what is the best proc i could use for kt266a?

[gryfon]

my m/b is a shuttle ak35gtr v1.2 (kt266a) and of course it only had a 1/4 pci divider and supported fsb of 133. My question is, what is the best athlon xp i could use on this mobo ? i'm willing to mod multiplier and such. A barton or a tbred ? what is the max speed, and how can i do it ?

thanks

 

[MDE]

The best you could do would be the 266FSB 2600+, but those are pretty rare. Your best bet would be a 2400+.

 

[gryfon]

i heard that some athlon xp multiplier can be unlocked. Is there a good chance that i choose to use a barton 2500+ and unlocked the multiplier so i can run it maybe 14.5 * 133 or other multiplier ? can it be done and is it worth it ?

thanks

 

[myocardia]

That was for the old Athlons. The new ones are hard-locked, and can't be done unless you do this major overhaul on them that I hear isn't always working. If you try it, and ruin a $100 proc., you would definitely be kicking yourself for not spending $60-100 for a newer, faster motherboard! Especially since all of the nForce2 boards have pci/agp locks, so you can run any fsb you want.

 

[Kenazo]

I've run a few 2400's they are definately a competitive CPU. Will add at least another year of life to your computer, then give it to your parents and it's good for another 5.

 

[maluckey]

You can use ANY 333 mhz, or 266 mhz T-Bred B. You can also use Bartons and Thorntons on most all KT266a as well. If unlocked, you can cut the bridges to set the CPU as 266, 333, or 400. You can also run any multiplier you want with cutting and painting.

Using the 333 variant at 166 mhz FSB would get you more than a 266 variant at 133 mhz FSB, so the 333 Mhz FSB are really a steal. You get the added RAM bandwidth and speed, without having to overclock the CPU. Just comething to think about.

FWIW, I've run my KT266a mobo continuously at over 166 mhz FSB, for two years now, no hitches. I have run Prime95 for thirteen hours at 203 Mhz FSB, without a hitch. I have run XP-2100+, XP-2400+, XP-2600+ (333 Mhz ), and XP-2600+ (266 MHz), all without issues on this board.

 

[gryfon]

myocardia : spending money for another m/b is not really an option for me, and also buying new m/b means buying new memory, since my current memory definitely won't enough (it's a pc2100). and this mb would become unusable. but thanx anyway for the sugestion

kenazo : yes 2400 is better than mine now, but i expect to be able to upgrade bigger than 2600 if possible. thanx for the info

maluckey : wow, u run a kt266a on >166 mhz ? what about your pci cards, agp, and hard drives ? no prob ? your mb doesn't have any pci/agp lock right ? i must try it, definitely. May i know your complete specs for the kt266a rig?

 

[myocardia]

Originally posted by: gryfon
myocardia : spending money for another m/b is not really an option for me, and also buying new m/b means buying new memory, since my current memory definitely won't enough (it's a pc2100). and this mb would become unusable. but thanx anyway for the sugestion

Gryfon, if you don't want to buy new memory, then you can't go any higher than the fastest 266fsb chip. That means, assuming you want the fastest that your memory can handle, you will be buying an XP2400. You can "mod" your processor to make it faster, but you can't mod your memory, man...

 

[gryfon]

myocardia, using current fsb (133mhz) i can set my memory timing to the most aggressive one that my mobo can handle, so if i can set the fsb to 147 or something > 133 i can slowdown the memory timings. I also hope i can modify the multiplier of the athlon xp say tbred or barton, so i can use xp > 2600+ using higher multiplier maybe 15 * 133 Mhz.

 

[maluckey]

Gryfon,

I'm an old school Overclocker, high PCI bus is par for the course. As I type this, my PCI bus is at 43.5 Mhz. It hasn't gone under 42 Mhz PCI for two and a half years.

My complete hardware list is:

Mobo: Abit KR7A-133, without mods (CX BIOS)
Processor: AUIHB 0302 XP-2100+ cut and painted to 1.85v, and 13.5x multiplier.
Cooling for Processor: Lapped Alpha PAL 8045 with 40 CFM reverse flowing fan.
HDD: 2 x 80 GB Maxtor DiamondMAx Plus 9 (6Y080P0).
RAM: Kingston HyperX PC2700 512 MB.
Video: Gainward Golden Sample Ti-4200 128mb, with complete Coolbits hack for overclocking. No harware mods.
Cooling for video: Thermaltake copper GF4 cooler with 60 mm reverse flow fan.
CD: Lite-On 52327S (QS0C), and 40125S (overclocked with XSU1 from a 32123S)

All hardware listed has been Prime95 tested at 50 Mhz PCI for thirteen hours (blend test) without errors.

The naysayers abound. They first said that I couldn't do it safely. Then they said that I would burn it all up, then they said I would corrupt the data, now they day it kills the hardware too fast (as if I still want this hardware in five years). I have no doubt that all items listed will run for another 2.5 years if I want them to. It's not necessary to have special skills, special tools, or even special hardware. Just good quality base parts, a notebook, and a couple of extra case fans to start with. As you progress, then a better CPU HS/Fan combo.

Take your time, read up on your hardware, and monitor temperatures as you raise the FSB.

Good Luck!

Mark

 

[hytek369]

how about a 1700+ tbred b?

 

[maluckey]

That's another killer choice, and if you ask around, you can normally get one for around 75-100 dollars, depending on core.

 

[gryfon]

how much i can get (from overclocking), if i get an 1700+ tbred b ? is it on par with a 2600+ tbred fsb266? also, is all tbred b unlocked ? so i can change multiplier in my bios ?

thanks

 

[DivideBYZero]

my 1700 JIUHB does 2.1 easy in an old KG7.

I cut the L3's to get a 15 multiplier.

 

[gryfon]

i see. Is stepping code a problem ? i mean should i find certain stepping, or "an Athlon XP 1700+" with any stepping is a good always a good chance ?

thanks

 

[DivideBYZero]

Well u should always go for Tred B's. The JIUHB was a goody but are now rare AFAIK. Go for any 1.5v Tbred B. I think 1800+'s are still around.

 

[Super6]

Check the Shuttle website. My Soyo KT-266A Dragon is limited to a XP2100 Palomino. It won't recognize a T-Bred.

Super6

 

[DivideBYZero]

Originally posted by: Super6
Check the Shuttle website. My Soyo KT-266A Dragon is limited to a XP2100 Palomino. It won't recognize a T-Bred.

Super6

So is my KG7, alledgedly. See my sig, however...

 

[aka1nas]

My bro's KG7 ran a 1700+ Tbred B without any hitches. I don't think I tried a tbred in my soyo K7 dragon(regular ol kt266) before it died.

 

[aka1nas]

Originally posted by: DivideBYZero
Well u should always go for Tred B's. The JIUHB was a goody but are now rare AFAIK. Go for any 1.5v Tbred B. I think 1800+'s are still around.

Also, they ought to be much less than the $75-$100 the earlier post mentioned. I bought mine for like $40 when they were new. If they are going for much more than that, than just get a 2400+ tbred as you won't have to mess with modding mutlipliers to get that speed out of it.

 

[DivideBYZero]

Originally posted by: aka1nas

Originally posted by: DivideBYZero
Well u should always go for Tred B's. The JIUHB was a goody but are now rare AFAIK. Go for any 1.5v Tbred B. I think 1800+'s are still around.

Also, they ought to be much less than the $75-$100 the earlier post mentioned. I bought mine for like $40 when they were new. If they are going for much more than that, than just get a 2400+ tbred as you won't have to mess with modding mutlipliers to get that speed out of it.

Agreed on the 2400+

 

[maluckey]

Resurrecting a thread for more updates. The Mobile Barton 2400 is 86 dollars at New Egg, and works in many KT266a boards, to include Asus, Abit, and a few others. It has a 266 Mhz speed, so no overclocking necessary. Better still is that it's .13 Micron core runs cool even when compared to the T-Bred B.

 

[DivideBYZero]

Originally posted by: maluckey
Resurrecting a thread for more updates. The Mobile Barton 2400 is 86 dollars at New Egg, and works in many KT266a boards, to include Asus, Abit, and a few others. It has a 266 Mhz speed, so no overclocking necessary. Better still is that it's .13 Micron core runs cool even when compared to the T-Bred B.

Tbred B is .13m. The Barton core has a greater surface area that alters the thermal characeristics.

 

[gryfon]

Also, they ought to be much less than the $75-$100 the earlier post mentioned. I bought mine for like $40 when they were new. If they are going for much more than that, than just get a 2400+ tbred as you won't have to mess with modding mutlipliers to get that speed out of it.

err, i thought i just pop in a 1700+ tbred b in my kt266a and adjust the multiplier in bios to reach 21xx MHz, such as the nforce board ? it seems not the case here ? I've read somewhere that abit KG7 is only capable of adjusting 4 bit multiplier not 5 bit which newer tbred use, so that's why the mod thing necessary ? right ? Should it the same for my shuttle kt266a ?
And why does if i buy the 2600+ i don't need to adjust anything, while 1700+ need to be adjusted ? i thought (once again) that it is software (bios) controlled not hardware? Can someone explain this ?

thanks a lot

 

[aka1nas]

The BIOS controlled multi settings only go up to 12.5x, which is 2000+ at a 133FSB. Your alternative is to mod the bridges to change the default multiplier of the chip to something higher. The BIOS option overrides the default multiplier of the chip, hence a chip that is already set to mutliplier 15x(2400+) will still work in such a board.