Overclocking opteron 144

[bladefd]

Hey, I am just about to setup an opteron 144 with Epox 9NPA+ Ultra mobo and was wondering where should I start if I want to overclock. I want the CACJE cpu to go from 1.8 GHz to 2.2-2.4 GHz.
(1)Is there any step by step guide for overclocking it? I have seen some opteron 144's go up to 3.0 GHz just on air-cooling but I won't push the cpu ANYWHERE close to that. 2.2-2.4 is more than enough for me.

(2)I will be playing games such as Battlefield2, FEAR and stuff with this setup along with a eVGA 6800 GS videocard. Will the extra 400-500 MHz give me an increase in fps? Approximately how much? 20? 30?

(3)Does overclocking by 400 MHz or so take away any life from the cpu? I will be running this setup for about 1.5 years without any videocard/cpu/mobo upgrade and I don't want any kind of problems in that time - I want complete stability and no overheating that would crash the computer. Also, as a side-note, I will be using the stock fan/heatsink that comes with the opteron 144 if anyone was wondering.

Thanks guys again. If there is any more info any of you need, let me know. I am setting up the stuff right now and I posted so I might get an answer before I install windows xp on it. Again, thanks.

 

[Bobthelost]

1) Yes, check the overclocking forum.

2) Depends on your GPU, maybe a few, but not all that much. Definitly not 20/30, maybe 2/3?

3) Not much, if you don't run it too hot or have to overvolt then the lifespan won't be noticably reduced.

 

[duragezic]

You should be able to get 2.2 ghz with no heat or instability issues. If you do run into instability and can't get it fixed with small adjustments, just back it down. A faster system doesn't do any good if it crashes all the time. It won't do any damage. People run highly overclocked systems for 3 years+ without issue. I guess you could say it takes a little bit of life off the CPU, but when they're made for 10-15 years that doesn't matter one bit.


2.2ghz is a very modest overclock for an Opty but I do think it is worth it. I run a 400mhz overclock on my Barton XP (1.8 to 2.2ghz) and it is definitely worth it. The 400mhz translastes into a 2400+ into a 3200+. I couldn't imagine having just a 2400 when a 3200 is slow as it is.

 

[Wentelteefje]

1) AT Overclocking Forum (or tons of others around the Web)...

2) Yeah, it should do very fine... They are reasonably powerful... Try overclocking the GS as well, they are very good in it, and it'll give an additional speed boost... Some 5 - 10 fps I'd say, depending on the game...

3) Not if you're not going to exaggerate and pumping high voltages through your processor... It will last longer than the 1.5 years you're talking about... Stock HSF (with the heatpipes?) is pretty good, and will cool of sufficiently... Silence is another thing however...

Test stability with Prime95 and OCCT afterwards...

 

[bob4432]

Originally posted by: Wentelteefje
1) AT Overclocking Forum (or tons of others around the Web)...

2) Yeah, it should do very fine... They are reasonably powerful... Try overclocking the GS as well, they are very good in it, and it'll give an additional speed boost... Some 5 - 10 fps I'd say, depending on the game...

3) Not if you're not going to exaggerate and pumping high voltages through your processor... It will last longer than the 1.5 years you're talking about... Stock HSF (with the heatpipes?) is pretty good, and will cool of sufficiently... Silence is another thing however...

Test stability with Prime95 and OCCT afterwards...

stock hsf for 144 has no heatpipes, it looks just like a regular aluminum hsf, like a p4 or xp, just larger

 

[CalamitySymphony]

Wow, i mean an opteron 144... 2.6 should be guaranteed.

I remember old winchesters could do 2.4-2.5 guaranteed, i can't imagine these new opterons doing anything less.