Help me with my first overclock attempt, won't you?

[MisterRaven]

Hello all. I'm an overclocking newbie.

I'd like to push my Barton 2500+ from a 333Mhz FSB to a 400Mhz FSB. My mobo allows for adjusting the FSB speed easily enough, but I'm not sure if that's enough. Should I adjust voltage? If so, how much? What's the maximum safe temperature range that my processor should be running at? Anything else I should know or look out for?

Thanks in advance.

 

[BlueWeasel]

Assuming that's a a desktop Barton (not a mobile) then the default voltage should be 1.65v. Typically, when overclocking a higher voltage is needed to stabilize the processor at the higher speed. It varies for each processor, but a general rule of thumb is don't higher than 0.2v above the default voltage.

I'd start off by raising the voltage 0.05v t0 1.70v and see if you have stabllity problems. If not, then you might be able to run at 200 FSB using the default voltage. On the other hand, you might have to raise the voltage up to 1.75 or 1.80v. If you're using the stock AMD heatsink and fan, I wouldn't go any higher than 1.80v.

Depending on what speed of RAM you are using, you might have to bump the voltage up on the memory. Again, don't go any higher than about 0.2v and you should be fine.

As long as your loaded CPU temp stays less than 60C, you'll be fine. The Barton chips are good for 70-80C, but I start getting worried when it gets above 60C.

 

[Mik3y]

you dont really need to increase the voltage at all for that. the 3200+ and the 2500+ are the same chips and run at the same voltage. the only difference between the 2 are that the fsb is different. i've overclocked several desktop 2500+'s and it's always been stable at stock voltage and etc.

 

[MisterRaven]

Thanks for the responses!

I'm using the stock AMD hestsink/fan with some Arctic Silver 5. I'm using a gigabyte of Dual channel DDR which is actually rated to run at 400Mhz, but I've got it underclocked at the moment to match my 333Mhz FSB.

 

[MisterRaven]

Originally posted by: Mik3y
you dont really need to increase the voltage at all for that. the 3200+ and the 2500+ are the same chips and run at the same voltage. the only difference between the 2 are that the fsb is different. i've overclocked several desktop 2500+'s and it's always been stable at stock voltage and etc.

Stock cooling as well?

 

[MisterRaven]

Also, are there any programs I could use to test system stability and temperature under load after an overclock?

 

[Chopstick217]

Just use prime 95 and run the blended torture test. If your PC doesnt error for roughly 24 hrs, then you are good to go

 

[JeffreyY]

Originally posted by: MisterRaven
Also, are there any programs I could use to test system stability and temperature under load after an overclock?

Use motherboard monitor 5