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Hey Fellas,
I have the money but which would be faster, a Barton 2500+ overclocked or a 3000+? I have four fans and Thermalright SI-97 to cool it down so I *think* I will be alright.
Also, I just recently got another stick of RAM so I have a total of 1 GB now. Are 2 GBs overkill?
Most 2500+ Bartons overclock to 3200+ speeds just by upping the FSB to 400. But be aware that not all will.
2 GBs is overkill for most users. In fact, those RAM chips don't run as fast as most 512 sticks.
I seriously doubt you will find many new 3000+ chips anyway. Unless you mean a Sempron 3000+, and as far as I can tell that's only the same as the XP2800+ :blink:
You will almost certainly have to raise Vcore a little to run at 3200+ speeds, and that will boost your temps. But if you've got one now it's certainly worth trying as long as you are careful.
Tell us what mobo you've got, some aren't too good at overclocking.
It's totally down to the luck of the draw...a good 2500 can easily reach 3000 speeds and a good 3000 can absolutely scream, but neither chip, even upclocked till it bleeds, will compare to the newer 64-bit chips.Quote:
Originally Posted by Sasage
I recommend you save your cash till you can move off the socketA platform altogether.
Even the 939 platform has issues running 2GB (4x512MB) at top speed and your socketA is far more inefficient.Quote:
Originally Posted by Sasage
Any improvement would be minimal and certainly not justifiable by a cost/benefit equation.
Upping the Vcore isn't always needed. I have a 2500+ Barton running at 3200+ speed just by setting the FSB to 400. No other alterations other than good case cooling.Quote:
Originally Posted by lynx
It has been running continuously for about 1 year 24/7 under full load (folding).
Well I was going to redo my thermal paste just to make sure it was ok, but then could I jump right up to 400 FSB or do I need to do the increments and test with Prime95 each step?
I have a Abit nf7-s btw.
Ok, the NF7-S v1 and NF7-S v2 are good overclocking boards (the similarly named NF7-S2 is not) so you should be ok on that score.
I personally wouldn't go straight for 400MHz FSB. I think you should go up in steps, although they can be fairly large, and check the full load temps for about 15 mins at each stage. As long as the system boots and the temps don't get excessive I wouldn't bother with Prime95 except as something to run full load.
I can't remember how the Abit boards measure the clock. If they indicate 333MHz to 400MHz (ie DDR speed) I would make the jump in 22MHz stages. If it is 166 to 200 MHz then obviously the jumps need to be half that, ie 11MHz at a time.
Once you've got where you want to go (or as far as seems safe), that's the time to start your stability tests. The fact that you've managed to get there usually indicates that the system is fairly stable. If it was going to fail Prime95 at an earlier stage then the chances of reaching your final stage would be pretty slim.
If you redo the thermal paste you will have to run through several heat cycles over a number of days before it gives optimum efficiency, so it is probably better to leave it until you've got some temperature readings.
Edit: just a thought, will your memory handle 400MHz? If not, you may have to run it asynchrously.
My mobo is the version 2.
This is the RAM that I have http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820145416
The Corsair should easily handle a 200MHz FSB.