I'd like to overclock my Athlon, but...

[navyblue77]

Seeing as how I burned out the first 1.2Ghz 266FSB chip a bit ago and just bought a brand new one, I would prefer to keep it a while. I have a Biostar M7MIA, not very overclockable but I can get up to a modest 1.35GHz. This is done, however, by modifying the FSB only, I can't change the multiplier. I have a GlobalWin CAK38 HSF and an Enlight 7237 case with several fans, my mboard temp is rarely much above 26C. Don't know about case temp.

My question is this: I'm not afraid of doing anything to the CPU since I have my new HSF, but what about memory, chipset, etc. since I would be raising the FSB of the whole computer? I would prefer not to burn those things out either. Unfortunately there is no temp sensor for my CPU so I can't tell what temp it is running at.

Which brings me to another question, can I find a thermistor somewhere and solder it on to the mboard? I can see where it would go, in the center of the socket A, but for some reason they decided not to put one on. Would that work?

Back to the CPU, if I did overclock it, wouldn't that considerably reduce the lifespan of the CPU, even if it runs stable and at decent temps?

Any suggestions on how I can set something up to monitor my CPU temp, short of buying some arm-and-leg external unit, would be helpful.

navyblue77

 

[It_The_Cow]

You would risk damaging those components since you would be running them above what they're rated at. The risks are very minimal, though. Heat would be the most dangerous factor. Depending on how you decide to overclock, some parts may or may not be more a risk of being damaged. Since your case temperature is pretty low, you should be fine.

Soldering a thermosistor to the leads on your motherboard would be pragmatic, but it would probably be better to wedge a one in between your heatsink and CPU die of you're going to go through the trouble. Make sure that it's for a thermosistor as well. You wouldn't want to fry your parts.

Depending on your 'decent' temps, its lifespan may or may not be shortened. The rule is that for every 10 degrees C you lower your temps, you double its life expectancy.

For a thermosistor, you might be able to find one at Radio Shack. I'm not exactly sure, though

 

[ken257]

I got a couple of comp-u-nurses from http://www.theoverclockerzstore.com the thermistor is very thin and will fit inbetween the bottom of your HSF and cpu. It has a small digital readout that you can mount in your case and the price is $14.99