cpu or ps damage?

[Criminal]

I have a perfectly stable overclocked system running for about four months now (specs below). I got bored the other night and tried if I could get more than 900 Mhz out of my Celeron2. Using softfsb, I set it to 927Mhz, ran a few tests, and it was OK. Next I set it to 945, ran a few tests, but my computer would lockup at the start of the 3dmark2001 demo (the one with the directx logo). So I uppped the voltage, from 1.8 to 1.85 volts, then ran 3dmark2001 again. Same result, lockup at the start of the demo. I gave up and then set the voltage back to 1.8 volts and the CPU back to 900Mhz.
Now here's the problem. My system would now hang everytime I run games. Whenever I start 3dmark2001, it doesn't even get to the splash screen. Quake3 doesn't load, NBA live2001 doesn't load, etc. Other 3d benchmarking software doesn't load (treemark, x-isle demo, etc). Now my cpu is now running at default speed of 600Mhz at default voltage of 1.5 volts, and everything runs fine now, but noticeably slower.
What could be the problem? Have I damaged my cpu or my 250W power supply? Can I safely rule out any other possible component damage since everything runs ok except when I am at 900Mhz? How can I tell which one to replace?
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Celeron 600@900
256MB RAM cas2
ASUS P2-99B i440BX/ZX mobo
ASUS 7100/T Geforce2 MX 200core 220mem

[[OC]_SR20DE]

that is strange.... Do you have good cooling?
Even with bad cooling, Vcore of 1.85 isn't bad... you really shouldn't have any problem.. strange eh?.. I'm sure it is not your 250watt PSU. I highly doubt it. I think.. you need to take that CPU to the doctor and do a checkup.. something is really hoseddd.....

[Placid]

If your video card does not have a fan maybe it got too hot at the agp bus speed you were using.
*shrugs*

[outhouse]

Did you make any other changes in bios? I did the same thing to mine except i tried to burn in at 50c for 5 minutes after that i lost ground and had to start back at 1g but after a day or two i got it up to 1200 but before it was at 1248 stable. I just kept at it raising FSB slowly again and i finaly got stability back in my system thought i fried something too i did notice that when i lost ground the ambient temp in my house was allot higher about the same time so i think it was maybe a mixture of the two. But processor never gets above 32c

[Lancelot]

I don't know the Asus P2B mobo, but did you have to work inside your case to adjust various jumpers? If you bumped against your HSF with your hands a few times (maybe you noticed, maybe not), and the HSF just moved like 1mm (maybe you even aligned it back properly) it's probable that your thermal grease got partially queezed from underneath it. This happens very easily with the standard Intel HSF when the thermal-pad has been removed in favor of thermal grease. Anyway I had the same sh*t with my Alpha after working inside my case and just barely bumping it a few times. My temps were into the 50C range all of a sudden and the system had strange lockups until I discovered that the thermal grease was nicely spread around the CPU-die and almost none was left on it! So I strongly recommend checking this. Good luck!

[Criminal]

for cooling, I have a golden orb on the proc. no other case fan because I took off the case and have a giant fan blowing on the entire mobo. As I said, my system was running fine @ 900 Mhz for about four months at 1.8 volts. I don't think that it's the video card, since it's still working and I even have the video card overclocked. @ 900, the AGP bus speed is still 66Mhz, right?
When I upped the voltage to 1.85 through the ASUS slotket, I might have moved or bumped the golden orb a little, I'll check later.
So I can rule out the Power Supply, because if it was, then my computer will not start at all if it's damaged, right?

[Placid]

Doubt its the power supply.
If anything the voltage regulators on the motherboard would be damaged before the power supply.
The agp bus runs either at a 1-1 ratio of the cpu's bus speed or 2/3 on a bx board.
No idea what a zx board would be.
You can check your voltages with the software from asus.

[Criminal]

thanks for the info.
i'm pretty sure that my agp bus is set to 2/3 when the fsb is at 100 Mhz and higher.
I'm not sure though if I can check the voltages though software, because my ASUS board doesn't have hardware monitoring.
So it's safe to say that the cpu is the problem (overheating or possibly damaged)? I was thinking of replacing my cpu anyway with a true-blue PIII 700E and hope to get at least 933 Mhz, but not this soon, since money is tough to produce.

[Will Maltby]

might be an idea to simply take the Gorb off, clean it and the cpu, then reapply some thermal paste and put it back together again.


I've seen alot of people say that they just do this with their heatsinks every 3 months or so just out of habit.

[Placid]

The manual for the P2-99B on the asus site says you can use the software that came on the cd to monitor temp and voltages.
You can probably download it from asus if you do not have a cd.

[Criminal]

woohoo! I'm at 900Mhz again!!! I reseated the cpu card, made sure that the gorb is firmly attached, and set the voltage to 1.7 volts. everything's running the way it was since I bought the cpu, but at a lower voltage now (from 1.8 volts for about four months). I've noticed that it doesn't get hot that much anymore, maybe because of the lower voltage.
when I have the money to buy new thermal paste I might try to go 900+ again, but for the mean time, I'm really glad everything's fine again.
I installed ASUS PC probe, but I don't get any readings at all, because the hardware monitoring is 'optional' and my board didn't come with it.
thanks again for the help.

[Will Maltby]

try getting some arctic silverII as well. I got some recently and was impressed with how well it keeps the cpu in control.

it spreads a hell of a lot better than thermal paste does too, so it works very well for lapped heatsinks as it lets you have a really thin layer.