How desirable is 'BURN IN' for athlon system?Answer, O pandits!

[unbiased]

Hi Druids,
I have finally got the parts and have assembled the system from scratch.I have read at many places that to enhance the stability of rpocessor it is desirable to 'burn it in' before overclocking and regular use. I have few questions for you pandits to help me. Please answer..
System:
Athlon XP 1700+(DUT3C)
A7N8X-Deluxe Rev.2.0(Bios-1005)
512 MB Kingston 333Mhz DDR
380 watt Antec Sonata Case
Samsung-SP0802N HDD
MSI GF4MX440-8X
ASUS-48X CDRW

the Questions are..

1) Is burn In desirable? If so what is the most common way?
2) I read somewhere that to burn in one should run the proc at minimum multiplier and voltage should be raised to such value as to remain below 50 degrees c. proc temp. But the question is if the mobo has lowest multiplier at 5 then if I increase the FSB to 166 to synchronize with my ram then at lowest multiplier the CPU speed will be 830 MHz. Is it OK to run at this speed?
3) I am using the bundled HSF.Is it OK to overclock a bit? How much(max temp)?Alternatively which HSF to use? My mobo has some capacitors very near the cpu socket.
4) I have an option between Atlon 1800+(DLT3C) and Atlon 1700+(DUT3C) for the same price. Which one to go for. I am going to overclock just a bit.Why I have decided to go for a lower speed proc is to be able to run at lower temps and if need be overclock a bit for some time.Ambient temps at my place are usually high.In the region of 30 deg c.

Will some shamaan please enligten me. Thanks in advance.

4)
2)

 

[lchyi]

There is no such thing as "burn-in". You don't break in electrical components like a baseball glove. Trust me it's a myth. The only "burn-in" I know of is allowing the thermal grease to set in. And that just requires time.

 

[pspada]

Burn in is bull. It works or not, that's it.

 

[SickBeast]

Just get a priest to bless your chip.

Seriously, I don't think that anyone on here can definitively state whether or not burn-in does anything. If you're willing to spend a few days with your computer running hot and slow for the sake of 33mhz in extra clock speed, be my guest.

 

[dguy6789]

it is a fact that you can NOT burn in any cpu you buy. yes running it widens electircal paths. But, you cannot widen them by burning them in yourself, the factory burns them in at a level of stress beyond anything you or i could on the processor. If it was just made and given to you, then you could burn in, or widen electical paths, but they are already as wide as they can be gotten to. So there is NO such thing as a user buning in the cpu.

 

[dullard]

As others have said, the CPU you get is as burned in as it will ever be. However poorly applied thermal greese will expand/contract with thermal oscillations and partially fill in cracks you might have missed. This requires the CPU to cycle from hot to cold as happens normally for most people's use over time. Of course properly applied greese won't need to fill in missed cracks and crevices...

 

[ReiAyanami]

you can do anything you want with gasoline

 

[bootoo]

I'm looping my new system w/ 3dmark2001 - 1700+ dlt3c, epox 8rda+ (thanks pspada for advice), buffalo ddr400 - but only to cure the thermal grease and make sure things are stable before I go overclocking unknown parts. I've read good and bad about burnin - mainly bad which is why I picked a semi-safe program. If everything were new I don't know that I'd do this every night when I go home.

Can't wait till it's "stable" in my eyes (Friday night watch out - my whining here will begin).

 

[pspada]

It's always a good idea to run at stock for a day or two, just to ensure that there are no non-overclocking related problems before you start stressing the system. Expect to see you @ 2.2gig and 400fsb by the end of the weekend, tho.

 

[Jeff7181]

Where's the guy who works for Intel... he explained why "burn-in" is a myth very well one time before.

 

[unbiased]

Thanx a mill to all of you,
I have abandoned the idea of Burning in etc. But none of you have answered my question about which processor to go for.
Athlon 1700+(DUT3C) or Athlon 1800+(DLT3C)? Both are same price.Can anybody tell me.

 

[Jeff7181]

I'd go for the 1800... even if it doesn't overclock AT ALL... it'll run cooler and be faster than the 1700 if it doesn't overclock at all.

 

[Duvie]

Originally posted by: Jeff7181
Where's the guy who works for Intel... he explained why "burn-in" is a myth very well one time before.

I think you mean PM...He may have been added to the AT FAQ about just this topic....Taken from an expert this is a myth and many are sadly mistaken. He has science and experience in the actual field behind him...