Oc? Unsure What To Buy

[lilfrp]

The FAQ isn't specific enough for my question so I thought I would ask here.

 

I plan to get:

 

MicroATX board (Intel D865GLCL or Asus P4P800-VM)

P4 2.8 800 1mb Prescott CPU (best value)

PC3200 DDR400

 

My question is... I saw that you are able to OC P4 FSB to 1000 (with the standard multiplier, 3.5, making a 2.8 run at 3.5ghz). Would this be possible on the setup described above and what would I need to do to acheive it? Also, would I then need DDR500 (which is possibly not supported by the MOBO?)

 

Sorry if questions are silly, this will be my first self-built P4 system (as you can prob tell) and have only had AMDs before which are easy to OC.

 

Thanks

 

Dan

[Mangar]

First off, don't buy the Asus P4P800-VM, you cannot Oc that board. Get the P4P800-dlx, P4C800-dlx they have a bios you can change settings in, the "VM" model does not. IMO stay away from Intel boards too. My fav's are the two I listed above, DFI Lanparty's, and Abit IC7 series. The ram you mentioned doesn't show as "recommended" but will work, you won't have to get DDR500 though, you would get a 1:1 ratio with that without oC-ing the ram, but you could use slower (cheaper) ram and use 5:4 or 3:2 and still achieve 3.5(I have). I would not get the prescott, stay with the Northwood, the prescott's aren't good overclockers I hear.

[Eva_Unit_0]

You cannot oc with Intel motherboards, so I would avoid them like the plague. Also, you you need a MATX mobo? Unless your case is tiny or you REALLY need a compact system, I tend to avoid MATX mobos because they lack the features of their full ATX brothers. I'll second the fact that the P4P800 deluxe is a nice board...I do not have a ton of experience with P4 boards, but that is one that definately has impressed me.

 

I too think you should get a Northwood instead of the prescott...You would NEED to get awesome cooling to oc the prescott (we're talking sp-94 and tornado at a MINIMUM), while the northwoods are much easier to cool, and they're faster clock for clock as well.

 

For the ram, just go with whatever you can afford...naturally, it's best to keep the ram 1:1 and thus some ddr500 would be a good idea, but you can also use a divider to keep the ram speed down if you can only afford the pc3200.

[Rick_fourdumbkids]

none of these guys have said it so i will welcome to to club oc buddy hope you enjoy your stay

[GTSticky]

see my sig for a good prescott setup. I've had great results with it. In fact, the latest review I read shows that the prescott temps are just a little higher than northwood when measured with an actual probe instead of asking the mobo.

 

You can try to go for a cheaper mobo with the 865pe, but I've had many sets of RAM generate artifacts on 865 mobos when overclocked past about 220. Stick with an 875 board if you can, or expect to purchase ocz ram for that sucker to stop the artifacts in aquamark at 250fsb.

 

You would NEED to get awesome cooling to oc the prescott (we're talking sp-94 and tornado at a MINIMUM

 

Check your facts. The latest article I read (2 days ago) shows that with an actual thermal probe, Prescott isn't much hotten than Northwood. It's only when you rely on the mobo sensor that it reads as if it was going to melt the board.

 

I did a test and just let the thing scream it's alarm the other day when it got up to like 90(f) ambient in the room. the mobo thought the CPU was at 88

[lilfrp]

The problem is I need a tiny board for my tiny case. I was thinking about the P4C 2.4, but for the money I thought I might as well get a P4E 2.8 (not much in it).

 

New plan is to get a Shuttle XPC SB65G2 and swipe the board out of that. Reviews say this is good for overclocking and is 865PE chipset with OB SATA etc so will do the job nicely.

 

What's this about unlocked processors? Is it gospel or can they be overclocked anyway - or do you have to OC the fsb etc?

Edited May 7, 2004 by lilfrp

[Iggy]

Intel locks all their processors except for preproduction samples-you'll have to use the fsb alone. Just get a 2.4c and buy a new case, one of the mobos suggested, and some DDR500.

[GTSticky]

2.4c + DDR500 @ 250fsb = crummy overclock.

 

If you want to stay at 250 fsb, and it's a good # to stay at, most motherboards have no problem achieving it, get a 2.6 or 2.8 CPU.

 

2.4 * 1.25 = 3.0GHz @1000fsb = Crummy Overclock

2.6 * 1.25 = 3.25GHz @1000fsb = Decent Overclock

2.8 * 1.25 = 3.5GHz @1000fsb = Best you can realistically hope for on air w/o your room sounding like a Hoover testing lab.

 

If you want a 2.4, get some OCZ PC4200 or PC4200 EL, then your overclock would look more respectable.

 

2.4 * 1.33 = 3.2GHz @1067fsb

 

and I still really like my Prescott... Don't let the naysayers change your mind if this is the chip you want. It's cheap, it performs well, and its fun to checkout the newest chip.

[lilfrp]

Having read the reviews on modthebox (thanks to a recent post) I see that upping the FSB ups the PCI and AGP buses too. Can these be safely OCX'd? I will be using a PCI WIFI Card and a Asus 9600XT (supposed to be OC'able) which I already have.

 

But hey, at least I understand voltage and reason for increasing now

[GTSticky]

upping the FSB ups the PCI and AGP buses too

 

Any good bios will allow you to lock these. Overclocking them yields all kinds of wacky results, none of them good for the average oc'er.

[Mangar]

Yea LOCK the PCU & AGP !

[lilfrp]

Final decision: PRESCOTT OR NOT?

 

Okey dokey, just about to put my order in (have changed to DDR500 now and 875 chipset)... wondered if anyone could just tell me is there any reason not to go for the prescott over the std 2.8c? Some people have said heat is a problem, some say this is nonsense. For the same price I dont see why i shouldn't go for the same speed cpu with twice the cache.

 

Hopefully someone will reply in time otherwise I will probably just order the prescott.