webchief said:
Hello guys, I've got a 3000+ barton processor and i'm looking to do some overclocking. So here are my questions.
1.) Recommended heatsink/fan for the overclock. Perferably something from newegg or something I could pick up at bestbuy compusa etc.
2.) What kind of success should I expect from this overclock? I've seen people with success around 2.4ghz, is this possible with air cooling?
3.) And lastly I've heard that its better to go with a lower FSB speed and a higher multiplier for higher overclocking, is this true?
I have 4 fans in my case all 80mm, I believe that should be enough airflow. Any other suggestions would be welcome and apriciated.
I use that same CPU (assuming you have the 166Mhz FSB/13x multiplier version) and run it at 2400Mhz without any problems. I even ran it at 2500Mhz for a while but it wasn't 100% stable in Half-Life 2 (Far Cry ran flawlessly though) so I backed up a bit and settled for 2400Mhz.
As mentioned in wazzle's post you'll get better results with boosting the FSB than changing the multi, which btw isn't easy to do on this CPU, if possible at all. Even if by miracle you could manage to unlock it you wouldn't be able to extract as much juice as you can achieve by stepping up the FSB. The main reason many people prefer manipulating the multiplier is because they either have no way of locking the AGP bus to 66Mhz or don't know about it. The AGP bus doesn't overclock well and this imposes strict limits to the speed gain potential of some systems. However using a chipset that allows one to raise the FSB without affecting AGP bus speed affords much better results than multiplier mods.
Before you proceed be aware that certain conditions must be met in order to achieve 2400Mhz through FSB boosting. Let's start with the chipset: you want a motherboard that sports the nForce2 400Mhz because in my experience this is the best chipset for overclocking Bartons.
Among other goodies it allows you to lock the AGP bus at 66Mhz which is essential for anyone bent on jacking up the FSB to interesting levels. Also, it supports PC3200 memory which leaves you free of worries about reaching your RAM's limits before your CPU's. Last but not least the nForce2 can take a lot of heat without requiring active cooling of voltage mods. But what's best is that nowadays nForce 2 boards are extremely affordable, I think the Asus A7N8X-X (single channel) costs about $60 while the A7N8x (dual channel) sells for about $10 more. Having owned both I see absolutely no difference in performance between dual channel and single channel memory so why pay more. It may make more of a difference on more modern equipment, I can't say.
In order to reach stable 2400Mhz you will have to set your FSB to 184Mhz (368Mhz DDR) and the voltage supplied to your CPU should be in the range of 1.7v to 1.75v (Barton's default is 1.65v). This will produce significant heat and you will need higher end air cooling: expect to pay at least $50.00 for a quality cooler. Personally I use the Zalman CNSP7000 Cu which is very efficient and ultra-quiet (for an air cooler). However it's quite large and heavy so if noise is not a problem you might want a smaller size cooler, there are a few out there to choose from.
None of those coolers is cheap but as you know the stock cooler provided with the Barton 3000+ is so crappy it shouldn't be even used at default speed, you really have no choice but to buy a new one anyway so may as well make it a good one. The good thing with quality air coolers is that most of them are compatible not only with Socket A boards but with also with any Athlon-64 and P4 sockets as well, so your costly cooler will follow your upgrades. Most of those coolers don't use clips and thus require mounting holes, found on practically any motherboard built in the last 2 years or so.
It's also a good idea to have a decent PSU that will supply at least 16A on the 12v rail regardless of wattage. A "modest" 350W PSU that has these specs is a much better choice than a 600W monster that can't push 12 amperes through 12 volts. Those ratings usually appear on the specs sticker on the unit itself. Brand names can be misleading; many manufacturers of quality PSU's also make cheap ones so
caveat emptor. Personally I only use Enermax PSU's but there are many other quality units out there.
So yes it's possible to achieve very stable 2.4Ghz with the Barton 3000+, in the proper environment. Interestingly the 3000+ overclocks better than the 3200+, and that's more fun!
Oops, sorry for the long post. :shadedshu