Axia stepping code...

[mirage]

hi, i'm a newbie when it comes to "overclocking" cpu's...i plan on picking up a 1 Ghz thru 1.33 Ghz (266FSB) cpu soon...i understand how to recognize the codes on the AMD chips, but wondering if i bought a retail version (aint nothing like having that 3 yr warranty) that if there is any indication that i am actually purchasing an chip with the Axia stepping code on it??? does it have the cpu's codes on the retail box?? or do i have a better chance to going down to the cpu show to hand-pick my cpu, thus being able to pick out an Axia chip???

mirage

[jeff_harrison_344]

Well, if the store is like Futureshop or sumthin, dont even bother askin em what AXIA is, but if its a good store, they might lknow.

To find out you must look on the chip, somewhere in those numbers, if it IS an AXIA, with say AXIA,so a complete example would be this:

98213231DF
4AXIA8G563

[Willis]

It'd be better if you bought from a retailer online who specializes in these types of processors.
http://www.atacom.com is a great place with plenty of AXIA stepping athlons. I bought a 1ghz AXIA a few
months ago and have been happily cruising along at 1400mhz without any problem. One thing to consider
is when you buy a chip to get to this speed or higher, your going to need some decent cooling. Hardware
review sites who review heatsinks generally don't benchmark them at high overclocked speeds, so thier
results can be deceiving. I'm using a Swiftech MC462-A. I know it's a very expensive cooling option, but its the best you can do without moving to water cooling.

Hope this helps!

[mirage]

::walks back to the cpu::

wow, thx for the quick replies...i appreciate it...i plan on building two cpu's...both for gaming, but im planning on overclocking the server cpu...

i just puchased an Asus A7M266 (due to all the rave reviews), but will use that for my home machine...i have read that this board doesnt overclock without bypassing a few obsticles...

i am on my way to fry's to pick up an 1.2 Ghz T-bird(266FSB) to use with the Asus board, but the cpu is bundled with an Iwill KK266 mobo, which i will probably use for overclocking...i will take ur advice and probably pick up a 1Ghz for overclocking....it seems that this chip is the rite balance of price/performance and value that im looking for...

thx again for ur help...i will keep u updated on my new venture !!!

mirage

[doublec16]

Willis (Jun 05, 2001 07:15 p.m.):
It'd be better if you bought from a retailer online who specializes in these types of processors.
http://www.atacom.com is a great place with plenty of AXIA stepping athlons. I bought a 1ghz AXIA a few
months ago and have been happily cruising along at 1400mhz without any problem. One thing to consider
is when you buy a chip to get to this speed or higher, your going to need some decent cooling. Hardware
review sites who review heatsinks generally don't benchmark them at high overclocked speeds, so thier
results can be deceiving. I'm using a Swiftech MC462-A. I know it's a very expensive cooling option, but its the best you can do without moving to water cooling.

Hope this helps!I just read some of the comments about Atacom at resellerratings.com and it looks a bit scary. I know that it is less likely for people who are completely satisfied with their purchase to post there, but there were so many people that received DOA equipment and couldn't get an RMA from Atacom and some used and damaged equipment sold as new. Is there another vendor that specializes in AXIA and unlocked CPUs?

[Willis]

I've not heard alot about people having problems with atacom.com, but I might have just been one of the lucky ones. Another good place is bzboys.com. I've seen that name in quite a few posts here so they've got to at least have a decent reputation.

Thanks for the info though!!

[tim]

I purchased quite a few CPUs and Mobos at atacom.com and they are all good stuffs. Being a local guy, I just make a short drive to pick up my stuffs. Larry, the manager of atacom, is a very nice guy as well as most of his staff. I am a happy customer.

[krakerman]

on the subject of overclocking the game server... when using my overclocked tbird system (1.0 at 1.3), i never have instabilities during normal use and normal gameplay. however, on a number of games, when i am server i lock up. only when i serve though, not when im playing on someone's server. two major games this happens in is d2 and ut. any ideas on why this is happening? something i can possibly prevent or just a bad sideaffect?

[William]

as far as I know, all 1.2 and 1.3 ghz athlons have been axia. My friend has a 1ghz AVIA Tbird @ 1400 with a cheapo hsf using a delta. So whatever you get will have some good oc'ing potential. Most guarenteed AXIAs are more expensive.