[GrimShady]

Here is my system:


Athlon XP 2500 Barton (AQXEA 0334)
Abit NF7-S 2.0
Corsair CMX512-3200LLPT (1 stick - 512MB)
GeForce 4 Ti 4400 (275/550 @ 300/650)
80 WD (for OS)
120 WD
Audigy 2
Windows XP Corp


I bought my cpu about a month ago, and have been following some advice on this forum about how to successfully overclock my system.

I have had pretty good success so far, as I am currently running these settings stable:


Ext Clock - 210
Multiplier - 11
CPU Interface - Enabled
CPU core voltage - 1.85
DDR SDRAM voltage - 2.7
Mem Timings - 6-3-3-2

Temps:
Idle: 29-31c
Load: +-40c


Now, my problem is this: according to the info I have gathered on this forum, my cpu is unlocked (had to call every local comp store just to find one) but when I try to run my system with a multiplier lower than 11, Prime 95 craps out on me before the first test is complete. (priority 9, in place large FFT)

As it stands, just to keep my system stable at its current settings, I have to keep my cpu core voltage at at least 1.85. (I can run prime95 for hours with my current settings)

I figure I should be satisfied with my current OC - and im not actually looking to push any farther than 2.3GHz, but it seems to me, on average compared to others - my cpu core voltage is awfully high just to keep this OC stable.


I was hoping for some advice on how I could run my system at at least 2.3GHz with a multiplier lower than 11. Any tips or pointers - even general comments would be appreciated. I also don't really understand memory timmings very well.

Thanks in advance.
Grim

[The Coolest]

from what i understand many nForce2 motherboards don't like the x9-x10.5 multiplier. I'm not too sure to as why or how to fix it, but it just happens, I know that there should be a workaround for this. You should look in the AMD mobo Abit section for more help on this.

[GrimShady]

I read some of the posts under the Abit motherboard section like you said. I followed one reccomendation to drop down to version 10 bios. I found the hacked d10 bios, and am running that now. (even though, i dont use serial ata - yet)

Hopefully I will see a marked improvement in my OC flexibility, as I don't particually feel like doing any wire mods on my mobo.

[GrimShady]

Alright, some of my friends have warned me against flashing my bios with version 10 or d10, apparently it can mess up your mobo and or your HDs.

I already put it to d10, and my computer seems to be fine. I have run prime95 for 2 hours. (230x10, 1.875, 2.9, 6-3-3-2)

Should I be okay? Or is there still a chance my ish will get messed up while running this bios version?

Any thoughts or comments are appreciated.
Grim