twin processor overclocking

[D33]

hi,
i own a twin processor computer, using a gigabyte board(6bx-ds, 440bx chip) and 2 intel PIII@550 MHZ(slot1), 100MHZ bus and i would like to overclock them , so how could i do that while keeping the system stable and not pretty costy?
i am using this system as an exxtreme gaming platform!
what could be the best alternative to overclocking the cpu's(other than a big cash graphics card, because i already own one, or a memory increase, cause i have 256k sdram).
thanks guys for your support.

 

[Crashman]

Depends on whether it's a 550E or the older Katmai. The 550E will go to about 1GHz, but I don't know of a dual motherboard that supports that bus speed.

Cast not thine pearls before the swine

 

[D33]

thanks for the reply,
actually both of my cpus are 550E, but i really don't know if my board can support both cpus overclocked.
the board is a giga-byte dual processor(6bxds), by the book, it can support at maximum a 100MHz system bus and 550MHz cpu clock, but who follows the instruction manual these days!
so what do you guys advise me to do?
thank again for your support

 

[Guest]

check their website for updated info, maybe updated bios too. My older bx board ended up supporting 1ghz chips after bios updates. If I remember correctly, with dual setups both cpu's need to be same clock and so if you overclock you have to do it to both of them. If you don't have any luck at the website then get a program called cpucool. This can overclock the fsb in software on the fly but you need to know what clock generator your motherboard uses. A email to the manufacturer should get you that info if it isn't listed on their website.

 

[D33]

thanks for your reply,
off course i will overclock both..but is that possible?
well i lately updated my bios from the giga-byte site, but it just supports for now 600MHz,
i will download the cpucool program and try it, but do i still need any heatsink for my cpus then?????
and is there another way to try overclocking this system?
thanks again

 

[Crashman]

If you have any way to increase the bus speed, take it to the max-the processor can take more than most motherboards can provide as far as bus speed goes.

Cast not thine pearls before the swine

 

[D33]

thanks for the reply,
well how am i gonna increase the bus speed?
frequency multiplier????raising the voltage????
i really don't know much in how to do that, so if you could help me out here.
thanks guys

 

[Crashman]

You can't change the multiplier in any effective way-the processor has an internal multiplier lock. If you have a base frequency adjustment in BIOS, that is the easiest way. You might have only a 66MHz/100MHz choice, or you could have higher choices than that. You will need a higher choice in order to overclock. You might also have jumpers to change the base frequency. If there is no way to increase it beyond 100 in BIOS, look for jumper settings.

Voltage increase are only used to add stability to an overclocked system, and do not increase speed.

Cast not thine pearls before the swine

 

[D33]

thanks again for your reply,
i will try to do that...but one more thing:
what heat sink do you advise me to use?taking in consideration that my 2 cpus are not quite distant from each other....then limiting the size of any heatsink.and due to the fact that they are of slot1-type the heat sink should be installed on the side of the cpu......
and do i need to make any other adjustements in order to fit these new settings?like a voltage increase or a memory overclock.......
thanks folks!

 

[Crashman]

Depends on the speed you can achieve as to what voltage you need. I believe that it should make it to maybe 115MHz at stock voltage. Start adding voltage if it becomes unstable. You should make sure you have good enough memory for the new clock. Even generic PC133 should work for that, if you need faster memory. The memory is synchronus to the FSB, so your memory speed will be at whatever you bus speed is.
I haven't looked into Slot 1 coolers in a while, my suggestion is to find units with two 40mm fans and as much surface area as possible.

Cast not thine pearls before the swine

 

[D33]

i have checked my bios and i didn't find anything interesting to mess with....except some cpu health report:
cpuvcore: 2.00V(isn't that high for a PIII?)
temperature:roaming around 50degrees at 100% load.....for each cpu!!!
i guess i will have better luck with jumpers onboard.
and one more thing:
i guess that the best way to make my cpu run at 133fsb is the A14 method.....to cover the A14 pin with something...
and hence gaining an overclocked 550E running at around 733MHz@133fsb...do i need to worry about my 3d accelerator?(making it run at around 89MHz)


<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1><EM>Edited by D33 on 06/07/01 11:03 AM.</EM></FONT></P>

 

[killall]

umm... i didnt know that sdram came in anything less than 32 megs... maybe 16 if you get a screwed up chip or something but 256k? 256m surely

you do not strengthen the weak by weakening the strong

 

[Crashman]

Are you sure it's a 550E? That voltage and temperature sounds more like the older Katmai processor. If it is a 550E, you will need to get the temps down before you can overclock!

Cast not thine pearls before the swine

 

[D33]

exacly my point!
how can the vcore of a 550E is 2.00v?? but i am pretty sure that both are 550E not katmai..unless intel boxed them by mistake in mixed boxes!!!!!!!!!!!!! and the bios doesn't know what it's doing!!!!!!!!
this is a pretty good question actually.do you think that my board does not support less than 2.00V? thus raising the temperature of the cpus......a 50.0degree for a 550E is pretty unusual i guess...
what cooler should i use?and should i employ the "a14" thing to force the fsb to become 133MHz??????

 

[Crashman]

It is possible that your motherboard does not support less than 2.00v, there might even be a bios revison to fix that. I would try covering the connector to see if it raises the bus to 133. IF not, it's a BIOS issue. Use WCPUID to detect the new speed, as BIOS probably won't recognise it (a situation where it still works, but BIOS simply reprots the wrong speed). You could use SoftFSB to boost it to 133 if covering the connection doesn't work-you already have enough voltage! As for coolers, I would suggest you go to a GOOD computer store and look for a nice dual-fan unit with lots of fins.

Cast not thine pearls before the swine

 

[D33]

ok, i'll try and do that!
and for coolers i am still looking......