an35 ultra startup problem

hi im a newbie so bear with me thanx
let me start off with me components
an35 ultra
athlon xp 2800 333mhz
3 sticks pmi 256 ddr,3200
geforce 5900 se

i have the bios set up as optimum and thats the only way it will run. when i try to up the front side bus to 200mhz, windows never boots. so i guess my question would be what are the best settings that i could use for it run fast and stable thanx

Welcome to the Forums Cruz!

Take 1 stick out for now as this can complicate things, put a stick in slots 2 & 3. To start with you need to make sure you have adequate ventilation in your case and a good HSF. If you don't have them yet download Memtest86, Prime95, SiSoft Sandra and some type of video benchmarking test. Is your Barton unlocked? What are the specs of your PSU? amps\rail, 3.3V + 5.0V combined wattage. What are the default specs of your RAM, timings and voltages?

I'd suggest trying these settings to start with

Expert-Aggresive CPU Interface-100%\Sync-Expert 11-3-3-2.5 timings w\2.5V VDimm, disable both spread spectrums, enable fastwrites and try 128mb agp buffer and aperture. Start at a 166FSB and raise it be increments of 5 then run 2 loops of Memtest and 1/2hr of Prime if all set, raise it again and repeat tests.

Check out these OC Guides for further details
http://www.overclockers.com/articles740/

http://www.overclockers.com/tips1050/

Regards, Balrog

Edit: I'd be real interested in your impressions of your 5900SE as its on my short list for the end of April - TIA

2 questions how do i find out if my chip is locked, and how do i find the default settings of the ram

Find out what settings the ram will do in your motherboard, not the default settings as many manufacturers only tell speed and cas latency.

If your chip was made in the last 5 months, it is pretty much guaranteed locked.

Hey Cruz!

Your 2800+ has a default multi of 12.5, 166FSB X 12.5 = 2080Mhz\2.08Ghz. If its unlocked you should be able to change the multiplier\CPU ratio in your BIOS to another number, it defaults at Auto. Try setting the FSB to 166 & CPU multi to 10 and save to CMOS, it when you reboot your rig is running 1660Mhz\1.66Ghz then you're unlocked, otherwise if you still see 2080Mhz you're locked and only have the FSB to OC with. This is why most people that want to OC a CPU go with the Barton 2500+ which has a default multi of 11, as acheiving a 200FSB x 11 = 2.20Ghz is a bit easier than getting 200FSB x 12.5 = 2.50Ghz out of a 2800+

Check the manufacturers web page, it should list the default voltage and timings of your RAM, otherwise I believe WPCUID will determine it, Sandra does as well I believe.

Good Luck!

Regards, Balrog

thanks for the help help i got it running stable at 187 mhz fsb
as far as the geforce goes im very happy with it for 200 bucks u cant go wrong

Cruz don't up ur front bus so quickly , start low like 175,if stable go 5 more. set ur vdimm alittle higher if unstable ( for example: windows not booting). Also up ur vcore if unstable but only .025V more at a time and don't let it load over 50C. If it goes over 50C, no damage will occur unless you stay over 50 for long periods of time but keep it below 50C for regular purposes.