O/C An Amd64 3400+

Can someone please clarify these for me? To overclock an Amd64 3400+ to 2.6ghz
1) What kind of extra cooling will i need?
2) Should I O/C by using the nvidia system utility or is there a better method?

I have :
Processor : Amd64 3400+
Motherboard : Chaintech VNF3-250
Video Card : Radeon X800 Pro
Ram : 1024mb ram pc 3200
Running Windows XP Pro

Im not too familiar with A64's, but its always best to overclock from bios. For reaching 2.6ghz, you will need at least high end air cooling, like an Slk-948 or SP-98(I dont know if its out yet) by thermalright, or watercooling.

10x man. Any other help plz? Maybe this time in more detail?

Pick up an SLK948U; it'll be crucial, especially with the amount of heat these put out. What power supply do you have, and what brand of memory do you have? The 11x stock multiplier is quite nice. You should be able overclock simply by increasing the front side bus. If you overclock through Windows, I'd use ClockGen instead of the nVidia utility, because it lets you save your settings in a config file and overclock automatically on boot. Increase your HTT voltage and core voltage to the max allowed by your board.

Welcome to the forums, btw.

Will unbranded 1024mb pc3200 do? The PSU is 300Watts.

The PSU is smaller than I would recomend I have a 350 right now on an XP 2000+ setup and I would not do well with any less.

The brand is what matters. A 300W Fortron would power it fine, but a lower brand wouldn't stand a chance; quality over quantity, always. You needn't worry too much about the memory. You may not be able to get it that far, or tighten the timings too much, but the A64's memory controller is so efficient that it's not a big issue. I would, however, invest in a better power supply. A Fortron/Sparkle of 400W or higher will last you for years to come.

Get good RAM. Corsair is very good, and you can find it reasonably cheap...

Dual channel - Matched pairs.

The most important things for overclocking are good components.

In simplier words, you get what you pay for.

Go cheap, and you ain't gonna go far.

Ok then what i need is a good 400 Watt PSU and well i'll see about the memory.. Not sure about dual-channel though. I don't think the amd 64 3400+ has support for it. Only the fx series do.

just get a 2x512 pack, besides arent 1gb sticks expensive, and have looser timing right.

lprulez

I'll agree with some others here: Make sure you have a good power supply as it is important. OC using the bios, but you can use clockgen as well if you need lower multipliers. I personally use clockgen to test and then set in bios once I know where I want to be. To hit 2600mhz with the 11x multi you'll need your HTT to be 237. If you are going to run your memory 1:1, you'll need some good stuff. If you decide you can live with a 5:6 memory divider then PC3200 will work although tighter timings are better and most generic RAM runs pretty loose timings. The A64 3400+'s tend to overclock pretty good, but 2600mhz is not a given, however there is a pretty good chance it will do it with the 1.7v your board has to offer. For cooling, I'd also agree that either watercooling or a nice SLK948U would be the way to go. If you are lreally ucky and get a 3400+ that does 2600mhz on 1.55-1.60v then the stock cooling might be okay, borderline though.