VCore and Temp Questions - XP 2000+

[DKlein]

My VCore is currently running .076V higher than it should. I'm not sure why, and in the BIOS it's set at 1.7V only. It's actually been like this for about 4-5mo now, but I'd still like to know why and if it's going to do anything (I'm guessing no though).

Also, what would a normal temp be for an Athlon XP 2000+? Mine runs at about 50C give or take 3-4C depending on the room temp. Also it runs that way under stress as well, since I turn the fan up when playing games or whatever. I just want to know if that's good since I'm planning on overclocking it soon (and perhaps buying a 2600 in a few months) and don't want to damage it since I'd like to wait for the 2600 to go down in price first. Also my RAM's running at 33C give or take 1-2C, but I think that's about normal (DDR333 512MB). I've got the fans set up as best as possible I think: a Volcano 9 heatsink, a giant fan from my previous heatsink behind as well as another case fan to the right of it; an intake on the bottom of the case, and two more on the front in line with the ones on the back which makes the air flow right through the processor and memory relatively uninterrupted, along with power fan of course.

Specs:
AMD Athlon XP 2000+ (@1.69Ghz - VCore I'm guessing did that) - Thermaltake Volcano 9 heatsink
Asus A7V333
Samsung 512MB PC2700
GeForce3 Ti 200
Creative SB Live PCI
Maxtor 80GB 7200RPM w/8MB cache HDD & Maxtor 10GB...

Also, how high should I overclock it, and what limits it's overclockablity other than temp and BIOS limits, if anything?

 

[HaroldW]

Your CPU core voltage may not be high. It depends on wether you have a Palamino core or a Thoroughbred core. The Palamino core is rated for 1.75V, whereas the Thoroughbred core is 1.65V, I think (I'm not positive, but I know it is lower than the Palamino core.)

I have a Palamino core XP 2000 + and on my Biostar M7VIG Pro motherboard with an Igloo 2500 Pro HSF (not as good as your Volcano 9) I get idle temps of about 52-52C and full load temps of about 57-58C. Since Biostar motherboards have a "reputation' for reading temps "high" and I tested that to some extent (with the case totally open in a room approx 68F, the case temp still read 49C) I suspect my actual temps are 5-15C lower than what my monitoring program is showing me. Without changing the core voltage I have successfully overclocked to the equivelent of a XP 2200+ with a 1-2C temp increase. I do have good unobstructed airflow throughout my case.

 

[DKlein]

I just relooked and Im only running .026V over (1.776V). Also, I just updated my BIOS (finally, been having troubles with XP boot disks), and now its reading 44C! When I opened the case, there was only a 1-2C difference, so I guess it is actually running better now. Thanks for help. Unfortunately my CPU fan is going crazy now on the monitor and I lost manual control of it.