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Tips on getting faster FSB?

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cooldrum3

Member
Joined
Nov 28, 2001
Location
Harleysville, PA
I'm currently stable at 145 MHz (x12), locked XP1900+ on MSI KT3 Ultra2. However, when I go to 146, the computer boots into XP and freezes as soon as I put a load on it. From what I've been reading, 145 is a pitiful attempt at overclocking the FSB. I've tried everything I can do with air cooling. My voltages are set at auto in my BIOS, so they should be adjusting correctly for the chip and memory. Does anyone have any tips on maybe getting me to the 166 MHz barrier or so, or should I butcher a case and go water cooling?
 
Check the pci speeds.. try not to go over 38-39. For us to really help your gonna have to tell us temps and memory and everything.. it looks like you have a pally 1900 so you probably need a new cpu to do much overclocking.
 
The KT3 Ultra 2 should have the appropriate dividers to run a 166 fsb so try setting it to 166 while lowering your multiplier.
 
I have the same board, and when I had an xp1800 I could also only get to 145mHz. My problem was my RAM. What kind of RAM do you have? Most pc2100 cannot make it at those speeds. If your memory can handle it, go ahead and jump to 166mhz because your 1/5 divider will kick in. Just be careful.
 
The RAM is Samsung. I believe it's PC2700, though I could be mistaken. I forget. Is there any utility I can use to find out? I tried 146 again and the computer booted, but froze soon after I logged into Windows. At 147 the screen goes black and it won't even boot. I have to reset the BIOS.
 
With your current temps any further overclocking would be useless. I also take it that the chip your running is an A core which were always hot runners anyways. Dont mistaken everyones overclocks your seeing as majority of them are running the B cores and there default speeds are 166fsb.
 
cooldrum3 said:
I'm currently stable at 145 MHz (x12), locked XP1900+ on MSI KT3 Ultra2.

My voltages are set at auto in my BIOS, so they should be adjusting correctly for the chip and memory. Does anyone have any tips on maybe getting me to the 166 MHz barrier or so, or should I butcher a case and go water cooling?

You have Palomino? If yes then the problem is simple. At defaul voltages & multiplier you have reached the maximum clockspeed at that voltage & maybe temperature. It's been a while since this have been mentioned but it still holds true "DROP THE MULTIPLIER & RAISE THE FSB" so you will have to unlock your CPU to reach your goal. Like so,

12 X 145 = 1740MHz
10 X 166 = 1743MHz

Having your Volatages set to Auto means that it will read the Voltage Assignment on the chip & set it to whatever the default valtage is, Palomino being 1.75V, but in now way will it adjust to whatever your needs are. You will need to manually set your VCore to the desired voltage to increase your clockspeed & the VMem for the Memory to reach FSB goals. All this will increase your heatoutput. You will need better cooling than what you have now.
 
Ok, granted I don't feel like going to the trouble of unlocking the CPU..could I get a little more FSB by just upping the voltages and working on the cooling situation?
 
Also, what about increasing my CAS latency time to 3? Do you think that would allow me to gain another couple MHz on the FSB as well?
 
well ur temps are kinda high so i' take of that first but if i'm not mistakenon the the msi boards the 1/5 divider doesn't kick in until the fsb is like 157 , it's most likeyl the limit of ur chip w/ that temp gab a 1700+ b and overclock ur heart out
 
cooldrum3 said:
Also, what about increasing my CAS latency time to 3? Do you think that would allow me to gain another couple MHz on the FSB as well?

The lower the better for memory timings.
 
cooldrum3 said:
Also, what about increasing my CAS latency time to 3? Do you think that would allow me to gain another couple MHz on the FSB as well?

You have to decide which one is best for your system. With your current memory is it already limited in terms of FSB with aggressive timings that you have to slow them down to gain? Will you gain enough FSB that the overall through-put will take care of the higher latencies? The only way for you to find out is by testing it, to do that you want all the options available like multipliers. Don't limit yourself:beer:
 
Right now I have an unlocked Palomino 2000+ on a KT3 Ultra 2 just like yours.

Before it was unlocked, I couldn't really go very high either, but now that it's unlocked, it's my ram that limits my FSB, basically. There *IS* a 1/5th divider that kicks in at something like 154 or 156 mhz, but if your processor can't do default multi x 155, then you're stuck at 144 or wherever you are until you unlock.

And I HIGHLY suggest that you unlock. It's really not that hard, just time consuming if you devote the proper care and attention to detail that you should.

So now I have a palomino running at 11x166, 1.85 volts (.1 over default), and that's the ragged edge of what my samsung pc2700 will do at cas2. I can do 10x180 at cas 2.5, but i don't want to go much higher than 180 because of the 1/5th divider.
 
What if I went to PC3200 or 3500 or 3700? Let's say I do unlock my CPU and I've also been thinking about watercooling. What kind of gains could I expect then? I'm looking to get into the well over 2 GHz range here. All that would be in vain if all I can do is get into the 1800's or 1900's. Do I just not have a fast enough chip? How are these guys I'm seeing with slower chips than mine getting so high?
 
i own a 1900 pally and i think the best thing you can do is get yourseld the 1700 t-bred B and have some fun, the time and money your gonna need to get that pally to do anythign just isnt worth it
 
Will a 1700 OC better than a 1800? What about just stepping up to a XP3000 400? Or would I HAVE to buy new memory then just to run it? There's a really big computer show near me this weekend so I may just have some fun ;)
 
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