Solucki

OKay so I'm kinda new to overclocking because I've been able to run most games and programs I need to without any issues until now. I just need to boost my system to run some games but, of course I have some overheating issues. 55C idle/ 65C+ load. so I've turned it back down so as not to damage my CPU. I have good enough venting because I get 35/40 when not OCing
I have an Asus A8V deluxe Mobo, AMD3500 2.2gHz, 2gb Kingston DDR, PNY Nvidia 6800GT 256mb.
I can OC it to 2550Hz with HT to 1200hz.

I'm looking for some cheap options to keep it cool. I've considered getting mini fridge and pumping some sold air into it or maybe an A/c unit. You can get something like that on craiglist for like $40.
Any other options you guys can suggest?? I could care less about looks, I dont care if it's all duct tape and pvc piping as long as it works.

Judas

For the price of some of the cooling, you could get a better deal by upgrading you cpu altogether.

You could likely pick up a AMD x2 3800+ or better for a very good price.... in turn you could try and sell your 3500+ to recoup as much as you can....

just that jump from a single core to a dual core should considerably improve things.

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Solucki

I have snooped around a bit for a new cpu but It was tough finding good prices for a 939 Socket. I mean, most places don't even offer those anymore. I'm just looking for an small upgrade until I save enough for my i7 system.

Judas

In all honesty...... any cheap cooling you apply is likely not going to get you much further ahead.... the overclock you got with those higher temps.. did you see that big of a difference in your overall gaming? If yes, then ok... it's marginally good enough i guess.

Not sure if Ebay would be a great idea..... i think newegg still has a few of the 939's floating around though..... nows the time to get a cpu for that system, cause in a few more months or a year, you'll likely have an even harder time finding it..

If i was to recommend a 939 cpu cooler... the XP-90 copper cooler is insane for overclocking.... and should fit any board. But i'm not sure what you call cheap... yet still worthwhile..

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procupine14

on that note I have a 4200+x2 that i'm willing to part with

That is if you want the mobo and the CPU both I can give you the specs. I just stripped them out of my gaming rig

Its an AM2 setup with a DFI Infinity board but then again if that 6800 is agp im of no use to you

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nicnik

how high do you want to clock the a64 3500 to?
From my experience, if you're using the venice core, almost any ram and half decent 3rd party air cooler will let you reach ~2.6 ghz easily with very good temps.

But looking at the temps you have it looks like an older 3500 core.

If you're looking to get over 3ghz then yes you will prolly hit those high temps and other than anything on par with water cooling, it'll be best to look at a better "overclocking" cpu to reach the performance you desire.

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Solucki

yes its an agp, but I'm curious anyways, how much would you part with it for cuz I can get a PCIE gpu for pretty cheap compared to AGP's of the same specs and what about ram? I have 4 512 DDR400s.

Maybe I'll wait for my tax return and get the i7 I want.

any i7 owners, what the low down on them? worth the money or what?

Judas

the i7 920 is a beautiful thing..

but only consider it if your willing to spend about over $1000 just on the 3 main parts being cpu/mobo/ram

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procupine14

oh i could probably part with the pair for like $30 plus shipping of course. Its actually a 3800+ X2 but still a nice chip. Its sitting on a DFI Infinity NF570 SLI M2/G. If you want pics or anything else just lemme know.

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HTPC/file server: Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit - AMD Phenom x4 9850 - 4GB OCZ DDR2 800 (2x2GB) - 1TB WD Black - 4 x 1TB Hitachi DeskStar in RAID 5 - ATi TV Wonder Digital Cable Tuner - HIS Raedon 4850 512MB - ASRock N68C-S UCC mobo - OCZ ModExtreme Pro 500W PSU

GF's Gaming PC: Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit - AMD Phenom 9850 - 4GB OCZ DDR2 1066 - 500GB Western Digital GP - HIS Raedon 5770 1GB - ASUS M3A78-EM - Zalman 650W PSU

Media Streamer: Win 7 Pro 64-bit - AMD Athlon x2 3200+ - 4GB SuperTalent DDR2 800 - 250GB SeaGate Barracuda - MSI K9N6PGM2-V2 - ASUS Raedon 5450 SILENT - FSP group 250W PSU

Solucki

I'm just hoping to keep it under $1500 total. reusimg some components HDD and DVDrws and maybe case idk yet, but ever since I seen a system pumping air from their Window A/C unit with a cpu temp of 16C. Hell, if it works, Why not?

Judas

true

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procupine14

lol yeah i've seen that its pretty awesome

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GF's Gaming PC: Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit - AMD Phenom 9850 - 4GB OCZ DDR2 1066 - 500GB Western Digital GP - HIS Raedon 5770 1GB - ASUS M3A78-EM - Zalman 650W PSU

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Solucki

Looks tempting but I'll have to pass on this. I'd need to upgrade too many components(RAM, PSU, GPU) to make it work for just a possible performance increase that I'd be better off saving the money up for the dream system I want.
to answer the others question, the OC makes the difference of playing dead space on low to playing it on highest possible setting with very minimal lag @1680X1050
So, I'll stick to OCing till I upgrade. I think I'll get a box fan and blast it with loads of airflow until I can

nicnik

why is it running so hot for just 2.55Ghz? it's 90nm or 130nm?

And if i remember correctly shouldn't the HT be below or close to 1000mhz.

From standard you have 200 x 11; with a HT mult of 5x. you will need to change the HT mult so the HT runs below 1000mhz afaik.

Unless you have a 130nm cpu on stock cooler on ancient stock thermal paste, dust filled case and running a high voltage i dont see how it can get to 55 idle @ 2.55. Run it through cpu-z and screenie it?

Even if you do have a 130nm cpu, I'm pretty sure if you optimize the overclock, buy a cheap £15 cooler with some AS5, improve airflow and it should happily run 2.5-2.6; possibly upto 2.7 if you have a good chip.

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Solucki

Ok so I ran it with and w/o OC
Standard




and OC by 17%


Also, I tried doing a manual Voltage adjustment to make the Bus Speed up to 300 MHz, but it killed everything, it wouldn't even load BIOS, so hit the reset on the MOBO to revive it.

Solucki

I just cleaned up some dirty and clogged fans on the inside but I couldn't get into the CPU Fan which looks a little gunked up
How can I OC it any further. The BIOS will only let me go 17% unless I want to manually adjust the voltage which I don't know enough about that and don't want to risk damaging something. Hopefully the cleaning will help a bit. any other suggestions? Also, How and what does the multiplier mean(this sounds like a noob question, forgive me)


and why do I want to keep the HT at or below 1000, I thought faster was better?
Okay I tweaked a bit more ang got the HT Down like you said, and the idle temp is sticking around 40C
which is better of the 2? higher clock speed or higher HT?
Check it out




THESE SETTINGS WERE UNSTABLE. Crashed after 2 minutes.

nicnik

you are using auto overclocking in the bios? I will not recommend that at all. firstly the voltage is going up and it looks to go up linearly, which is very dangerous and likely too much voltage than actually required thus more heat generated than required. Unless you know what you are doing or u have good airflow cooler I will not take your chip over 2.6~ Ghz.

I see you have a clawhammer 3500, they could if you're lucky and on a decent air cooler hit 2.6-3.0Ghz. It's likely your max FSB would be near 290 nearing 300. And I Don't think you need to reach past 1.7V for around 2.7.

I would recommend you do a safe manual overclock of around 2.6 and check if it's stable and if the temps are fine under full prime load.

Here is what I recommend you try (your bios may call them slightly different:

LDT/HT multiplier = 4
FSB/HTT bus/Bus Speed = 260
CPU Multiplier = x10
CPU Voltage = 1.65
LDT Voltage = 1.20 or 1.30
Ram voltage = Whatever the default is for your ram + 0.10
RAM divider = 150: 4/3
Ram Values on Auto.

This way you will be running 2.6ghz
Ram will be slightly below 200 Mhz on a divider.
HTT Speed will be slightly over 1000 which is acceptable, can put the HT Mult to x3 if you run into stability issues. 1.65v for cpu should be sufficient, since stock is 1.5v, 0.15 should be sufficient for a 400Mhz increase on a A64.

It's a decent base you can work from. check the temps on idle, full load, and check for stability. You might want to update your bios beforehand, or look around for the best bios for you mobo.
if performance is still not good enough then you'll either need a better cooler to try hit the max your clawhammer can reach (likely 2.7-3.0), or buy a x2 3800; or jump into AM2 and then buy new ram and mobo also.

HT Speed isn't so related to the speed of your computer, so long as it's around and recommended below 1000mhz.

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Solucki

I'm not given all those options, Here's all the manual I have to work with
Voltage = 1.2- 1.9
CPU FSB Freq. = 200-300
Multiplier = 1-11
AGP/PCI = 66.66/33.33 or 75.4/37.7
DDR = Auto - 2.6 - 2.7 - 2.8
AGP = 1.5 - 1.6
V-Link voltage = 2.5 - 2.6

Should I try to update my BIOS? I think I'm working with an old one. I've had this compy for 3-4 years now.

nicnik

i would say you should update the bios yeh, jus be careful you do it properly.

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