Overclock Rookie...first step?

[slickg]

Hello,

This will be my first time attempting an overclock, how can I check if my Barton 2500 is unlocked? How exactly do you do an overclock with a barton 2500 on an Abit NF7-S Board? Sorry if this sounds like a dumb question but like I said I'm an overclocking rookie. I will of course wait until my Volcano 12 extreme gets here but I'm just wondering thanks!

 

[GotIssues]

What are the markings on the Barton, when did you buy it? There is a high probability that it is locked, so the only way you can overclock it is upping the FSB on it.

 

[BlueWeasel]

Unless you got the 2500+ before the end of November last year or bought it used, it's likely it's locked from the factory. All 2500's made after production week 39 are locked.

The Nforce2 boards that change the multiplier of unlocked Bartons in the BIOS. So an easy way to check if yours is in fact locked is to increase the multiplier (the default is 11.0x) and see if the clock speed increases as well. Otherwise, if it stays the same, the chip is locked (and I am 99% sure it's locked anyway).

Since it's locked, the only way to overclock is by increasing the FSB. The clock speed of a chip is determined by FSB times the multiplier. At default speeds, a 2500+ runs on a FSB of 166 at a multiplier of 11.0....

166 x 11.0 = 1830mhz

Since the multiplier likely can't be changed, you have to up the FSB. Hopefully, you'll be able to hit 200 x 11 = 2200 (3200+ speeds). You may have to bump the voltage to the chip in order to get it stable at the higher FSB. The default is 1.65v, but bump at 0.05v increments (1.80-1.85v max) to improve stability.

Also, I see in your signature that you're running PC2700 RAM, correct? As PC2700 is only designed to run at 166 FSB, it may hinder your overclock and may not be able to hit 200 FSB. You can also raise the voltage supplied to the RAM if the default isn't enough. The default voltage should be around 2.5-2.6v, but you can increase it to 2.8v as necessary. Kingston is a respectable manufacturer and you should get good results from the RAM.

Good luck!

 

[Neyd3400]

Take your time. Thats the best advice that I have.

 

[slickg]

Thank you for the great info! I just checked it out and the chip does seem to be locked. It does, however, let me change the chip from 2500 to 3200 and it worked like that...I was just experimenting so I changed it back since I am installing a Volcano 12, but when I did that it was running at 2.19 Ghz. Is that a bad idea/unsafe? It did work for the 10 min's that I tried it..the thing was also running at 38 C. But I didn't change any of the voltage so I will have to do that when I attempt. Does changing the chip to 3200 basically just change the FSB?

Thank you again for all your help! Very informative

 

[BlueWeasel]

Originally posted by: slickg
Thank you for the great info! I just checked it out and the chip does seem to be locked. It does, however, let me change the chip from 2500 to 3200 and it worked like that...I was just experimenting so I changed it back since I am installing a Volcano 12, but when I did that it was running at 2.19 Ghz. Is that a bad idea/unsafe? It did work for the 10 min's that I tried it..the thing was also running at 38 C. But I didn't change any of the voltage so I will have to do that when I attempt. Does changing the chip to 3200 basically just change the FSB?

Thank you again for all your help! Very informative

I am not familar with the NF7-S, but it appears that changing the chip to 3200+ simply raises the FSB to 200 (well, it's the only thing it could do ). If you are running at stock voltage, don't be afraid to use the stock AMD HS and fan until your volcano arrives, especially if your temps stay below 50C.

The next step is to use a program or game that loads the CPU to full usage. Most everyone 'round here uses the Prime95 torture test to check for stability, and you might also give MemTest a try to check for RAM errors. If you get errors in either of those programs when testing, you may have to bump the CPU and/or RAM voltage.

You could also load your favorite game and give it a go to check for stability (UT, UT2003, Call of Duty work great).

Congrats! So far, it appears you've got a 2500+ that hits 2.2ghz at or a little higher than stock voltage...

 

[slickg]

Thanks for the info!

Once again, very helpful. I am actually installing the Volcano 12 Extreme later today anyways so I'll just try all this after it's done. I'll try running that Prime95 test tonight while I'm sleeping since it takes some time. 2.19 Ghz for 90 bucks I'd say is a pretty darn good deal if it passes the test! I will, of course, let everyone know how the test went sometime tomorrow.

 

[adams828]

you should be fine, esp. with the volcano installed. i've been running my 2500+ @ 3200+ for about 2 months now on stock cooling, no problems at all. i did have to bump vcore to 1.7, but even then my max load temps are 54C (prime95), and seeing as the only stress i put on my system is playing CS, that doesn't bother me one bit

edit: just noticed you have pc2700.. make sure that your memory is running *in synch* with the fsb! (dunno if you already did that, thought just popped into my head)

 

[slickg]

How do you get your memory *In Synch* on the NF7-S? I've tried a few things and the memory still shows as DDR 333

What are your:
Memory Timings?
Memory Voltage?
CPU FSB/DRAM ratio?
CPU Interface (enable/disable)


Thanks!

 

[mato7742]

don't worry about anything with the barton, if you have performance pc3200, just go into manual settings and raise the FSB, that's all it is.

 

[slickg]

Thanks for the reply

I actually have PC 2700 memory I am just wondering how to run it faster to coincide with the FSB of the Barton. So they will be In Synch. How do you do that with the NF7-S? Thanks!

 

[Zebo]

Originally posted by: slickg
Thank you for the great info! I just checked it out and the chip does seem to be locked. It does, however, let me change the chip from 2500 to 3200 and it worked like that...I was just experimenting so I changed it back since I am installing a Volcano 12, but when I did that it was running at 2.19 Ghz. Is that a bad idea/unsafe? It did work for the 10 min's that I tried it..the thing was also running at 38 C. But I didn't change any of the voltage so I will have to do that when I attempt. Does changing the chip to 3200 basically just change the FSB?

Thank you again for all your help! Very informative

Good for you, most do get to 2.2ghz without problems, now you need to DL and run the following to see if your system is stable:

1. Memtest86 - a dos based memory tester. Memtest should run with no errors if you expect stability in your overclock.
2. SiSoftware SANDRA- burn in and general utility tester. Burn in for 20X all CPU mem and graphics tests. If it hangs it's unstable.
3. Prime95 for 5-10 hours. no errors no crashing will mean stable system.
4. 3DMark2001se about 5 x
5. GL Excess about 5x

If all goes well you have a perfectly stable system and may want to bump thigs up. If not, tone it down.

 

[slickg]

I'm sorry, Do I have to synch up the memory or not? If so how do you do that on the NF7-S, I can't seem to get the memory/don't know how to run more than 333 stock (PC2700) what settings should I change for that? Thanks!

 

[Fern]

To get your memory in synch, you must set the divider to 1/1, 2/2, 3/3, 4/4, 5/5 or 6/6 (Hmmm this seems familiar, did I answer this for you somewhere else?) Any way, I think it's in "Soft menu" or "Advanced Chipset Features" in the BIOS menu. (my manual and the rig an my sig are not nearby, so I'm going from memory)

I have luck by going right into Memtest86 after saving and existing from BIOS. I have memtest on a floppy and just put in while BIOS so I boot right to it. Only after passing it I go on to Prime95

 

[adelphi]

how bout ide corruption, another cardinal sign of oc instability?

or is it not common/possible w/ nf-7 w the pci/agp lock

does increasing multiplier on a locked barton mess up the bios?
(no dual bios like the gigabyte mobos)