overheating computer

[Si...]

I`m running 4HDD`s 2DVD-r`s and an AthlonXP 2400+ Throughbred overclocked to 2.53GHz on a 200w PSU, and I have my computer on 24/7 without random crashes or problems.

 

But then I am running a watercooling system on the CPU, GFX card and chipset

 

Peter

 

Make sure you get a heatsink thats all copper and rated for a higher spec processor (eg 3200+) as this will provide better cooling. The blower type are better than a normal fan type

 

I had this one (bottom of page) on my 2400+ when I was overclocked to 2.33GHz and it works superbly compaired to normal fans. See pic.

 

[ 24. March 2004, 08:26 PM: Message edited by: simonford ]

[Peter]

Simon: Thanks for all your advice. I have tried all of the methods that I currently can to no avail.

 

My son is going to take the PC apart and rebuild it to see if he can solve the problem that way. Hopefully he will have more success than I have.

 

I am inclined to agree with you on the fan and heatsink provided with the "kit". I think it's going to be a quick trip to PC world to get a "jet blower" type set up like you suggested.

 

Jem: I have checked the BIOS settings and the CPU is running at the settings that you so kindly provided. The table that you posted is most useful.

 

Thanks again

Peter

[Rockling]

My mate Mark runs an online business (Scotland)which specialises in silent fans and insulation systems. He also does water cooled systems which seems totally weird and dangerous to my tiny rockling brain.He has just built me a totally silent machine with fantastic specs. If you are into building your own systems his pages are worth a look. Warning for geeks and nerds only!

 

http://www.whispertec.com

 

He will probably have something that will help, though design and positioning of components are vital from what I understand to stop overheating.

Regards, Rockling.

[billy5000]

Hi all

 

i enjoy reading of peltia (watercooled mods)there are some great DIY storys on OC

 

http://www.overclockers.com

 

hope you get the heat down,i brought an Nforce2 mainboard and first boot into windows and it would overheat untill i had to flash the bios with a fix as it was due to the thermal sensor thing was recording from the wrong part of the cpu bits etc.

great board though its nice to have a pc i built work as my last board(acorp)was a nightmare.

 

simonford i have to get one of those jet coolers they look very cool how silent are they?

 

 

billy

 

[ 24. March 2004, 11:02 PM: Message edited by: billy5000 ]

[chesters1]

next time will read list properly

 

[ 24. March 2004, 11:05 PM: Message edited by: chesters1 ]

[Si...]

They have adjustable fan speeds so they can be virtually silent whilst giving adaquate cooling or quite loud whilst on full whack (4-5000 rpm) I have never had mine on full whack, always on about half speed which doesn`t make any more noticable sound than a normal cpu cooler fan.

 

But watercooling, thats a different story

Totally silent other than the hdd`s, psu fan and CD/DVD spinning

[chesters1]

how are the cpu`s overclocked? just setting the bios settings a little higher wont have any effect

[Si...]

First you must have some basics on how a motherboard works.

It has a clock generator that gives a certain frequency.

This value is multiplied by certain numbers, and gives the FSB frequency, RAM bus frequency, PCI frequency, AGP frequency... Notice that the FSB is not the same thing as RAM bus frequency, this is a common mistake. Also, the RAM and FSB frequencies are different from the actual speed, which is twice as fast, because they are working at double data rate (DDR).

 

Example: 266FSB runs at 133mhz.

 

In conclusion, all the speeds on the mobo depend on it's clock generator.

 

Now, the CPU has 3 important characteristics: it's FSB, multiplier and core voltage.

 

The actual speed of the CPU is FSB frequency times multiplier.

 

Example: XP1600+ has a 10.5 multiplier and 133 bus , so it runs at 133 x 10.5 = 1400mhz.

 

For a good overclock, you will need a good motherboard, wich has settings for fsb increase mhz by mhz, CPU multiplier, CPU core voltage, RAM voltage and RAM latencies.

 

Most of the AMD chips come multiplier-locked, so you have to unlock them. There are many guides on the unlocking stuff out there, just search one for your particular type of CPU.

 

First, you must make sure that the CPU is set at the same bus as the RAM, otherwise one of the 2 will not use the other's extra bandwidth , and you don't want that.

For example, if you have PC2700 memory and a 166mhz RAM capable motherboard (like the ones with the KT333 chipset), you should set the CPU also to 166 mhz FSB, and lowering the multiplier below the default value, until the CPU frequency is around 20% under the default one. This is very important.

 

Now you start increasing the FSB (really you are increasing the mobo's clock, which takes all the frequencies (-AGP,PCI,RAM-higher), keeping the same low multiplier. The purpose is to get the best FSB stable, no matter what speed the CPU is. To gain stability at high speeds you must add more voltage to the CPU and to the RAM, sometimes even to the AGP slot, but usually you don't need that. This is a very tricky thing, because voltage brings stability, but also heat, and heat is bad for stability. With a good cooling setup you can take out all the extra heat , try to keep you CPU under 50 C if you can, and never let it go over 60C .

 

For good performance you can use the best timings on the memory:

CAS latency 2

4-way bank interleave

1T command

RAS & RAS to CAS delay & all the other stuff to minimal latency.

Using these settings help your performance at a certain speed, but they can bring instability, so it's a matter of trial and error. Without them, you'll be able to hit higher frequencies on the RAM, but the real performance may be lower (depends on the type of RAM).

 

When you hit the highest FSB stable, you can start tweaking on the CPU multiplier. Increase it in 0.5 increments, until you have the highest possible speedand its stable.

The CPU core voltage increase will help you again.

 

Remember, always an eye on the temps, 60C is the maximum you should go. The lower the temperature, the more stable at high speeds the CPU is.

[Peter]

Hi folks, thanks for all the advice. Its great to know how many people are willing to share their knowledge. My son is going to strip everything down and reassemble it (just in case I made any errors)

Rockling, thanks for the address of whispertec. I have added them to favorites and will give them a try if we need to go for extra cooling etc.

thanks again everyone

Peter

[Jem]

quote:

---

Originally posted by simonford:

Now you start increasing the FSB (really you are increasing the mobo's clock, which takes all the frequencies (-AGP,PCI,RAM-higher), keeping the same low multiplier. The purpose is to get the best FSB stable, no matter what speed the CPU is. To gain stability at high speeds you must add more voltage to the CPU and to the RAM, sometimes even to the AGP slot, but usually you don't need that. This is a very tricky thing, because voltage brings stability, but also heat, and heat is bad for stability. With a good cooling setup you can take out all the extra heat , try to keep you CPU under 50 C if you can, and never let it go over 60C .

---

Plus ensure that you dont alter the AGP or PCI bus or voltage settings as this can play havoc with any cards that are in the slots, if you can your best of with a m/b that locks these so they cant be altered easily, the abit range of newer m/b's have these locked, not certain about other makes without researching them further:D