Barton 2500+ - strange overclock problem

[Andrew Gowen]

Hi,

I have a rather unique problem with a 2500+ overclock. My system is:

Barton 2500+ (AXDA2500DKV4D) - locked :-(
Asus A7N8X-Deluxe - v1.4 - 1007 Uber BIOS
2 off sticks of 512MB Crucial PC3200 XMS
SATA, IDE, both LANs and IEE1394 enabled
Using on-board sound

SATA - RAID0 using two DiamondMax 80GB drives - has boot partition
IDE1 - Another 80GB drive
IDE2 - Pioneer A105 DVD-R and LG CD-RW

Sapphire 9800 Pro

The problem occurs at boot. As the multiplier is locked, I am trying to
increase the FSB. However, if I go above 169MHz the system will not post.
I have increased the core to 1.75v but to no effect.

Now here is the weird part, if I boot at 166MHz FSB and get into WinXP, I
can use ClockGen to increase the FSB up to 190MHz (1.75v) and the system
runs stable with Prime95. The chip will run fine at stock voltage and
180MHz FSB. It just will not boot past 169MHz!

I have previously run the memory at 210MHz when overclocking a XP2400+,
using the same system set-up. The new 2500+ obviously has some headroom for
an overclock but put them together and they will not boot!

I have only found this problem mentioned one other time on the 'Net. Does
anyone have any suggestions or a solution to this please?

Cheers,

Kayf

**E-mail does not work, please post to group**

 

[AndrewJ]

Hi,

I have a rather unique problem with a 2500+ overclock. My system is:

Barton 2500+ (AXDA2500DKV4D) - locked :-(
Asus A7N8X-Deluxe - v1.4 - 1007 Uber BIOS
2 off sticks of 512MB Crucial PC3200 XMS
SATA, IDE, both LANs and IEE1394 enabled
Using on-board sound

SATA - RAID0 using two DiamondMax 80GB drives - has boot partition
IDE1 - Another 80GB drive
IDE2 - Pioneer A105 DVD-R and LG CD-RW

Sapphire 9800 Pro

The problem occurs at boot. As the multiplier is locked, I am trying to
increase the FSB. However, if I go above 169MHz the system will not post.
I have increased the core to 1.75v but to no effect.

Now here is the weird part, if I boot at 166MHz FSB and get into WinXP, I
can use ClockGen to increase the FSB up to 190MHz (1.75v) and the system
runs stable with Prime95. The chip will run fine at stock voltage and
180MHz FSB. It just will not boot past 169MHz!

I have previously run the memory at 210MHz when overclocking a XP2400+,
using the same system set-up. The new 2500+ obviously has some headroom for
an overclock but put them together and they will not boot!

I have only found this problem mentioned one other time on the 'Net. Does
anyone have any suggestions or a solution to this please?

Cheers,

Kayf

**E-mail does not work, please post to group**

Is RAM in sync with FSB and set to 100%? While your checking lock the
AGP to 66Mhz.
__________
If you give a little they give a lot.
http://www.dslreports.com/forum/disco

 

[Lee]

May sound silly but i have experienced something similar where my xp 1800+
would not post if i had an fsb of 180 so what i did was change the setting
'Halt on' to No Errors in standard cmos and it seem to cure it

try it let me know.

 

[Kayf]

Thanks for the suggestions.

Memory is set to 100% sync and I have locked the AGP to 66MHz. Still the
same problem.

I will check the 'halt on' setting and report back.

Thanks for the quick replies,

Kayf

May sound silly but i have experienced something similar where my xp 1800+
would not post if i had an fsb of 180 so what i did was change the setting
'Halt on' to No Errors in standard cmos and it seem to cure it

try it let me know.

 

[MickT]

When you say no POST, does your mother beeps?
If so,beep sequence is error report, actually!

If not, I would suggested that you take out one memory stick and try again,
nForce chips have a very strange taste on memories! There should be nothing
wrong with the memory, but the nForce chip just don't like them ;-)

I had try 3 different made RAM modules before my 2500+ will run stable
200MHz FSB!

Also, try lock you RAM speed at 166MHz and just increas the CPU FSB.

 

[MickT]

Sorry , typo, suould be "motherboard beeps"!

 

[Bryan Prestbury]

Hi Andrew

Don't have a solution but I am using the same mb, cpu and crucial memory at
200 FSB (Radeon 9600 Pro) with no problems but I only manged to achieve
equivalent speed of 3000+ without game shut downs. Untill I get an improved
HSF I will leave mine at this setting. Are your memory timings too
agressive?

Bryan

 

[Brent K. Presley]

Kayf,
Your problem is in the motherboard, specifically it's clock generator and
the northbridge. The northbridge is less stable in the 1.04 and 1.06 series
A7N8X.

When I switched boards out to a 2.0 I was completely stable at memory speeds
up to 230. This is the whole reason nVidia released a second revision to
the chipset - for stability at clock speeds above 168.

One potential fix you may want to try is to remove the heatsink on the
northbridge, put some artic silver on it, and re-attach it (or replace it
with a small fan). That will lower the NB temp and hopefully let you OC
better on the memory frequency and timings.

Also, invest in the best heatsink you can buy - you won't regret it. I
bought a Thermalright SLK-900U when it came out and got an extra 100MHz out
of my overclock (and on a quieter fan). It's a BIG heatsink, but worth it
in my opinion.

Brent
Athlon XP 2500+ 2.4GHz (11.5 x 209) w/ Thermalright SLK-900U
2x512MB Corsair XMS LL PC3200
36GB 10k WD Raptor SATA HD
Sony DRU-500A DVD+RW
Coolermaster ATC-210VX Case
Samsung SyncMaster 213T Digital 21.3" LCD
ATI Radeon 9000 Pro 128MB (weak, i KNOW)

 

[Bryan Prestbury]

Kayf

I have a Version 2.0 motherboard deluxe. I have tried to overclock to 3200+
but the cpu get too hot (59 - 62 degrees). I think the supplied Amd HSF
that came with the CPU is not suitable for overclocking. I am skint at the
moment but will upgrade to something like the Thermaltake Volcano 12 HSF at
http://www.dabs.com/uk/productView.htm?quicklinx=2RSP for £17 + delivery.

Thanks

Bryan

 

[DaveL]

I'm guessing it's the processor that is not cooperating. Maybe it's bad. I
hope AMD has not devised a way to lock the FSB, God forbid.

Dave

 

[Peter]

Ok, so this may not explain fully why it works once you've booted but
not when you do......(but it might)..............but these days you
shouldn't underestimate the significance of the power supply.

In the old (Thunderbird) days everyone had to go for at least a 300w
PSU. There was always a chorus of guys in the background exaggerating
the significance of the PSU and most people ignored them.......and, in
most cases, rightly so.

Now things are different. Large numbers of people are trying to fit
new motherboards and new CPU's (and everything else) into an old case
with a 300W PSU. For the first time it's becoming a bottle-neck.

The other thing is that there's a common fallacy about, that all you
have to worry about is the wattage of your PSU. Untrue. You need to
establish the amps provided on each voltage rail. Have a look here:
http://www.firingsquad.com/guides/power_supply/default.asp.

I'm one of those people and I'm overclocking an unlocked 2500+ to
3200+ on an A7N8X Delux using a crap 300w power supply with no problem
on the stock Vcore. But as soon as I try to up the Vcore (in order to
up the CPU speed) all hell breaks loose. I can get into Windows (and
Motherboard Monitor) for long enough to see the Vcore struggling to
keep up. Eventually the whole thing reboots.

Maybe not your problem but worth considering.



Peter

 

[valkan]

Ok, so this may not explain fully why it works once you've booted but
not when you do......(but it might)..............but these days you
shouldn't underestimate the significance of the power supply.

In the old (Thunderbird) days everyone had to go for at least a 300w
PSU. There was always a chorus of guys in the background exaggerating
the significance of the PSU and most people ignored them.......and, in
most cases, rightly so.

Now things are different. Large numbers of people are trying to fit
new motherboards and new CPU's (and everything else) into an old case
with a 300W PSU. For the first time it's becoming a bottle-neck.

The other thing is that there's a common fallacy about, that all you
have to worry about is the wattage of your PSU. Untrue. You need to
establish the amps provided on each voltage rail. Have a look here:
http://www.firingsquad.com/guides/power_supply/default.asp.

I'm one of those people and I'm overclocking an unlocked 2500+ to
3200+ on an A7N8X Delux using a crap 300w power supply with no problem
on the stock Vcore. But as soon as I try to up the Vcore (in order to
up the CPU speed) all hell breaks loose. I can get into Windows (and
Motherboard Monitor) for long enough to see the Vcore struggling to
keep up. Eventually the whole thing reboots.

Oh yes, it could be right...I've changed my power supply but now I have a
400w PSU by Qtec. Qtec is not the best. Now my vcore is only 1.58v on a
2500+. I think there is some problem with power supply. Should I change it?

 

[Michael Schurz]

Hi Peter,

Just read through this thread and found that your system is rather similar
to mine.
I've got an ASUS A7N8Xv2 deluxe with a 2800+ Barton, driven by an Enermax
450W PSU.
With the aid of this NG - and after having DL'ed the bios v1007 for my MB, I
managed to increase
the speed of my Barton (until then reporting 2075MHz with 'Motherboard
Monitor') to never-before-reached 2300MHz.
I changed the FSB to 200Mhz and the mulitplier to 11.5. To keep WinXP stable
I had to increase VCore from default 1.65V to 1.80V.
But that's all it seems I can get.
As soon as I try to increase any parameter to get - e.g. to 2375MHz or even
2400, my XP goes off on strike, no matter whether I increase VCore to 1.85V
(the max for the bios) or not.
Strange engough the "core" temperature of my AMD still lies at about 51°C -
as before, when I had 15% less performance.

How does your 2500+ perform at 3200?!?!?
I'd be glad if I could reach 2500 with my 2800+.....
Could it be that I'm still overlooking something?

Michael Schurz.

 

[D R Tester]

What ram are you using? What's vdimm? Remember to get real performance gains
you should be raising the FSB rather than the multiplier. If you can run
200*11.5 try running 215Mhz*10.5, loosen your ram timings a little if having
problems, remember a major hurdle in overclocking is keeping the northbridge
cool and suppliying this with sufficient voltage.

As for PSU's good quality kit is needed to overclock with - a PSU that
provides very stable +3, +5, +12V rails is a must. FYI I am running an
XP2500+ at 11*220 on air, vcore 1.725v (diode temps 40 under full load),
have lapped northbridge, put memory timings to 11-3-3-2 (Most nForce2 boards
benefit from this). Also remember that no two systems will overclock to the
same margin as there are so many different variables, what is the stepping
of your XP2500+ as this will determine how overclockable your CPU is with
all other things being equal.

Dom

 

[Creeping Stone]

Hi Peter,
Just read through this thread and found that your system is rather similar
to mine.
I've got an ASUS A7N8Xv2 deluxe with a 2800+ Barton, driven by an Enermax
450W PSU.
With the aid of this NG - and after having DL'ed the bios v1007 for my MB, I
managed to increase the speed of my Barton (until then reporting 2075MHz with 'Motherboard
Monitor') to never-before-reached 2300MHz.
I changed the FSB to 200Mhz and the mulitplier to 11.5. To keep WinXP stable
I had to increase VCore from default 1.65V to 1.80V.

lol, just keep cranking that baby up dude,
must seem terribly slow

( check the Mhz a 2800+ is supposed to run at

 

[Michael Schurz]

Hi Peter,
Just read through this thread and found that your system is rather similar
to mine.
I've got an ASUS A7N8Xv2 deluxe with a 2800+ Barton, driven by an Enermax
450W PSU.
With the aid of this NG - and after having DL'ed the bios v1007 for my MB, I
managed to increase the speed of my Barton (until then reporting 2075MHz with 'Motherboard
Monitor') to never-before-reached 2300MHz.
I changed the FSB to 200Mhz and the mulitplier to 11.5. To keep WinXP stable
I had to increase VCore from default 1.65V to 1.80V.

lol, just keep cranking that baby up dude,
must seem terribly slow

( check the Mhz a 2800+ is supposed to run at

Andy,
I wish I could laugh as you!
Yesterday I put everything back as it was before. reason is, my WinXP never
kept stable - again and again revealing the 'bluescreen of death' with
varying messages of various incompatible drivers, driver settings,
parameters,....
I wish I knew WHAT causes these crashes of WinXP!
According to my MBM neither voltage nor temperature problems can be
responsible.
And if these crashes wouldn't always result in lost sectors and truncated
file entries, shooting up my xp completely....! Luckily I've got a very
recent partition-image of my XP partition, so I can re-import a working
configuration. But it costs a lot of time of waiting....

Do YOU know a possible solution (except for trashing my hardware! ??

Michael.

 

[AndrewJ]

Andy,
I wish I could laugh as you!
Yesterday I put everything back as it was before. reason is, my WinXP never
kept stable - again and again revealing the 'bluescreen of death' with
varying messages of various incompatible drivers, driver settings,
parameters,....
I wish I knew WHAT causes these crashes of WinXP!
According to my MBM neither voltage nor temperature problems can be
responsible.
And if these crashes wouldn't always result in lost sectors and truncated
file entries, shooting up my xp completely....! Luckily I've got a very
recent partition-image of my XP partition, so I can re-import a working
configuration. But it costs a lot of time of waiting....

Do YOU know a possible solution (except for trashing my hardware! ??

Michael.

MBM crashed my system so bad I had to remove it.
__________
If you give a little they give a lot.
http://www.dslreports.com/forum/disco

 

[Creeping Stone]

=|[ Michael Schurz's ]|= wrote:

Andy,
I wish I could laugh as you!
Yesterday I put everything back as it was before. reason is, my WinXP never
kept stable - again and again revealing the 'bluescreen of death' with
varying messages of various incompatible drivers, driver settings,
parameters,....
I wish I knew WHAT causes these crashes of WinXP!
According to my MBM neither voltage nor temperature problems can be
responsible.
And if these crashes wouldn't always result in lost sectors and truncated
file entries, shooting up my xp completely....! Luckily I've got a very
recent partition-image of my XP partition, so I can re-import a working
configuration. But it costs a lot of time of waiting....

Do YOU know a possible solution (except for trashing my hardware! ??

Sorry I missed thee,
2800xp is supposed to run at 2083 Mhz
I hear that without ubercooling thats as high as most Barton cores
can safely go -partly due to the big cache running at full 2 Ghz speed.

The 3200 runs at 2200Mhz just ~5% faster for the absolute best they make,
so even running this chip at its default should require good equipment.

You should soak up the advantage of having a great cpu by underclocking it
insignificantly to have a cool stable rock solid data secure rig.
2000Mhz would be a tiny underclock of optimum setup,
Id think to try to keep voltage way down below 1.75 unless your doing
benchmark drag-racing while running >2.5 Ghz

Im getting 2 or 3 isolated crashes with no disk corruption - a week no
matter how i clock my machine (I am torturing it to find a fix too..)
So I dont pity you