To overclock or not to overclock, That is the question.

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ap

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According to http://www.tomshardware.com, a PIII 600 @ 100 mhz FSB can be stable at an overclocked rate of 800 mhz @133 FSB but a normal PIII 800 can't be overclocked at all cuz it's just too unstable at such a high rate. So, is it better to:


- Run a normal PIII 800 at a sure to be stable 100 FSB
- or a 600 juiced up to 800 and running at a higher 133
mhz FSB but also possibly less stable.

Of course you could say "just get a PIII 800e ready to go at 133", but the 440bx (I'm only considering 440bx chipsets) only runs at 100 FSB normally so the 800e would not run at it's 133 FSB capacity unless overclocked right?

[Edited by ap on 08-07-2000 at 17:26]
 
1) Most motherboard manufacturers have beefed up thier BX boards to include support for 133FSB, AGP 4X, ATA/66, etc. Try http://www.abit-usa.com and http://www.asus.com for reliable BX boards that are EXTREMELY overclockable.

*****BULLSHIT EDITED BY SLACKMASTER 2000********
2) "E" Processors are "coppermine" and only have 256K cache. "B" Processors run at 133Mhz FSB. "EB" Processors, you guessed it, are coppermine and run at 133Mhz. All CPU's over 600Mhz are coppermine, though Intel has chosen to drop the "E" these processors, unless they are also "B", in which case they are "EB".
******END OF EDIT**********************

3) If you bought a brand new sports car, and noticed that the manufacturer rigged it such that the gas pedal only depresses three quarters the way to the floor, wouldn't you do something about it? If you overclock a CPU and it is operating within temperature and voltage guidelines, then you are not doing anything "wrong". Intel is very good at making fast PIII processors right now. When they're making 600Mhz processors, as we speak, do you think they set their machines to "suck?" Nope. They make 600Mhz CPU's the same damn way they make 900Mhz CPU's. Lucky you, if you know how to overclock, and have a CPU that'll do it.

What CPU's will do it? Well, like I said, they're still making 600Mhz CPU's right now, but they're making them well enough that they *could* run a lot higher. So if you get a truely *new* 600Mhz CPU, your chances of overclocking it are much better than if you get a "new" 600Mhz CPU that was actually manufactured 10 months ago! This is one reason overclocking is risky unless you buy pretested CPU's.

In order to overclock successfully you need to understand a) Temperature b) Voltage c) CPU Multiplier d) Bus Multipliers - PCI & AGP (note that an Athlon machine has a system bus that is seperate from the memory bus, meaning that you have an additional multiplier to consider) e) how they all work together to fry your video card :). If you're not willing to learn the process, then don't do it. Overclocking is very dangerous if you don't know what you're doing. In this case, only buy pretested/preconfigured overclocked systems if the price is right.

Slackmaster 2000

[Edited by Slackmaster2K on 08-19-2000 at 14:13]
 
Overclocked PC

I've got a PIII 700E on an IWill P133 motherboard that is overclocked to 933, and I've never had one bit of problem with it (so far, knock on wood). I know how to overclock, but I decided to buy a pre-tested guaranteed motherboard/CPU combination. I got mine at Advanced Systems ...their URL is http://www.advanceddesignky.com/. It screams !!! I check the CPU temperature every once in awhile...after bootup it sits around 85...when I fire up Cakewalk and run a few demos or record a few tracks, I get it cranked up around 90. Only drawback is the extra fan I'm using...it's a little noisy. But so far the temperature concern is not much of one....


Rob
 
i didn't even read what u wrote
but overcl0ock
overclock
i am drukn right now
overclock
i have a 600e
and it si at 800mhz
it is fuckin pimpin
never one problem
 
Robn,

You are running that CPU way too hot. The maximum core temperature of a 933 is 75C. The max core temperature for a 700 processor is 80C. So you are at least 5-10C over temperature and are therefore risking a very short CPU life.

My guess is that a) you're using poor heatsink compound. A good compound can drop the CPU temperature by 10-30C. b) Your CPU fan isn't working well enough c) your case fans aren't pushing enough air. d) the thermocouple on your motherboard is reporting an incorrect temperature.

I would immediately start running without the case cover on, and look into some better cooling solutions. You're almost at 200F and that kind of heat is going to damage something eventually.

Good luck,

Slackmaster 2000
 
Is it mostly about heat? If I overclock my PII450 I get like 5 degrees Farenheight hotter. Not much. Bad? Peak is about 132.
 
RJ, as long as you're running the CPU within specs it should be fine. You can find temperature specs at Intel's website. That CPU of yours should probably run around 40-50C overclocked from my experience (though the max I am unsure of offhand).

Slackmaster 2000
 
I got an 800eb so that I could run at 133 mhz FSB without technically overclocking the CPU. The 440bx(the only chipset I would consider) is running faster than the official 100 mhz rating but as we all know(?) there are plenty of boards that can do 133 better than most do 100mhz(Iwent with Abit BE6-II). This seems like the best solutuion to me since everythings stable and running at fast speed.

Overclocking does'nt seem to make much since I got my 800eb at the local mom and pop for $350 and celeron 566(overclockable to 850 but at only 100FSB) is around $100+ (I know there are much better prices on the net but these are usually OEM, not retail packages- no packaging and no 3(?) year warranty from Intel) Although I was tempted to do it just for fun, I just don't think the saved $250 is worth the risk of instability and added hassle not to mention the fact that you're still running at 100mhz FSB.

P.S. Oh yeah, if you want a pretested celeron guaranteed to run overclocked, as highly recommended in http://prorec.com RYO2K aricle, it'll cost around $250. And if you don't mind OEM chips, which is what these are, you can find 800eb's for around $280.

To overclock? I think heeelll no!

[Edited by ap on 08-16-2000 at 11:55]
 
Overclocking temperature

Slack,

I think you misunderstood me...
My CPU is running around 85-90 Fahrenheit, not Celsius, which would be around 30-32 Celsius. That's WAY UNDER specs. I do use a heat compound...I actually installed the chip and the heatsink and forgot about the compound, so I had to take it off, apply the compound, and then reassembled. The extra 80mm fan blows right onto the CPU too, so that helps. I'm really pleased with the performance so far.


Thanks for your concern though...

Laters,

Rob
 
Ha ha. Ok ok. That's actually pretty low for that CPU, which is why I didn't assume Fahrenheit.
 
I see that I was also spreading more bullshit in my first response to this post. I have edited it out so as not to confuse anyone else. I humbly appologize.

Slackmaster 2000
 
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