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Getting ready to O/C my box

834 Views 16 Replies 8 Participants Last post by  r_cataldo
Hi all,

I've been checking out this forum for a few days and must say there are some smart peeps here!! A lot can be learned by reading the posts, I see.

Anyway, I just upgraded from a P4 Willamette 1.7 coupled with a DFI SDRAM board. Finally have an Abit VT7 mainboard, Northwood 2.4 800FSB, and 512Mb DDR 3200 to work with. I'd like to see what I can push this to without sacrificing reliability...hopefully 3.2-3.5Ghz. This seems possible from what I've seen in other posts. First, though, I need to get my cooling under control. Idle CPU temps hover around 42-45C with what I thought was a decent aftermarket copper/aluminum heatsink and fan. I imagine that much of this temp could be reduced with a larger, less-cramped case: I have tiny case where the PSU is only 1.5" or so above the CPU fan. There's not much room for anything in there. I don't really want to have to buy a new case yet, however...I spent enough on the mobo, CPU, and RAM for now. So, my plan of action is to source out a better cooling solution that may help to keep idle temps in the 30's and then go from there. I'll keep you guys posted, and as soon as I run some tests (Prime5 and 3dMarks) I will post them. Any suggestions along the way would be appreciated.

Also, a couple of questions for you experienced overclockers:

Provided I reach an acceptable and stable overclock speed without exceeding the recommended vcore and temps, can I expect a long-lasting CPU?

And, would it be worth it to try and o/c the FX5200 GPU?

Thanks for any help in advance!
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Case cooling is just as important to keeping temps under control as component cooling is. You could have the bestest heatsink in the whole wide world, removing heat from the CPU more efficiently than any other air cooling method out there, but if that heat is pumping into the surrounding air without being removed, then it will eventually be the same heat that will be pumped back through the CPU.

As for lifespan, there's never really been any substantiative numbers put together, but generally once you get into overclocking, you get tired of your hardward long before it fails (not always, but that's more luck of the draw than anything else). As long as you keep it within the recommended perameters (which are generally recommended as both ideal for overclocking and best for longevity), then you should get at least 3-4 years out of your hardware. I would say the CPU is nothing to worry about. The mobo, however is more likely to fail prematurely, in my experience (killed 4 or 5 that I can think of, in the last 2 1/2 years that I've been OC'ing). But even the mobos have lasted a good six months at least.

OC'ing the 5200 is a definite. I'm sorry to say, but the 5200's are a really disappointment...not even better than the GeForce 4's they were supposed to replace.
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Alright, so I ran Prime95 for 12 minutes and the processor temp shot up to 61C and was still rising. This was with the case open! I think I'll just end up getting a larger case so there is more airflow first and take it from there...
Yeah, not very good cooling, if your cpu temps are rising like that...Get a new hsf
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Quote:


Originally Posted by hexogenn

Yeah, not very good cooling, if your cpu temps are rising like that...Get a new hsf


Yeah, I'll have to get a larger case and a new hsf. I was considering something from Thermaltake.

Hexogenn, I noticed you have a similar setup: same board and processor (I think...The P4 2.4B is the 800 FSB 512 L2, right?). Just curious if 300-400Mhz was all that you could get out of this setup?
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Quote:


Originally Posted by r_cataldo

Yeah, I'll have to get a larger case and a new hsf. I was considering something from Thermaltake.

Hexogenn, I noticed you have a similar setup: same board and processor (I think...The P4 2.4B is the 800 FSB 512 L2, right?). Just curious if 300-400Mhz was all that you could get out of this setup?

B is 533 fsb 512 L2

Yes 300MHz that's all for now, because i'm going to voltmod it(vcore now is 1.55max) and set vcore to 1.7v, maybe after voltmodding i'll get more mhzs
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2
Quote:


Originally Posted by r_cataldo

Alright, so I ran Prime95 for 12 minutes and the processor temp shot up to 61C and was still rising. This was with the case open! I think I'll just end up getting a larger case so there is more airflow first and take it from there...

Wowsers, thats to hot for that Northy. Try not to let your load temps get above 55c max. You will definitely benefit from a larger case.
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I have the VT7 with 2.8E processor and my cpu idle temp is around 39c +-1c. I'm using the stock heatsink and fan, but upgraded to arctic silver 5 when I installed everything. I used a razor blade and acetone (w/ q-tip) to clean off the old heat sink garbage. I have not overclocked yet, trying to see what its capable of. The case fan is 120mm running full speed in an Antec Sonata case, the original fan died after 2 months. System temp is 24c at idle.
Please tell us how you went with your overclock. Id love to know. You would won't atleast an extra 400Mhz out of that thing
Haven't had time to get a new case yet...school and work keeps me pretty busy. I did run a 3dMark03 score tho...It's funny as hell. I scored an 871.
I am sure this is cause of the FX5200, not the new mobo/CPU, right? I O/C'd the GPU to 305/575 and upped the score to 1150. But I think when I get the case I'll pick up a new card, too. ATI 9800 or GeForce FX5700?
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defently that fx5200 grab a 9800pro or tell us how much money you have so we can see if you got enough for a 6800
Quote:

Originally Posted by ThE_GeNeRaL
defently that fx5200 grab a 9800pro or tell us how much money you have so we can see if you got enough for a 6800
I'd be willing to spend $120 or so...
Ok, got a new case today (RaidMax Scorpio). All else being the same, my CPU now idles around 32-33 C and loads at 46-48C. Much better. On to the overclocking...

I now realize that I should have done some more research before buying the Abit VT7 as it seems rather limited in the overclocking area. My main problem is that there does not seem to be an AGP/PCI lock. I can adjust ratios, but cannot lock PCI to 33 anywhere. Elsewhere on this forum other VT7 users have said the same.

Here's what I see:

CPU FSB - I can set this from the stock 200 up to 255.
Multiplier (locked at 12x)
DRAM RATIO (DRAM
CI) - 3:1, 4:1, 5:1 (default), and 6:1
AGP RATIO (CPU:AGP
CI) - 3:2:1, 4:2:1, 5:2:1, and 6:2:1 (default)

This gives me a 200/166/66/33 ratio by default with the P4 2.4C and PC2700 RAM. Increasing the FSB also increases the AGP/PCI frequencies. For example, I can run a 5:4 CPU/DRAM ratio with a 250 FSB and get the following: 250/200/100/50. From what I understand, the AGP
CI needs to remain at 66/33...I can't find a lock for this. However, I've found on the net that if I run my RAM dual channel (2 x 512 MB instead of 1 x 512 MB) that the AGP/PCI lock is enabled. I don't see this as likely...

I bought the VT7 at Fry's less than 14 days ago...Should I return and exchange for an IS7 ($40 more)? Any suggestions if I decide to keep the VT7?
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3
Quote:

Originally Posted by ThE_GeNeRaL
if you can then yes
Gonna do it then. I drank too much tonight, though...
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Quote:

Originally Posted by r_cataldo
I bought the VT7 at Fry's less than 14 days ago...Should I return and exchange for an IS7 ($40 more)?
YES!!!!! Absolutely. If you can afford it, I would recommend a Thermalright heatsink. An SP-94, XP-90, or XP-120 models are the way to go, IMO. Some of the best performing heatsinks available. They all cost around $50, but that is what you should expect to spend to get really good air cooling.

BTW, which Fry's? Thunderbird or Baseline?
Quote:

Originally Posted by Lando95
YES!!!!! Absolutely. If you can afford it, I would recommend a Thermalright heatsink. An SP-94, XP-90, or XP-120 models are the way to go, IMO. Some of the best performing heatsinks available. They all cost around $50, but that is what you should expect to spend to get really good air cooling.

BTW, which Fry's? Thunderbird or Baseline?
Bought everything but the case at the Baseline store...buy most everything else at the Circle K
tomorrow will return the VT7 for the IS7.
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