New at Overclocking

[sheenster38]

I'm relatively new to overclocking, but I've been reading up on it for a couple days now. So please excuse the lack of knowledge. Here's my setup, it's rather old:

Abit NF7-S2G
(BIOS rev. 15)
AthlonXP 2600+ 1.15GHz
(locked multiplier x11.5)
Thermalright SLK-900A
512MB DDR400 RAM
(2x Buffalo 256MB, CL2.5, NonECC, Unbuffered, Dual Channel)
ATI Radeon X700
350W Antec PSU

My BIOS settings don't exactly seem to be overclocking friendly... kinda hard to describe. Computer currently running at default settings after clearing CMOS. I set the BIOS to expert mode and started to increase the FSB Frequency up to 133MHz. The computer can bot up and load windows, but after a certain amount of time or hitting a certain amount of cpu load, the computer randomly shuts itself off. I'm not sure exactly what's causing this problem as nothing in my computer seems to be overheating. I read that vCore should be used when the FSB is high enoguh that the CPU ceases to boot properly, but I decided to increase it 0.25V just to check. The problem is that the BIOS only allows you to increase the vCore by increments in percentages, the only options being +6%, +12%, and +18%. It seems that +12% doesn't allow the computer to boot. The computer still turned itself off after a certain amount of time. MBM5 shows that the comp is running at 46C at 133MHz.

I'm not exactly sure why it's not letting me run the cpu stably at 133MHz even though everything else on the comp seems to be working fine at a relatively cool temperature. Even at 133Mhz, the comp runs at 1.53Ghz and before my recent reformat, I remember it running at 1.9~GHz from a previous overclock.

Thanks for all the help in advance.

 

[mesarectifier]

1 - What core is it?

2 - Have you checked if you can pencil-trick it for a nice multiplier-OC?

 

[sheenster38]

Hmm, I got the computer a couple years ago so I'm not quite sure what core it is. How do I check?

 

[mesarectifier]

Google CPU-Z and download it. It should be either 'Palomino' or 'Thoroughbred'.

The OCing experience I have is mostly with the Thoroughbred core so perhaps I can help you better RE: VCore increases and temps if you have that core.

 

[sheenster38]

Hmm, says it's a Barton core. Anything else you should know?

 

[mesarectifier]

Err, yeah! What kind of CPU is it!!!!

There was never a Barton 1600+ (they started at about 2400+)

 

[sheenster38]

Oh, wow I completely missed my typo... it's a 2600+. Haha, looked at "Barton 1600+ and was confused. Sorry about that.

 

[mesarectifier]

Okay, so you can't pencil mod it, which sucks...so you have to do an FSB overclock.

If you clock yourself to DDR400 (FSB @ 200) then you'll be getting 2.3ghz, which seems perfectly attainable (I can do 2.2 on a lesser core'd Sempron).

If you can't get past 133mhz FSB then there's either a switch on the motherboard preventing this (unlikely if you haven't changed your hardware at all and it was working above 133 before), your CMOS is locking it out for some reason (BIOS update?) or your CMOS is out of battery and is forgetting every time you switch the power off.

An XP 2600+ should be running at 1.9ish GHz, so at 133*11.5 it's being underclocked and shouldn't require any extra voltage.

 

[sheenster38]

Hmm, for some reason I remember the computer running at around 1.9GHz before I reformatted, but I'm not sure. As for the switch on the motherboard, I'm looking through the motherboard manual for any references. My comp is running the most recent BIOS revision that Abit has on their site. I don't think the CMOS is out of battery either considering it does save the BIOS settings and only turns off after windows is loaded.

 

[mesarectifier]

Okay, well those theories are out. I don't think those CPUs had any throttling if they were overheating either so that can't be it (although checking and posting your temps and applying newer thermal goo would help).

Try an older BIOS revision.

 

[sheenster38]

Hmm, I'll try flashing my BIOS to an older version. As for the temperatures, when I load up windows at 133 FSB, MBM tells me that its's running at around 49C which is around the same temp as my computer runs at when I set it to the default FSB.

 

[sheenster38]

So, I just put in an older version of BIOS and when I set it to 133 FSB, the computer turned itself off before it even finished loading windows.

 

[mesarectifier]

Hmm, so it's unstable to the point that it can't load Windows...

Right, here's the plan of action -

1) Take out one stick of RAM, see if it'll boot

2) If it does, the stick of RAM you took out was bad. If it still doesn't swap out the other one

3) If it doesn't boot with either stick on it's own, then update the BIOS again, then download and run Memtest x86 (Google it)

Leave that running for a few hours, see if there are any errors reported. This, obviously, is to rule out RAM in this conundrum.

 

[sheenster38]

Hmm, well I changed the FSB to 133 again with both sticks of RAM in and this time it loaded up windows, but turned off after it finished loading the desktop. I'm not exactly sure why it turned off. Too big of a cpu load?

As for ram problems, I successfully ran memtest without error with both sticks up to 125 FSB. When I jumped from 125 to 133, the computer would turn off after a certain amount of time while memtest was runing.

 

[mesarectifier]

Hmm, I'm not exactly sure what that would mean, to be honest with you.

When I was OC'ing my system it would just crash randomly or after a length of time because the CPU speed was too great for the amount of VCore I was giving it. I don't think this is the case, though, as it's being underclocked, and even though it points to bad RAM, you've sort of proved that isn't the case. I think it's a problem with the board - your CPU isn't under any stress, the RAM is of good enough quality (I can overclock generic unbranded RAM by 66mhz, and yours is branded and being underclocked) and all the problems suggest something at fault on the board.

 

[sheenster38]

Anyone else have any other suggestions?

 

[sheenster38]

Bump, anyone?