Overclocking Abit IT7 /w P4 2.53GHz CPU

[greg]

I am pretty new to overclocking.. When I built my computer a year ago I overclocked my CPU to 2.85GHz with stock cooling. I am now wanting to overclock it a bit more to get over the 3GHz mark.

Here are my current settings:

ext clock = 148mhz
pci/agp freq = locked at 33mhz
multiplier = 19x (do not change or it wont post)
fsb freq h/w strap = low
dram ratio = 3:4

What would you guys suggest for me to get (cooling-wise) to allow me to reach the 3GHz mark? As far as case fans go, I just have a front case fan and that's it. Also, what settings would I have to use to achieve that clock speed? Does anyone else have my setup running stable over 3GHz? If so, what cooling are you doing?

I also have an ATI Radeon 8500 LE video card. The stock fan went out a couple months after I built my pc. I have been having problems with it crashing all the time.. which I assumed was because it was overheating. I just bought a Vantec Iceberq 4 to replace the broken fan. Are you able to overclock video cards? With the cooling I will be getting from the Iceberq 4.. I figured overclocking it would be an option.. but I wanted to see what you guys thought. Should I overclock it too?

Any help would be much appreciated?

 

[rogue3092]

You should be able to get 3 GHz (158 fsb) w/out too many problems, and your cooling will suffice. However, it really depends on your CPU. Is it a C1 or is it an older stepping? I had a B0 2.53 that refused to do 3.0, even with 1.75v. Anyway, for 3.0 I would try simply bumping the FSB to 158, setting the core voltage to 1.625 or higher and setting the cpu:dram ratio to 1:1, unless you know that your corsair RAM can do around 220 fsb.

 

[wierdo145]

Im in the same spot as you. I've wondered about the ram ratios when using a 533 bus CPU. I have a 2.4B/C1 stepping and am interested in pairing the AI7, my CPU and my OCZPC5300 ram together. The chip can hit 3.2 easily and I'd like the ram around 440Mhz
Overclocking your video card is easily achieved using Omega drivers from omegacorner.com. His software includes an overclocking utility and others are available like powerstrip and rivatuner. Just go easy on it and find a base line from the forums that other users have reached.
i'm using an alpha PAL8942 heatsink and a thermaltake smart fan. Temps stay around 35C idle and 50C max in my 80F apartment in Las Vegas.

 

[greg]

How do I know what stepping my CPU is? I looked at my "System Information" and it says: x86 Family 15 Model 2 Stepping 4".

You guys don't think I need to get a better heatsink and cpu fan and maybe an additional fan for the back of the case?

 

[greg]

I installed MBM5 tonight to see what temps I am running at. My idle CPU temp is arund 48 degrees.. and it says my case temp is 35 degrees. How much more heat will be produced while overclocking to 3 GHz? What is the best P4 heatsink and fan?

 

[CalsonicGTR]

The best heatsink/fan combo for the P4 would be the Thermalright SP-94 with a 92mm Vantec Tornado. This combo, however, will make lots of noise (92mm Tornados are rated at 56.4 dB ). There are other fan options though. One I would recommend is the Thermaltake SmartFan2. It is an adjustable 80mm fan, so you can adjust it for quietness, or you can run it full blast (like I do ). Another thingthat would really help your cooling is to take a look at the airflow going in and out of the case. What kind of case are you currently using? How many fans and what kind are they? Do you have your fans setup so that they flow air eficiently? (Ex. 2 intake, 2 exhaust). The answers to these questions will help you determine the current state of your case cooling and will help you make a better decision when upgrading your cooling.

I also have an ATI Radeon 8500 LE video card. The stock fan went out a couple months after I built my pc. I have been having problems with it crashing all the time.. which I assumed was because it was overheating. I just bought a Vantec Iceberq 4 to replace the broken fan. Are you able to overclock video cards? With the cooling I will be getting from the Iceberq 4.. I figured overclocking it would be an option.. but I wanted to see what you guys thought. Should I overclock it too?

Overclocking video cards is definetly an option. You will need to get an overclocking utility such as Rage3D Tweak or RadClocker. Once you install these, go into the control panel for your video, hit the advanced button, and the new window should have tabs for the program you installed. There should be sliders for core speed and memory. Moving those sliders around will change the core and memory speeds of your video card. To test your overclock, use 3DMark01. If you can run the tests without any on screen artifacts, then the current overclock is good. Push until you begin to get artifacts, and then back down the settings a few notches. I used to have a Radeon 8500, and it was an O.K. overclocker. Hopefully you have good luck with yours.

Hope this helps ya out a bit

 

[greg]

I also installed the iceberq 4 on my video card tonight. The only issue I ran into was there were no holes for the attachment pins to go in, so I had to use the thermal tape that was for the ramsinks that came with the fan to attach it to the card. I thought about running to CompUsa to get some thermal glue, but I figured the tape would work just as well. I'll just get more tape later to attach the heat sinks. So far the video card is handling well. I installed the newest driver from ATI's website. Before I had more video card crashing issues using the enhanced drivers, so I just stuck with the drivers that Windows XP installed during installation.

I read somewhere that you should be bringing more air in than what you take out... to create pressure to keep out extra dust. I don't know what speed my front case fan is.. but I figured I would put a stronger one in front then put that fan in the back. Is 35 degrees high for a case temp?

Is there a different heatsink that would be a bit cheaper.. that is still good? Ideally.. how much lower should a good heatsink and fan bring down your cpu temp?

 

[CalsonicGTR]

Well, how much are you looking to spend on a new HS/F setup? A cheaper option for an Intel system would be the SLK800U with the TT SmartFan2. While it is cheaper than the SP94, it still provides excellent cooling. As for a temperature diffference, it depends on several things. If you are using stock cooling, however, you should notice a very decent improvment in your cooling. Although, improperly seating the HS or using too much thermal goop with make these temperatures much less impressive than they really should be. If you combine a good HS/F, proper mounting, and good thermal goop, then you should be very impressed.

35 degrees for a case temps sounds like a normal case temp. I havent heard about the more air in = less dust theory. I would think that more air in would bring more dust into the case.

 

[greg]

Well I would like to spend $50 tops on the heatsink and fan. What's your thoughts on the Zalman CNPS7000A-Cu?

 

[rogue3092]

The Zalman is a good, quiet all-in-one solution. However, the Thermalright SLK-900/800 will perform better when mated with a slightly louder fan.

 

[greg]

rogue3092 - Is there any way I can find out what stepping my CPU is? Does this mean anything? "x86 Family 15 Model 2 Stepping 4"

I have a 350 Watt powersupply.. do I need more wattage for extra cooling?

 

[rogue3092]

Greg, you need to download CpuZ in order to find out your stepping. You can find it here:
http://www.cpuid.com/cpuz.php

Once you launch the program, look where it says "Revision" on the first tab. This is your stepping.

 

[greg]

I just ran SiSoftwre Sandra and it says that my processor is a B0. So does that mean that I can't go over 3GHz?

 

[rogue3092]

Not necessarily, but B0 steppings are not known for their overclocks. It won't hurt to try either way.

 

[stereo555]

I just ran SiSoftwre Sandra and it says that my processor is a B0. So does that mean that I can't go over 3GHz?

I still have an IT7 with a 2.4 very early C1 stepping thats doing 3200 easily with stock cooling (1.6v) . When I first ran this chip it would barely do 2850-2950 (tops) even with some XMS 3500C2 .

I upped my system in Feb 03 (see sig) and turned the IT7 into a game server ( now donated to my brothers kids ) . Iam typing on the IT7 as we speak , and for some strange reason now the chip will do 3250+ (1.625 v) even with lower speed Crucial 2700 installed . Still re-testing to see what it will top off at ; so far looks to be around 3300-3350 depending on voltage and the 2700 mem holding me back .

Iam the only one that knows how to overclock in the whole family so I know no one else has touched the IT7 rig but myself . Seems this puppy just keeps getting better with age (even much after the fact with my orginal hefty burn-in of this chip ) .

So ... theres always more hope and more speed possible even with the older 533 bus chips . I'll keep my fingers crossed for ya for more MHZ .

My .02

 

[greg]

The other day I played around with upping my MHz. I got it to 3GHz at 5.75v, 6v and at 6.25v. The system was a bit unstable with the 5.75v and 6v settings. It seemed better at 6.25v, but boy was it hot. I started running PCMark and my computer shut off because the chip temp reached 70 degrees. I think idle I was in the upper 50's I believe. So I would have to have some extra cooling if I were to keep that voltage.