OCing an AMD 3000 (Winchester), MSI K8N NEO2 Platinum 54g MB

[Panneskjegg]

Hey folks!

I did a quick search, and found a ton of threads about both the MSI K8N NEO 2 Platinum, and AMD processors. However. I really need a "HOW TO OC FOR DUMMIES" guide it seems.. because im not able to OC it

My equipment is:
-MSI K8N NEO2 PLATINUM 54G (AGP)
-AMD 3000 (1.8ghz) WINCHESTER
-Geil 512MB DDR PC3200 400MHz Value CL2.5 5ns Aluminum Heat Spreader 2.5-2.8V x 4 (I have 2gb ram)

More info about the GEIL memory:
# Aluminum Heat Spreader
# GeIL 5ns Chips
# CL 2.5 7-4-4 2T Timings
# 400(200x2)MHz
# 184 Pin Dimm
# 6 layer ultra low noise PCB
# The Geil has enhanced SPD for Dual Channel DDR motherboards.
# Backed by a lifetime warranty, this product symbolizes dependability.

--------------

So, what do I do when I try to OC my PC?

I set:

HT FREQUENCY to 4x
CPU RATIO to 9x
CPU FSB FREQUENCY: 230 or lower
AGP FREQUENCY: 66
CPU VID is 1.500v by default

Max MEMCLOCK: 166mhz
Memory timing: 2T

I was able to run the system at 235 FSB FREQ, but it wasn't stable. I tried putting the Memory timing to 1T, but then my PC only made god awful noises and I had to take out the battery on my MB..

I guess I can also mention that I have quite decent cooling on my computer:
-CPU is around 34 degrees
-GPU is around 48 degrees (it has that temperature when it's OCed a bit. I got a Gainward 7800 GS Bliss)
-Harddrives and MB is around 30-40 degrees as well.


Does anyone know what im doing wrong? I've googled some, and both my CPU and MB should be more than capable of some OCing!

Any help is appreciated. Thanks!

 

[Nebulous]

Welcome to O/C Forums!

Winchesters are not great overclockers, so i would doubt you're going to get anything out of it.

Having 4 sticks of ram you will not be able to get the 1T command, thus is why when you tried the board squealed. Best left to 2T.


Again with 4 sticks of ram it will be very difficult to oc at all as you will run into many issues ( instability). Your best bet is to get 2 sticks of 1gb each. This will help in the 1T and help with the oc.

You can also try getting either a Venice core 3200+ as they clock very nicely, or an X2 chip. The winchester chip is a very stubborn chip to oc at all. You may have to cram alot of voltage into it just to get a small oc from it. This will result in more heat which your stock cooler will not be able to handle.


I hate to say it, but i'm afraid you won't get any ocing from that setup


Can you at least set the ram speed to DDR400? (200MHz) in the bios? This way your ram will run it's default PC3200 speed.

 

[Panneskjegg]

Thanks for the welcome!

I bought the extra gb of ram yesterday actually, because I wanted to run Team Fortress 2 SMOOTH. Too bad the extra gb will only make matters worse when it comes to OCing

I guess I can load "Fail safe setting" on my MB again. And run the ram at 200mhz... and forget about OCing, for now.

 

[theblt]

Agreed. I have the same CPU, well the Newcastle anyways (Q6600 soon!). With stock cooling I've only been able to get it to 2.20Ghz stable. I also have cheap RAM which doesn't help the situation any. I know my sig says 2.45Ghz, but for some reason I can't reach that anymore.

 

[Panneskjegg]

I guess it doesn't "pay off" buying the cheapest RAM, hehe..

I don't use a stack fan, though. So keeping the CPU cool isn't a problem.


But what if I were to buy 2x1gb ram (which is good for OCing) - would I be able to push my CPU to ~2.5ghz or so ?'

Edit: Getting 1xgb more ram didn't really improve performance in Team Fortress 2 either

 

[trowakage]

Also, look for a memory divisor setting that allows you to keep the memory running at stock speeds while raising the HTT/FSB speed. That should workaround your memory problem.

4 sticks IS pretty bad though, but no point investing in 2x1gb of DDR1 right now. You could try running just 2 sticks to see if that helps, and keep it at 2T for simplicity sake, and see how high you can go. Also, when you're doing 2 sticks, pay attention to their placement, you'll want dual channel operation which means same coloured slots, probably the green set that's closer to the socket.

I used to have a winnie (as they were affectionately known) till just 2 weeks ago, and mine (3200+) can run 2.2ghz at 1.45V stable on the stock cooler (default 1.4V). So you can definitely get more out of your chip, just don't expect 2.5-2.8ghz that later S939 chips can get to.

 

[Panneskjegg]

I don't know what is "wrong" now.. but, when I enter windows, everything is just so slow. It takes ages before MSN messenver starts loading (and a couple of other programs). Before I started playing with OC, all programs loaded really quick - unlike now.. This whole thing got me annoyed - so I tried another bios, and flashed it. When I enter "CPU-testing" in 3dmark06 I have like 0 fps. Any suggestions?

Also.. I get a "CMOS CHECKSUM ERROR" when I boot up now.. "Press F1 to continue".. kind of annoying.
Edit: Fixed the CMOS CHECKSUM ERROR by loading "Optimized settings" in bios.

 

[mammut]

Use only two sticks of RAM, in dual channel mode.


If you have SATA drives, they need be connected to SATA ports 3 and 4, when doing OC on K8N Neo2 Plat.

Flash the 1D version for the K8N Neo2 plat, then clear CMOS with the jumper(while PSU disconnected from mains).

Load optimised defaults.


Find the following fields in BIOS and set followingly:

HT = 3x
multi = 8
CPU fsb = 250MHz
Max memclock(RAM divisor) = 166MHz

CPU VID = +3.3%

Aggressive timing=disabled. Cool&Quiet disabled

RAM timings set at 2.5-3-3-8(or use auto). 1T works only when using two RAM sticks.

This should get you going 2000MHz for a start.

If this is rockstable, you can try up the multi to 9. If 9 does not work, up the CPU ViD to 5%.