should I try for more overclock?

[bignateyk]

Right now I have an epox 8RDA+ motherboard, XP 2400+ TBred, 2x512mb pc2700 Corsair Value Select. I am using an alpha pal 8045 HS (w/ arctic silver 3), but right now I only have a panaflo L1A on it, which doesnt push alot of CFM.

So far, I lowered the multiplier from 15 to 13, and raised the FSB from 133 to 173, so, it is at 2250 mhz, up from 2000 mhz stock. I am running it at 1.875 volts, and the ram and AGP are still at default voltages.

My load temps are about 57 degrees, which is pretty high. Once I get a new fan, they should go down.

Should I try for more, or should I just leave it alone? Also, will the processor crap out faster by running it at such high voltages?

-Nate

 

[Megatomic]

Do you NEED Vcore to be that high? I am running my Tbred "B" 2100+ at 190 x 11.5 for a total of 2195MHz (freq. is a little higher than it's supposed to be since 190FBS actually gets me 191, I don't mind) and my Vcore is only at 1.725V.

My loaded temp. is 54C using an HHC-001 with a quiet fan and Antec Reference thermal compound.

 

[bignateyk]

yeah I think my stepping is sh*t or something... it wont run stable in prime95 with anything less than that voltage... right now it is rock stable, but if I lower the voltage a notch, I get an error after like 4-5 400 iteration sets...

should I do less of an overclock, or is that voltage safe?

 

[Megatomic]

I think you might not want to run it faster then Nate. Not until you improve your cooling a bit.

What happens if you lower the FSB and raise the multiplier? Can you get a higher MHz with lower temps and voltages? As I see it, higher voltages increase the likelihood of failure, it certainly accelerates electron migration which, in effect, makes your cpu age faster.

 

[pillage2001]

1.875Vcore is pushing it.

 

[bignateyk]

I tried going with 13.5 x 166 = 2250 @ 1.8 volts, but it came off with a rounding error like 2 seconds into prime95. 13 x 166 = 2160 is stable at 1.8 volts, however. Wouldnt going to a lower fsb than 166 be sacrificing more performace then I would gain by the overclock?

 

[ChampionAtTufshop]

1.875v is high...too high imo
what is actual? (look under windows monitoring program...i think thers one for epox..if not mbm5 )

also, when you go lower vcore, how is the ram voltage?
ifits still at stock, give it more (2.7 or so)

 

[bignateyk]

The actual voltage is like .04 more I think. Is 1.8 volts ok to have? I will try upping the RAM voltage some...

 

[ChampionAtTufshop]

yeah 1.8 would give ya 1.84...which is ok ..but i dunno

personally, not over 1.8 actual lol
for testing the high end ill go high (been to 1.9) but for normal im not goin higher than 1.8

 

[bignateyk]

hmm well i tried raising the multiplier from 13 to 13.5, and then leaving the Vcore at 1.8 and raising the dimm core from 2.63 to 2.77, but I get illegal summout errors like 10 seconds into prime95

 

[ChampionAtTufshop]

sounds like its the limit unless ou wanna risk killing cpu

 

[Soulkeeper]

i had a t-bred go out on me while sitting at 1.85
looks like yur stepping really does sucks

ohh well 2.2ghz ain't a laughing matter
good job
but i would try to get the vcore to 1.8 if ya could fo long term use

 

[bignateyk]

ok well i have it at 13 x 168 right now at 1.775 Vcore (1.82 Actual), and 2.77 Dimm Voltage. Do you think I should try and get the core voltage lower than 1.82 actual?

 

[Megatomic]

Nate, the lower the better. Here's what I did when I overclocked my chip:

First I determined the max. speed in MHz of my CPU (I can get 2.4GHz at 133MHz FSB). Then I determined my max. FSB (195MHz so far). Then I determined the fastest CPU speed at the highest FSB with the lowest Vcore. I settled at 1.70V at 195FSB with a mult. of 11.5 for a total speed of 2250MHz.

Then, with a lot of experimentation, I set it to 190MHz FSB with a mult. of 11.5 for 2195MHz (POSTed speed) at default Vcore. I think I might stay there, at default Vcore at this speed I get 39C idle/48C 100% loaded with my ultraquiet HSF setup. This is the best of ALL worlds for me. I have a great o/c with very low temps. and my system is quiet.

 

[bignateyk]

ok well after a little (well, alot) more experimentation, here is waht ive come up with:

13.0 x 173 = 2249 Mhz @ 1.875 Vcore, 2.63 Dimm Voltage
12.5 x 173 = 2163 Mhz @ 1.725 Vcore, 2.77 Dimm Voltage
12.0 x 179 = 2148 Mhz @ 1.725 Vcore, 2.77 Dimm Voltage
12.0 x 181 = 2172 Mhz @ 1.750 Vcore, 2.77 Dimm Voltage
11.5 x 185 = 2128 Mhz @ 1.725 Vcore, 2.77 Dimm Voltage

When I tried running 11.5 x 187 the machine wouldnt post, and I had to reset the cmos, but it runs stable at 11.5 x 185. I think that the limits I was reaching on these lower multipliers could be because the dimm voltage is too low, maybe not though.

I guess my next question is, using the 1.725 Vcore, what is the best option, the 12.5, the 12, or the 11.5. Even though one has a higher total mhz, could it be that the one at the 11.5 multiplier would be the best performace due to the higher FSB?

Also, right now my corsair value select ram is at 7-3-3-2.5. Would it be worth trying to overclock that any? If so, what to?