overclock questions

[v-8power]

I have a home built comp.

M7VIGPRO board
AMD athlon XP 1800+ CPU
not much memory as of yet. I have 1GB stick of pc2700 on order.

My question is how would i go about oc'ing it? I just want to go a little just to try it out. I have plans for a new puter eventually, but it's not in the budget right now.LOL

I basicly don't do much with it beside internet and a couple of differnt programs. Thanks, Brian

Edit: running XP pro if it makes much difference

 

[Wicked_Sludge]

enter your bios (usually by pressing the delete or F2 key while the bios screen is displayed during startup). poke around in there until you find the option of changing system clocks.

i wouldnt get into overclocking unless you have a very well ventilated case with at least one case fan.

 

[v-8power]

Ok thanks. I'll poke around in there. Would i look to change voltage settings or what?

Thanks. Brian

 

[Wicked_Sludge]

since you arent looking at much of an overclock, id leave voltages alone for the time being.

you might get ahold of mjones or hahnsBII. they are two of our resident computer junkies.

 

[v-8power]

Ok thanks.

 

[superdave1984]

Also you want to overclock in small increments. Eventually it WILL crash so you want to find the highest speed at which it is stable. Clock it a little, run it a day or so using the programs and games you normally run. Then go higher by a little and repeat.

 

[v-8power]

I looked in the BIOS and i don't think i can get much out of it. If i was looking in the right spot it does'nt look like i can make adjustments to the clock speeds.

Am i looking for the DRAM speeds? Latency(sp?)

Thanks, Brian

 

[fleck]

Well, you can't change the multiplier on that processor, so you need to increase the Front Side Bus speed, on your processor it set at like 166 probably, you might need better RAM than PC2700, it takes PC3200 to make a FSB of 200.

 

[Cyberbeer]

The key is to get the highest stable clockspeed at the lowest voltage. You can either change your bus speed, I think that CPU is 266 (133x2 due to DDR bus), raise it up a bit at a time, or you can try to change your multiplier..but I believe its locked on that chip and board.

You will get better results out of raising the FSB as opposed to changing the multiplier as FSB makes everything run fast, ram, cpu, communication between the board, ram and CPU. Raising multi will only make the cpu faster. Check out overclockersclub.com for lots of info on overclocking. In addition I would download a temp monitoring program and Prime 95 to check if its stable.

Make sure the temps are stable and run Prime95 when you goto bed, check to make sure it ran through the night when you get up. If it did you are good to go. I CAN NOT stress this enough make sure your temps are stable before you run PRIME95. It tests the system at full load and will heat the computer to its max.

 

[DannyG]

If you don't feel comfortable, READ READ READ. Don't just trial and error it, try to find the specs on the board, or testimonials from others that have overclocked a similar setup as yours.

On a side note, make sure to write down the settings you used at each time, in the event of a crash and BIOS reset you will know where you were at.

The best thing you could have done though you already did, and that was ask for advice and guidance.

Hope all goes well, and above all... HAVE FUN.

 

[v-8power]

I appreciate the advice guys. I think i'll actually wait until i have the money for a new MB and CPU before i try this. Again thanks for the imput. Brian

 

[mjonesjr]

If you have a "retail" CPU, then you can't overclock it. First off, make sure you don't have a retail version of your CPU.

If you don't have a retail CPU, make sure your motherboard allows overclocking. Again, not all motherboards will support overclocking.

I agree you need to overclock the CPU & RAM for best performance.

You do need to make sure you have proper intake and exhaust fans on your case before overclocking. Overclocking creates a lot more heat than the standard settings. You should have at a bare minimum 1 exhaust fan (probably 120mm with a CFM of around 65+), 2 intake fans with the same specs as the exhaust fan, and a GOOD CPU heat sink and fan. Not all CPU heat sinks can handle the heat of an overclocked CPU. Make sure yours can.

 

[v-8power]

I have a couple of fans but i'll need more. Thanks, Brian

 

[mjonesjr]

I am running 5 fans in my case right now and still do think it is enough. I have 1 120mm x 95 CFM exhaust fan, 1 120mm x 95 CFM intake fan w/ a partially blocked air flow, 1 80mm x 70 CFM intake fan, 1 80mm x 55 CFM intake fan, and 1 120mm x 65 CFM CPU heat sink fan.

I also need a better case too. The better case is coming soon, very soon.

 

[DeanMoriarty]

If you can find a cheap mobile Athlon XP on fleabay or something, they're awesome for overclocking on an old Socket A. The multiplier is unlocked, and they require less voltage to operate. Not sure how hard it would be to find one though.