batboy
01-20-01, 12:39 AM
I've been running my C566 at 850 MHz @ 1.65v with a Golden Orb cooler since summer. I could clock 952 @ 1.70v, but it was not completely stable. Been dreaming of reaching the 1 gig party this winter. Can my little Celly do it?
I switched from two 64 meg sticks of PC100 RAM to one 256 stick of Memory Man PC133 RAM, and for the first time I posted 978 (115 bus), but then it froze. I figured I needed more voltage. Senior forum members tell me I need better cooling first. I began checking my temps and found out I was running a tad warm. Idle (15 min): mobo=28, CPU=37; Unreal demo loop (15 min): mobo=36, CPU=41; room temp=20 degrees C.
Yep, warmish. I do some case mods, add a couple more fans, round my floppy and CD-ROM cables, etc. I download an updated BIOS for my Abit SE6 board and flash it. This increases my max voltage from 1.70v to 1.75v. I try overclocking again, 978 @ 1.75v boots but hangs as Windows starts. For kicks I try 1020 MHz and to my amazement, it posts, but immediately crashes.
I begin hearing that the Gorb is a has-been, so I think about buying a Global-Win or an Alpha cooler. I also decide to get some of that Arctic Silver thermal paste I've been hearing about. I also hear that lapping the heatsink surface smooth helps improve cooling.
In the meantime, I yank the Gorb off and inspect it. The OEM thermal tape is totally trashed and looks and feels like dry, caked on putty after months of overclocking heat. I clean it up and notice that the Orb heatsink has rough machine marks (like tree rings) and is a little warped where it mates against the CPU. I wonder if the heat warps the aluminum over a period of time?
I get out some 400, 600, 800, 1000, and 1200 grit sandpaper out and go to work. I had to find a small perfectly flat block of metal to wrap the sandpaper around. It takes awhile, but I finally have it smooth as a baby's butt. I slap some fresh thermal paste on and fire the sucker up now that the CPU is lap danced and lubricated.
Idle at 850: mobo=28, CPU=34; Unreal demo loop at 850: mobo=35, CPU=39; room temp=20.
Idle at 952: mobo=28, CPU=35; Unreal demo loop at 952: mobo=37, CPU=40; room temp=20.
WOW! The dang thang is running about the same temp now at 952 @ 1.75v as it used to before at 850 @ 1.65v. Nice improvement for an hour's worth of messing around. Better yet, 978 boots and makes it all the way through Windows startup. I did benchmarked it with WinTune, but it kept crashing when I tried running the Unreal demo loop. Needs more voltage, but I'm maxed at 1.75v. (Idle at 978: mobo=29 and CPU=36.)
Of course I had to give 1020 a shot. It posted, it booted, it bombed during Windows startup. After the system crash at 1020 MHz: mobo=37 and CPU=40. Getting real close to 1 gig...I think I can do it. Viva la tweaking and overclocking!
I switched from two 64 meg sticks of PC100 RAM to one 256 stick of Memory Man PC133 RAM, and for the first time I posted 978 (115 bus), but then it froze. I figured I needed more voltage. Senior forum members tell me I need better cooling first. I began checking my temps and found out I was running a tad warm. Idle (15 min): mobo=28, CPU=37; Unreal demo loop (15 min): mobo=36, CPU=41; room temp=20 degrees C.
Yep, warmish. I do some case mods, add a couple more fans, round my floppy and CD-ROM cables, etc. I download an updated BIOS for my Abit SE6 board and flash it. This increases my max voltage from 1.70v to 1.75v. I try overclocking again, 978 @ 1.75v boots but hangs as Windows starts. For kicks I try 1020 MHz and to my amazement, it posts, but immediately crashes.
I begin hearing that the Gorb is a has-been, so I think about buying a Global-Win or an Alpha cooler. I also decide to get some of that Arctic Silver thermal paste I've been hearing about. I also hear that lapping the heatsink surface smooth helps improve cooling.
In the meantime, I yank the Gorb off and inspect it. The OEM thermal tape is totally trashed and looks and feels like dry, caked on putty after months of overclocking heat. I clean it up and notice that the Orb heatsink has rough machine marks (like tree rings) and is a little warped where it mates against the CPU. I wonder if the heat warps the aluminum over a period of time?
I get out some 400, 600, 800, 1000, and 1200 grit sandpaper out and go to work. I had to find a small perfectly flat block of metal to wrap the sandpaper around. It takes awhile, but I finally have it smooth as a baby's butt. I slap some fresh thermal paste on and fire the sucker up now that the CPU is lap danced and lubricated.
Idle at 850: mobo=28, CPU=34; Unreal demo loop at 850: mobo=35, CPU=39; room temp=20.
Idle at 952: mobo=28, CPU=35; Unreal demo loop at 952: mobo=37, CPU=40; room temp=20.
WOW! The dang thang is running about the same temp now at 952 @ 1.75v as it used to before at 850 @ 1.65v. Nice improvement for an hour's worth of messing around. Better yet, 978 boots and makes it all the way through Windows startup. I did benchmarked it with WinTune, but it kept crashing when I tried running the Unreal demo loop. Needs more voltage, but I'm maxed at 1.75v. (Idle at 978: mobo=29 and CPU=36.)
Of course I had to give 1020 a shot. It posted, it booted, it bombed during Windows startup. After the system crash at 1020 MHz: mobo=37 and CPU=40. Getting real close to 1 gig...I think I can do it. Viva la tweaking and overclocking!