xtry51

I'm currently running 1.675. I've researched this a lot before I started OCing and found that pretty much 1.7V is the limit on air. You can run up to 1.75V on good air, but don't expect to get more than ~1 year out of it. From everythinng I've read that seams to be about how long they last at those voltages before you start to get problems. Anything over 1.75V is a nono unless you're using some serious cooling (Mach II). The deal with running 1.7-1.75 zone is heat control. Never let the thing get above 45C under any circumstances while running in that zone. Personally I have no problem running up to 1.7 b/c I never expect my proc to last much more than a year anyway because I upgrade. See my sig for my setup.

Go to TOOLS -> Internet Options -> ADVANCED TAB. Look under BROWSER. The 11th box down is "Enable Personalized Favorites Menu". Check that box, apply and you'll be all set.

Get the Mushkin unless you can find OCZ Enhanced Latency PC3500. The EL series has a CAS of 2, you listed the performance series which is always CAS 2.5.

If you really want to buy right this minute, get the sapphire 9800XT. Otherwise I would highly suggest you wait until the X800 is released and get one of those since you're clearly willing to spend th money. Or, even if you don't want to get the x800 atleast teh price on teh 9800XT will drop significantly in just a few weeks.

I just read the article on the homepage talking about AMD's release of their new 64 mobile chips. Will these chips be unlocked like the current barton mobiles?

OCing the monitor... sweet, now how can I up my refresh rate higher than 75hz

It's hard to believe we used to have those. Most CPUs now waste more power than that in heat, let alone for operation.

Ahhhh.... I see. Ok, I will be purchsing this so called crossover cable. Then what happens? Will the comps automatically see each other in network neighborhood? Or do I need to use the wizard?

Ok, I have a laptop and a desktop that I want to be able to transfer files back and forth from using just the LAN cable. Neither is hooked to the internet and I don't have a hub or router. Both running XP, Pro on the desktop, home on the laptop (I know, home sucks). I can't figure out how to get it to work. I've tried using the networking wizard, but it's not working or I'm doing something wrong. I'm googling as well, but haven't found a page that tells the step by step.

Oops, I should have mentioned this in my first post. To get my OC I slacked out my timings to 3-4-4-8 and upped the vdimm to 2.85v. Go from there to see what your chip will do. After you find the max, go back and start slowly tightening the timings (change only one of the settings at a time and go down one step at a time). And you'll have to run the 5:4 divider with that ram.

Forgot to mention PSU. I'm giving him a 400W that I have, so PSU isn't an issue for either case. As for the card, I'm definitely not going back to nvidia for this generation. I'm going with the 9800pro. Maybe in my comp next year I'll look at what both companies are offering, but ATI is holding the crown at the moment.

Well, I can't get both for him. I already had to nudge my mom to give up the 1300 for the comp. I'm going to get the 9800pro and 512 (2x256) of OCZ pc3700 EL gold rev2. I'll talk her into adding another 512 stick for christmas or something. The computer is going to be pretty kick .. A few things are not quite what you would expect, but I have to mention he's in a wheelchair and lives in a nursing home because he has muscular dystrophy. Here's the final list: Aspire X-Dreamer II Case (I know it's cheap, See bottom) AMD 2500+ mobile DFI Lanparty NFII Ultra B OCZ PC3700 EL Gold Rev2 2x256 Sapphire 9800pro 128mb NEC 2500A 8x DVD Burner WesternDigital 160GB 7200rpm Samsung 955DF-T/T Dynaflat Monitor Logitech Z-340 Speakers MS Wireless Professional Natural Keyboard and mouse. VGA Silencer SLK947U w/92mm panaflo Optional Case that I could use some input on: Cheiftech - this is close to what my current case looks like, and I know the aspire doesn't have the best airflow.

Dude, if you don't like the noise of the tornado get a high volume 92mm panaflos for $7 each. You'll only lose 1 or 2C on that processor/HSF and it'll be quiet. Save up for a really nice WC if you want to buy a kit or build one yourself. Don't waste 250 on a cheap rig. It's not going to give you much better results than your current setup (if at all) and if it goes down it's going to drag some componants with it.

If you want some settings for a goal look in my sig below. You should set the divider to 5:4 (333 as Will said). You should be able to get at least to 3.5 as most of us have. Go up slow 3-5mhz at a time. Remember if the CPU is new it will need a little burn in time (run it at full load for 5 days or so using prime95, cpu burnin, folding@home or some other program). When you get unstable, up the vCore .025V at a time until it stays stable. You'll eventually reach a point where upping the vcore will not give stability, this is your max OC. Never under any circumstances run your p4 over 1.75V. Doing so without using advanced water or peltier cooling WILL burn out your chip. Look into a volcano or a nice thermaright SP94 or slk948U. The latter two are the top air cooling heatsinks and are best used with 92mm panaflos(quiet) or 92mm delta/tornado if you don't mind your tower sounding like a lawnmower. With your stock heatsink don't go over 1.7V vcore and keep a close eye on the temps. You can't go over 50C full load without hurting your stability. With the HSFs mentioned above you can keep the temps below 45C up to 1.75V as long as your case has adequate airflow. Make sure your wiring is clean (zipties) and kept as far as possible from your HSF and RAM. Try your luck and let us know if you hit any snags.

My mom's paying for me to build a comp for my brother. Its going to be used for gaming and internet. I'm wondering if I should give him 1GB of RAM and a 9600XT or 512MB and a 9800pro. I know adding the extra 512 to my comp helped and I figure the games coming out for the next year will need the extra memory, but I'm still not sure which route to go.