what is "stable" or "stable enough"?

[irabufan]

i've been running prime95 tests on my new rig to see how fast it can go and achieve pretty good stability
i thought i was doing pretty well when i was able to clock my xp1800+ @ 2.4ghz (183x13.5) and run all the sandra tests, but it gave an error on prime95 testing after 2 hours
i read the stress testing guide that came with prime95, and they said i should test the system for anywhere from 6 to 24 hours to ensure stability
but obviously i don't have 24 hours (or even 6 hours) to test each overclock setting to see whether it's perfectly stable according to them, so generally how long do u guys test the system to say that it's "stable enough"?
and what could i do to try to achieve "stability" according to prime95 @2.4ghz, given my system specs?

amd xp1800+ dlt3c jiuhb @ 2.4ghz (183x13.5) 1.8v
abit nf7-s v2.0
kingston valueram (MT chipset) 2x512mb pc2700 @ 183mhz (3-3-3-8) 2.7v -- using this cuz it's cheap
thermalright sk7 + vantec tornado 80mm
Lian-Li PC60 case
idle temp: 35/28; load temp: 44/33 (cpu/system)

 

[FFactory0x]

test using memtest86 and prime95. if it errors after 2 hours back down a bit. Here follow this guide. you should really test after all ocing is done for 24 hours. ocing is an art and takes some time. follow this guide step by and and then get back to me

here let me give ya give ya a little tut i made to help ya oc to max performance and stability. Here it goes.
You need to set AGP & PCI lock to on or AGP=66mhz and pci=33mhz before doing the following.

Put your multiplier on a low setting and up the fsb in increments of 5mhz. After each increase of the fsb run stress tests such as 3dmark, prime 95. When your computer does not complete these stress tests increase the ddr voltage by 0.1v. Re-test. If the tests complete keep going in 5mhz increasements. When you get to a unstable fsb again increase the ddr volts by o.1v. (I wouldnt recommend going over 2.7v) You will reach a point when the tests fail even at 2.7v this means you have overclocked the fsb too much so lower the fsb to the highest setting in which the test completed.

You now know the fsb limit of your setup.

Now increase the multiplier in increments of 0.5. After each increment run the stress tests mentioned above. Eventually you will get to a multiplier which is unstable. Try increasing the vcore voltage by 0.025v and re-test. If the pc is still unstable increase the vcore again by 0.025v. (Keep an eye on the temperatures). re-test. If the tests still fail i would not recommend incresing your vcore any higher although lots of people do (just my personal preference). So put your multiplier on the highest stable setting.

You know have the highest overclock possible for your setup.

Lots of people do not like to run there system right on the edge. I would advise to lower the fsb by 5mhz after finding the maximum stavle system overclock. Just to be on the safe side.

An example: (Completely made up!)

Athlon XP1800+
Stock = 1533mHz
FSB = 133mhz
Multiplier = 11.5

1. Lower multiplier to 10. CPU now at 1330mhz.
2. Increase the FSB by 5mhz. CPU now at 138*10=1380
3. Keep increasing by 5mhz and testing inbetween each increase.
4. FSB at 178mhz = unstable. (CPU= 178*10=1780mhz)
5.increase ddr voltage to 2.6v
6.can increase fsb to 184mhz before becoming unstable. (CPU= 184*10=1840mhz)
7.increase ddr voltage to 2.7v. This did not inmprove overclocka ability. Lower ddr back to 2.6v (to reduce heat) and reduce fsb by 5mhz. So max stable fsb for system is 179mhz.
8.increase multiplier to 10.5 (CPU = 179*10.5=1879.5mhz)
9.keep increaseing multiplier by 0.5v untill unstable. Pc unstable at a multiplier of 12.
10. increase vcore voltage by 0.025v. CPU stable with a multiplier of 12. (CPU= 12*179=2148Mhz)
11. Cannot increase multiplier without causing stability issues so increase the vcore by anither 0.025v.
12. can stabily run at 12.5 multiplier. (CPU= 12.5*179=2238Mhz)
13. Cannot increaes Multiplier any further. Temperatures are too high to increase vcore.

Max Stable Overclock = 12.5*179=2238mHz
Default = 1533mHz
An Overclock of 705Mhz

 

[FFactory0x]

whatare your temps now?
never mind. saw them

 

[irabufan]

so at each intermediate setting, how long i should test the system before declaring the fsb or the multiplier as "stable"?

and the memory runs at 2.6v default, and can run up to 2.9v... should i still stick to 2.7v as the limit?

 

[FFactory0x]

it depends on how high your willing to go and how your temps are. your using kingston valur ram 2700 so i dont know how high that will go. After each intermitant run memtest. Press these buttons C23120. Settings i use and then C and choose restart tests. After 2 or so passes, run prime like 1 hr. Maybe less, just to spot check. If errors pop up right away, back off. First see how high you can go on default vcore and vdimm

 

[bjc112]

It depends,

If you can play your favorite games for hours upon hours well then you may consider it stable. But bottom line is, if it fails Prime 95, the system is not ENTIRELY stable....

Just whatever your standards are...