VA 503+ mb AMD k6-2 400

[krunch]

Hi,
I have a AMD k6-2 400Mhz running on a VA 503+ mb.
I wanted to overclock it but I don't know how
if someone out there could tell me or tell me a website with all the information about going about it, that would be great
I was wanting to get it up to 500Mhz +
is that safe??
I have a AMD Athlon heatsink and fan on it atm, will that keep it cool enought??

 

[tim]

We do need some reading in life... So READ... READ... READ... about Ocicng...The K6 2 amd is not known for good Ocing but give it a try though; you may get a little more. Nothing to loose anyway. Look at the database for some in fo on K6 2 400, Get some good HSFs since the stock HSF is not good enough. K6 2 will generate quite a bit hit....

 

[FRANK]

Tim is right, READ, RED, READ. The same basic overclocking techniques that apply to the current chips also will apply to the older ones. One big advantage you will have is that there are a lot of better heat sinks out there now than were available in that chips heyday, an HSF from a socket "A" will fit right on it.

Although the K6-2 is not known to be a great overclocker, the motherboard you have is one of the best from that era. I've built several on that board with very good results. I prefer the K6III chips and they seem to overclock respectfully. As a matter of fact I'm on a K6III+ 450 @ 616MHz as I write this, that's 37% over default. I opened this machine up tonight to repair a stuck CD ROM. While I was in there I figured, why not? Previously I had this running at 600MHz (6*100). Changed the FSB to 112MHz, lowered the multiplier to 5.5 and upped the core voltage to 2.4 and installed an old Global Win FOP32 that I had laying around.

I should mention that this is a "+" series chip, originally intended for the mobile market. If you would happen to get one of these, you "MUST" upgrade the BIOS to "JE4330" . The upgrade is located on FIC's website. Although FIC never "officially" supported this chip for their desktop motherboards, they did release this BIOS upgrade in a beta version.

If you already have this CPU / motherboard combination, go ahead and see what you can get out of it. But I would be a little reluctant to invest too much money into it though. With the cost of the DURONS dropping almost daily and the first generation motherboards available now for less than $80.00 with onboard sound it makes more sense to do the CPU / motherboard combination upgrade, leaving you with a viable upgrade path for the future.

Good Luck!

.

 

[Len]

krunch, I'm running a K62 533 at 560 (112x5) @ default 2.2v using a Golden Orb. I strongly do NOT recommend the Orb on the 503. I had to bend resistors and nearly ruined the 503 getting it installed. I was able to get to 616 (5.5x112) but had to use a really high 2.8v voltage which I didn't think would be good as a long term solution.

All the info you need is really in the 503 manual. The biggest boost in performance you can get on the 503 is by increasing your FSB from 100 to 112 Mhz. Even 392 (112x3.5) would probably be a bit faster than 400 (100x4.0). Probably the best performance you will be able to get out of your 400 is 448 (112x4). It's unlikely you will get it any higher without spending more money on a really good HSF.

Just remember that running at FSB of 112 overclocks your PCI and AGP so be sure your cards can handle that. Also, your memory will be running faster. If using older FPM or EDO it will be running at 75 Mhz instead of 66. If you got PC100 or better it will be running at 112 instead of 100 Mhz.

Read through the jumper section in the 503 manual and change your jumpers as appropriate. Check and double check the jumpers before booting. Start with the default CPU voltage and work your way up until Windows boots and seems stable. The highest recommended voltage is 2.5v but the more you give it the hotter it will run. Mine already runs 20 degrees F above room temp (CPU temp nearly 40C during these past few hot days in the North East) with the Golden Orb and good air flow through the case.

One other thing you should know ... if you are using the older FPM or EDO RAM, replace it NOW with some PC133. When memory got cheap I did and man was I surprised by the jump in performance in Quake3. With EDO I seemed limited to about 44 fps even on the ugly 'Fastest' video settings with a Geforce SDR video card. Changing the EDO to PC133 (initially still running it at the slower 75 Mhz) increased my Q3 Fastest score to 62 fps and then changing the memory to run full speed at 112 Mhz cas2 boosted me to over 75 fps!

Good Luck!