THANKS *first post... be nice to the newbie ;)*

[vixenk]

I just wanted to say thanks to you all. I've been reading the threads in these forums for a while now *although I have never posted* and you have really helped me out a lot although you may have not realized it at the time, lol.

I just recently bought a new motherboard *the Abit AI7*, video card *a Radeon 9250 since the motherboard needed video*, and cpu cooler *the Cooler Master Aero 4* *yes, I'm on a budget, lol*. For just $149, I have a MUCH faster and smoother running system compared to the original system with the generic motherboard and stock heatsink Compaq provided *yuck... I had so many issues with that thing... but we won't go there, lol*.

I have my stock 2.6 ghz Celeron Northwood now running at 3.2 ghz @ 32-33 c with the normal voltage *I'm scared to death of upping the voltage on a Northwood, lol*. It does 512 mb in pi calc in 34 sec.

Yes, guys, I know it isn't the greatest but I would say it's a TON better than what I did have.

Thanks you all.

 

[vixenk]

Well it won't let me post the third picture of the Sandra arithmetic score for some reason so here's the link.

 

[cripy]

and thats a nice overclock for the board your using/the processor that it is, what kind of ram are you using or you dont know?

 

[vixenk]

I'm using Samsung *I believe that's the brand* pc2700 512 mb ram at a latency of 2.5.

 

[vixenk]

Oops, no, it's Hyundai.

 

[Captain Newbie]

Welcome to the forums, and nicely done sir!

 

[ropey]

Hello and to the Forums vixenk,

Overclocking is not so much about having the fastest [although there are those of us (overclockers) who wish that as well] system. It is about getting the most out of the system. Making it work well and I think you are doing that with what you have.

Well done

R

 

[3DFlyer]

Welcome To The Forums!

That is a nice system with a great OC. It looks like you came here to learn and did!

You are wise to be cautious of going to far on the VCore with a Northwood, but don't be paranoid to up it some within the confines of reason. See what other have done with comparable CPU's and go slowly and monitor temps and things, and things generally go smoothly. It looks likew you are aware of that already though.

There are no "fastest" or "best" computers here. That is relative term. It is up to the user to decide what THEY want, and what THEY like. It matters not what others have unless you are looking to buy those items. There is no competition here. The inofrmation here is freely given so that users who decide to buy certain hardware will have it to use. It is here for sharing, and people are really helpful here.

That OC is outstanding. Have you tested for stability using Prime95 and other nechmarking software? If not, it help you to determine what your system is doing, and how matched everything is.

Welcome again to the forums, and post more. Don't be shy.

 

[vixenk]

To me, it ISN'T about having the fastest around, it's more about the challenge and the fun and pride you feel afterwards, lol. However, I am aware there are those out there that think that it's all about it being the fastest and the most expensive. And, lol, I am also aware of those who are all like "Celerons suck!" lol. But I think this is a good cpu to experiment with... at least I won't be crying if I kill it. And in all seriousness, Cellys don't suck as bad as some people say they do, as I have shown.

I used CPU Burn In to make sure it was stable. Haven't tried Prime95 yet, though.

 

[ropey]

To me, it ISN'T about having the fastest around, it's more about the challenge and the fun and pride you feel afterwards, lol. However, I am aware there are those out there that think that it's all about it being the fastest and the most expensive. And, lol, I am also aware of those who are all like "Celerons suck!" lol. But I think this is a good cpu to experiment with... at least I won't be crying if I kill it. And in all seriousness, Cellys don't suck as bad as some people say they do, as I have shown.

I used CPU Burn In to make sure it was stable. Haven't tried Prime95 yet, though.

Prime95 and Superpi are the two cpu stabilty tests that I use to be certain that my computer will function well. I dislike being in the middle of a game that I have been playing for hours and having it crash to the desktop.

R

 

[vixenk]

I'm downloading it right now.

 

[hUMANbEATbOX]

nice oc and welcome!

i know that there are HUNDREDS if not THOUSANDS of lurkers here. i wish we could see more first posts like this, and more often.

for all you ppl who are reading this without ever logging in and posting yourselves, what are you scared of?? we won't bite, i promise...

 

[mtb856]

Welcome to our family

Nice system as well...... it may not be the fastest, but then again if you're happy with it and it does what you need it to, that's all the matters in the long run. Trying to have the fastest computer is a good way to lose a lot of money because there's always someone out there that's faster than you.

 

[vixenk]

LOL, oh, I'm happy with it, but oh no, I'm not done. I've got the perfect system for myself plotted out in my head and I'm gradually working my way towards it. No, it's not the fastest, or even ONE of the fastest, lol, but it's my ideal and I'm happy with that.

I ran Prime95 for several hours and it's running stable. I pushed the fsb to 119 and it started freezing, so I upped the voltage from 1.5 to 1.55 and it stopped freezing. Ran Prime again... stable. So now it's at 3213 mhz. I can show you all the benches if you want... don't want to drive you nuts rambling about my ocing experience, lol.

 

[ropey]

Let's see them benchies m8 That's why I hang around here. Good overclock. 33 under full load? Are you sure?

R

 

[vixenk]

Woops. LOL. Forgot to change that part of my sig. Since I upped the voltage and the fsb on it, the load temp rose to 40 c max at full load. Most of the time it stayed around 37-38 but hit 40 a few times. I changed the fan controls in the bios and now it hasn't went above 38 c. But then again, I keep the ac pretty cold, so that's probably a contributing factor, especially considering I need to turn the cooler around because while I thought I had it's exhaust facing my psu's intake, it turns out it's exhaust is facing my psu's exhaust. Not a good thing, lol.

Anyways, here's my benches... the only thing is I can't seem to get my pi calc seconds down so far, I thought for sure it would at least go down 1 sec but it didn't.

My goal is hopefully to push this thing to 3.5-3.6 ghz. Hopefully my ram won't get in the way before then.

 

[ropey]

Nothing wrong with that overclock.