p4 overclocking

[jdx11]

hi, everyone. i'm a newbie to overclocking. i just overclocked my p4 2.0 to 2.5(of course i did a lot research before i started), my temperature is around 31c, Vcore is at 1.675, FSB 125, multiplier 20, and my system is running pretty stable. my question is, does the powersupply matter? (i have a 350w power supply on my computer. i'm afraid that as i increase my Vcore voltage, my powersupply won't provid enough power to my system, or my system won't be stable.) i read a lot of articles on this forum. i'm shocked that most people can increase their cpu speed 800mhz or even more. i'm not sure how they did it. i know a good mobo and ram is essential for overclocking, but i'm not sure about powersupply. by the way, does anybody know the max speed that i can overclock to?
thanks for reading
northwood p4 [email protected]
asus p4b533
samsung pc2700
leadtek Geforce 4 Ti4200

 

[batboy]

A 350 watt power supply is about average. You should be ok, as long as you don't run a huge amount of components, like multiple harddrives, CD-ROM/burners, and DVD-ROMs all at once. Having 10 cooling fans will use more power than a modest bump in vcore.

You're actually getting close to what I would consider the safe limit with the voltage. I wouldn't go above 1.75v and not even that much without good cooling.

Ok, speaking of cooling, that is absolutely critical for high level overclocks. You didn't mention cooling and since you're sort of new, I suspect there is much you can do to improve cooling. The temp you quoted seems very low, so I'm assuming it's not load CPU temps. You sure it's not idle system temp you're reporting? It sure ain't load CPU temp. Usually we check idle system and idle CPU temps, then load the computer with a program like Sandra burn-in wizard or Prime95 for about 20 minutes and check realtime system and CPU load temps (going in to the BIOS ain't going to cut it).

Max overclock for your system depends on lots of factors. Cooling is a major consideration. What CPU you have makes a difference too. My early 2.0a would only do about what yours is doing with 1.7v. The newer 2.0a CPUs do a little better. The C1 steppings will overclock much better. Components can limit your overclock too. Fortunately you have a good mobo. Since you only have PC2700 DDR, that might start to be a limiting factor. If you push your system more, try using less aggressive memory settings. Once you get the system stable at a certain speed, you can tweak the memory settings a little at a time to maximize performance. Personally, I'd rather have a slightly less CPU clock speed if that will gain me more memory bandwidth.

Right now, your number one priority should be improving cooling. Good luck

 

[larva]

Understand too that not all 2.0a's are created equal. Early 2.0a's were notoriously bad overclockers. Getting 2.5GHz out of them took a lot of luck. The latest 2.0a's posses the same 2.8GHz average potential of the other late model B0 stepping chips.

It has been proven that improved cooling does not remove the danger associated with high voltage operation for Northwood cpus. Personally 1.65V is as far as I'm willing to go despite the very effective Thermalright AX478 heatsink I use. You need to more accurately quantify your temperature production though. Your chip will read at least 31C the moment you switch on the computer. It is certainly running 40C or greater under load. An AX478 with even a mild 37cfm fan will reduce this by 5C, and is a wise investment.

Considering the amount of money you've spent on the rest of the components in your system, a good power supply is also cheap insurance, and may help the overclock to boot. Look at www.directron.com for the FSP 350W power supply. They are only $38. Not all power supplies are created equal, with the vast majority of manufactures simply lying about the total wattage number pasted on the side. If your supply is a generic 350W model (or an Enermax for that matter) The FSP 350 will seriously outperform it.

 

[micamica1217]

Hi,

and welcome to the forums.

just a trick for you...

if you can get the cpu up to 133fsb then flip the #6 dip switch on your mobo to "on".
this will give you a 3/4 mem divider and better bandwith.
yet I think your memory might hold you back if you go much higher.

I can't agree more with batboy on cooling your cpu.
yet your full load temps right now should be about 45c.
use asus probe and prime 95 to find out the temp.
try to keep it under 50c max full load.

if your room temps go up in the summer you might want to go for an after market HSF.

a better PSU might help now as well as in the future.....try a antec true 430w when you get a chance.

I think you did great on your first OC....nice going.

have fun

mica

 

[oops]

Hi,


I can't agree more with batboy on cooling your cpu.
yet your full load temps right now should be about 45c.
use asus probe and prime 95 to find out the temp.
try to keep it under 50c max full load.

mica

lol, both of my P4 overclocked systems have 60*C+ full loaded.
1. [email protected]
2. [email protected]

both idle around 40*C, both go more than 60*C under Prime95. But still stable, both passed 24 hours Prime95. So these P4 auctally can handle really high temperature, but I am sure they cannot be used for as long as they were designed under such high temperature.

 

[jdx11]

thanks for the tips guys. batboy, you are right. 31c is my cpu idle time. i did the sisoft sandra bun in test for 20min just like you said, my cpu temp turned out to be 42c. i think this is normal, right? i also did the 3Dmark test for my videocard, guss what was my score. my leadtek Gefore4 Ti 4200 64mb pumped out 11537, almost as fast as the new at010 radeon 9700 pro.(pretty sweet!)
when you guys talking about Vcore value, is it the value from the bios or the value from the asus prob. because the voltage is higher in asus prob than that of in the bios.(set 1.675 in bios, show 1.76 in asus prob) what is memory timing? i read on the internet that the aggresive timing is 2-2-5-2(somelike that). i can't even get those numbers. are these numbers for the latency and delay? does the number varise between mobos? how do i calculate my ddr ram speed.(my FSB is 125, i have pc2700)
sorry guys, i have too many questions.
thanks for reading.

 

[Stockli]

Your DDR runs twice as fast as your FSB. I don't know much about the 3/4, though. I'm assuming it makes the ratio of FSB to RAM 3 - 4 so if your FSB is 125, then your RAM is 166? Double that and you get 333 which is PC2700... just a guess. From what I've been reading around here, the Asus probe might be more accurate than the BIOS.

 

[micamica1217]

asus seems to give a little higher "real" voltage then what you set it at.

yet please try and not go past 1.75v real....for long term use.

as for your timings...you might not be able to run yor mem at the numbers you listed.

yet if you ever get faster memory, then maybe you can up the FSB more and still run at faster 3/4 divider.
(try xms3200 when you get a chance)

are you using the 3/4 now????

that would explain the slow timings your getting.

also, keep asking questions...it's the best way to learn.

mica

 

[jdx11]

hi, mica. i'm runing at 3:4 ratio right now. my mem timing is 2-2-6-5. i was encoding a movie with TmpgEnc encoder the other day, and i got this error statement: "attempting access violation" caused by Avisynth, which is a Frameserving program. I was very suprised because this never happened to me before i overclocked my computer. i found out that sometimes memory buffer underrun would cause C or C++ based programs crash. Since i knew Avisynth uses C++ programing language, i was pretty sure there was something wrong with my mem. anyway, after i lowered my FSB to 120(it was 125 before), and lowered my ram voltage to 2.7(it was 2.9 before), the error never occured again. but right now i'm only running at 2.4 though. i try to increase my FSU, but i guess my mem is holding me back. is XMS pc 3200 a good chioce? it's kinda expensive though. i've heared of XMS pc 3500, i wonder if that's any good.
thanks for reading