OC the T-Bird 1 ghz to **** ? How High can i go with what I bought?

[Blazah1080]

Ok I got the new asus (MB T-Bird/Duron SktA Asus A7V noA ) board and the tbird 1 ghz chip, I relize that the big coolers are very loud and that is why i chose the Super Orb. I would just like to know how far i can go with it, with what i have. I would be happy with anything more, just as long as I dont burn up this thing, any help is greatly appreciated.

~~Jeff~~

[Rob Cork]

On good aircooling a 1gig tbird would probably get to 1100-1150MHz, but I'm not sure whether that super orb counts as 'good' cooling. What we're talking about here is temps around 45C under load, possibly lower - I've heard most super orbs run around or even above 50C, but with good case cooling you may be able to drag it down to 45. Of course, none of this means anything if you can get it stable at higher temperatures - just consider 60C the absolute maximum, and only really be happy with anything below 50. As long as the temps don't get out of hand, you can go to the maximum voltage allowed by the board (1.85V) without fear of frying the chip.

[Torch]

Although high temperatures may shorten the life of the chip, the risk of 'burning it up' is minimal. When the temperature becomes too high, the cpu will produce errors, and your system will lock up. At that time, the CPU has stopped operating, and immediately begins to cool.

I can't locate any specs on how long a processor is designed to live at 'regular' temperatures. I'd assume, however, that you'll be upgrading to a new CPU before the your overclocked t-bird comes close to leaving this world.

That said, you should be able to reach at least 1100Mhz with what you have. I've reached 1Ghz stable with my T-bird and just the Chrome Orb. At those speeds, your performance is hindered by other bottlenecks such as RAM, so the real-world difference is likely going to be negligible.

And yes, there are better coolers than the Super Orb, but as you said, noise is a factor with the more expensive units. Most overclockers could care less about noise (from what I gather), but to some of us it makes a difference.