Time to overclock my XP2100+!

[bluemax]

UPDATE: The system below is now running 100% stable!

Shuttle MN31N - nForce2 with IGP and Soundstorm
AMD XP 2100+ (AXDA T-bred core) w/ stock retail fan
120GB Western Digital w/ 8mb cache.
2x 256MB DDR400 Samsung = 512MB Dual-channel.
(memory timings currently 9-4-4-3 as suggested, soon to go up...)

Using onboard video (2x VGA!) and sound to my complete satisfaction!

I *was* having horrible disk errors and constant crashing... all because of one bad memory stick.
New stick; memtest ran 17 passes with 0 errors. All is now well.

Now it's only a matter of fine-tuning the memory settings to get as high as I can....
...or leave memory timings a little looser so I can take my 2100+ 133/266FSB processor up to 166/333! (Or should I not overclock when using the onboard video?)

Again, many thanks for the great suggestions and help! It's sure nice to have a stable system, and GOSH it was CHEAP! So little cash for so much awesome machine!

 

[bluemax]

Okay.... so far so good.

The difference? At the BIOS level I chose "fail-safe defaults" for just about everything.
Yeah it's a little slower, but so far it's STABLE. I'll creep it up from here...

This is the first time I ever experienced DISK errors from a motherboard though.... :frown:
It's enough to make me want a non-overclockable, Intel-based Dell machine again!

.... well... not quite.

 

[bluemax]

Still #@$%^$^ unstable.... what am I doing wrong??

 

[bluemax]

Bump for an updated front page.... still wonky. :|

Just about ready to ditch it and go with something else.

 

[PanzerIV]

Are you sure it's the mobo and not the RAM causing you problems? Certainly sounds suspect. I would test those modules out. Perhaps by changing the defaults on board you went with relaxed memory timings so you're experiencing less difficulty. It won't hurt anything to test them and rule that out as one possible suspect.

 

[Markfw]

Make sure your memory is set to CAS3, and at least 3 and 3 for the other 2 settings, but 8 or 9 for the big one. or 3-4-4-9 would be one short way of putting it. If that doesn;t fix your problems at stock speed, then it could be a power supply issue. I have had this problem with several motherboards, but the Nforce is the worst in this area. They seem to need very fast ram, and sometimes won't run at rated speeds. (CAS2 needing to be set to CAS 2.5 or 3 !!)

 

[Mem]

Could be faulty ram? Try Memtest 86 from here ,have you tried changing your IDE cables as well and different HD if possible,you`ve to start ruling out hardware and take it from there.

 

[bluemax]

Just wanted to say it's DDR400 not 333.... you'd think that could handle higher memory speeds.

But yes, these problems could DEFINATELY be related to memory!! You'd think Samsung DDR400 would be $#%& good. And I was only running the default memory timings! I'll slow 'em down.

I pulled one out to test as well... if one works and one doesn't.

We'll see. :frown: I'm so close to ditching it and getting an Intel-based mobo and the cheapest P4 I can afford.

 

[sandorski]

Originally posted by: bluemax
I've wasted a few days on this already... I cannot seem to get this combination to run stable!!!

Shuttle MN31N - nForce2 with IGP and Soundstorm
2x 256MB DDR400 Samsung (32*8)
120GB Western Digital w/ 8mb cache.

No other cards or special stuff.....

Problems:

1) slow disk performance, missing or unreadable files..

2) cannot seem to load Win98SE, Win2K or WinXP Pro without SOME sort of issues, whether it be missing sound or programs crashing constantly or even loading at all.

3) Apparently the latest BIOS update is supposed to help. New BIOS is now in and things appeared better at first but I still can't get a clean Windows install...

Please help... I'm going insane.

Is that a brand new HD drive or is it a carry over from another system? If it is a carryover, you may need to wipe it clean, not just a format though, repartition as well.

You have the 12v 4 pin power connector connected?

 

[bluemax]

Hard drive fdisked and reformatted.

I think we may have found something though.... used slower memory timings and memtest.

2 sticks yielded 208 errors before quitting.

1 stick had 0 errors in 9 passes... sounds like a bad stick-o-RAM to me. Will test the other stick to confirm.
If the other stick gets 0 errors then there's something about dual-channel......

Thanks for the tips everyone... I'll post the results tomorrow!

 

[PanzerIV]

Bluemax good to know you seem to have found your problem. I suspected RAM problems immediately because I recently had a similar issue using two Kingston Value Ram 256 MB modules on an Epox 8RGA board for a customer build I was doing. Used Memtest and those two modules were spitting out errors left and right. This is also why I refuse to ever by their value ram line again. I fully endorse and love my HyperX to death, though but for non OC'd customer builds it's Crucial all the way.

 

[DAPUNISHER]

I won't be surprised if the other stick passes by itself too, it's fairly common to see users post of problems with 2 known good sticks running in dual channel on nF2 boards.

 

[bluemax]

Update:

One stick of RAM works fine. The other (by itself) generated about 500 errors in an hour of memtesting.
So it's a simple case of bad RAM.

Why I didn't diagnose it sooner was simply me assuming that Samsung was "too good" for that, and then getting all flustered and panicked since I can't afford loss.

I'll be getting replacement RAM at no charge so all is well. I'll just be stuck with slow single-channel onboard video for a short while.

I'll try out the game that started the whole process and see if all is 100% stable with this one chip.

 

[bluemax]

Dual-channel back and now it's time to up the memory speeds and/or overclock!

 

[biostud]

I could clock my 2100+ 1733@2083Mhz (13*160) on MSI Delta-L nForce2, but my Value Corsair DDR400 (2x512Mb) runs at CL 2.5-3-4-8 so the timings are a bit better. It has been rockstable at this speed trying to push it further I get lockups and spontanous restarts.

 

[GreatDaleness]

Originally posted by: bluemax
Dual-channel back and now it's time to up the memory speeds and/or overclock!

You shouldn't OC using the Nforce IGP.

 

[Amorphus]

Originally posted by: GreatDaleness

Originally posted by: bluemax
Dual-channel back and now it's time to up the memory speeds and/or overclock!

You shouldn't OC using the Nforce IGP.

Roighto. You shall be ignored.

bluemax - what clock are you at (fsb+multi), and at what voltage?

I'm at 166*12 (2000mhz) @ 1.65v myself with my 2100+ (it can do 200*12 = 2400mhz @ 1.775v, as I've done it for extended periods of time, but its not that much of an improvement, and its cooler now)
Corsair XMS PC2700-LL 2-2-2-9, I think for timings @ 2.5v, it was at 2.9v 2-3-3-11 for the 200fsb

 

[bluemax]

Originally posted by: Amorphus

Originally posted by: GreatDaleness

Originally posted by: bluemax
Dual-channel back and now it's time to up the memory speeds and/or overclock!

You shouldn't OC using the Nforce IGP.

Roighto. You shall be ignored.

bluemax - what clock are you at (fsb+multi), and at what voltage?

I'm at 166*12 (2000mhz) @ 1.65v myself with my 2100+ (it can do 200*12 = 2400mhz @ 1.775v, as I've done it for extended periods of time, but its not that much of an improvement, and its cooler now)
Corsair XMS PC2700-LL 2-2-2-9, I think for timings @ 2.5v, it was at 2.9v 2-3-3-11 for the 200fsb

Well, it's totally stock at the moment. I don't want to mess with the chip to unlock anything so I'll just up the FSB a little... but I do worry the integrated video (IGP) might not like it.

But I'd be happy taking this 2100+ from 133FSB to 166. Almost more important... I should be able tighten the memory timings... this is good brand DDR400!

 

[Megatomic]

I had a 2100+ Tbred "B" for a few months, it was as happy at 333MHz FSB then as my 2500+ is at 400MHz FSB is now. I say go for it bluemax.

 

[GreatDaleness]

Originally posted by: bluemax

Originally posted by: Amorphus

Originally posted by: GreatDaleness

Originally posted by: bluemax
Dual-channel back and now it's time to up the memory speeds and/or overclock!

You shouldn't OC using the Nforce IGP.

Roighto. You shall be ignored.

bluemax - what clock are you at (fsb+multi), and at what voltage?

I'm at 166*12 (2000mhz) @ 1.65v myself with my 2100+ (it can do 200*12 = 2400mhz @ 1.775v, as I've done it for extended periods of time, but its not that much of an improvement, and its cooler now)
Corsair XMS PC2700-LL 2-2-2-9, I think for timings @ 2.5v, it was at 2.9v 2-3-3-11 for the 200fsb

Well, it's totally stock at the moment. I don't want to mess with the chip to unlock anything so I'll just up the FSB a little... but I do worry the integrated video (IGP) might not like it.

But I'd be happy taking this 2100+ from 133FSB to 166. Almost more important... I should be able tighten the memory timings... this is good brand DDR400!

First thing, Nforce2 boards unlock automatically. Yours should with the latest bios, no chip messing needed. Second thing, run your machine at stock for a few hours then check your northbridge. Be careful not to burn yourself, it gets extremely hot. I highly reccomend you get an AGP card prior to OCing. I have personally run two IGP nforce 2 boards, and neither one of them was stable at 333fsb with IGP. You cannot run them at all with 400fsb and IGP, that comes straight from Nvidia. A geforce 4 MX will only run you around $40.

 

[bluemax]

Another update... simply changing the FSB to 333 instead of 266 yields a rock-stable 2700+.

Memory timings have been tightened to 7-4-4-3 (default for 333FSB) and no errors. Memtest seems to like it fine.

I could NOT be happier with this board or CPU!