Unlocking Barton 2800+ on AN7

[Bombastik]

Greets everyone.

I know that is now not the main subject for OCing, but I own a XP locked 2800+ Barton Core (03 week 2004).

Altough I've given up on running it with 200Mhz for a long time, as the multiplier is locked at 12.5x, I wanted to give it a go at unlocking it (i.e.: Turning it to XP-M), mostly after seeing Tom's article.
My objective would be going from 12.5x166 (2083Mhz) to 10.5x200Mhz (2100Mhz), as a starting point, as my objective when I bought it was to run a DDR400 synch-system.

Now I've read countless articles and one thing bothers me is that Tom's articles "instructs" the readers to unlock the 3rd and 4th L5 bridge points, and to achive this you only would (theorticaly) the 3rd bridge, as the 4th is for MP.

Anyway, I've made equally countless attemps at this, but all have been unsucessful (always connecing L5-3 and L5-4)

The closest thing I got was (according to the BIOS and Windows):
Windows: Unspecified Processor type
CPUZ,Crystal,CPUMSR: Athlon XP-M, with the same "Unspecified Processor type" specfication (instead of the expected mobile AMD XP-M)

Of course this could have been that altought CpuZ saw a Athlon XP-M, it still was at 12,5x166=2083Mhz which no such XP-M exists... but I was expecting for BIOS to detect it correctly (XP-M).

As I said, all the attempts to change the multiplier failed, either by Software or Hardware.

Dwelving deeper I see that a normal XP-M have registers C0010042 and C0010041 enabled, but according to the register output of CPUZ and the other ones only C0010042 was enabled not C0010041, so this could be the problem.

Aditionally in CPUMSR it shows the XP2800+ as locked Multiplier, but when only C0010042 register was enabled it showed it as unlocked... the system did crash everytime I changed it nonetheless.

So to play it safe I undone everything and all is back to normal (XP2800+ Barton detected by everything).

Now my doubt is, can the MoBo/chipset be at fault here?
The board is a Abit AN7 (nForce2 400), for which the chipset is known to have problems doing software Multiplier/FSB changes.
Worser still, the AN7 specifically, has the crappy uGuru system-that-doesn't-work and is not quite standard.

My question is.
Has anyone been able to unlock a Barton core processor (multiplier locked) on this SPECIFIC motherboard?

I'm also interested in hearing other peoples attempts at this, dispite motherboard, only the chipset is what I'm concerned more.

Thanx



-- I did use to have a Signature line, but it was to lame, so I removed it and replaced by this crap --

 

[phsstpok]

If you do get the mobile mod to work you might get the soft multiplier to work but you will never get hardware multipliers to work as the chip remains locked. Further, last I heard, soft multipliers still don't work on any nForce or nForce2 motherboards.

Maybe that assertion has changed since the most recent update of the articles below.

<A HREF="http://fab51.com/cpu/barton/athlon-e24.html" target="_new">http://fab51.com/cpu/barton/athlon-e24.html</A>
<A HREF="http://fab51.com/cpu/barton/athlon-e25.html" target="_new">http://fab51.com/cpu/barton/athlon-e25.html</A>



<b>A mind is a terrible thing</b>

 

[Mr5oh]

Altough I've given up on running it with 200Mhz for a long time, as the multiplier is locked at 12.5x,

You don't necessarily need to unlock your chip to overclock, as I assume you already know.

I take it you haven't had any luck overclocking it, just by upping the FSB? My 2800+ XP, locked chip, runs 2.6 ghz. My system goes a little farther than others I have messed with, but in my expierence the 2800+ chips I have messed with, could at least do the 200 mhz FSB, putting them at 2.5 ghz.

My Desktop: <A HREF="http://Mr5oh.tripod.com/pc.html" target="_new">http://Mr5oh.tripod.com/pc.html</A>

 

[Bombastik]

I take it you haven't had any luck overclocking it, just by upping the FSB? My 2800+ XP, locked chip, runs 2.6 ghz. My system goes a little farther than others I have messed with, but in my expierence the 2800+ chips I have messed with, could at least do the 200 mhz FSB, putting them at 2.5 ghz.

Well I had a go at that one, but my HSF is not a "perfomance" one, but rather a "quite" one (it's a ThermalTake SilentBoost).

I did achieve sucessfully stable 12.5x200Mhz, but at Vcore setting that I wasn't confortable with... I don't quite recall it but it was around 1,865v or 1,92v, which is WAYYY over 1.65v.

So I blamed it on the HSF, and I'm not going to buy a more powerfull HSF as my objective is and never was to overclock the CPU too far from it's specification.

I don't consider myself an Overclocker, but I am quite enthusiast on it just for the fun, not the need.

Of course having bought a system though for DDR400, running it at DDR333 is a major nuissance for me... this is my primary goal.

And the stupidest thing is, from the processor point of view, it doesn't make a diference from 12.5x166 or 10.5x200, it's virtually the same speed for it.

So the processor is actually disallowing something that really doesn't concern it with, and beeing a big AMD enthusiast, it was a major blow that I received from AMD by their approach on locking the multiplier.... so major that I don't think I will ever buy an AMD when I'm through with this system.

I'm looking at the Desktop link you have you'r system is pretty similar to mine (even the memory Mushkin PC3200, I'm assuming Special222?) the only diference is actually the MoBo
-- I did use to have a Signature line, but it was to lame, so I removed it and replaced by this crap --<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1><EM>Edited by Bombastik on 10/11/04 12:34 PM.</EM></FONT></P>

 

[Mr5oh]

Mushkin PC3200, I'm assuming Special222?

Maybe?? It was Mushkin Green I believe, the cheap stuff, 2.5-3-3-8, if I remember correctly.

My CPU went pretty far on a 1.7 core, however to get the 200 mhz FSB and faster, I have to use the 1.8 core, mine tends to sit somewhere between 1.8 and 1.76. 1.8 is consider the maximum "safe" level, so it doesn't concern me that much, and I don't leave my PC overclocked anyways.

My Desktop: <A HREF="http://Mr5oh.tripod.com/pc.html" target="_new">http://Mr5oh.tripod.com/pc.html</A>

 

[Bombastik]

however to get the 200 mhz FSB and faster, I have to use the 1.8 core, (...) 1.8 is consider the maximum "safe" level

Well I tried again yesterday, at 1.8 Windows boots but any game I play will crash/hang in 5 minutes.
Only at 1.87 did I play D3 sucessfully.... during 45 minutes, then it crashed (normal windows program crash, not hanging windows).
So I'm looking at 1.9 something to run the thing at 200Mhz, which is not aceptable.

and I don't leave my PC overclocked anyways.

Yup, that's what I want to do, that's why I want do do 10.5x200Mhz and not 12.5x200Mhz


-- I did use to have a Signature line, but it was to lame, so I removed it and replaced by this crap --

 

[Bombastik]

No one has experiences on this matter with an nForce2 they would like to share?

-- I did use to have a Signature line, but it was to lame, so I removed it and replaced by this crap --

 

[phsstpok]

Just re-read your thread. Sorry, I missed the fact that you were already aware of the problems with nForce2 and "soft" multipliers.

I do think you are simply having an overclocking limitation. 2.5 Ghz might not be possible with the modest cooling that you mentioned you have. It's easy enough to confirm, just slap a powerful fan onto you heatsink and see if you get better results.

However, there is another possibility. You may be having the nForce2 Northbridge timing problem that so many overclockers have been discovering.

The early fix for this was the famous L12 bridge mod, forcing the processor to default to 200 Mhz AND use the correct NB timings.

Lately mod'd BIOSes are the fix, no chip mod'ing necessary.

See the links below. The first one is a very, very, very long discussion tracing the developments of the mods (results on the AN7 board are included). The second link is a source of one of the mod'd BIOSes and notes from the author.

<A HREF="http://forums.pcper.com/showthread.php?t=356920" target="_new">http://forums.pcper.com/showthread.php?t=356920</A>

<A HREF="http://s6.invisionfree.com/underclock/index.php?showtopic=183" target="_new">http://s6.invisionfree.com/underclock/index.php?showtopic=183</A>

There are disclaimer regarding the safety and effectivenes of the mod'd BIOS but it seems many people are using it.

<b>A mind is a terrible thing</b><P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1><EM>Edited by phsstpok on 10/14/04 03:56 PM.</EM></FONT></P>