Originally posted by: Lurker501
Cowdog, that's great! Sorry for my ignorance, but what does each voltage setting mean and what where your voltage settings to begin with?
VDD = ?
Vcore = (my guess is cpu voltage)
Vdimm = (my guess is memory voltage)
So you're running your Barton 2500 at 2200 to get the 200MHz FSB, could you up the multiplier at all? Would it be wiser for me to get a 2800 instead of the 2500? Or maybe stick with a 2800 Thunderbird instead of the Barton?
Sorry for all the questions but I'm really to get my head around all this.
Thanks
Lurk
Lurker, there are far more knowledgable people around here than I, but I'll try to answer as best as I've figured out so far.
VDD is the voltage to the chipset, basically to the northbridge on my 8RDA+ and NF7-S, as I understand it. The 8RDA+ only runs at 1.6v and the NF7-S vdd can be set from about 1.4 to 1.7v. Both boards can be modified to get higher VDD. Higher VDD has helped many get >= 200mhz fsb. I have not modded either of my nForce2 boards, yet. There are many reports of people who have modded to get 1.85v or higher VDD with fsb of 220mhz or higher. That's really amazing.
You are right about cvore and vdimm.
With nForce2 boards like the Epox 8RDA+ and NF7-S, many people are getting >= 200mhz fsb with processors like the Thoroughbred B 1700+ and 2100+. Although not all of those chips are equal in their abilities (variability with some steppings seeming to have better odds than others), those can be great bang for buck if you are willing to OC. I can get 200mhz fsb on 2 difference 2100+ procs, but because they have an upper mhz limit, I have to go lower with multiplier to run stable at total mhz that I like. I run one at 12x197mhz and one at 11x195mhz. And sometimes a chip just seems to like certain clock/fsb pairs better than others. I might be able to push those higher, but I will end up needing much higher Vcore volts, which I really don't want to do. Seems to be diminishing returns at some point.
The Barton 2500+ runs stock at 11x166mhz and with its extra cache is supposedly equivalent to a faster clocked Thoroughbred B. That fits my experience, mostly. I have a Barton 2500+ running at 11x200mhz (3200+ speeds), and I will continue to see if I can get higher fsb. Although 11x200 is very nice and quite stable, I want to explore a little more to see where I can go. Again, I will probably start hitting that diminishing return with vcore levels that are too high for my comfort. Or I will need to mod a board to get higher VDD. It is a slow, iterative process, esp. if you care about having a "stable" system.
BTW, I am running all the above 100% sync.
That's my experience. I would say if you want to run 200mhz fsb, there are many options. It will depend on what overall total performance you are looking for. It also depends on whether or not you want to OC. There will soon be 200mhz fsb Bartons, and that would be the most reliable option. There really are no guarentees of 200mhz fsb 100 sync with any of the AMD chips currently available. The 1700+ (about $50), the 2100+ (about $100), and the Barton 2500+ (about $175) have all shown the ability to run at >= 200mhz fsb with many of the Nforce2 boards and some good RAM (but not in every case). You can spend more for a 2800+, and I'm sure that would be a nice proc.. You may not get 200mhz fsb either. Following the lead from many around here, my approach has been to spend less on the proc and put the extra cash into something like better RAM or video card. Both of my 2100+ and the Barton 2500+ are performing equal to or better than the 2800+ with higher memory bandwidth. The downside is that they probably have lower lifespans, but I'll be onto new toys long before that happens (knock on wood).
Sorry if I didn't explain very well (or wrongly), offered too much, or strayed from your question. I hope this is helpful.
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