XP 1600 O\c'ing

[NextJin]

Here is my Rig

XP 1600 (locked) w/ Alpha PAL 8045, AS 3
Abit KR7a
256Mb Corsair XMS 2700
Gainward Geforce 3 Ti 450, @ 340\545
SB Live Platinum
Maxtor 40 Gb HD
431w Enermax PS

I have my FSB at 150Mhz now, Im at 1.54Ghz. My temps are 46c at full load 40c Idle. And thats with my Vcore at 1.85v My Memory is at the farthest slot away from the cpu. Is there any thing I could try to go higher other than unlocking, I have heard of 1.6Ghz being accomplised with my same setup.

 

[David]

Welcome to the Forums

What stepping is the CPU?
To go higher try increasing the multiplier. Is the CPU unlocked?

 

[NextJin]

I have no Idea what the stepping is, and its locked. The thing is even with all Memory set to the fastest settings, and DDR voltage up to its max, it still boots, but at like 153 or so it will start crashing\rebooting, take the memory timmings lower and it still does same thing with highest Vcores and DDR voltages I can go. My temps are low to so I am in the dark, people in the data base hit 1.7 easy with a similar setup

 

[David]

I have no Idea what the stepping is, and its locked. The thing is even with all Memory set to the fastest settings, and DDR voltage up to its max, it still boots, but at like 153 or so it will start crashing\rebooting, take the memory timmings lower and it still does same thing with highest Vcores and DDR voltages I can go. My temps are low to so I am in the dark, people in the data base hit 1.7 easy with a similar setup

The stepping will be written on the surface of the core probably like this:

A16003TC
A____01** This is the stepping.
*...............


Not all CPUs will hit the same speeds - better steppings will overclock further.

 

[NextJin]

I have this Alpha 8045 and its a pain to take off, is there anything I could try?

 

[David]

I have this Alpha 8045 and its a pain to take off, is there anything I could try?

Hmm. I would try unlocking it. Thats probably the best option. You could also try increasing DIMM voltage if possible.

 

[NextJin]

I already have...

 

[David]

I already have...

I think one of your components is holding you back - perhaps the hard disk.

The only option I see now is unclocking and upping the multiplier. As you do not know the CPU stepping, it could just be a bad stepping that is holding you back. The CPU may have reached its max. Just because other CPUs have overclocked to x MHz it doesn't mean that your CPU will definately do the same.

Overall, 1.54Ghz is a good overclock for a 1.4Ghz CPU.

 

[Caffinehog]

I hate to tell you, but that could be the max for your CPU. Not everyone can get above 1.6 with those processors. It does seem to be running a little hot, though. Will it go that speed with lower voltage? Sometimes, heat is the limiting factor. Usually voltage is. If raising the voltage isn't necessary, don't. If you can lower it and still remain stable, do. You'll cool things down a bit, and possibly get a little more out of it.