Help with first OC

[abtomat74]

3000+ Winchester
2x1024 Corsair Value
MSI K8N neo4-f


I just want to do a simple 20% OC by making the FSB to 240. I do not want to mess with voltages yet, or memory timing if necessary.
Please correct or add to anything I miss below:

set HTT to 240
change HT from 5x to 4x
set SPD to 5/6 or 166
what about locks on SATA ports and PCI? How?

I am using the stock HS/fan and non OC'ing memory, this is why I want to keep it as simple as possible. Also, I can always learn more later and go from there.

I figure since the memory is being run exactly as normal, I shouldn't have to touch the timings or mem voltage correct?

Is it really this simple for what small OC I want, or am I missing something very important?

 

[Geomagick]

Firstly a 20% overclock is not really a small overclock it will usually involve more than simply chaning what you have listed above.

I would have a look here first.

Once you have read this you will be much better informed about overclocking the A64.

 

[n7]

For locking the PCI-e/PCI, there should be some option in the bios.
PCI-e speed is 100
PCI speed is 33.33

I'm not sure if all the SATA ports are locked on that mobo, but i would use 3 & 4, as it seems those are the ones that are on most mobos.
Really though, someone else with that mobo should come along.

 

[nick1985]

Originally posted by: George Powell

Firstly a 20% overclock is not really a small overclock

i think 20% is small, but maybe its because i have a 50%...

 

[theMan]

i dont know where the locks are. but, make sure you do the changes slowly, 10mhz at a time or less, the computer doesnt like sudden changes, also you might need to boost your vcore a little bit, so if it doesnt post, just increase it 1 increment untill it does. you shouldnt need that much, i raised min .25v to do a 20% i think. that cant possibly hard the processor, and wont change the heat output too much. i would just let all the timings stay on auto, unless the auto is less than the rated values, which is very common. then you should change to the rated values.

 

[abtomat74]

Well I did everything I mentioned in the first post...before you guys replied. Just got a black screen, so cleared CMSO with the little button and left it alone for now.

When in the BIOS I noticed an auto overclock option with military rankings for names, like Private, Sergeant, etc etc up to an 11% OC. Is anyone familiar with this MSI feature and if so can you tell me exactly what this overclocks? ram? CPU?

 

[Elfear]

Originally posted by: abtomat74
Well I did everything I mentioned in the first post...before you guys replied. Just got a black screen, so cleared CMSO with the little button and left it alone for now.

When in the BIOS I noticed an auto overclock option with military rankings for names, like Private, Sergeant, etc etc up to an 11% OC. Is anyone familiar with this MSI feature and if so can you tell me exactly what this overclocks? ram? CPU?

I'm not sure what it oc's exactly, but I imagine it overclocks the ram and cpu and probably bumps the voltages a bit. It's not a very good option since it can throttle back the overclock if it feels the need. You'll learn a lot more ocing it manually, it won't throttle back on you, and you'll be more stable if you do it right.

 

[theMan]

the black screen occured probably becuase A. you didnt set the pci lock and B. because you cant set it that high all at once, like 5-10mhz at a time on the fsb. that way, you know when you need to bump up the voltage slightly. dont use those auto settings, i tested it with my mobo once, and it set my vcore at 1.7 to do a 10% oc!!! it could have killed my proc if i didnt notice right away.

 

[GuitarDaddy]

A 20% overclock on default vcore is rare. Keep the same settings and bump the vcore.

Don't worry about killing your CPU durring testing, not going to happen! It takes extreme!!! vcore to kill a chip suddenly. High vcore can damage your CPU over a long period of time, but its quite alright to set the max vcore on your board for testing, unless you have a board like the DFI that allows insane vcore. I run my board on the max vcore(1.57-1.58 per CPUZ) setting 24/7 on good air cooling. Watch your temps while testing under load, as long as they stay under 60c your okay.

Common testing procedures

1. Default vcore- start with a small o/c like 2-5% and increase in small increments, testing for stability as you go up. The max overclock on defaualt vcore is theoretically free perormance increase with zero risk of damage, this is a setting I would use for 24/7 use if you dont need/want high performance levels, but you want maximum longevity(Grandma's computer)

2. Max overclock - set vcore to max (usually 1.55-1.60) as reasonable temps allow. Same testing as above, small increments and stability testing. I recommend this setting for people who upgrade their computers every 2-3years and demand the best performance.

CPU's are mechanically built to last a long time(I have a couple that are over 20 yrs old and still work), but they become technologically obsolete in a relitively short period of time 3-5yrs. So if overclocking cuts the life in half who cares. My second rig is an old Tbird 1.4ghz thats been overclocked for 5 1/2yrs on max vcore and is still rocking.
IMO overclocking extends the "usefull life" of a CPU

 

[abtomat74]

OK

I did not find anything concerning "locks" in the BIOS, but there was a pci-e setting which was at default of 100mhz. Am I to assume this is the pci-e lock? And keeping it at 100 is locking it at 100?

If so, then where are the regular pci locks?

I am using SATA port 3, disabled 1+2...

Also read something about getting max fsb of 219 on neo4 mobos with winchester cores, that could also have been the problem.

So I am ready to try this again when you guys tell me how to lock the locks and where they are in the BIOS.

 

[Aenslead]

SATA Ports 1 and 2 on nVidia chipsets are not locked. Change to 3 and 4; increase the latencies on the memory or use a 133Mhz divider.

You should be able to reach at least 250Mhz FSB with that.

 

[Aenslead]

Also, Zebo has a quick and dirty OC guide to A64 chips. You should read it.