Why don't P4 overclockers check sSpecs before purchase?

[AdamK47]

It wasn't too long ago when I was overclocking Pentium 3s. Back then sSpec codes on the CPUs made a huge difference for overclocking since sSpec changes signify core stepping changes. It would seem logical to get a Pentium 4 at a lower clock speed, lower multiplier, lower price, overclock it on a high bus speed and gain speeds higher than the fastest stock P4. I've seen over and over again Pentium 4 buyers intent on overclocking getting high end P4's and overclocking them slightly with odd bus speeds and minimal gains. It would be better to consult the P4 sSpec information page and match up sSpecs before purchase. I've done that many times in the past with my Pentium 3s. I've matched up sSpecs to get a 500E that did 750MHz and a 650 that did an amazing 1021MHz on a high bus speed for great performance. I would like to see how a 1.3GHz, 1.4GHz, or 1.5GHz Pentium 4 performs on a 133MHz or even 150MHz bus, but I won't be able to compare in these forums, since no P4 overclocker I've heard even cares about sSpec or stepping information. Just looking at the sSpec information on the Intel website reveals that the C1 core stepping is the same as the newest 1.8GHz Pentium 4. I would be willing to bet that a 1.3GHz P4 C1 stepping could run on a 133MHz bus with a 3x RDRAM multiplier. Even better yet, since it's known the C1 stepping can run above 2GHz, run it on a 150MHz bus for 1950MHz CPU speed and 450MHz RDRAM speed. It has also known that the i850 is stable up to and past 150MHz with engineering sample chips as indicators. Any P4 overclockers willing to take the plunge and purchase these chips to reveal solid information concerning this?

 

[Rand]

The reason nobody has been talking much about the P4 SSpec's is because it's not terribly popular in the enthusiast market right now, and in terms of overclockability the current 4 steppings are quite similar.

My own experiences seem to agree with that as I've played around with a small handful of P4's from each stepping and have seen no consistent differences in overclockability at all.