Overclocking the P4 (other than changing FSB)

[SanTropez1971]

My new system is great. I have a Gigabye 8IHXP (Intel 850E Chipset) mobo, an Intel P4 2.53 and 512 MB PC1066. So far I have overclocked my FSB to 144 and anything higher my 3DMark2001 locks up. I am wondering what else to do. I have yet to see a good explanation of why all the new boards have overvolting features on them and how to use them. Is overvolting a way to overclock or something totally different?

<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1><EM>Edited by SanTropez1971 on 08/16/02 10:03 AM.</EM></FONT></P>

 

[chuck232]

Ok, I presume you didn't change the vCore then? You may need to raise it by a bit to go higher. You can do that in the BIOS. Go in little incrememts and try again.

<i>Past mistakes may make you look stupid, but avoiding future ones will make you look smart!</i>

 

[SanTropez1971]

All I did was up the FSB. I did not mess with any of the other settings yet. So I guess I need to increase the vcore to get higher stable FSB settings to work?

 

[SanTropez1971]

Also how high is too high? Any way to gauge that?

 

[chuck232]

All I did was up the FSB. I did not mess with any of the other settings yet. So I guess I need to increase the vcore to get higher stable FSB settings to work?

Yes

Now, usually you don't want to use anything above 1.75V. Running above that for exteneded periods can permanently damage your CPU.

Just raise the vcore by .025 at a time and slowly raise the FSB. Now, don't get too greedy. You should set a goal and stop there, cause you don't want to go too high. I wouldn't be comfortable using anything above a 1.65V, but that's just me and I'm paranoid.

<i>Past mistakes may make you look stupid, but avoiding future ones will make you look smart!</i>

 

[JaeSun]

you go in increments.

*raise FSB until it gets unstable
*then raise vcore. then previous raised FSB should be stable.
*raise FSB again
*raise vcore

you do this until you reach a point in which it becomes unstable no matter what you do. there really isnt anything to high, but to make sure its stable in end, run test after test for at least 4-6 hours. if it doenst lock up, its stable, if it does lock up, its unstable still. discuss.madonion.com go here to these forums, as they can prob help you more. also, make sure you have cooling set. if you dont have proper cooling, there goes your investment.

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100 Character Limit Sucks!!

 

[SanTropez1971]

I will try that this is what I can choose from.

FVcore Voltage
Original Original Vcore Voltage. (Default Value)
+0.025V Original Vcore Voltage +0.025V.
+0.050V Original Vcore Voltage +0.050V.
+0.075V Original Vcore Voltage +0.075V.
+0.100V Original Vcore Voltage +0.100V.

How about these other settings?

Over AGP Voltage
1.5V Set Over AGP Voltage to 1.5V.(Default Value)
1.6V Set Over AGP Voltage to 1.6V.
1.7V Set Over AGP Voltage to 1.7V.
1.8V Set Over AGP Voltage to 1.8V.

Over RIMM Voltage
Disabled Disable this funciton. (Default Value)
Enabled Enable Over RIMM Voltage function.

I would like to get this sys to run 3.0 GHz. Many have told me "you can do that with factory fan" but never gave me any tips like this.

 

[chuck232]

Wow, only .1V overvolting?

Also, the AGP voltages would be useful if you're looking to overclock your video card.

Also, enabling RIMM overvolting would probably let you be able to overclock your RDRAM more.

Well just do as Jaesun(sp?) said. Raise the vcore by 1 increment and raise the FSB. then, when it locks, raise again and raise vcore again. And keep on going. Since you can only do 1.6V, don't worry about going to the max. BTW, monitor your temps still.

<i>Past mistakes may make you look stupid, but avoiding future ones will make you look smart!</i>

 

[SanTropez1971]

This board has what seems to be low overclocking capabilities. The vcore seems low (by your statement) and the max FSB is only 156. I wonder if this is due to the Intel 850E or just Gigabyte in the way the made the board.

Another question. How can I check stability other than using 3DMark2001? Many times 3DMark will run and complete but then when I sit down to play a real game (America's Army) my system locks up. SO it seems that just because 3DMark finished does not mean the system is stable.

 

[JaeSun]

nope..just running 3dmark once wont check to see if its stable...obviously, it isnt cuz when you play a game, it locks up...you need to start raising the voltage ..... i forgot, but there are some progs you can use to run constantly to test if its stable..i think 3dmark is one of them, if you loop the tests over and over for hours .... but if your locking up playing a game, then its not stable ....

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100 Character Limit Sucks!!

 

[JaeSun]

nope..just running 3dmark once wont check to see if its stable...obviously, it isnt cuz when you play a game, it locks up...you need to start raising the voltage ..... i forgot, but there are some progs you can use to run constantly to test if its stable..i think 3dmark is one of them, if you loop the tests over and over for hours .... but if your locking up playing a game, then its not stable ....

as for the vcore, normally good mobo's go higher than 1.6 ..some go to 2.2 ..but anything over 1.75 ive read is high, unless you got better cooling (IE water cooled, and primitera (sp?) cooling .. and even so, ur CPU will get ruined in end ...1.6 sounds like a good place..if you get there, and everything is stable, and you havent gotten high enough, then try other ways .... water cooling might be another way to go ....

as i said, discuss.madonion.com is a good place for more info. they have alot of people there that OC, and know a bit. but the place is pretty big, thus alot of flaming and crap like thjat ..

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100 Character Limit Sucks!!

 

[SanTropez1971]

Does it matter that 3DMark only is DirectX not OpenGL like many of the other games I play (Q3, SOF2)? Does it work the system just as hard as an OpenGL game would? Is there an OpenGL and DirectX burn in app out? (I know I am reaching here)

umm.. did my computer just reboot?

 

[chuck232]

IIRC there's a program called *Toast* and it constantly runs your CPU at 100% load. Running that for a while should tell you if it's stable or not.

As for o/cing features, the 850E don't seem to have as many o/cing features as the 845 series do. It's not just the GigaByte.

Actually the GigaByte is one of the best RDRAM mobos out there.

<i>Past mistakes may make you look stupid, but avoiding future ones will make you look smart!</i>

 

[Truth0r]

http://www.majorgeeks.com/showfiles.php?cat=7&sort=5

This is a decent site for programs that will help you in your quest.

 

[Crashman]

For the core, 1.65v tends to give great overclocks with minimal heat increase. Going above that tends to increase heat at a larger proportion than performance. And try to keep it under 1.75v

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