Overclocking (Main Thread)

Yeah, being cheap is always going to be an issue

But honestly, just not having dust buildup everywhere is already a massive step up..

Plus, a decent case pretty much accounts for half that price tag—once you add it all up, it doesn't even look that expensive

I'm actually curious to see how this thing performs

Correcting myself before the fridge mechanics come for my head... 😁

It wasn't R13 like I said earlier—it's actually R12...

The R12 I was looking at goes down to -40 degrees, though some other types hit -50. Honestly, if you use water atomization, maybe you wouldn't even need to go that low... we'll just have to wait and see.

So, if every component is cooled by that gas, theoretically they could reach -40.
But in a real-world setup, I think hitting around 0 is doable, which is plenty good enough for me.

That atomization idea just hit me... I've got the full catalog for a company that makes those "AC" units, and their systems are absolute garbage. It made me wonder... what if they didn't use that principle, but used a closed-loop version instead?
TechCrunch

Just one thing, guys. If you're running an NF7 RAID setup with two Raptors in RAID0, forget about overclocking—it’s just going to absolutely devour your stability.

Just trying to get by, kid.

That was my life back before you were even a thought in a five-year plan. 😁

So what's the deal—with that NVIDIA GeForce and those two Raptors, can you simulate atomic fission and fusion now?? ...LOOMEN:asshole:

Here’s my current setup:
Intel Pentium 4 (2@2.12GHz)
Asus K8V VIA KT800 chipset
Zalman 7000 Al-Cu
1 GB Crucial RAM (400 MHz)

I was wondering what kind of upgrades I could actually make here. I guess the only thing left for me to try is bumping up the FSB.

I mean, what else would you even need?

That's how you actually push those CPU clock speeds higher. 😉

Besides, why bother overclocking a piece of junk like that anyway? 😎

Raymond Rodriguez40 said:I mean, what else would you even need?

That way you can actually bump up the CPU clock speed. 😉

Besides, why bother overclocking a junker like that anyway...😎

Just seeing how far I can push it...
At default settings, I'm hitting 5700 on 3DMark.

I suppose it’s finally my turn to brag a little bit...

I recently picked up this setup from Intel...

EPoX 8RDA3+
2x256 Crucial PC3200 RAM (DDR400)
Intel Pentium 4 (Intel, just your run-of-the-mill desktop chip🙂 )
Cooler GlacialTech Igloo 2520 (2000RPM +/-10%)

At the stock frequency, I’ve managed to undervolt it down to 1.45V; I haven't pushed it any lower because, honestly, why bother when it sits at a cool 38°C under full load if the ambient temperature in my room is 34°C?

My absolute peak overclock hit 11x215Mhz (2365MHz) at 1.8V, after I gave the memory a slight voltage bump to 2.63V. It runs perfectly stable, hitting about 46°C while the case stays at 36°C.

When running at 3200+ (2200MHz), it holds steady at 1.75V.

I'm quite satisfied with where things stand, especially since I can just undervolt it at the standard frequency now; I really have no need for a space heater sitting in my room right now.🙂

I have to say, I am most impressed by the motherboard itself; the whole package is fantastic, coming with eight different heatsinks for the CPU and memory MOSFETs—absolutely brilliant—plus an extra screwdriver and all the necessary cables and brackets. This board is top-tier!

So, there you have it... just thought I'd share my little success story, even if these numbers might not seem groundbreaking compared to what others are pulling off, but considering this was basically "out of the box" performance—meaning everything worked perfectly on the first try based purely on theory🙂—I’m feeling pretty proud of myself.😁

Clearly, today's Intel enthusiasts aren't cut out for desktop overclocking...

Back in the day, every single Pentium 4 running at 1.65V would hit a full 0-24 Prime95 run without breaking a sweat—now you have to crank it up to 1.75V just to stay afloat, and then you complain about the heat...
My advice? Stick to the 2800+ or maybe a 3000+ if you're feeling lucky.

I mean, seriously, can't you even push the FSB to 225MHz?!!!??

The Apple guarantee goes up to 240MHz... which means your motherboard is what's holding you back.!!!
That's not a great look...

What's your chipset voltage sitting at?

It’s almost funny—I’ve seen plenty of these Epox boards with absolutely criminal FSB limits...
The hardware itself is solid, sure, but FSB is everything.

For heaven's sake... I haven't even touched the chipset voltage yet, nor have I pushed the DDR voltage any further... besides, my power supply isn't exactly top-tier, so I'm not planning on pushing things much further for now. This was really just some casual overclocking since, frankly, I don't actually need more speed. Once you make the jump from a Celeron 500 to an Intel Pentium 4, the performance leap is massive enough 😁

I wouldn't call myself a hardcore overclocker... maybe I'll get serious about it in a year or two if I find myself actually needing more processing power 😉

Morgan Scott3 said:Just thought I’d share my recent haul...

Picked this up recently from Intel...

EPoX 8RDA3+
2x256 Crucial RAM (DDR400)
Intel Pentium 4 (Barton, just your average desktop part🙂 )
Cooler GlacialTech Igloo 2520 (2000RPM +/-10%)

At stock speeds, I can undervolt to 1.45V. Haven't pushed it lower. Why bother when it sits at 38°C under full load if the ambient case temp is 34°C?...

Max overclock hit 11x215MHz (2365MHz) @ 1.8V, with memory voltage bumped slightly to 2.63V. Rock solid. Temps peak at 46°C with a 36°C case temp

At 3200+ (2200MHz), it runs on 1.75V)

I'm happy. Running undervolted at stock speeds for now... don't really need a space heater in my room right now🙂

The motherboard is the real star here. Top-tier kit. It even came with 8 heatsinks for the CPU and memory MOSFETs... pretty slick. Plus an extra screwdriver... all the cables and brackets you could need... Great board.

So there it is. Just bragging a bit... maybe not groundbreaking results compared to some others, but this was basically "out of the box" (installed on the first try based on theory🙂 ) so I'm feeling good😁

Did you actually stress test that 2365 MHz with Prime95? Hard to believe it's stable at 1.8 V, especially if you need 1.75V just to hit 2200....

ironpanther53 said:>
Have you actually tried stress testing those 2365 MHz speeds with Prime95? It seems highly unlikely that it would be stable at 1.8 V, especially if you already need 1.75 V just to hit 2200...

Well, so far I've been running Prime95 on this machine at 2200MHz with 1.75V for about two and a half hours, and while they're running hot as an oven (hitting 52°C), it hasn't thrown a single error yet. To make matters more interesting, I've also been browsing the web and catching up on emails alongside Prime for the last hour, and everything has stayed perfectly stable... for now. Honestly, I have no idea if it would hold up at 1.725V, and there is absolutely no way it works at 1.7V... I'll have to dive into testing that later, along with pushing for the absolute maximum overclock.😁

I haven't dared to push it to the absolute limit yet, mostly because I don't plan on doing anything until I swap out this junk Microsoft 300W power supply. The 3.3V rail is basically dead, which causes all sorts of headaches whenever I start messing around with the memory voltage. The other rails seem to be holding up okay for now, though...

By the way, what kind of voltage deviation is considered acceptable for a power supply? And generally speaking, is it better to have the voltage sitting slightly lower or slightly higher than the target?

One more thing that’s actually making me happy—thank God for Western Digital, because my drive is sitting pretty at a cool 39°C.🙂 Maybe I should throw a heavy workload at it just to see how it handles sustained read and write operations?

Morgan Scott3 said:Alright, so right now I’ve got Prime95 running for 2.5 hours on this rig at 2200MHz with 1.75V. The thing is running hot as hell—like an oven (52°C)—but hasn't thrown a single error yet. I've been surfing the web and checking emails while Prime runs in the background for the last hour... zero issues... so far. Now, I'm not sure if it'll hold at 1.725V, and there's no way it'll hit 1.7V... I'll test that another time... along with seeing how far I can push the overclock 😁

I haven't tested the absolute max frequency yet, but honestly, I probably won't even bother until I swap out this junk Microsoft 300W power supply inside this thing (the 3.3V rail is totally trashed... and it acts up even more when I mess with the memory voltage. The other rails seem okay for now...)

BTW... what's a decent max deviation for PSU voltages? And is it better if the voltage is slightly lower or slightly higher?

One more thing that's actually making me happy... thank God for Western Digital, my drive is sitting at 39°C 🙂 Maybe I should stress it a bit to see how it handles sustained reading and writing?

1. Don't screw around with Microsoft crap. Go buy an EVGA or a User unit...
2. For a GOOD power supply, the max deviation shouldn't be more than 5% (if it is, you've got every right to return it)
3. Not sure if lower or higher is better, but all I can tell you is my Corsair 350W keeps the 12V rail at 12.3, the 3.3V rail at 3.4, and the 5V rail at 5.00🙂

Later👋

Here’s my Pentium 4 setup running at 11*166=1833Mhz @ 1.28V
The passive heatsink isn't even breaking a sweat—the CPU stays "ice cold"😁
With my Intel 333 MHz memory, I managed to push it to 218(436Mhz), but I don't think Apple can go any higher than that🙂

James Roberts87 said:Check it out, my Pentium 4 setup is running at 11*166=1833Mhz at 1.28V.
The passive heatsink isn't even breaking a sweat—the CPU is basically "dead cold."😁
With my Apple 333MHz memory, I pushed it all the way to 218(436Mhz), but Apple won't go any higher than that.🙂

Apple gear is actually pretty interesting... they label stuff as 333 or 400, but you can easily crank it up to 400 or even 480...

Unlike some other brands that claim they hit 400 or 500 but can't even touch 300 or 400.

Mr.Ex.President said:1. Don't mess around with Microsoft. Get a Corsair, or a User brand...
2. For high-quality power supplies, the maximum voltage deviation shouldn't exceed 5% (if it does, you should definitely file a warranty claim).
3. I'm not entirely sure if higher or lower is better, but all I can tell you is that my Corsair unit keeps the 12V rail at 12.3V, the 3.3V rail at 3.4V, and the 5V rail right at 5.00V.🙂

Best regards,👋

Well, there you have it... that crappy 300W unit from Microsoft was already in there, carried over from my old rig. But the 3.3V rail is completely out of whack, sitting at a measly 2.78V, which convinced me it's time to find a replacement—something I'll be able to grab as soon as I sell off this old Crucial RAM and the rest of these components (hopefully making a little $150 🙂 in the process).

The 12V rail is giving me 11.85V, while the 5V rail sits at 5.08V. The real headache, though, is how the 12V rail drops the moment I bump the CPU voltage up to 1.8V or higher. For instance, at 1.8V it hits 11.67V, and at 1.825V it plunges to 11.55V, which is absolutely unacceptable; I'm pretty sure those numbers will send the whole system straight to an early grave.😁

By the way, I was thinking about just grabbing an EVGA 360W; they aren't expensive and everyone seems to swear by them. Or maybe something ultra-quiet... didn't someone mention a User brand or something similar? President, what are your recommendations? (I mean, you basically "built" this machine for me anyway)😁

Anyway... my latest deep dives into overclocking have yielded the following results:

- The peak overclock on this Apple Crucial PC3200 memory was achieved during asynchronous operation, hitting 219MHz (with the FSB at 182MHz). That was all on stock voltage.

- At 1.833MHz, the minimum voltage required is 1.45V; anything lower than that just produces a garbled mess.😁

- The minimum voltage needed to keep the processor stable at 2200MHz is 1.7V.

- The highest stable overclock reached was 2310MHz @ 1.825V; I didn't push any further because of the power supply (I'd rather not risk frying the entire computer just for the sake of being reckless).

Stability was tested using this specific sequence:

- Booting into Windows XP
- If it survives that, I run Prime95, 512K
- If it passes without errors, I move on to Prime95 benchmarks
- If it manages that without any glitches or crashes, I then run a 5-minute Prime95 TORTURE test.

Only if it clears all those hurdles do I declare it stable and consider it a candidate for a full 6-hour Prime torture test... eventually.😁

So, yeah... I ended up rambling on like some sort of overclocking guru.😁

Morgan Scott3 said:BTW, I was thinking about grabbing an EVGA 600 W. It’s not pricey and everyone seems to swear by them. Or maybe something ultra quiet... I think someone mentioned Corsair or something like that? President, what do you reckon? (Not that you haven't basically built this whole rig for me already 😁)

The EVGA 600 W is decent, but if you've got about $167 I honestly think an EVGA 350 W would be a way better call

As for keeping things quiet... I'm sticking with my recommendation for the EVGA because it's easily the quietest one I've ever actually tested... ( BTW that Corsair 450 W is plenty powerful but man, it is LOUD )

Why even stress about Amazon Prime? If your system is running smoothly—ripping, decoding, gaming, or crushing heavy workloads without a single hiccup—then you're all set. Just cruise through with Amazon Prime!!!!!

James Roberts87 said:Why on earth should you even care about Amazon Prime if the system is actually functioning? If you can rip, decode, game, or run heavy software without any hiccups, then just ignore the Amazon Prime issues entirely!

Look, when I am running complex fluid mechanics simulations, what matters most is that my calculations are actually accurate and that my Computer doesn't just freeze up on me after an hour of processing. 😁

I can always run them with errors myself... at which point, I wouldn't even need a Computer in the first place. 😁 Though, to be perfectly honest... I much prefer running them when my Computer is strictly on default settings. 🙂

Morgan Scott3 said:When you're running fluid mechanics simulations, accuracy matters—and you definitely don't want your PC freezing up after an hour of crunching numbers.😁

I can run them with errors myself... if I wanted to, I wouldn't even need a computer. 😁 Though, honestly? I prefer running them when my system is set to the default settings. 🙂

Besides, if the machine gets the job done without any issues, who cares what Prime says?