Quote:
Originally posted by mrjetguy
I am in the proccess of building a new computer and have never overclocked in the past. I have a Shuttle AN35N ULTRA 400 mobo and a Athlon XP 2100+ Thoroughbred processor. One question that I have is: Is there a way of knowing whether or not the multiplier will be locked before I setup everything and get into the bios? Also, what is the basic method for unlocking this CPU?
I also have a question about the effects of RAM on the overclocking proccess. If I get DDR400 RAM will that increase the amount that I can raise the CPUs FSB compared to a DDR266?
Also, any comments or further help you can give would br greatly appreciated. I will be using a Vantec Aeroflow Heatsink and will be adding some fans to the case, along with a 500w PS. |
Multiplier locks? Pretty much have to stick it in the board and find out. Most of the Tbred-B's are factory unlocked, at least the lower than stock multipliers are. My Barton is adjustable from a high of 12.5x (stock) down.
Basic method like the wire trick Gary pointed out, will work just fine. Just make sure you short the right pins for what you want to do, and make sure the wire you use doesn't short any more pins than you want. You can also use a conducive pen to bridge the L1 contacts (would L3 work too?), although I've never done this, and haven't really done alot of research on this trick with Tbred's.
Will PC3200 be better for overclocking than PC2100? That's a big yes. Basically, you'd be eliminating the RAM as being the potential overclocking bottleneck, so to speak. If you couldn't get the FSB up past 150MHz with PC2100, but the CPU was at stock speed still (by lowering the multiplier), then it would be the RAM holding you back. PC3200 isn't all that expensive right now, for quality stuff, and it can run at slower than stock speeds if you can't get your motherboard past a 166MHz FSB, which you should be able to do if that is the nForce2 motherboard. And the heatsinks on RAM chips do nothing more than make them look cool. RAM sinks are fluff. The overclockability and latency comes from the selection and testing of the RAM chips themselves.
As for overclocking tips, first, if your CPU is unlocked for higher multipliers, start by raising the multiplier one step at a time, until you get system instability. When that occurs, you can either raise the core voltage one small increment at a time until it's stable, or back it off and figure that to be around the highest stable overclock your particular CPU will do. After that, lower the multiplier, and raise the FSB a couple MHz at a time, keeping the CPU around it's stock speed, so you know the CPU isn't causing instability. Once you've established the highest stable FSB the motherboard and RAM will achieve, bump the multiplier up again one step at a time, until the system starts with the instability again. Up the core voltage until the system is stable again.
Watch your heat. Make sure you have a good cooling solution for your whole system. Buy yourself a good heatsink/fan for the CPU, and make sure the case has sufficient air flow. The stuff you listed should be fine. Keep your heat down (I personally wouldn't go above 50C at idle) and I wouldn't raise the VCore of the CPU more than 1.85V.
Here's a little article that should help you determine and troubleshoot system instability in an overclocked environment. And there's other guides that may or may not help you figure out what you're doing, all from overclockers.com
http://www.overclockers.com/tips645/index02.asp
All that should help you get started.
Edit: And yes, most nForce2 boards are able to allow you to freely adjust the multiplier, at least below the default multiplier.
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