The cause of my problems

[Dorkenstein]

I had problems with blue screens and crashes galore and some people on here thought it might be overclocking, which I refused to believe. Well now I admit I was wrong, once I de-clocked my CPU I haven't had a single crash. Does turning your computer on and off several times with the power button cause harm? Also, how else (if possible) can I overclock and achieve the desired end? I had a Barton 2500+ running at 3200+ just by bumping up the FSB, which my 3200 memory needed. Now I'm back to 2500+, making my cpu a big bottleneck for my 6800 GT. Any suggestions are most welcome.

 

[Schadenfroh]

Does turning your computer on and off several times with the power button cause harm?

yes

 

[Dorkenstein]

I was afraid of that. Which component specifically does it damage? I had no choice because of the frequent BSOD's I had to restart it, but my reset switch doesn't work.

 

[MedicBob]

Don't worry about it if it isn't giving you any problems. By several times I take it to mean less the 10,000 a day?

Overclock slowly until just a lil bit unstable, then back down a bit.

 

[Dorkenstein]

Yeah that's the thing, I used the next highest FSB setting. There's nothing between what I have it set to now and 3200+. Maybe I should get a cheap mobo and sempron?

 

[tbalon]

What mobo are you running?

I have the ASUS a7n8x-dlx and am running a Barton 2500+ at 3200+ with Buffalo pc3200 memory and am completely stable at stock voltages.

You might try bumping up the voltages a bit in your bios if you can to help stablize your set up.

 

[Fern]

Originally posted by: Dorkenstein
Yeah that's the thing, I used the next highest FSB setting. There's nothing between what I have it set to now and 3200+. Maybe I should get a cheap mobo and sempron?

What mobo/ram/heatsink you got?

Maybe provide a link to you mobo manual. It may be that you're overlooking the setting in BIOS. You need to look for vcore adjustments too. I could only get my desktop to about 190 FSB which is roughly equivelant to 3000+ @ 1.75 vcore. Didn't have a enough HSF to get higher at the time.

 

[Dorkenstein]

I have a Vantec tornado for a HSF and plenty of case fans so I know it can't be heat. Tbalon, I'm running the same memory and chip you are.

Manual link is : http://217.160.208.211/soltek/...es75FRN2-AWARDBIOS.pdf

Hopefully if I can change some voltage settings I can overclock successfully.

It looks like right now it's at the default 1.100v and can go as high as 1.850v in 0.025v increments.

 

[AnonymouseUser]

First things first, I am not responsible if you fry any component! Do the following at your own risk.

Clear CMOS before doing anything else. This clears any settings you have made and resets everything to it's default value.

On page 16 of the pdf manual it states that you need to enable "Expert" mode for System Performance to enable FSB speeds from 100 - 250MHz, in 1MHz steppings. Set it for 200 and select "Aggressive" for CPU Interface. Leave the Memory Frequency at "Auto".

Next, go to the Smart Doc ABS settings (pdf page 28) and check your VCore voltage. That is your CPU's default voltage (actually, it's what your PSU is supplying the CPU based on the default voltage setting, but I digress), which is not 1.100v. Remember that value and go to CPU Ratio/Voltage Control. Set the CPU VCore Select to one step (0.025v) higher than the default value you noticed earlier. Leave everything else at the default setting. Press F10 "y" and reboot.

Now this will give you the 3200+ setting you were attempting earlier, except with slightly more CPU voltage and the "Aggressive" CPU Interface (intended for overclocking). Run some benchmarks and watch your temps. If it is unstable, go back into the BIOS and increase the CPU voltage 1 step (0.025v) at a time until it becomes stable, just don't push it too high (1.85v+ is intended for experienced users with the proper hardware).

Stop right there...

If you wish to try more overclocking, read this guide thoroughly.

 

[Dorkenstein]

Hmm, the way you describe it sounds like it isn't worth the risk involved. What are the chances of frying something?

 

[tbalon]

The only time you fry something is if you increase the voltage to the point where heat becomes a factor. That is why it is so very important to monitor the temps of your chip. This can be done through looking at the bios temps (some mobos have user set high limit shutdown settings as a safety precaution) or using a software program which will monitor the temps for you. ("Motherboard monitor" for example)

Most components are designed to work within a 10% variance so you should be safe bumping up voltages for your memory by that amount to help stabalize your machine.

 

[AnonymouseUser]

Originally posted by: Dorkenstein
Hmm, the way you describe it sounds like it isn't worth the risk involved. What are the chances of frying something?

It's really not too risky, provided you follow the instructions carefully. With the components you have being safely overclocked by many others, chances are slim, but anytime you run a component out of spec you run that risk. Just don't blame me if something does get damaged. Besides, you have stated that you already overclocked this setup and it was unstable. The steps I outlined above should help you to make it stable at the same speed you tried earlier.

I will soon overclock my wife's system using similar instructions on a Shuttle AN35N-Ultra and XP 2400+ (won't be able to do much with the PC2100 RAM, though). I know I run the risk of damaging something, but am prepared to live with the consequences if I do. Of course I have been a mild overclocker for 3+ years, so I am quite experienced at this and it is unlikely that I will damage something.

One extra step which will give additional protection (and one which I should have included above) is to enable Shutdown by ABSII in the SmartDoc Anti-Burn Shield section. Set it to the lowest possible value (75C). This will shut the system down if the CPU hits that temp, thus protecting your CPU from overheating.

 

[Dorkenstein]

The default was 1.64, I have it now set to 1.75 and things seem to be going OK.

 

[tbalon]

That a Boy!!!!!!

Remember to keep an eye on those temps...........

CLOCK ON!

 

[Dorkenstein]

OK quick update. As I was configuring my network today windows suddenly went black and the screen was filled with corruption and graphical errors. Does this mean I should try upping the Vcore?

 

[tbalon]

That almost sounds like a video card problem..... you might need to reload the drivers. If that does not help I would swap out the card and see if it does it again.

 

[Dorkenstein]

Hmm. If you're sure, I'm gonna try a new set of drivers. Hopefully the card isn't damaged. Does going from 1.64v to 1.75v sound like enough of a step?

It also happened immediately after I rebooted. I was using Detonator 65.73 and now I'm using 61.77.

 

[Dorkenstein]

Notorious B.U.M.P.

Is 1.75 from 1.64 enough of a jump?

 

[Fern]

Originally posted by: Dorkenstein
Notorious B.U.M.P.

Is 1.75 from 1.64 enough of a jump?

I take it you're referring to the cpu's vcore, and you wanna know if that's enough to be stable. Right?

If so, no-one can tell you that answer, each cpu is different. if 1.75v seems "stable", run Prime95 to test for stability. If it fails, up the vcore another notch and try P95 again. Keep an eye on temps.

I found my Barton would "max-out" after a while. By that I mean heat would go way up, but with little or no benefit from the extra vcore.

 

[Dorkenstein]

OK thanks. While I was at work, according to my father my computer locked up while on screensaver. He walked up to it, moved the mouse and it totally froze.

And another thing is that it did the graphical corruption trick again after work and again immediately after reboot. It also did it when I had set the clock and vcore back to normal. I am swapping in a Geforce 2 right now and I am getting little dots on the screen. Not permanent picture obscuring spots but little specks that pop on to the screen during bootup and then go away. Damaged AGP slot maybe?

 

[HappyCracker]

check Vagp. While messing with Vcore on an Abit board I have, the AGP voltage alarm started going off. I couldn't figure out why its voltage had gone up but after dropping things back down, it subsided.

 

[Dorkenstein]

Thanks for the suggestion. But I wonder why I get little spots during loadup with this GF2 I've swapped in. What about the Vagp should I change? I thought you should bring it up to make it stable.

 

[mechBgon]

What power supply is powering all of that, what brand & model? The Tornado's plugged straight into the PSU and not into the motherboard, right?

 

[Dorkenstein]

It's an MGE Vigor 500. And yes the tornado is plugged right into the PSU. Now that I've raised the Vagp I haven't gotten the artifacts for almost a day but I am getting frequent freezing.

 

[Dorkenstein]

Any more ideas? I also got a blue screen on shutdown. I will definitely start a fresh install of windows after I discern that the memory and graphics card aren't the problem.