Total AMD newb, parts showing up today, need OC help

torgo · TweakNOOB Joined: 22 Feb 2006 Posts: 6

I haven't gotten through a couple of the FAQ's yet, but I wanted to post this just in case someone has a similar setup. After much fristration with my P4 3.0 Ghz, I have finally ordered an AMD processor. The only things that I am replacing are the Processor, Motherboard, and Fan/Heatsink for the proc. I am computer geek, and have been a Net Admin for over 10 years, so I'm not new at this kind of stuff, but I've NEVER worked with an AMD before, and I have never OC'd before.

I don't want to get extreme with the OC, but I'd like to get something out of it.

Processor- Opteron 175 Dual Core
Motherboard- ASROCK 939Dual-SATA2 (I didn't want to replace my video card yet)
Cooler- Zalman CNPS9500
Arctic Silver Thermal Paste

Existing parts:
Video- ATI X800XT PE AGP
Sound- Creative Fatal1ty Gamer Sound Card
DVD ROM
DVD-RW etc
RAM-OCZ Gold 2-1GB Modules
PC4000 (DDR500)
Cas- 3-4-3-8
Voltage- 2.8V
http://www.ocztechnology.com/products/memory/ocz_el_ddr_pc_4000_1024mb_gold_edition_dual_channel-2gb_
Hard Drives- 2-36GB 10k RPM Raptors in RAID0

This rig is ONLY for gaming. I have a file server with roughly 2TB of space. The parts are showing up today, but I won't be able to start work on this until Friday, so I'd like to get a good foundation of info together before I get started. Any help is greatly appreciated.

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ToggleHead · TWEAKGURU Joined: 03 Mar 2004 Posts: 4360 Location: Jersey

Hey there....honestly....all the best fundemental write ups are in the stickies of this section.....they are very informative. Once you get your rig up, there are a few new things you will need to worry about with that AMD, and especially that opteron.....noew settings to worry about.....

To tell you the truth, i am an intel guy, so there are others that can help you with the little details of AMD OCing.....

the equations are the most important......perhaps it might be time for someone to write up an Easy AMD OC guide for the new 64's....=]

Out of curiosity, what what the trouble with your 3.0? I have this chip running stable at 3.75 for almost two years now.
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mojo1340 · UberTweaker Joined: 19 Jun 2004 Posts: 1022

Frankly, you would have been better served with a nF4 chipset mobo.
I have no experience with the ULI chipsets or Asrock/AMI bios's.
However, by reading some of the guides on many of the overclocking sites, you should be able to get started.
Memtest your RAM asap, as memory errors will keep your OC unstable, and keep an eye on your temps/voltages. Don't increase voltage any more than necessary for stability.
Good Luck!

fussnfeathers · Lord of the Tweak Joined: 14 Dec 2004 Posts: 2763

Overall, that looks pretty good. Weazel can give you a better idea of the OC-ability of the Optie, but alot of that is gonna hinge on the mobo BIOS. If it doesn't allow AGP/PCI frequency locking, you're not going to get too far.

If it does, then you're going to want to start simply. Raise the FSB in the BIOS, and set your divider so the RAM runs as close to stock speeds as possible. Once you get that stable, then start messing with the RAM speed a bit.

One other thing..........what PSU do you have? That's going to play a pretty important part in the whole thing. If it's a sub-par OEM PSU, you're likely to have problems, due to fluctuating voltages. You absolutely MUST have a good PSU to do any decent overclocking.
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ToggleHead · TWEAKGURU Joined: 03 Mar 2004 Posts: 4360 Location: Jersey

^^^ all GREAT advice.....

Only reason i didnt get more specific is to adhere to my first rule of thumb:

Understand WHY what youre doing...works.

Being a NET Admin im sure you already have some/tons of Hardware knowledge....but it REALLY helps to understand things such as Northbridge controls.....FSB:Ram Ratios......and how memory actually works.....

There are some good links in the memory section to explain this too.....

GOOD LUCK!
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torgo · TweakNOOB Joined: 22 Feb 2006 Posts: 6

I don't have the specific PSU info, but it is one of the best. I always do my research before I make a purchase.

My 3.0Ghz P4 is actually not performing very well when I run tests on it, so I think that something happened to it.

I ran MemTest on the RAM when I got it a couple of months ago, and at default settings, it tested fine.

The motherboard has gotten good reviews from current owners. I just need to remember to install the Chipset drivers off of the site before I do anything else in the setup process. I just didn't want to buy another video card, since this one's only a few months old, and it wasn't cheap. I also just put a MUCH better cooler on the X800, so running Overdrive on it isn't heating it up at all.

fussnfeathers · Lord of the Tweak Joined: 14 Dec 2004 Posts: 2763

Find out the specifics on the PSU, and let us know. Sometimes the "best" isn't the best, or might not be up to speed with a new-ish system. A few of us here have found that out the hard way, in the past.
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ToggleHead · TWEAKGURU Joined: 03 Mar 2004 Posts: 4360 Location: Jersey

torgo · TweakNOOB Joined: 22 Feb 2006 Posts: 6

ToggleHead · TWEAKGURU Joined: 03 Mar 2004 Posts: 4360 Location: Jersey

right on!! Let us know when you get the machine up and running....i'd like to see this project unfold.

WELCOME TO TN!!!!!!! Stick around, we have a friendly little community here =]

What OS are you planning on running? You said gaming rig right, so im assuming this wont be a pure numbers box...
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torgo · TweakNOOB Joined: 22 Feb 2006 Posts: 6

It'll be Windows XP Pro. I may throw a drive in later and try the 64-bit version.

It should be up and running well by Sunday. I plan on getting some Red Bull and hunkering-down on this thing starting on Friday night. I'm going old school on this rig

fussnfeathers · Lord of the Tweak Joined: 14 Dec 2004 Posts: 2763

Heh................sounds like fun. Let us know how it goes, and pics, baby, pics.
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torgo · TweakNOOB Joined: 22 Feb 2006 Posts: 6

Formatting now

ToggleHead · TWEAKGURU Joined: 03 Mar 2004 Posts: 4360 Location: Jersey

*salivates*
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Xal · Posted: Mon Feb 27, 2006 2:59 am Post subject:

Welcome to TN :)

Good luck OCing your new setup. The opty should OC a treat but I have had no experience with your mobo (manufacturer or chipset).

Let us know how you fare

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Phenom II x4 955 @ Stock
Asus M3N78-EM
4gb Corsair XMS2 DDR2 667 @ 800
1gb Powercolor Radeon HD 5850 @ Stock
X-fi Extreme Audio PCI E
Nexus 600W Silent PSU
Nexus Fans
Custom case

torgo · TweakNOOB Joined: 22 Feb 2006 Posts: 6

Well, on the OC front, I'm lost. I think that my problem is that I read TOO much, and most of the guides out there really don't help with this Proc. One guide that I followed ended-up lowering my proc from 2.2Ghz to 1.8Ghz, which isn't the direction that I wanted to go.

It just seems like OC info is so diluted on the 'net now. I'll give it another go in a couple of weeks when I have some time to do so.

The good news is that, even at stock settings, this thing is killing my old P4 3Ghz system. So, the final config so far is:

ASROCK SATA II MB (Socket 939)
AMD Opteron 175 Dual Core
ZALMAN CNPS9500 CPU Cooler w/Arctic Silver compound
2x OCZ Gold 1GB PC4000 (DDR500) RAM Modules
ATI X800XT PE 256MB AGP
Creative X-Fi Fatl1ty Gamer Sound Card
Antec 500w PSU

BF2 runs beautifully at the moment. I went up one level of Resolution, and am running EVERY setting at "High" with 2x AA. No hitches unless caused by lag

Xal · Posted: Mon Feb 27, 2006 10:59 am Post subject:

Good to hear shes running well. The OCing relies on doing things in the right order. Although you can achieve an oc by messing directly with core clock settings this is asking for instability and possibly risking damaging your cpu if done wrong. You obviously lowered your core clock rate to achieve your downgrade. Look at the default clock rate then up it by 5mhz, save to cmos restart and check for stability, repeat untill system fails to pass Prime 95 stress test (at least 4 hours worth when finding the limit then 24hrs when you think shes stable) then back down by 1mhz every time it fails untill it passes. You should be able to achieve a minimal OC by simply doing this although combining the info in the stickies with memory ratios and timing will provide higher more stable OCs. The 64s and dual cores follow slightly different steps to those in the stickies but should be similar enough if you take the time to read and understand them. Try Ocing with your P4 first as that will OC according to the info in the stickies and perhaps help you understand the principles better.

Good luck

_________________
Phenom II x4 955 @ Stock
Asus M3N78-EM
4gb Corsair XMS2 DDR2 667 @ 800
1gb Powercolor Radeon HD 5850 @ Stock
X-fi Extreme Audio PCI E
Nexus 600W Silent PSU
Nexus Fans
Custom case