Overclocking (Main Thread)

James Roberts87 said:Look, if the machine is actually getting the job done without any hiccups, why on earth should you care what Prime thinks about it?

Do you even have the slightest clue how incredibly complex fluid mechanics calculations—which includes aerodynamics, by the way—actually are? How am I supposed to verify whether the data or results being spit out are absolutely precise? My approach is simple: I run Prime, and if the software provides accurate computational results there, then the logical assumption is that it will yield accurate results on these other calculations too. It’s just basic logic... at least, it should be.

Now, look. If your computer is strictly a gaming rig and you aren't running into any issues while playing, then frankly, you shouldn't give a damn about Prime... not even if your system crashes once a day.

I honestly don't think further explanation is necessary here. If you just don't get it, that's hardly my fault.😁

Morgan Scott3 said:Do you actually realize how complex fluid mechanics calculations are (that includes aerodynamics, too)? How am I supposed to know if it’s giving me totally accurate data or results? My plan is to run Prime. If it handles those stress tests perfectly, the assumption is that it will handle these calculations accurately, too. It’s just... basic logic.

Look. If your PC is strictly for gaming and you aren't running into any issues there, then you really don't need to care about Prime... even if the system crashes once a day.

I don't think I need to explain myself any further. If you don't get it, that's on you.😁

For the kind of heavy-duty math you're talking about, people just use workstations that don't require overclocking or anything extra like that.

James Roberts87 said:For the kind of calculations you're talking about, people just use beefy machines that don't even require overclocking, or similar setups...

By the way, a standard home PC these days is significantly more powerful than most high-end workstations from five or ten years ago, and those older machines were already capable of handling this level of computation.

It’s glaringly obvious that you aren't familiar with the subject matter, nor do you have any clue what it takes to pull off a senior thesis at an engineering school like MIT... but I won't waste any more of this thread by bothering with it.

Morgan Scott3 said:By the way, your average home PC today is lightyears ahead of most professional workstations from 5 or 10 years ago. People were running these kinds of calculations on those old rigs back then.

It’s pretty clear you aren't familiar with this field or what goes into a senior engineering seminar at a major US university—specifically in computer engineering—but let's not clutter this thread with it.

We aren't talking about 15 years ago; we're talking about right now.

James Roberts87 said:Look, we aren't talking about what happened fifteen years ago; we’re talking about right now.

For your information... just about a year ago at our university, they performed an optimization on the rotor and stator of a hydroelectric turbine. The entire budget calculation ran for four hours on three AMD Athlon 1600+ processors with a gig and a half of RAM, using parallel processing under Linux. They managed to squeeze an extra 4MW out of the turbine, which is now pumping out 42MW of power...

But fine, I suppose we have drifted significantly off-topic now (just try to imagine the heat dissipation required for 42MW 😁)

EOD

Morgan Scott3 said:Just so you guys know... about a year ago at our university, they did some rotor and stator optimization for a hydroelectric turbine. The whole calculation ran for 4 hours on three Athlon XP 1600+ machines with a gig and a half of RAM each, using parallel processing under Linux. They managed to squeeze an extra 4MW out of the turbine, which now puts out 42MW of power...

But whatever, we are way off topic now (can you even imagine the heat dissipation from 42MW 😁)

EOD

Forget all that math, fluid dynamics, turbines, and whatever else...

Screw fluids 😁

The only fluid I actually trust is BEER.

And those 42MW—how long did that take? Seconds? 😁

Mr.Ex.President said:Screw you and your fluids😁

Well... I mean... yeah... there's definitely truth to that too... because during this specific process, all sorts of different fluids end up surfacing. And the point is, they show up, plain and simple... 😁

Anyone got some tips on how I can squeeze a bit more out of my rig?

EPox 8 RDA3
ATI Radeon 9600 Pro 2 x 256
2x 256MB Samsung/Infineon DDR
AMD Athlon 1600+🙂

I'm not complaining about the processor, per se, but I’ve got something else in mind for an upgrade soon... so until then, I want to see just how far I can push this current setup!!

Everything's running great for now though... Far Cry... stuff like that!!???
Surely someone out there has a few solid suggestions!?

That Bart 2500+ mobile chip is gonna feel absolutely amazing in your computer! 👍

driftingmarlin34 said:That Bart 2500+ mobile chip is gonna feel absolutely killer in your PC! 👍

Preach...👍

Is overclocking something you just handle directly in the BIOS these days, or am I still going to be messing around with hardware mods on the motherboard or the CPU itself or whatever else is out there...? 🙂
Can I just finish my entire build, shove the whole thing into the case, and then worry about the overclock later, or do I need to have everything laid out and ready to go right now?

Jason Robinson said:Do people even do overclocking through the BIOS these days, or do you still have to mess around with the motherboard or the CPU or whatever else? 🙂
Can I just finish my build, shove it into the case, and deal with the overclocking later, or do I need everything laid out right now?

Mostly BIOS, though some boards let you do it right from Windows.

Thanks, Villarejo 🙂

In terms of expertise... any mods here fall under the category of —meh, nothing special—

over they definitely have certain types of people... or kids, at least based on the ages being mentioned

don't even get me started...😕

Raymond Rodriguez40 said:When it comes to actual expertise... the mods here are basically just amateur hour.

This place clearly has some real pros... or maybe just a bunch of kids, judging by the ages they're posting.

You won't believe this crap...😕

Man, you really blew it with that mobile phone comment.🙂

What's actually killing you?🤔 Is it the motherboard or the RAM?😁

I'm not pushing it past 1.8 V...
It runs fine at 1.75V with the same clock speed, but that’s basically its "ceiling" for normal OC.
If I crank it any higher... what's the point? It just runs hotter for maybe a 1% gain... totally pointless...
Right now, temps are 32 for the motherboard and 40 for the CPU at idle, then about 50 under load (on the diode, obviously!).
This is a Bart 2500+... the cheapest one... and honestly, for the price, it's a better deal than a standard desktop Bart 2500+... quite a solid buy.

Still... this Epox RDA3+ board isn't even worth mentioning for overclocking (the FSB is a disaster!!!) compared to something like DFI or Soltek RL. It barely hits 235 MHz, and there's the memory limit too—currently sitting at CL2, 5-3-3-7... it can do CL2, but it's not 100% stable at 2.77 V, and at 2.93 it doesn't even work right!?... which surprises me a bit.

I should have grabbed some A-DATA, but they weren't available... though this setup is fine as it is.

Bandwidth at 225 FSB is around 3450/1350 and everything works fine.

Did you see those monsters with the A64 xxxx+ and 6800 Ultra... they only show about 30% better performance in Mark... and the damn thing costs at least twice as much.

I still stand by my point: the NF2 has peaked and reached perfection; it's got no issues left and it's a better investment than that "shaky" A64... people are going to come for me, but the fact remains: my colleagues working with A64 on the same software are dealing with plenty of... crashes!!!! ...it's using the 754 chipset, and in my opinion, it's not meant for serious users.

Only the 939 is actually interesting, but even that feels too new... makes you wonder about the actual value.
Intel🙂 has nothing to offer once you take the price into account...

Raymond Rodriguez40 said:Look, I’m absolutely not pushing it past 1.8V...
It runs fine at 1.75V at the same clock speed, but that's basically my ceiling for a sane overclock.
If I crank it any higher? Total waste of time. It just runs hotter for maybe a pathetic 1% gain... seriously, what's the point?
Right now I'm seeing 32 MBO, 40 CPU IDLE, and under LOAD... it's sitting around 50 (on the diode, obviously!)
This is the 2400+... the budget version... and honestly, for the price, it's a killer deal compared to a standard desktop Bart 2500+... totally worth it.

Still though... man, this Epox RDA3+ board isn't even close to being decent for overclocking (the FSB is a total disaster!!!) when you compare it to DFI or even a Soltek RL. It barely hits 235 MHz before hitting the memory wall. Right now I'm running CL2,5-3-3-7... I can push it to CL2, but it's not 100% stable at 2.77 V, and at 2.93 it’s acting completely wonky!?.. which honestly trips me out a bit.

I really should have grabbed some A-DATA, but they were out of stock... but hey, this works well enough.

Bandwidth at 225 FSB is roughly 3450/1350 and everything is running smooth.

Have you seen those overpriced monsters with the A64 xxxx+ and 6800 Ultra combo? They only score about 30% better in Mark... and the damn thing costs twice as much....

I'm telling you, I still stand by my word: the NF2 has peaked and it's rock solid. It's a way better investment than that shaky A64 stuff.... people are gonna come for me for saying this, but the truth is my buddies running A64 with the same software are dealing with constant crashes!!!! It's that 754 chipset, and frankly, it's not ready for serious users yet...

The 939 might be where the action is eventually, but it's too new... and you have to ask if it's actually worth the cash...
Intel🙂, they've got nothing to offer once you look at the price tag...

Exactly. I keep mine right around 2300 MHz at 1.750 V... my absolute max was about 2685 MHz (but that required 2.0V😲)

Epox won't go any further.🙄 It's crazy... I have an 8RDA3+ and it can hit 258 FSB, but since my RAM is the bottleneck, I'm keeping it at 228...

Honestly, I think Socket A and NF2 are still slightly better than Socket 754 and NF3, but that won't last long...

And don't even get me started on the 939, it's basically a myth at this point.🙂

The motherboard maxes out at a 250 MHz FSB for me!!!

Not sure—this is the v3.2 with the latest BIOS installed

What version are you running?

Raymond Rodriguez40 said:which version are you running?

Also🙂