pencil - permanent for L1 bridges?

[btvillarin]

I've finally been able to oc my T-Bird 850 @ 1000 (100x10.0). I just redid my L1 bridges with a 0.5mm pencil over and over again until I couldn't really see the gold through the graphite. Before, I just didn't do it that well. I guess that's one tip for those who might not have did the bridges correctly, it took me awhile to figure it out.

Anyways, I just wanted some feedback about this: how long does the pencil last? Does it go away or burn off after awhile? I just would like to know, because I was considering buying a conductive pen to make it permanent. Plus, if you have this kinda setup, can you tell me how high you've been able to get?

<b>My System Specs:</b>
Athlon T-Bird 850MHz Socket A
Asus A7V133
ATI Radeon 32MB SDRAM
Creative Labs Soundblaster Live! Value
IBM Deskstar 30GB 7200RPM UltraDMA/100
256MB SDRAM CAS2 (Micron)
HP CD-Writer 9150i 8x4x32
Generic 3.5" FDD
Swiftech MC370-0A Cooler (btw, I'm currently idle at 51°C...good or bad?)
One (1) 80mm 2700RPM intake (bottom-front of PC)

 

[kurokaze]

High, ok lets see.. from what I've heard.. the pencil marks will wear away after a few weeks (can't confirm though) depending on how often you handle your CPU. But other people also say that putting a piece of scotch tape over the pencils keep it there forever (and the tape doesn't burn). That seems to be a safe bet.

My setup:
Tbird 1000 @ 1200 (multiplier still locked, it'll do 1300 just fine but I didn't want to push it right now, actually I think it'll do 1400 heheheh.)
A7V133 w/ sound
256MB PC133 CAS2 SDRAM

 

[Grizely1]

correcto. I don't handle my CPU much, but I haven't had a problem yet. I covered them with a little bit of this thick plastic tape I have. works fine.

You can just take off the tape and take off the marks with an eraser if you want to lock the multiplier again.

From now on when someone asks you how fast your computer is, tell them your benchmark scores.

 

[Tempus]

I've had my pencil marks there for months now and they are as vibrant as the moment I drew them. I am planning on buying a conductive pen in the future, but so far I've been to lazy to do it.

- Tempus fugit donec vestrum relictus tripudium. Autem amor praeterea magis pretium.

 

[Tempus]

Hey Griz, is an etching pen the same as a conductive pen?

- Tempus fugit donec vestrum relictus tripudium. Autem amor praeterea magis pretium.

 

[TheAntipop]

since you have a A7V133 I would knock down the multiplier and bump the fsb up to 133. This will really boost your performance. Then once you run stably at 866(6.5*133) bump up the multiplier so you may be able to reach a gig once again (7.5*133) and you will be running a heck of a lot faster. Heck my Tbird 800 is running at 9*105=945 and it runs a ton faster than when i had it at 9.5*100 just because of the faster fsb.

Even a broken watch is right twice a day...

 

[puppetmasta]

well i know there are alot of articles out there on this subject, but yah the pencil is not permanent, the contacts that you put together with the pencil will drift apart eventually, the only permanent way to do this is to get some silver "unlocking" stuff for like 10 bux. Its not too bad and it will keep those L1 bridges unlocked.

 

[slippast]

I have to remark my l1 bridges about once every three weeks. I'm going to try the tape thing.

Also, I second what the others have said. Turn your multiplier down to 7.5 then bump your FSB to 133=1ghz CPU with a 33% faster bus. That's where the speed bump really comes from.

If your A7V133 board locks up and won't reboot after running overclocked for a few weeks, as mine does, just set the FSB jumpers to CPU default and set the board to clock from the Jumpers. Switch the JEN jumper down in the bottom right of your mobo. That'll get it to reboot again. Trust me, it'll happen sometime and you'll be thankful for the advice...! Good luck.

 

[btvillarin]

Thanks [to everyone] for all the great advice. What kinda tape exactly should I use though? I'm afraid of burning...that wouldn't be good, plus my mom would get ticked if she smelled something wrong like that. (LoL)

Right now, I'm at 7.5x133 at a Vcore of 1.85v. I'm holding pretty good. But, my idle temp is at 51-52°C. So, I guess I gotta work on that problem now. I was planning on purchasing 2x80mm Sunon fans (42.5cfm) for the front and back panel. I'm already using a Swiftech MC370-OA with AS2.

[reply to Slippast]
As for your advice, I already take those steps if I get into a really tough jam and my computer won't POST. But, I'm glad someone else does the same. Since I'm pretty new at working with hardware, I'm glad I've actually been doing some things correctly.