Will I be able to overclock?

[DiZASTiX]

Hey, new to overclocking here. I wanna know if my system will be upto overclocking, specs:

Asus A7N8X Motherboard (rev 1.04)
AMD 2500+ Barton (guy I am buying from says he tested it and it runs at 2.2)
Kingston PC2700 512mb (512x1) RAM

...well? Some have told me my RAM "won't be able to handle it"...is this true?

 

[wampa]

Originally posted by: DiZASTiX
Hey, new to overclocking here. I wanna know if my system will be upto overclocking, specs:

Asus A7N8X Motherboard (rev 1.04)
AMD 2500+ Barton (guy I am buying from says he tested it and it runs at 2.2)
Kingston PC2700 512mb (512x1) RAM

...well? Some have told me my RAM "won't be able to handle it"...is this true?

I am guessing that you plan on running your CPU at a 200fsb x 11. But currently you have pc2700 memory and what you need is pc3200. What you can do you is up the voltage on the memory to 2.8 or 2.9, and loosen the memory timings. This will allow you to overclock your memory in order for you to reach the 200 fsb.

Also you didn't mention what heatsink you plan on using. Make sure it's a decent one and use some thermal paste such as artic silver.

 

[DiZASTiX]

Originally posted by: wampa

Originally posted by: DiZASTiX
Hey, new to overclocking here. I wanna know if my system will be upto overclocking, specs:

Asus A7N8X Motherboard (rev 1.04)
AMD 2500+ Barton (guy I am buying from says he tested it and it runs at 2.2)
Kingston PC2700 512mb (512x1) RAM

...well? Some have told me my RAM "won't be able to handle it"...is this true?

I am guessing that you plan on running your CPU at a 200fsb x 11. But currently you have pc2700 memory and what you need is pc3200. What you can do you is up the voltage on the memory to 2.8 or 2.9, and loosen the memory timings. This will allow you to overclock your memory in order for you to reach the 200 fsb.

Also you didn't mention what heatsink you plan on using. Make sure it's a decent one and use some thermal paste such as artic silver.

yeah I am planning on 200x11

when you say set the voltage up on the memory, is that accomplished using the "vdimm" setting? And I have no clue about the "memory timings" Any guides you can point me to?

And yeah, I am using a slk-947u, panaflo l-1 fan and artic silver...

 

[LIVAN]

Yes VDIMM is teh voltage for the DDR.


As for Timings, it's taht stuff that has TRAS, Cas etc. Generally ,"loosen" means just set the numbers higher. Or in your Bios, you can just chose Optimal.

I don't really feel timings make THAT MUCH difference anywyas in my tests. Others may disagree though.

 

[Mik3y]

your ram should be able to run it fine at 2.2ghz with 400fsb. i've done it fine with generic pc2100 memory before and it was 100% stable.

 

[byosys]

The FSB likes to run the RAM and processor at the same speed. It is possible to run them async, but this slows the system down. If you run you 2500+ on a 400MHz bus, then you will want your RAM to be 400DDR, or PC3200, as well. You can get by by OC'ing your RAM's FSB and lowering it's timings and/or upping the vDIMM.

 

[Mik3y]

but if you can get it at 2.2ghz with your pc2700 ram and you dont feel like buying new ram for not a lot of performance enhancements, then keep it with the pc2700. if it were me, i'd get the pc3200 because i can end up using that on future rigs.

 

[DiZASTiX]

hmmm, so from what everyone is saying, I should OC my 2500...see if it works with my pc2700. And If it doesn't then try to OC my pc2700 or buy pc3200? Is this correct.

Also, If I sucessfully OC my 2500, should I run memtest to see if my pc2700 works well?

EDIT: newegg has a blowout on kingston 3200 ram, guess I will just be getting that.

 

[DiZASTiX]

One last question, how do I know what to set my vcore at? people are telling my 2500+ overclock well 200x11 at 1.75...but it differs for every setup.

Do I just test it out and see what happens? How do I know when I have the right vcore setting for my setup?

 

[Mellman]

if your experiencing problems running at 2.2 (stability issues) and your sure its not your ram, then bump it up, mine does 2.3-2.4 at stock voltage prime 95 stable, not for 24hrs didnt have time to let it run that long...but i left it for about 10 hours.

just take it slowly, REALLY slowly, bump up a few FSB, let it go....you could probably start at like 190FSB and ensure your rams ok. Something i'd reccomend is head over to nforcershq.com they have a great forum for asus motherboards. AND the sticky FAQ at the top has a great little rundown on memory timings

 

[DiZASTiX]

Originally posted by: Mellman
if your experiencing problems running at 2.2 (stability issues) and your sure its not your ram, then bump it up, mine does 2.3-2.4 at stock voltage prime 95 stable, not for 24hrs didnt have time to let it run that long...but i left it for about 10 hours.

just take it slowly, REALLY slowly, bump up a few FSB, let it go....you could probably start at like 190FSB and ensure your rams ok. Something i'd reccomend is head over to nforcershq.com they have a great forum for asus motherboards. AND the sticky FAQ at the top has a great little rundown on memory timings

wow, thanks, great guides. Just read a bunch of them.

Still have one question though, they were a bit vague on vcore settings. How do I know how much and when to raise it?

Say I just setup my system, 2500+ has 166fsb and 1.65 vcore at default.

How much should I raise my fsb at first and how much the vcore? Do I raise them simultaneously?

Thanks.

 

[MattressTester]

Just a heads-up on the 1.04 revision Asus board (BIOS rev. 1007)

It can run a CPU at 200 FSB and above. It can run PC3200 menory at DDR400 speed (even dual channel).

Mine just can't do both at the same time!

Tested the CPU and memory together on a Shuttle AN35N Ultra and no problem at 200 Mhz 1:1.

Max speed I've been able to hit running 1:1 on the Asus is 193 MHz. Researched and found this is a common issue with this board after I invested in PC3200 memory.

 

[DiZASTiX]

Originally posted by: MattressTester
Just a heads-up on the 1.04 revision Asus board (BIOS rev. 1007)

It can run a CPU at 200 FSB and above. It can run PC3200 menory at DDR400 speed (even dual channel).

Mine just can't do both at the same time!

Tested the CPU and memory together on a Shuttle AN35N Ultra and no problem at 200 Mhz 1:1.

Max speed I've been able to hit running 1:1 on the Asus is 193 MHz. Researched and found this is a common issue with this board after I invested in PC3200 memory.

wait, so you are saying that if I overclock my cpu to 200fsb, my 3200 ram will run lower than stock? (isnt stock ddr400 for pc3200 ram?)

 

[Lark888]

Every experience is a little different once you enter overclocking. I'll share mine as I have worked with the same basic components.

Barton 2500+ Retail, Unlocked multiplier (didn't note stepping)
Kingston 512 MB DDR 3200 ValueRam KVR400/512R CL3
Crucial 512MB DDR 2700 CT6464Z335.K16TK Cl 2.5
THERMALRIGHT SLK-900(A) Heatsink
A7N8X Deluxe (Rev. 1.04 and then 2.0)

The rev. 1.04 board was stable up to 189 FSB at default voltages. Memory was running sync'ed using the Crucial 2700.

Using rev 2.0 board, the same CPU/Memory would run stable FSB 200. "Upgraded" to DDR 3200 Kingston and tried higher FSB. I could run at FSB up to 210 but was getting stablity problems. Ran MemTest86 and quickly identified that the Kingston RAM didn't like overclocking and neither stick was all that stable at 2.6V. At 2.7V one Kingston module was stable at 200 FSB, the other continued to give errors in MemTest86. Using 3-3-3-11 Timings on the Kingston. 3-4-4-11 didn't make any difference.

I RMA'ed the one module back to Kingston. Replacement is barely stable at 200 FSB with 2.7V. Push it any harder and it'll error out occasionally in MemTest86 Tests 5 or 6.

I went back to the Crucial DDR 2700 to see the effect. Crucial would run 2.5-3-3-8 timings at FSB 200 without error. Barton will run stable at multiplier 12 using 1.85V yielding 44 DegC load temperature and 36 degC idle. Crucial was stable at 210 FSB 2.5-3-3-8 timings. It figures.......

Final setup I am using was to back down to FSB 200 (for the Kingston Memory as I wanted 1GB+ memory and the kingston at $60/512MB is all that is in my budget right now), Multiplier of 11.5 a 1.75V running loaded around 40 DegC.

Bottom line --> Rev. 1.04 A7N8X Deluxe board was clearly limiting performance below 190 FSB. My web research indicates that this is a reasonably likely outcome for most Rev. 1.04 boards.

However, in most applications the difference between 190 FSB and 200 FSB in not that apparent. I just needed another MB for my son & picked up the Rev 2.0 board cheaply. He got the 1.04 for a XP1800+ that is running at 166 FSB and 2.2 ghz speeds. Great board for that cpu.

 

[0roo0roo]

can you unlcok that cpu?

 

[DiZASTiX]

Originally posted by: Lark888
Every experience is a little different once you enter overclocking. I'll share mine as I have worked with the same basic components.

Barton 2500+ Retail, Unlocked multiplier (didn't note stepping)
Kingston 512 MB DDR 3200 ValueRam KVR400/512R CL3
Crucial 512MB DDR 2700 CT6464Z335.K16TK Cl 2.5
THERMALRIGHT SLK-900(A) Heatsink
A7N8X Deluxe (Rev. 1.04 and then 2.0)

The rev. 1.04 board was stable up to 189 FSB at default voltages. Memory was running sync'ed using the Crucial 2700.

Using rev 2.0 board, the same CPU/Memory would run stable FSB 200. "Upgraded" to DDR 3200 Kingston and tried higher FSB. I could run at FSB up to 210 but was getting stablity problems. Ran MemTest86 and quickly identified that the Kingston RAM didn't like overclocking and neither stick was all that stable at 2.6V. At 2.7V one Kingston module was stable at 200 FSB, the other continued to give errors in MemTest86. Using 3-3-3-11 Timings on the Kingston. 3-4-4-11 didn't make any difference.

I RMA'ed the one module back to Kingston. Replacement is barely stable at 200 FSB with 2.7V. Push it any harder and it'll error out occasionally in MemTest86 Tests 5 or 6.

I went back to the Crucial DDR 2700 to see the effect. Crucial would run 2.5-3-3-8 timings at FSB 200 without error. Barton will run stable at multiplier 12 using 1.85V yielding 44 DegC load temperature and 36 degC idle. Crucial was stable at 210 FSB 2.5-3-3-8 timings. It figures.......

Final setup I am using was to back down to FSB 200 (for the Kingston Memory as I wanted 1GB+ memory and the kingston at $60/512MB is all that is in my budget right now), Multiplier of 11.5 a 1.75V running loaded around 40 DegC.

Bottom line --> Rev. 1.04 A7N8X Deluxe board was clearly limiting performance below 190 FSB. My web research indicates that this is a reasonably likely outcome for most Rev. 1.04 boards.

However, in most applications the difference between 190 FSB and 200 FSB in not that apparent. I just needed another MB for my son & picked up the Rev 2.0 board cheaply. He got the 1.04 for a XP1800+ that is running at 166 FSB and 2.2 ghz speeds. Great board for that cpu.

Hmm, so is this a problem with all 1.04 boards or what? Should I take my chances with the 1.04 board or go out and look to buy a rev2.0?

 

[wampa]

Originally posted by: DiZASTiX

Originally posted by: Lark888
Every experience is a little different once you enter overclocking. I'll share mine as I have worked with the same basic components.

Barton 2500+ Retail, Unlocked multiplier (didn't note stepping)
Kingston 512 MB DDR 3200 ValueRam KVR400/512R CL3
Crucial 512MB DDR 2700 CT6464Z335.K16TK Cl 2.5
THERMALRIGHT SLK-900(A) Heatsink
A7N8X Deluxe (Rev. 1.04 and then 2.0)

The rev. 1.04 board was stable up to 189 FSB at default voltages. Memory was running sync'ed using the Crucial 2700.

Using rev 2.0 board, the same CPU/Memory would run stable FSB 200. "Upgraded" to DDR 3200 Kingston and tried higher FSB. I could run at FSB up to 210 but was getting stablity problems. Ran MemTest86 and quickly identified that the Kingston RAM didn't like overclocking and neither stick was all that stable at 2.6V. At 2.7V one Kingston module was stable at 200 FSB, the other continued to give errors in MemTest86. Using 3-3-3-11 Timings on the Kingston. 3-4-4-11 didn't make any difference.

I RMA'ed the one module back to Kingston. Replacement is barely stable at 200 FSB with 2.7V. Push it any harder and it'll error out occasionally in MemTest86 Tests 5 or 6.

I went back to the Crucial DDR 2700 to see the effect. Crucial would run 2.5-3-3-8 timings at FSB 200 without error. Barton will run stable at multiplier 12 using 1.85V yielding 44 DegC load temperature and 36 degC idle. Crucial was stable at 210 FSB 2.5-3-3-8 timings. It figures.......

Final setup I am using was to back down to FSB 200 (for the Kingston Memory as I wanted 1GB+ memory and the kingston at $60/512MB is all that is in my budget right now), Multiplier of 11.5 a 1.75V running loaded around 40 DegC.

Bottom line --> Rev. 1.04 A7N8X Deluxe board was clearly limiting performance below 190 FSB. My web research indicates that this is a reasonably likely outcome for most Rev. 1.04 boards.

However, in most applications the difference between 190 FSB and 200 FSB in not that apparent. I just needed another MB for my son & picked up the Rev 2.0 board cheaply. He got the 1.04 for a XP1800+ that is running at 166 FSB and 2.2 ghz speeds. Great board for that cpu.

Hmm, so is this a problem with all 1.04 boards or what? Should I take my chances with the 1.04 board or go out and look to buy a rev2.0?

First you should try to see if your setup is able to run at 200 fsb. If it doesn't no big deal. I wouldn't waste anymore money trying to reach 200fsb. Since socket A is slowly starting to show its age, just save your money for the next time you upgrade. Because PCI express boards will be out, and by this time next year you can use that extra cash to upgrade to something newer instead of an rev2.0 board.