I have a BD7-II and it is the budget killer. I use a 1.6a on my machine but a 1.8a is all the better. Lets take your questions one at a time.
metra said:
If i get lucky, what kind of oc would i get? 2.5? or more?
And when ocing a pentium, do you just raise the fsb? Nothing else involved?
Almost 100 percent chance of 2.7GHz (150fsb). You do indeed just raise the FSB. You will need to set the CPU voltage to the maximum +15% setting on the BD7-II. This produces 1.64 volts on my BD7-II, just about right. You also set the cpu to ram ratio to 3:4, and max the memory voltage, 2.7V on the BD7-II. Set the timing to 2-7-3-3 and crank the FSB up till she fails. You should be able to get 155-162MHz FSB at 3:4 with the right ram. 3GHz takes 167 FSB, which is hard to do without vid-pin modding the CPU and modding the motherboard for increased voltage on the memory. (2.9-3.1V). The IT7 series board will put 3V on the memory, but also require the vid-pin mod for increased CPU voltage. The TH7-II is the same way.
metra said:
Are all the chips the same or do i have to worry about steppings (like i have to in the amd section)
The early C1 1.8a and 2.4b's haven't proven to any better at all, except in rare cases. I tried a late B0 step 2.4b on my BD7-II, and it did 3006MHz at 1.64V. Late 1.8a B0's may do just as well, and almost certain attain 2.8GHz. No reason to pick and choose, the older B0's are good and the new C1's have gone 3.5GHz in some cases.
metra said:
What kind of heatsink or fan should i get? Stock?
Stock does pretty well at the 1.64V limit of the BD7-II. But you can get the Excellent Thermalright AX-478 heatsink and use whatever 80mm fan you like best. The two together are less than 40 bucks so it does make a nice upgrade. Mine (w/2900rpm 37cfm fan) knocked 5C off the temps versus the stock cooler.
metra said:
Do i really need xms pc3000... its so expensive. Is it worth it to get rdram
There is a proven budget alternative. Get the Kingston Value Ram PC2700, it uses the same chips as the Corsair PC3200. You can run 160-162MHz fsb on the BD7-II at 2-7-3-3 timing on the actual 2.65V. It costs a mere 127.50 from googlegear I believe for a 512MB stick. With a 1.8 running at 2.9GHz the 161MHz FSB runs the ram at 430MHz, allowing RDRAM-like performance for peanuts.
metra said:
Is this system (overclocked) better than an xp1600 overclocked to two gigs?
Yes. It is quicker. It requires an AMD 2400-2800+ chip to compete. 2250-2400MHz brings an Athlon XP to the speed level of the 2.9GHz P4 described above. The intel system will be rock solid stable and effortlessly fast. It will run cooler and require less fan noise. It's a really nice combo and to my mind the best value in overclocking. 90 dollar board plus 130 dollar RAM and a 145 dollar CPU adds up to a value no one can beat.
And BTW, Maxvla if you stick a 1.8 in your machine instead of your 1.6a you will pick up enough to bring it into parity with AZN's RDRAM rig with the video card normalized. Although benchmarks are the means rather than the end you know from you PCMark testing DDR is not at a severe disadvantage against RDRAM.
The IT7 is a nice board too, but the BD7-II will do the same job. Either is a good way to a nice overclock. The Albatron 845pe board at 85 bucks will serve well also, and trim a few dollar off the project from even the BD7-II. One user has his running at 205MHz fsb with an unlocked ES P4.
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