a theory because AMD does not release this kind of information to the public. Through many testings, AYHJA seems to be the best at overclocking. There is no guarantee you will get a chip with this stepping especially from an online vendor. You can try going to a B&M computer store that sells OEMs and ask if you can choose the one you want.

2) Total speed = mutiplier x bus frequency. Bus frequency affects the PCI and AGP ports so setting it too high will cause your PCI cards to not work therefore your system will not boot. You will have to mess around with the voltage. Set it only high enough so that your system is stable, but don't set it higher than

3) Cooler: something that cools (could be anything). HSF: heatsink/fan (what you need for you CPU). I'm not too up to date with the current HSFs, but look for brands like Alpha, Globalwin, Kaine (Hedgehog), Switech, Silverado, ... Copper HSFs are very popular and effective.

4) Using a #2 pencil to connect the L1 bridges works, but the marks will fade and you will have to pencil it in after about 1-3 months (varies). The most stable, but permanent way is to use a magnetic pen.

5) You can do whatever way you want, but the best way is to go slowly and increase the speed by about 50-100MHz until the system is not stable/doesn't boot, then lower it bit by bit until you way the maximum speed your system is stable at.

6) OCing RAM is related to ocing your bus frequency. Crucial RAM can go up to about 150MHz. You don't need fans for this, but there are RAM sinks available (not necessary).

7) Look at Q#2 for answer. You will need at least a good 300W power supply. A true 300W PS costs at least $30. I recommend Enermax, but there are many others. Checking out AMD's approved PS list is a good item too.

There is a lot of information in the "CPU/Processors and Overclocking" forum about this stuff!

 

[FlippyBoy]

<< - Question 1: What kind of CPU do I want? I'm confused by this whole "Y" variety. And is "AYHJA" the same thing? And what is "stepping" on an AMD? I've heard you can get a better gain with the "Y" variety. An AMD 1.4@1.7 is not unreasonable, I'm told. Basically, I want someone to tell me what all the different choices for an AMD 1.4 GHz TBird 266 FSB there are. And where I can get that specific one for cheap (definitely OEM). (Newegg.com?)
>>


basically, as the manufacturing takes place, amd engineers monitor the process and find ways to improve it. each improvement is a different "stepping." i dont know where you can go to get a guaranteed "y," but newegg has an excellent price on the ayhja stepping.



<< - Question 2: My mobo has a CPU frequency ratio setting and a CPU core voltage setting. If I want to OC my CPU to 1.7GHz, what will my ratio and my voltage need to be set at? Furthermore, how do you know that's what it will be set at?
>>


this is all done in the bios. the default voltage for a tbird is 1.75 volts. with that voltage you should be able to hit at least 1.5 with an ayhja 1.4 tbird. to get higher, you will probably need to go to 1.85 or higher (if your motherboard supports it, but most only do 1.85 max). make sure you only increase the voltage if you have to, as increased voltage will decrease chip life, especially if you dont have adaquate cooling.



<< - Question 3: What's the difference between a cooler and a heatsink, or is "cooler" just a generic term for both the heatsink and the fan? What should I buy if I want the best price/performance ratio? Keep in mind I want to OC my 1.4 to 1.7 GHz. I'm not too concerned about noise level, unless it's REALLY loud.
>>


anand just did a review of coolers (which is just a general term for any device that cools) and he found the thermalright sk6 to be the most efficient. the fan you choose is up to you. the more powerful ones do make more noise, and the most powerful one (the delta fan) is ridiculously loud (beleive me, i know). you'd be pretty lucky to find a chip that hits 1.7 (most do 1.5 - 1.6), but if you do, this heatsink should cool it adequately.



<< - Question 4: When I unlock my AMD, how do I do that? Someone actually SPELL it out for me (not literally). When you say pencil it in, do you mean just draw a line between them using any old pencil? Or must it be a #2 pencil, etc. I'm serious. I know you're laughing, but I don't care. I want this done RIGHT. Also, just using a pencil like that doesn't sound very stable. What else could I do that would be more stable? Or is it really stable enough? HELP!
>>


you'll see on the surface of your chip, a series of bridges with a label that reads "L1." these need to all be electrically connected. the most permanent way to do that is with conductive ink. i use a needle with some conductive ink (taken from a conductive pen) on the tip to apply it. however, from what i hear on these forums, all 1.4 chips are already multiplier unlocked, so you wont have to worry about them.



<< - Question 5: When I OC my CPU, do I need to start at 1.6, test it out, go to 1.65, test it out, then go to 1.7 and test it out? Or something like that? How should I do this?
>>


I would strongly reccomend you go that route. it will help you become more familiar with what exactly your chip can do, as well as the quirks of your motherboard (all motherboards have quirks you will have to deal will and learn to love).



<< - Question 6: I've never heard of OCing RAM. Someone explain the process. Is it stable with the Crucial brand? Do I need some additional fans or something?
>>


ocing ram is the same thing as ocing the fsb. the ram's speed is the front side bus. when you overclock your ram, you are also increasing all of the system busses in your computer. this means the pci bus, the isa bus, and all your peripherals are running faster. when you overclock your fsb, you need to make sure you have high quality components that can handle the extra speed. network cards and scsi cards are notorious for preventing high front side bus speeds. most will say that overclocking your fsb is more important than overclocking your cpu, because it increases your memory bandwidth, as well as all the peripherals in your system. i agree.



<< - Question 7: I've never heard of OCing the FSB either. In fact, I've only heard of OCing the CPU. So someone tell me anything else I should consider while building this system. What kind of power supply am I going to need with all this OCing going on? Figure in a CDRW, CDROM, soundcard, and a GeForce 2 MX400.
>>


like i said above, fsb is your sytsem speed. as far as a power supply, a quality 300watt power supply will do fine. there are those on this forum that argue you cant run such a powerful machine on anthing less than 350-400, but i've seen it done, many times. if you have any doubts as to whether or not a power supply is good enough, go to www.amd.com, and look for their approved power supply page, where they list all the power supplies that they have tested and found to work well with the athlon.



If you have any more questions, let us know, and we will do our best to answer them!