A7N8X D & 1800+ overclocking potential (newbie)

[pitsi]

First let me say that I am new to overclocking. Alhtough I work with computers a lot and I built systems for myself and my friends, I've never tried to overclock a processor.

Here is what I'm thinking. I am going to buy during this week an Athlon 1800+ (TCWO.com hasn't got 1700+ in stock) and an Asus A7N8X Deluxe board. Now let's suppose I match this cpu/mobo with Corsair PC2700 XMS memory. How far could I overclock my processor? I realise that the multiplier is set by default at 11.5 x 133 = 1.53GHz

Will I be able to change the FSB all the way up to 11.5 x 166 = 1.9GHz and if yes, will the performance of my processor be the same as Athlon XP 2200+? And at what cost? Will I need extra cooling or the CPU temp is only affected by increasing the multiplier? Also, will I be able to change the multiplier? Is there something specific I should ask for when buying the processor? (e.g. I've read all over this forum about Tbred-b) Please let me know what would be the overclocking potential of this system.

One last question. I've been reading about increasing vcore voltage when increasing the multiplier in order to keep your system stable. How much could somebody increase the vcore voltage before burning up his CPU?

As I said before, I am really new at this and any help would be really helpful. Thanks for your patience!

 

[Ntxawg]

do you have a newsgroup reader? if you do check out
alt.comp.periphs.mainboard.asus

or go to http://www.amdforums.com/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=8 its an asus forum on amdmb.com

I have the same board you do with the xp1800+ but its not the tbred. I dont know if its the bios or not but I can't seem to get it to go up to 2000+ highest I hit is 1900+

however on my old soyo dragon plus the cpu did 2000+ easily so not sure whats up with that. In anycase you might do better asking about this on those forum.

Also you might wanna order from www.newegg.com they have the best service and the fedex saver usually gets your stuff in about 2-3 days

by the way if you have the money go for a better processor I'm planning to get the 2600+ 333fsb myself from newegg, might wait to see how well the barton 2500+ does first though.

 

[jwhytsel]

I have the same mobo/cpu, an can't overclock worth a darn. (I'm pretty new at it too though.) One thing i'm learning though is that memory brand DOES make a difference. You mentioned Corsair, good choice. I have generic, and wish I didn't. (Was a good deal though.) Couple things I know. The XP1800 shipped primarily with the Palamino core. Not much to write home about. People are starting to find however, that Many XP1700s were shipped with T-bred B cores. (Check the CPU thread in the "Components" section of this forum.) These, while they may not be 333FSB, are non the less fantastic for overclocking. As for the A7N8X Deluxe, AFTER I bought it, I started hearing that is wasn't the great of an overclocking board. This may not directly answer you question, but maybe food for thought.

Ignorance is bliss, and i'm a happy guy!

 

[svol]

It depends on your CPU cor how far you can OC it. The Palomino with a good core stepping would be able to rech 1.9GHz, so would the T-bredA. The T-bredB can be able to reach 2.5GHz with enough cooling and good memory. Increasing the FSB and/or multiplier will increase heat; if your CPU speed increases the heat generated will increase too.

At 11.5x166 your CPU will be faster then tghe default XP2200+ because the FSB is higher. Better cooling will always give you more OC potential.

The Palomino comes factory locked and you need to close all L1 bridges as shown in THG Vidoe 3 to unlock the multiplier. The T-bredA should be factory unlocked and the T-bredB will be unlocked by your mobo.

You only need to increase your VCore if your CPU can't run stable at higher speed. It depends on your CPU core, cooling and motherboard how high you can set the VCore. With your Asus board 1.85V should be the max.

My dual-PSU PC is so powerfull that the neighbourhood dimms when I turn it on

 

[pitsi]

Thank you very much, all this info was very helpful. A couple more small questions though.

When do I know that I have reached the limits of my CPU? Especially when talking about increasing the vcore voltage, when do I know that the next step up is going to result in destroying the CPU?

Also, do you know whether I can reach a 200MHz FSB (using Corsair PC3200LL XMS)? And if yes, would a 9.5 x 200 configuration perform better, compared to a 11.5 x 166 (I guess yes, I'm just looking for confirmation here)?

Finally, when you say that Tbred-A and Tbred-B are unlocked (either by AMD or by my mobo, it doesn't matter), does this mean that I will be able to choose any multiplier (even low ones in order to be able to increase the FSB all the way up to 200MHz)?

I think I'm starting to like this whole overclocking business What was I thinking all this time, running my CPUs at its default settings ? )))

 

[svol]

Well if you get BSODs, calculating errors, or an unstable system it probably means that your CPU can't handle the higher speed. If your PC can't boot at a higher speed this also means that the VCore is probably to low. If your temps are very high (above 60C) don't continue OC'ing.
The Palomino can easily take a Vcore of 1.9V with aircooling and 2.25V is no real problem with good watercooling. With the T-bred A and B I wouldn't go over 1.85V but I don't have experience with those CPUs.

You have a low chance you will reach 200Mhz FSB with the Palomino or T-bredA as even with a low multiplier that is very high for them. The T-bredB can reach 200MHz FSB if you are a little lucky.

I think that with the T-bedA you can choose every multiplier between 5x and 12.5x. And with the T-bredB I think you can use all, but I'm not 100% sure about both of them.

My dual-PSU PC is so powerfull that the neighbourhood dimms when I turn it on