help me get started with my 1.6A

[thorwp88]

need a step by step on how to get started on oc'ing my 1.6A. it's on an abit bd7 raid board and a swiftech mcx478. I've heard to start first with the voltage in .5 increments to burn it in properly??? please let me know...much appreciated.

 

[silent bob]

WELCOME TO THE FORUMS
I dont think anyone is going to give you a step by step instructions cuz there are none ,everything is different for everyone , this is a trial and error process , but my suggestion would be to raise fsb(front side bus) as far as you can till you cant boot then back it off 1 or 2 mhz ,this is a way to keep the heat down, and then try the multipliers ,and then a combo of each, providing your temps are not too high,45-50c is high temps so if you are there at idle ,lower the multiplier and raise fsb.

That should get you started ,but the thing at forums is READ READ READ,do all the reading you can ,even if it takes a long time, it sucks and I hated doing it ,but I learned to read , because odds are you are not the only one who ever asked that question,I am giving you the heads up on this cuz someone did it for me ,and again
WELCOME TO THE FORUMS

steve

 

[jazztrumpet216]

First off, WELCOME TO THE FORUMS!

If you haven't already read this, the Overclockers.com Beginner's Guide Section has some good stuff to know about how to overclock, and other helpful hints about your computer in general. One article I think is definitely worth a look is this one , which was written by one of our Forum Senior Members, Batboy. It is a very thorough article that gives you the do’s and don’ts of overclocking. Likewise, you might find the CPU Database of some help in determining what others have been able to safely overclock your processor to (the 1.6A is one of the best overclocking chips there is right now).

Try overclocking the chip before you do a burn in and see how high you can get it. Take baby steps... nothing more than maybe 110FSB on your first shot. Boot into Windows and run some sort of processor intensive application or burn-in utility for about an hour, and if it's stable, reboot, and try a higher FSB. Since you have an Intel chip, DO NOT TRY CHANGING THE MULTIPLIER. They are locked and have been since the P2 233MHz days. There is NO way of unlocking them. I think Silent Bob is thinking of AMD chips in trying to overclock with a combo of both, but I assure you it is not possible with an Intel chip. Basically, this is trial and error, as he said. If you go too high and the system will not POST, you must find the "clear CMOS" jumper, and set it so it will clear the BIOS (your manual should have more info on this). This will restore everything to default, but it should let you boot.

You'll want to keep an eye on your temperatures. Make sure they never exceed 50C, and try to keep them below 45C.

If an overclock is somewhat stable, but still gives you some errors, you can boost the voltage, but then keep an even closer eye on the temps as that will raise heat.

Also, you might reach a point at which some of your PCI/AGP cards may not work. Most cards can handle up to a 40MHz PCI frequency well, but after that, start to flake out. Be especially careful if you're using a NIC, as these are known to be very persnickety about high PCI speeds.

Some good programs for burn-in and general system maintenance are Motherboard Manager 5 (MBM5), SiSoft Sandra, Toast, and Prime 95. You can check to see if some of these are available at downloads.com (I know Sandra is available there), and aoafiles.com also has some good CPU programs (and other nice, interesting stuff, as well).

G'luck, and report back with your max. speed and/or any problems you may have!

 

[jdmcnudgent]

good luck with the bd7. what kind of ram do you have? i would also use the beta bios.

 

[zervun]

make prime95 your friend. It heats your CPU up nice so you can see what your peak temps are at, and also I find it great for finding errors in my overclocking while my CPU flies through other torture tests.

 

[thorwp88]

FSB...how do i raise?

thanks for the feedback so far and the great welcome! I'm not finding the FSB to raise it ???? is it as obvious as FSB or am I looking for something else...it's phoenix bios...let me know thx....

 

[funnyperson1]

It may be somthing like "System Clock Frequency" "Front Side Bus" or "Operating Frequancy" something like that...

 

[thorwp88]

up and going

i have a stick of 512 corsair ddr 2100 64x64....i'm at 2 gigs right now with the 1.6a. i went up to a little over 2 and system started to get a little unstable. so i've halted at 2.0

my temps at 2.0 are 46.5 avg for cpu and 37 for board. i'm using a swiftech mcx 478. are these temps a little high? i've got 2 case fans in the front and an exaust case fan in the back. i used arctic 3 on mount and it was my first time, so i may have screwed up, i don't know. i made sure to cover cpu without going overboard. any suggestions here would help. i can't raise voltage until i can get my temp down as one notch up the voltage gave me another 4-5 degrees.

an earlier post said don't go above 50 and 45 was best, were those temps for board or cpu?

thx...