I need help overclocking, I have an Athlon X2 3800+ and can't get it past 2.3 Ghz. What can I do?

Question

I have a Biostar T force 6100 motherboard and stock cooling. I have Corsair XMS memory (2 GB of it). Every time I go past 2.3 Ghz, the computer won't start. If I lower the FSB frequency, I can get it to 2.4 Ghz, but it's not good performance that way. What kind of cooling should I get? Any fan recommendations?

Answer 1

Did you increase the voltage for the CPU to accomodate for your overclocking? Try increasing the Vcore voltage in the BIOS setup.

Lavalys' Everest Home Edition is a great utility to monitor the hardware on your PC. It can display the CPU temporary and tell you if you are overheating it. The download link: http://fileforum.betanews.com/detail/Everest_Home/1086844970/1

Another good utility is Motherboard Monitor which has similar features. The download link: http://fileforum.betanews.com/detail/MotherBoard_Monitor/929820238/1

Answer 2

Did ur mother board support higher bus speeds???

Motherboards with the PLL chip PLL52C59-14 can run at up to 75 MHz and they also support the 'turbo frequency' feature, which increases the bus speed by 2.5% (officially approved by Intel's CPU specifications).

For 75 MHz Pin 8 via 2.2 k Ohm to 0 V ('0 V' means 'ground' and NOT 'disconnected'!) Pin 12 via 10 k Ohm to 5 V Pin 13 via 10 k Ohm to 5 V

For 68 MHz, the 'turbo frequency' for 66 MHz Pin 8 via 2.2 k Ohm to 0 VPin 12 via 10 k Ohm to 0 V Pin 13 via 10 k Ohm to 5 V

Measured on the Abit boards IT5H, IT5V, PR5, which all use the PLL52C59-14. The PR5 also comes in a version with the PLL52C61-01, however, the setting below seems to set the board at 61.5 MHz instead of 83 MHz.

Motherboards with the PLL chip PLL52C61-01 can run at 83 MHz bus speed as well and also theoretically support the 'turbo frequency'. There obviously is, however, a way of configuring this chip (circuitry), so that it would not run at 83 MHz. I'm working on that.

These are the conditions:

For 83 MHz or 61.5 MHz 'turbo frequency' for 60 MHz. Unfortunately this depends on the circuitry on the motherboards. Pin 5 via 10 k Ohm to 0 V ('0 V' means 'ground' and NOT 'disconnected'!) Pin 12 via 10 k Ohm to 5 V Pin 13 via 10 k Ohm to 5 V

For 75 MHz Pin 5 via 10 k Ohm to 5 V Pin 12 via 10 k Ohm to 0 V Pin 13 via 10 k Ohm to 5 V

For 68 MHz, the 'turbo frequency' for 66 MHz Pin 5 via 10 k Ohm to 5 V Pin 12 via 10 k Ohm to 5 V Pin 13 via 10 k Ohm to 5 V

*** Initial Power-Up Typically, if you get the machine to boot, count its memory, and give you a close or correct megahertz indicator for your CPU, you're on your way to success. (Note: The new core speed, expressed in megahertz (MHz), often will not be correctly indicated in the boot-up screen if it's a nonstandard number, such as 372 MHz.) If the machine refuses to boot up at all, there are two possible problems: there isn't enough voltage going to your CPU, or your CPU has simply failed to run at the speed you've set it to run.

*** When you increase the megahertz level request, the CPU sometimes needs to draw more power to achieve that new setting. If your motherboard supports it increase the voltage in small units.

*** If you have changed the only Bus speed in Bios and delightfully saved the changes and exited to get blank screen without showing any sign of life. Wait !! Don’t Panic !! Put the power off and then on. Still no signs of booting. Now it’s time to get screw driver. Open your cabinet. On the motherboard you will find a small battery (bigger in size compared to what used in clocks). Take the battery out from it’s place. Wait for ten or twenty minutes or short circuit both the circuits holding the batttery with your screw driver. BUT JUST FOR ONCE. This will clear the CMOS. Place the battery in it’s place. Screw up the cabinet. Now boot up. Relax. You have done it. (My first overclocking experience. I tried on my friend’s Computer. HI HI HI !! Actually what I did in hurry was I set FSB spped of P-II@266 MHZ directly to 83 MHz. )
After taking these steps, if the machine still refuses to boot into Windows, it's more than likely that you've set your CPU to a speed beyond its limits. Cooling usually solves some of the problems, but if you are able to boot into Windows only to suffer from crashing and system instability, you've clocked your CPU too high. Either try a more conservative overclocked setting, or return to your CPU's default settings.
One other instance where the machine boots properly into Windows but then proceeds to develop strange errors could be caused by the quality of the SDRAM in the machine. If you're clocking your FSB to 100 MHz or 112 MHz, make sure you are using 100-MHz SDRAM. Even in the PC-100 SDRAM subcategory, however, you must choose between a maximum CAS latency timing of "3" or "2". Memory that supports a CAS latency timing of 2 can sustain the 133-MHz FSB overclocking option of the Intel 440BX chipset. CAS 3 SDRAM, however, can't handle any bus speed beyond 112 MHz.

I can't proclaim it often enough, the cooling of the CPU is extremely important ! If you have been able to boot your system with an overclocked CPU but it crashes within the first minutes, it's most likely due to insufficient cooling of your processor. Don't think the average small heat sinks with their small fans designed for a Pentium are able to do this job properly! Their job is only to keep a normally clocked CPU cooler in case you have very hot surroundings (e.g. SCSI or Video cards, which can get very hot as well). They are not designed to save your overclocked system from crashes due to overheating. This doesn't mean you always have to have better cooling. If you've got a new SSS CPU, using the 0.35µm die, it just won't get that hot.

You should also use besides these hardware solutions some software solutions like Rain , Waterfall or CPU Idle. These utilities execute halt instruction during the idle priority thread and thus keeping the CPU cool. I recommend use of Waterfall because of small footprint, no VXD's, no drain of any system resources and above all it's free.

Answer 3

You need to give the CPU more juice.. up the voltage...

here is a good article on overclocling and info..

http://www.hothardware.com/viewarticle.aspx?page=2&articleid=710&cid=1

I would suggest a large fan for overclocking.... something like what they suggest...

good luck ... don't burn it up..