I don't know what I'm doing (w/this P4 2.8)

[flamingsnoman]

Hi all. I've built my first comp and I'm interested in OCing it. Problem is, I know near nothing about OCing except that it boosts speed/performance, and it get you your money's worth 😉. It matters even more because if I really am going to OC, I'd be buying a MCX4000 HS (and for ~$38, I had better know what I'm doing! 😛 ). I hope someone replies....because this might help more people than just me 🙂. Anyways, here's my rig, to the most detail I can think of:


P4 2.8 533fsb 512 L2k
Asus P4P800 mobo (not deluxe :frown: )
Crucial PC2700 512mb RAM (just one stick, not on dual channel, not yet anyways....🙂)
Ati Radeon 9000 128mb w/DVI (OEM by "Manli"; nope, I've never heard of them either.)
Maxtor 80GB 8mb cache HDD
450W PSU (probably generic)
52x24x52 Lite-On CD-RW

Cooling [Air-cooled because water-cooled would make me poor]
Fan Controller
3 Case fans: 2 Exhaust, 1 Intake
Vantec HDD cooler
Round IDE cables
*I'm considering getting a PSU mod with a fan hole in it because my PSU gushes hot air after only 2 minutes.

Hope you can help me. Um....I'm 16, so don't use ginormous words please 😛, thanks,



Please take into account that my spelling and punctuation is good 😀.

 

[Excelsior]

Well since it is 3:55 AM, I will take the time to go: 😀:clock::disgust:😱:evil::gift::|

:Q:sun:😛:wine:😉
Ok Im done. Now to help you. With your setup you are going to be OCing by raising the FSB. Right now your front-side-bus is at 133 and your multiplier is 21 (you cant change the multiplier) You should make 150FSB easy. After that who knows. Never raise the voltage over 1.65, never. You should get past 3Ghz easily without changing the voltage. You also have memory rations. 5:4, etc...(FSB:RAM). By that you tell how fast the ram will be running. You should just run it 1:1 for the time being. Definitely get another stick of RAM. That chipset THRIVES on Dual Channel.

That is all. Good Luck.

 

[flamingsnoman]

I'm nocturnal.

Ok, I seem to understand the first part pretty well, raise FSB & try not to touch voltage. I don't understand the memory ratio thing though....

Haha, now i got more questions:

1) Seeing as I have a stick of Crucial RAM, will it be okay to run dual channel with a stick of Kingston (same PC2700 512mb stats)?

2) I've read about "going up 3 to 5 mhz at a time and raising voltage when you hit a wall". What is this? And am I supposed to do something like that? If so, how do I know whether or not it's stable enough to be run (when do i stop)?

Thanks for reading! 🙂

 

[Excelsior]

Dont worry about the mem ratio thing then, just keep it at 1:1 (there wll be a setting for 1:1 in the bios).

1) It may work fine, it may not. Just depends. The best thing to do would be get another crucial stick.

2) Well, in your case, you could go straight to 140Mhz, then go to 145Mhz, etc..doesnt necessarily have to be 3Mhz. The only way to test stability is by running prime95, doing heavy gaming, encoding video, etc.

 

[flamingsnoman]

Do I need an OS to run Prime95 and all those things? I'm getting XP Pro Corperate Ed. today from a friend. Also, I'm going to need to buy that heatsink, huh? Or will some Arctic Silver on the HS improve it? I'm using the stock HSF combo that came with the processor w/out thermal goo 😱. I've been trying to find out the airflow capacity of the HSF, but with no luck. It might matter, it might not....I don't know 😕

Whoops, forgot. I've left the system on for like half an hour and watched the temperatures in BIOS. Well, it's not pretty, the case/mobo temp is pretty cool, in the 80s, but the cpu levels out at 122ºF. Very.....not cool.

 

[flamingsnoman]

Well, I bought some AS3 from svc.com today. It should arrive tomorrow. I'm probably going to buy that heatsink around Christmas due to lack of funds :disgust:. Therefore, it's stock HSF for me now. Am I supposed to scrape off the black square of TIM thats on the heatsink then apply AS3, or apply it right on top of it? Furthermore, do I apply the stuff on the heatsink or on the processor?

Also, can I get a crash course on RAM timings and what "CAS" stuff is please? Thanks.

Sorry for all the questions, I'm very new at this. But hey, learning is good. 😀

 

[Excelsior]

Get rid of the black stuff on the heatsink, its no good. Apply the AS3 to the processor, (read the directions from either the AS you get or from the website on how to apply it correctly) It only needs a paperthin amount. The lower the Cas timings, the faster the RAM will run. With yours who knows how fast you'll be able to run it..Id just keep it at default. (2.5 , 2, 2, 7) something like that. If you notice the computer is unstable then lower the timings ( 2.5, 3 ,3 7) etc...

 

[flamingsnoman]

Hmm....according to the MOBO user guide, (2.5, 2, 2, 7) is (CAS# Latency, RAS# Precharge, RAS# to CAS# Delay, and Precharge Delay). Just wondering, but what's all that mean? (i.e. whats RAS and CAS stand for?). There's also a fifth thing: Burst Length [4 Clocks] [8Clocks]. And I know I'm gonna feel stupid just asking this, but what's a "clock" in computer language?

What's DRAM Idle Timer? Options: [Infinite] [0T] [8T] [16T] [64T] [Auto]

Should I set the DRAM frequency to 333mhz or leave it on auto?

Should I change the AGP frequency or leave it on auto?

Don't touch anything that says "Voltage", right? (don't worry, I'm not.)

Thanks for your help, again 😀.

 

[Excelsior]

No problem I dont mind helping. You dont really need to know what all that means, just know what to set it to, believe me. Clocks is how much is done per cycle. Set that at 8 I believe. Set the DRAM timer at idle. Set it to 333Mhz. AGP frequency should stay on auto, never need to change that. You shouldnt have to touch anything related to voltage just yet, right.

 

[flamingsnoman]

In my BIOS there's "Jumperfree Configuration" and it allows me to OC 5%, 10%, 20%, or 30%. Is this dependable? Or is it just newbie OC options?