Got my 2.6c...good batch or no?

[Tullphan]

Pack date of 10/19/03...FPO/BATCH # L338A985...Version # C30469-006...Prod. Code: BX80543PG2600DSL6WS
(Made in Malaysia)
It also says 1.525V max on the box label...is this normal?
For the time being it's gonna use the stock hs/f w/the stock thermal compound...can I overclock with that well?
What do y'all use for a monitoring program? Is MBM about the best?
Thanks!

 

[Shimmishim]

well.. pop that baby in and let it fly!

yes, it's normal for the box to say 1.525 max

... sl6ws is fine...


you should be fine with stock cooling up to 3.2 to 3.3 ghz? something aroudn there you'll have okay temps...

for monitoring yeah you can use mbm or the one tha tcomes with your motherboard...

i use both..

 

[Sunny129]

there aren't really any bad batches of this CPU anyways. everyone is either getting the SL6WH or SL6WS, and most are having successful OCs between 3.0GHz and 3.23GHz on air no problem.

 

[bacillus]

I can only get 3.12GHz stable using 1:1!

 

[Duvie]

Originally posted by: bacillus
I can only get 3.12GHz stable using 1:1!

What do you get running 5:4??? Don't fall prey to that myth of you have to have 1:1 or you need hundreds more of mhz to make i up....

1:1 to 5:4 on my system in the many of apps I ran made very little difference and I would have need 3.15-3.18ghz cpu at 1:1 to equal my low cas 2 5:4 at 3.2ghz....

Max stable 1:1 (233fsb)= 3.033ghz with pc3500 Geils at cas 2.5,8,3,3

Max stable 5:4 (246fsb) w/ 1.58v = 3.2ghz with 394 cas 2,7,3,3, CPC enabled

 

[Tullphan]

How can I go about overclocking this?
It's in an IS7 w/a 512mb PC3500 HyperX kit and a 9700 Pro.

 

[bacillus]

Duvie, I'm using OCZ pc3700 gold which has no problem doing ddr500.
seems like I just didn't get the best of cpus this time around!

 

[Sunny129]

Originally posted by: Tullphan
How can I go about overclocking this?
It's in an IS7 w/a 512mb PC3500 HyperX kit and a 9700 Pro.

well PC3500 probably won't OC as far as PC3700, and it certainly will not OC to PC4000 or PC4200 speeds without using very loose timings. so you're probably better off running it with a 5:4 divider. for instance, at an fsb of 231mhz, memory will be at DDR466 = PC3700 speeds (roughly 466mhz) on a 1:1 divider. that might be the way to go if your PC3500 OCs to those speeds. but if it doesn't, 231mhz fsb will put memory at DDR370 = PC3000 speeds. while this is significantly lower than the memory colck on a 1:1 divider, the tighter timings you'll be able to use at this lower clock might justify using the 5:4 divider. but you will have to test both instances to see for yourself. by the way 231mhz fsb is just a hypothetical OC that will put the 2.6C @ 3.0GHz. if you want to go higher than that, just follow the same method to see which memory setup performs best for you at that particular OC.

 

[Tullphan]

Would the extra $35 for the PC4000 kit be worth it performance-wise?

 

[Tullphan]

Ooops...double post...sorry.

 

[User1001]

If you think your mem is holding u back. Question: If you want the agp and pci bus to stay the same (spec settings) do you need to use a divider other than 1:1.

 

[Sunny129]

Originally posted by: Tullphan
Would the extra $35 for the PC4000 kit be worth it performance-wise?

No...in most real world games and applications, lower clocked memory with tighter timings has proven to perform just as well as higher clocked memory with loose timings, and in some cases outperforms the higher clocked memory. so if you can save a few extra $$$ by purchasing low latency PC3500 or PC3700 over PC4000 or PC4200, i'd suggest doing that.

 

[Tullphan]

Ok, so with this IS7, what's the best way to start my overclocking journey?

 

[Sunny129]

start with a modest goal, say, 3.0GHz. because the multiplier is locked on a P4, it will take an fsb of 231MHz to OC the 2.6C to 3GHz. or if you'd like to start off higher, just remember the multiplier on your 2.6C is 13. the higher the clock, the more voltage a CPU needs to remain stable. that's why i suggest starting off moderately, so you don't have to start above defualt voltage. if you're happy with the OC, great. if not, and you want to push farther, raise the fsb in moderate 5mhz or 10mhz intervals until a failure occurs. then raise voltage to try and get rid of any instability, OR bring the clock back down to the last stable speed.

*edit* - this is a learning experience, so take advice, but don't let anyone hold your hand through the process. i think you'll find it more self-gratifying in the end.

 

[jiffylube1024]

Let me consult my crystal ball...

 

[Tullphan]

Originally posted by: jiffylube1024
Let me consult my crystal ball...

Funny.

I started out w/a FSB of 232, upped the cpu voltage to 1.65 & the ram to 2.75 w/settings at 2-3-3-7 and a 5:4 ratio.
It lasted all of 1 min on prime95.
I changed the ratio to 1:1 & then got data corruption along w/1 min of prime95.
Useful suggestions or comments?

 

[Sid59]

and what would the OP do if anyone said he had a bad batch? return it before he opened it?

imo .. just oc it and see what happens. You aren't guaranteed an OC.

 

[Tullphan]

Originally posted by: Sid59

imo .. just oc it and see what happens. You aren't guaranteed an OC.

I tried overclocking it...the results are in the post before yours.
I realize i'm not guaranteed an overclock, btw. But I also wonder what percentage of these 2.6c's will only do 2.6?

 

[lxie123]

I don't know what percent of 2.6 will ONLY do 2.6.


But in my own experience i went through 5 cpus ( 2.6c) before i got 1 that did 3.25+
So my success rate in getting a good 2.6c is 20%.....

4/5 or 80% of chips I received failed to meet my oc expectations of 3.25 at any voltage, most of them were ok arround 3.0c though.


3 of then had very similar fpo , so that dragged down the percentage.
those 3 had same plant/ week/stepping too.

the current one craps out arround 3.5 even at max voltage.. does everything except pass prime95.. so i'm running it at 3.4

 

[Tullphan]

Well, I thought i'd see just how bad it was & ran prime95 @ stock speeds & it did ok. Then I bumped it up to 2.81 & it did ok as well, but it's still not what I was hoping for.
I'm also surprised at this HyperX PC3500...I had to set it at 2.5-3-3-8 to get 2.81...I didn't think i'd have to go that high for that memory since it's rated at CL2.