Crappy 2500 barton? (AQXDA stepping)

I finally got a decent heatsink in my system (vantec aeroflow) and I'm ready to overclock... I was pretty upset that the only way to get stable at 2.2ghz (200 x 11) was to push the vcore up to 1.70, any less and it would crash on the first try of a prime test. so I tried 2.25 ghz with 188 x 12 and with 205 x 11, both times it crashed the whole system within 20 seconds of starting prime torture test. So I push the vcore all the way up to 1.75 and the only thing that changes is that it lasts maybe 40 seconds instead of 20 in prime95. My temps at 2.2ghz are 43c idle/ 48c load... it drops about 5 degrees by leaving my case open cause my airflow in the case sucks, getting more fans next week though, but even with the case open and temps around 38c, I can't get it anywhere near stable past 2.2ghz and I'm afraid to go over 1.75 vcore.

Does my 2500 just plain suck? I've heard many people get theirs to 2.2ghz at stock vcore, some even with stock heatsink, and most everyone here get theirs at least to 2.3 ghz. Is there some trick I'm missing?

Also, I'd like to add that every time I reset the CMOS or put the chip in for the first time, it misreads my chip as a 1.1 ghz duron cause it autodetects the FSB at 100mhz instead of 166mhz, I thought maybe it was just a weird bug with the mobo or something, but do you think it's a result of the suckiness of my chip?

Mine is about the same as yours. 200 x 11 takes 1.750, 200 x 11.5 takes 1.80. BTW, my MB also defaults to FSB 100. I think that is the MB not the CPU. The highest I can get on default voltage is 169 x 12.5. It could be your memory or PSU holding you back also. I had to replace my PSU because the voltage was dropping under load.

yea, it might be because of the stepping, i've heard weird things about that stepping

Do you know the entire stepping? I have an AQXDA 0313MPMW currently running 2500MHz on 1.825V. It will do 2300MHz with stock voltage.
I had an aeroflow before I setup watercooling, and with those temps I could run 2200MHz on stock voltage and 2300 MHz with 1.70V.

I'm not sure the exact stepping, I wrote it down somewhere but can't seem to find it now, I'll check again tomorrow.

Mustanley, did you run prime95 to test for stability at those speeds? cause my computer will boot up fine at those settings and vcores but it can't even pass 20 seconds of prime95.

i have the exact stepping as mustanly and it'll do 2.3 at stock voltage too =d

I have an AQXEA 0324 TPOW that won't do Prime for more than 6 minutes at stock settings, then it freezes. It does the same thing when run at 200 * 11 at stock voltage. It doesn't matter how high I raise the voltage either. I can run at 2v and it still doesn't make a difference other than it runs hotter. Be happy with your chip and be glad you didn't get shafted like I did.

It could be something other than the chip. Memory or PSU?

yea its nto teh chips fault prob something else at fault temps? cpu? mobo? or ram

I have an AQXCA 2500+, and can hit 2200 on stock, but cant hit 2300 with any voltage settings... Anyone hear anything on this stepping?

subconscious said:

I'm not sure the exact stepping, I wrote it down somewhere but can't seem to find it now, I'll check again tomorrow.

Mustanley, did you run prime95 to test for stability at those speeds? cause my computer will boot up fine at those settings and vcores but it can't even pass 20 seconds of prime95.

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Yeah, I tested all speeds with prime95 plus I am continuously running folding@home on it.
Tell us the rest of your system components, i.e. mobo model, memory, power supply

my system:
Barton 2500
Asus A7N8X Deluxe rev 2.0
2 sticks of 256mb PC 2700 Kingston HyperX
Enlight 420w power supply

I keep the ram running at or below 166mhz with loose settings, so I don't really think it's the problem. Even at 1.85 vcore under full stress, temps never get over 47c, usually around 36c idle/42 load so I don't think temps are the problem either. I just noticed that my vcore jumps anywhere from what it's supposed to be to .15 volts over, but never under... for example when I had it set at 1.85, it was jumping to 1.9 regularly and sometimes even up near 2.00... do you think the power supply isn't high enough quality and that could be holding back the stability? I tried running at 2.31ghz (11 x 210) with 1.85 vcore and it seemed stable, but after about an hour of prime95 it brought an error. Any lower than 1.85 vcore and it can't even survive a few seconds of prime, but will usually boot.

Any ideas on what I could do to get stability with an overclock over 2.2ghz? Or is my barton just a bad performer?

Buhammot said:

I have an AQXCA 2500+, and can hit 2200 on stock, but cant hit 2300 with any voltage settings... Anyone hear anything on this stepping?

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I have this stepping too. Takes 1.70 vcore for 2200,but luckily I can get 2300 with 1.85.AQXCA Suxs.

ok, just found my stepping that I wrote down somewhere, it says:

AQXDA 0316MPMW

anyone else had crappy results with this stepping or similar steppings? I'm still working on getting better results out of it, making my own cooling mod that should bring temps down 8 degrees or so hopefully, maybe that will help.

Hey Guys-not sure why everyone says AQXDA is a bad stepping; have 3 worst is running @ 2350 (166 x 13.5) as I have a kt400 mobo and no pci lock i don't run faster than stock fsb but all systems are stable at load. BTW stock volts on all with Corsair value RAM...I know...I'm cheep!!

Bummer, I have the same stepping and my rig is running at 9 X 250 and I plan to push it a liittle further after my phase change is running.