If Intel multiplier was unlocked....

would we be able to achieve higher, more stable overclocks? I've been seeing soooo much info lately on AMD 1G processors hitting 1.5G w/ air cooling!!!! This blows my mind as the highest "overbus" I've been able to hit stable has only been a 200Mhz improvement over stock speed.

Is this simply a result of being able to combine a lower multipler w/ a higher FSB on AMD CPU's? I've read the higher multiplier Intel CPU's are harder to OC simply because the multiplier is so high...ie 8.5x100 for my PIII Cu 850e. Can someone expand on this a little?

Its the core of the cpu limitation combined with the cache that limits the p3 cpus not the multiplier.
Its easier to fine tune a overclock using the multiplier as well as getting a better memory timing.
For example you try to overclock a 1ghz 100fsb p3.
You cannot get it to run at over 1150mhz-115fsb.
So if you could change the multiplier from 10 to 8.5 now you would have 1150 with a fsb 135mhz. your system would perform alot faster with 135fsb.

The other factor is with the 10x multiplier the least amount of overclocking you can attempt if you have a mobo that has 1mhz fsb steps is 10mhz. Not a big deal but if your mobo only can do larger steps say 126fsb to 133fsb then the 7mhz difference means a 70mhz overclock. Again being able to adjust the multiplier would allow you to make smaller increases in the cpu's mhz.
If you are trying to overclock a 500mhz p3 to 1ghz you would need to run a fsb of 200mhz.
If you could adjust the multiplier higher it would be very helpfull in adjusting the fsb to a more resonable 133mhz with a 7.5 setting .

Makes perfect sense...many things not taken into acct. Thanks!

Sheer poetry Placid. You had me in tears. ;P
Good Job! Very helpful.

so i have a celeron 700 (running at 714) with a FSB of 68 with a multiplier of 10.5, am i running at my max? since the next step up would be 844 or should i try to adjust the core voltage? i overclock via options in my bios

Have you tried going faster without raising the voltage?
I think that that chip could go quite a bit higher