TUSL2-C or ST6, Celeron 1.2 or 1.1A, with RAID... need help choosing

[flipdon]

ok, here's what i've got now:

Asus TUSL2-C with a Celeron 1.2GHz


what i want is to be able to hit FSB 133, and have RAID, be it onboard or off PCI card.

I have the option of buying the Abit ST6-RAID, a celeron 1.1A, and a RAID card (Highpoint) if i decide to stay with the TUSL2. Right now, the 1.2GHz can only hit FSB 127, and it runs pretty hot. Then again I only have Alumina on the core and the rear exhaust fan is busted.

I've yet to try the vid pin mod to bump up the Vcore, but im not sure if that'll let me hit 133 since it runs so hot already. (btw, does that trick work on all motherboards or just the CUSL2/TUSL2 family; i got confused when reading about it). How is the ST6 when trying to get a 1.2 to hit 133? How high of a voltage can be applied to a Tulatin celeron? And it doesn't have the cold boot problem of the Asus boards, i assume. and does the vid pin trick work on the ST6?

If the 1.2 can't hit 133 after the voltage mod, i guess im left with having to get the 1.1a, but i still have a choice of motherboards. The ST6-RAID comes with an onboard Highpoint 370 controller, but i could buy a separate card for my TUSL2-C. Would a newer RAID card have better performance than the older controller on the ST6?

All this depends on whether the vcore mod works, but i wanted to get some more opinions maybe from people with experience with the ST6 before. I probably won't O/C more than 133 since i'll have RAID running and don't want to cause any problems to it. And eventually i'll wanna put those RAID drives into another computer, so i want to stick with the Highpoint brand of RAID controllers.

 

[Regalk]

I wanted a "sure" O/C so I got the Cel1.0A and ST6 and am running at 1.4G for the last 3 days at 1.525 vcore. Runs real fast especially with Cas 2 Sdram at 4:4:1. However this is not my main system even though I like the 40% O/C achieved.

 

[flipdon]

i really want the celeron 1.1a for that added MHz when i hit 133....but is it not such a "sure bet" that it'll hit 133? if so i have to rethink things. this is just an intermediary till the Hammer comes out....but i wanna make the best out of it till then.


how high of a Vcore does the ST6 give Tulatin CPUs? is it 1.675 like with the TUSL2-C?

 

[oldfart]

The ST6 is a better overclockers board. The TUSL2 has no 1/4 divider below 133 FSB. The ST6 does. If you dont quite make 133 FSB, you will have a very out of spec PCI bus on the TUSL2. The ST6 will not have that problem.

 

[jiffylube1024]

I wanted a "sure" O/C so I got the Cel1.0A and ST6 and am running at 1.4G for the last 3 days at 1.525 vcore. Runs real fast especially with Cas 2 Sdram at 4:4:1. However this is not my main system even though I like the 40% O/C achieved.

Same thing here. Just got my setup running today: 1.0A @ 1.4

 

[flipdon]

The ST6 is a better overclockers board. The TUSL2 has no 1/4 divider below 133 FSB.

how low below 133 does the 1/4 divider kick in.....if its before 126-127, i've found my new motherboard =)

and can they add PCI dividers thru BIOS updates? or must it be hard wired? just curious . . . and why don't reviewers outright state the PCI divider ranges when you have something like the ST6 where the dividers don't kick in at the usual FSB. (just me ranting)

 

[oldfart]

On the ST6 it doesn't "kick in". You set it in the BIOS for 1/3 or 1/4.

 

[BDSM]

Flipdon. I feel like I have a little soemthing to add to this thread.

I have an ST6 with a Celeron 1.2G

I can't hit 1.6 G cuz the mobo won't let me use 4:4:1 or 4:3:1 dividers at all! The whole thing simply refuses to boot with those dividers active. I've mailed Abit about this but there was no reply.

I'm running at 120 mhz fsb now with the 3:3:1 divisor. The manual states the valid range for using the 4:4:1 or 4:3:1 divisor is 97+ mhz but if I change divisors now my puter will not boot at all, not even post! And I know this frequency is ok with the processor. So.. In my opinion this board sux. I tried the latest bios but nothing changed.

I also used to have problems with a logitech cordless keyboard AND a quickcam (both USB). Again the puter wouldn't boot with them connected. However if I plugged them in after I booted everything would work just fine.. Until the next time I needed to reboot.

Now it seems to magically work. I dunno why.

Anyway.. it seems nobody else has these problems. But I sure do

 

[flipdon]

hmmmm, well im ordering the board so we'll see if i have the same problem. i did want the onboard RAID that it came with, and if worse comes to worse i can get the celeron 1.1a.