AMD Athlon 2500 XP OC...

[imported_Xavier]

Ok, I bought an AMD Athlon XP 2500 Barton about a year ago and am starting to overclock it. I am starting to take up the multiplier step by step.

My question is, when should I start taking up the FSB as well?

 

[Jeff7181]

Since you have PC3500 RAM which is rated for 217 MHz, I would start increasing the FSB first. When you hit 217 MHz, if it's still stable, then increase the multiplier by 0.5.

 

[sangyup81]

Actually you should do the FSB first before you do the multiplier since the FSB will be limited by the mobo and the memory and not the CPU.

 

[imported_Xavier]

So the FSB I should take up to 215 until I start taking up the multiplier?


Ok thank you guys for the help

 

[sangyup81]

I don't have experience with your motherboard. If you want to be safe, start at 200fsb.

 

[imported_Xavier]

Well I will take it up in increments. I was just wondering if that is what I should take it up to before touching the multiplier.

Also, what is the max temperature I should watchout for?

 

[Aenslead]

I recomend that first off, you get the FSB @ 200Mhz

Once you get there, (at 3200+ speeds) you'll be just fine.

 

[TheStu]

be wary around 60c load or so... I usually run below 50c load on my mobile chip... so 60-65c load i would say is a safe maximum

 

[imported_Xavier]

Ok, thanks.

I think mine under load is around 42c

 

[Hyperlite]

Start with 210 FSB at 3-3-3-10 timings. I'm not sure of the capabilites of your motherboard, so i wouldn't try anything tighter than that for now. set multiplier to 10 to be safe and Download Prime95 and do some stability testing. If you can run the stress test in prime95 for 6 hours without failing and preferably not breaching 50C, you should be good and can raise the numbers a bit and repeat. keep in mind you will need to raise the Vdimm (RAM voltage) and Vcore (CPU voltage). I'd go ahead and put the RAM at the maximum voltage that your motherboard allows. (don't go over 3v)

nice ram, btw.

I can't run my RAM at the rated 217mhz because i have the timings soo tight, and i frankly don't know if i'm better off with slightly higher fsb or tighter timings, but i picked the tighter timings because my motherboard doesn't seem to like running anywhere near 220 fsb. that number is like the 666 of the nf7-s.

good luck with your OCing, keep us posted!

 

[yokomo]

You want a higher FSB than just bumping you multip.. a 2 gig setting of 266mhz x 7.5 will be faster than 100mhz x 20 just some thing to think about... even though they have the same end result..

 

[Jeff7181]

Yeah, if you ran your chip at 60C, it would be dead in a month.

That's 100% false.

 

[Quentin]

Assuming you can change the multiplier of your XP2500+ (have you proven it is unlocked?) I would drop it to 10 or 9 and run Memtest86+ to find the highest FSB. Then you can up the multiplier 0.5 at a time and test again.

Also, is this the rev. 2.0 board? Those are good up to 225 or so while the 1.x revs struggle to reach FSB200.

A Trats BIOS can increase your overclock, too.
A7N8X 2.0 Deluxe Trats
http://forums.pcper.com/showthread.php?p=3095488&postcount=62
1008mod3 CPC On
1008mod3 CPC Off

(this link helps explain whether to choose CPC On/_1T or CPC Off/_2T): http://www.insanetek.com/index.php?page=cpcnf2

 

[InTheFlow]

Originally posted by: Quentin
Assuming you can change the multiplier of your XP2500+ (have you proven it is unlocked?)

Hey Quentin...

I just got one of these chips too.

How do you prove that it is an unlocked core? Just by changing the multiplyer in the Bios and seeing if it works or is there another trick?

Thanks

 

[Fern]

Originally posted by: InTheFlow

Originally posted by: Quentin
Assuming you can change the multiplier of your XP2500+ (have you proven it is unlocked?)

Hey Quentin...

I just got one of these chips too.

How do you prove that it is an unlocked core? Just by changing the multiplyer in the Bios and seeing if it works or is there another trick?

Thanks

First- Welcome to the Forums!

Often the Nf2 boards will let you change the multi in BIOS, but it won't actually change anything if the cpu is "locked". So, when you change the multi you must either watch the boot/BIOS screen to make sure the cpu actually changed or use a proggie like WCPUID etc. If your CPU is unlocked (the multi) it WILL change it's speed. If it a locked cpu, the multi will remain at "11" no matter what you do in the BIOS.

Fern

 

[Quentin]

Fern's method is the best way to be sure.

If you are just curious and don't feel comfortable tweaking your BIOS (yet!), when did you buy the CPU? If you got it in 2003 there's an excellent chance it is unlocked. If you bought it new in 2004 or 2005 then it's almost certainly superlocked.

 

[ssvegeta1010]

Originally posted by: Jeff7181

Yeah, if you ran your chip at 60C, it would be dead in a month.

That's 100% false.

Jeff's right, only temps around 90C could even come close to killing it in a month. The threshold for an A-XP is up around 80-85C (of course you dont want to be up there).

 

[Chode Messiah]

I got my A-XP running at 118C for a few seconds, because my heatsink broke off,(my screw was rusty) at one point though, it was running at 75C for a month, before I put in the new hsf.

 

[InTheFlow]

Great info...and thanks for the welcome!

My CPU (just purchased from newegg) is unlocked because it does change when i change the multi...however, one thing I noticed is that if I put the multi up to 13 it drops in speed compared to the previous setting no matter what FSB setting I use.

For example:

166FSB X 12.5 = 2083MHZ
166FSB X 13 = only 833MHZ

and

200FSB x 12.5 = 2500MHZ
200FSB x 13 = 1000MHZ

My motherboard (an MSI 6570) doesn't have higher multi number than 13...

Anyone have any idea why the chip reports a slower speed on the higher multi?

Thanks.

 

[Fern]

It looks like your "13" multi is working out to actually be "5".

Why?, I don't know, although I have seen many boards having problems with high multi's and multi's of .5. Sometimes it seems to be a matter of which BIOS revision one is using.

If you can find a forum for your board you might be able to get an answer, or at least find which BIOS revision allows for a working multi of 13 if its important to you.

Fern

EDIT: HERE'S one forum for MSI NF2 chipset boards