Cobra's Overclocking/Information Site... (UPDATED VERSION)

[Cobra]

Hi all,

I wrote this guide for the beginner, so it's fairly generic. You'll also find it doesn't tell you exactly what to do/set, since different motherboards have different BIOS features, and each CPU is different (some overclock well, others don't).

However, if you are wanting to learn how to do it then most of what you need to know should be here.

I am always open to suggestions - post up or PM me if you like.

I hope this helps with the increasingly frequent overclocking topics that are appearing in this forum.

http://www.bath.ac.uk/~bs3jf/overclock.htm

Enjoy!

Cobra

EDIT - The new site has now been released! The link is still the same, but I want to preserve the comments on this thread since they do hold value.

This is the link to the beginning of the new comments.

[Ducatti20]

Recommend another usefull link... www.overclockers.com great info and they have a huge forum with tons of knowledge.. nice job on the guide, should keep most noobs out of trouble...

[mujahid7ia]

Although most ppl run their PCs at 1024x768, at 800x600 this ould be extremely annoying... I'm in school @ 800x600...

[Cobra]

Problem fixed. It should now be good to view @ 800 x 600.

Link to Overclockers.com added.

Thanks,

Cobra

[mujahid7ia]

i like the content, pretty good. are you planning to add more stuff/ details later?

[Cobra]

I will probably add more to it when I find more to add. Just now, that guide details my current abilities with overclocking.

I might research Intel overclocking purely to add it to my guide, so it can cover 99.9% of the user base on this site.

I would like this guide to grow and cover what people here need to know, to save a bit of research. I am always open to suggestions as to what should be added, and I will add whatever I can!

Cobra

[mujahid7ia]

maybe chapters-style links at top of page... like the ones that link to "#chapter4" or something like that. Right now scrolling is OK, but as it gets longer, w/ Maybe Intel section, it would be helpful.

[Cobra]

I will add chapter links shortly, as soon as I have some free time (Easter break, starts tomorrow).

Cobra

[abrakadabra]

Nice article.

Just want to tell you my OC story.
I had an MSI board (VIA KT400A ), XP2400 and 166 Mhz CL 2.5 Ram

Even if I tried, the memory was not stable at more then 164 Mhz at with CL2 and fastest settings.
The Cpu was locked at 15 fsb of 141 was as far as I could get and still encode with TmpgEnc. A total gain in speed of about 5%.

Then one day my MB fried (smoke coming from computer) and I replaced it with an Asus A7V600-X (VIA KT600)
On this board my CPU is no longer locked and my memory can be run much faster.
The multipler is set in Bios at 10 and the FSB = RAM speed is set to 212 MHz.
217 Mhz is the upper limit, but system isn't stable and crashes when running TmpgEng (probably a cooling issue).

So 2120 Mhz compared to 2000 Mhs, that's a 6% faster CPU. But my system runs TmpgEnc 28% faster due to the faster FSB/RAM speed.
And that figures since a XP2600 is slower than XP2400 but has a lower multiper.

My system is now more like an "XP3100".

Any others having similar experiences with newer boards?

[northcat_8]

Well written. Can't wait to read it all when I get home. Here at "work"....I have a ....cough, cough.....Mac....a G3.......32 MB of RAM, rez is like a 60x40!!!

My calculator is higher order technology.

[mujahid7ia]

AMD used to leave their chips unlocked. This meant that an overclocker could vary both FSB and CPU multiplier, so if they wanted their XP2800 (which is FSB166 and CPU Mult. 12.5) to reach XP3200 speeds, they could raise the FSB to 200 and drop their multiplier to 11, so it was configured in the same way as an XP3200.

People began to see the opportunity with these chips, and set up factories where they took AMD chips and overclocked them to see how high they would go, then sold them on as the higher powered chips, making money in the process. Obviously, AMD didn’t like losing money, so they locked the chips. You can still unlock them, but you need to know precisely what you’re doing, and it’s a risky process.

i hope you're not supporting these ppl. they are bootleggers who deceive others to sell higher clocked chips. it sounds kind of positive...

[Cobra]

I am not supporting them, although what I say is neutral towards either side because I state it is still possible for an overclocker to unlock the chips is could be seen as being supportive towards the unjust actions of some.

Good point, though, and now it's clarified.

Cobra

[mujahid7ia]

Yeah, it looks better now.

I am not supporting them, although what I say is neutral towards either side because I state it is still possible for an overclocker to unlock the chips is could be seen as being supportive towards the unjust actions of some.

Good point, though, and now it's clarified.

Cobra

i wasn't saying you supported them simply because you stated it was possible to unlock the chips, it was just that the whope paragraph with the factories sounded a little too accepting. Although it's much better now.

[Cobra]

Thanks, as I say I'm open to all and any suggestions no matter how small.

I can't change my website whilst I am at home, since I have to be on-campus to alter stuff this year for some reason. I am, however, learning more and more and I will update it when I get back in a couple of weeks.

Have you seen the new line of Athlon XP Mobile chips on www.overclockers.co.uk ? They run at a standard voltage of 1.45V as opposed to 1.65V, and so their cores will be near-flawless. They're also multiplier unlocked. A standard XP2500 is £54, and the mobile version is £70. I'd happily pay the £16 extra... If only I'd held on another few weeks!

Cobra

[mujahid7ia]

yeah, i should have waited longer also... those 2500MPs are great because their not locked..

Overclocked Athlon XP-M chips have become all the rage recently; the already low voltage and no multiplier lock allow die hard overclockers to pull 2.5GHz (and much more) out of a processor that normally runs at 1.8GHz. The Mobile Bartons force you to pay an extra $20 premium, but if overclocking is your thing, you are essentially assured a good processor to do it with. We recently added a complete lineup of mobile Athlons to our price engine.

Up until recently, the AMD overclocking scene had gone virtually unchanged for several long months. New motherboard revisions and BIOSes to popular boards, such as the NF7-S, A7N8X Deluxe, etc., were coming out that ended up overclocking the latest AMD processors higher, but the best bang for the buck CPU was still AMD's Athlon XP 2500+ processor. Now, AMD overclockers finally have something to look forward to in the mobile version of AMD's 2500+, which was released sometime around the turn of February. Operating at 1.45V instead of 1.65V and with other electrical layout changes, the mobile 2500+ has quickly become a favorite among AMD overclockers. A key feature of the mobile 2500+ is the fact that it comes factory unlocked, meaning its multiplier is adjustable from (in this case) 11X up to 22 and as low as 5X. This is vitally important to overclockers because this allows them to squeeze out more performance from their chip without having to resort to fantastic FSB speeds. Being multiplier unlocked is an important feature of the mobile 2500+, not only because it gives overclockers more performance, but because the regular (desktop) version of AMD's 2500+ processor is now coming factory locked, and that means that your motherboard has to sustain much higher FSB speeds than an unlocked CPU like the mobile 2500+.

We purchased a mobile Athlon XP 2500+ processor recently from a local vendor and tested it ourselves to see what we could ring out of it. We set the mobile 2500+ to 1.65V instead of leaving it at the default 1.45V, primarily because most Athlon XP processors' Vcore default at 1.65V anyway. On just 1.65V, we were able to get a 2.38GHz core clock speed. This was stable during Prime95 and SPECviewperf 7.1.1 runs (8 hours), both of which, by the way, are good programs to test the stability of your system. This is simply a great overclock, especially on 1.65V. Remember, the mobile 2500+'s stock speed is 1.87GHz (not 1.83GHz like the desktop version), meaning that we were able to achieve a 510MHz total overclock. Moving on, we decided to head straight to the highest Vcore at which we would run a chip like this; 1.80V. At 1.80V, we were able to get a stable 2.52GHz overclock. In other words, with an additional 0.15V, we pumped out another 150MHz of speed. Knowing that most overclockers are frequent upgraders who usually don't use a CPU more than 9 months (sometimes much less), 1.80V will be OK with the proper cooling and maintenance. We suggest a lower Vcore (like 1.75V or 1.775V) if your working environment happens to be significantly hotter than room temperature, as your CPU may overheat under load in a poorly ventilated room. Granted, as you'll see at the end of this review, we chose powerful enough cooling that basically prevents this from ever happening.

Anyway, when you overvolt your CPU, you normally should be wary of how much you overvolt. For example, running your Athlon XP CPU at 2.0V or higher is simply not a good idea by any stretch of the imagination if you plan on keeping your CPU more than a month or two. It will die at that high of a voltage; we've seen it happen before and have had countless reliable reports of such failings. However, with the right mix of overvolting (1.75V-1.80V), your CPU should last as long as you're going to keep it, which is usually 9 months or less (by the time the better overclocking chips come around, in other words). However, we should note that not all mobile 2500+ processors will be guaranteed to reach the overclock that we experienced. 2.52GHz is simply not going to be possible for everyone. However, look at the bright side - you could get a chip that overclocks higher than 2.52GHz, and that would be a steal.

In case you're wondering, our mobile 2500+ is an IQYFA 0343 stepping processor. If you receive a different-week mobile 2500+ don't panic, we've seen reports of overclocks similar to ours with non-IQYFA chips.

http://anandtech.com/guides/showdoc.html?i=1992&p=2

Should have got one...

[freak_in_cage_10k]

guide looks good man, a few pointers:

try not to constrict your guide to CPU overclocking, why not overclock your graphics card also (if wanting to play games). obviously most ppl wont be interested in buying a new GPU HSF, but some decent arctic silver will prob reduce temps by a few degrees.

also point out that it is worth seeing how much you can overclock your CPU without touching the voltage! i can run my 2500+ (not mobile!) at 2.1GHZ (200 FSB) at stock voltage! thats greater that 3000+, so additional voltage applied --> no extra heat --> no extra cooling- a good way for a noobe to start!

perhaps stress that if ppl want a overclocked system but also quiet, water cooling is the answer! you can get a real good custom build water cooling kit for about £160, or buy a pack with everything in it for about £100, although it wont be much better than a HSF, it will be much quieter!

perhaps mension that untill your MB locks the PCI speed, overclocking your FSB will also increase the speed of the PCI bus, heck, u r even overclocking your hard drive, not a good idea if you value your data! i belive that most NForce2 MBs lock PCI bus, but better warn noobes of it!

add a link to the futuremark forum site

all in all a good guide dude, cheers 4 quoting me!

[Cobra]

First of all:

i can run my 2500+ (not mobile!) at 2.1GHZ (200 FSB) at stock voltage!

You lucky git...

Thanks for the extensive suggestions on improvements. I will work on it shortly, once I'm back at uni. I also hope to cover a bit about Intel overclocking, which should be much the same.

The reactions from those who have read it so far have been fairly positive. I wonder if it's good or valuable enough that it could be made sticky, or whether I need more improvements/information on it before it's worth it.

Anyway, thanks for taking the time to read it and give feedback!

Cobra

[Will Hay]

Great guide; I've never tried this shit before (seemingly I don't know the handshake) but I'm gonna give it a go this weekend.
Will

[VCDHunter]

Great guide; I've never tried this shit before (seemingly I don't know the handshake) but I'm gonna give it a go this weekend.
Will

Get ready for some very angry posts from Mr Hay

Seriously though, my board (Gigabyte) holds an an XP2000 with a FSB of 133 IIRC. I've never checked out OCing before but hell if Will can find the time with two kids I really owe it to myself to have a crack at ruining my machine. I doubt i'll do it this weekend as I'm off to Prague on monday and I don't want to break my PC prior to leaving, so maybe when I get back I'll look into it.

[Will Hay]

Great guide; I've never tried this shit before (seemingly I don't know the handshake) but I'm gonna give it a go this weekend.
Will

Get ready for some very angry posts from Mr Hay

**** it, I'll let my two year old son do it; make sure it's done correctly
Will

[Cobra]

VCDHunter & Will,

Good luck with your overclocking. It's fun to see how much more you can squeeze out of your machines.

To everyone,

I will be updating my guide when I get the time. There are a few flaws that have been pointed out, most significantly by gmatov who told me raising VCore does not raise the temperature, it is the extra processing done by the CPU. This does stand to reason but being a scientist, I had to try it out. Here are my results:

https://www.videohelp.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=887789#887789

So, the only real concern with VCore is electromigration, but please do watch your temperatures anyway!

Cobra

[Cobra]

The new site is now available. The link is still the same.

I have tried to take into account as many suggestions as possible, but I will try to keep adding to it and updating it if it proves to be inaccurate.

As always, comments and suggestions are always well recieved, no matter what.

Hope this helps!

Cobra