Lower the Multiplier when OC? Why?

[HugoHenry]

I have read post where people say to lower the multiplier then up the FSB, but I don't understand why. Is this so you can get the CPU at higher speeds and the system at higher speeds more stable or is this just a CPU thing. I though if you OC you want to raise the Multiplier to get more juice from the CPU then raise the FSB to what you can. Increasing the FSB will cause PCI AGP Ram instability, so why not just raise the CPU?
SOrry for my Ignorance on the subject, but what is the best way to get the best OC out of your system. I will be building this sytem shortly.

2200XP(Swiftech MCX462)
SOyo Dragon Plus
512 Kingmax PC2700
Gainward TI550
Dual IBm 20GB 7200HD on RaiD

I am not new to OC but I had Intel before, so i could only play with the FSB and voltages.

[theflyingrat]

Because if I upped only my multiplier, ONLY the CPU is being overclocked. Who cares? This does next to nothing for what I really want it to be fast in - 3D games, folding, and other intensive applications I may want to string along.

Overclocking the FSB adds performance all the way around - extra memory bandwidth, faster AGP and PCI bus, the whole nine yards. I forget about multipliers altogether, unless I want to try for higher bus speeds. FSB overclocking doesn't lead to instability if you have good secondary components and know how to go about it.

Your system looks killer. Another incentive to you have to overclock only your FSB with that setup is your memory. It would have been a total waste of time to buy PC2700 if you weren't going to do anything to your FSB; that memory is rated for a 166 FSB. So why bother staying at 133, when cheaper memory would have done the job just as well?

And where did you find an XP2200? I haven't even heard of the XP2000's release yet. Is it just guaranteed to hit XP2200 speed rating, or is some retailer putting you on?

[rivercom9]

im still new to ocing, but i believe that you would lower the multiplier and up the fsb in order to gain memory performance, which i think may have a more noticeable effect on apps than just raising the multiplier. of course, you would need high quality components in order to do this due to the increased stress put on them by raising the fsb. does anyone think this also, or am i just wrong?

[rivercom9]

where did u really find an xp 2200? or did u overclock it to that speed?

[nikhsub1]

Originally posted by rivercom9
im still new to ocing, but i believe that you would lower the multiplier and up the fsb in order to gain memory performance, which i think may have a more noticeable effect on apps than just raising the multiplier. of course, you would need high quality components in order to do this due to the increased stress put on them by raising the fsb. does anyone think this also, or am i just wrong?

Yes you are right. Upping the FSB leads to a seat of the pants type speed increase where as upping the multi usually does not. I say usually because it really depends on what you are doing. For 3D/Photoshop/Hi-Res graphic rendering a higher multi will be better, and more stable. For gaming and general use a higher FSB will feel faster cause the memory/agp/pci are all running faster. If you go too high on a fsb with no divisors, you can corrupt your HD so be careful.

[dugans]

FSB Overclock= PCI/AGP and Memory buses are faster,as well as cpu.

Mulitplier Overclock= CPU faster, nothing else changes.

FSB is more likely to cause instability, but gives more overall performance. When done right, the system is just as stable, however: keep the fsb as high as possible with perfect stability; if it crashes, slow it down!

I use the multipliers to keep the cpu as maxed out as it will run and be stable.two of my three AMD rigs run a combination of fsb and multi., the XP is on straight 150 fsb.

[HugoHenry]

I am waiting for the 2200XP it is suppose to hit early to mid Feb. I was going to go with the 1900 or the 2000 but then I saw the 2200 on the .13 micron process. However, I just read another post that says the 2000xp, being release in a couple of weeks, is also on the .13micron process. If this is true then I am going with that.
I knew upping the FSB increased performance thorughout, but if your system can't handle it then you are screwed. I was planning on upping the multiplier then the FSB as far as I could. This way My CPU is maxed so is my total system.
Which is why I am going with the soyo. The only extermal card is the video everything else, sound and lan, is on the MOBO itself so it shouldn't hold me back when upping the FSB.

But, if what I read is correct, the best way to go would be to lower the Multiplier alittle then up the FSB inturn increasing my CPU and the sytem.
How about this.
I max the FSB as far as I can stable, then increase the Multiplier as fas as I can. WOuld that work as well? Giving my system the fastest total MHZ but also maxing out the CPU, instead of partially OC my CPU but having the SYstme maxed. Would that be just as good.

I have never owned a AMD so I never played with a Mulitplier OC just FSB. This is why I am Ignorant to the subject. Just planning for my Best OC future as I can.
Thanks for the help.

[dugans]

My methodology is this: build the system and install the os and all drivers. This is the "testing" system and will be wiped out later.

The next step is checking mulipliers: I go through all the multi.s and see how fast I can get the cpu to go with good temps and stable: the stability testing takes a day or two under 100% load.

After I have the highest stable multiplier oc, I back it down to default and start on FSB: since I know what the cpu alone will do, I find out if other devices are a bottleneck here. After finding the best stable fsb oc, I'll go back and fiddle combinations of fsb and multiplier so that I have the cpu as close to max mhz at the highest fsb. And then...........I repeat the stability test for a few days again! Once I pass the last stability test, I write down all bios settings, etc, and wipe out the oc and os, and reinstall at default cpu settings. I also install all the software I plan on using now.
Once that is done, I enter all the overclocking settings, and voila!

It takes a while, but my rigs don't crash this way, and I get decent OCs out of them.

Good luck, and WATCH OUT FOR HEAT!

[HugoHenry]

Thats sounds like a good idea there. kinda like burnin in the system and OC all in one.
I will have to try that.

[Ozzman]

wouldnt a higher fsb also heat up ur RAM which would make u will most likly need a ram heatsinks? not there is a prob with that ramsinks are cheap at this time.. just wondering

[rivercom9]

HugoHenry, Where and when did you hear about when the release of the XP2200 in mid-February? Just curious cause I thought AMD wasnt going to release such a processor. (Then again maybe it was XP2100 that isnt supposed to be released.) Are the 2200's still gonna be called XP's? They will use the new Thoroughbred core right?[QUOTE]I am waiting for the 2200XP it is suppose to hit early to mid Feb. I was going to go with the 1900 or the 2000 but then I saw the 2200 on the .13 micron process.

[HugoHenry]

the 2100 isn' suppse to be released. I readit in a post at the begiing of the forum. Something about 2000XP in Jan>
Go take a look.
dnt know if it is true, but since Intel is releasing te 2.2 next few weeks then the 2.4 in Feb, though AMD might try to sellsomething also.