Overclocking

Chills · Scooby Slapper Joined: 03 Feb 2002 Karma :

Just looking for a quick bit of advice...

I've got a P4 2.4 chip which has been running at 3.0 for months now. With my Vapochill case the cooling temp never goes above -15oC nor the CPU temp above 11oC...
Is the CPU temp the only real concern?
I mean can I just keep upping the speed as long as the CPU temp doesn't go too high? And what's too high?

Cheers for any advice. Smile

ZaphodBeeble · World Chat Champion Joined: 10 Feb 2004 Karma :

The thing is, if you increase the speed of the CPU you have to increase the voltage too. There is a limit to how much your motherboard can increase the voltage and you don't want to blow your chip if it can increase it too much.

Also, some motherboard voltages aren't as smooth as others and you won't be able to overclock as much as a board with smoother voltages.

It isn't just a matter of how cool you can keep the chip, it's how much of a voltage increase it can handle.

If I was you (and if your motherboard will do it) I'd increase the FSB (Front Side Bus) in 1MHz increments until the computer freezes up, then put it back down a couple of MHz to ensure stability.

I'd say that 40 degrees C is a suitable temperature but with that cooling system that you have that would mean that you have overclocked A LOT and I wouldn't like to risk it.

Just be careful. Thumbs Up

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Chills · Scooby Slapper Joined: 03 Feb 2002 Karma :

Cheers.. will check that FSB thingy in a mo...

My board is the Abit IC7-G and it SEEMS to be coping, at least so far...
I've taken a screenshot of the voltages/temps... Does this all seem OK to you?

Hex · Party Boy Joined: 04 Feb 2002 Karma :

I think you'll find your CPU is actually about 39 not 11, 11 degrees is really cold for a cpu.

The voltages etc look fine to me.
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Chills · Scooby Slapper Joined: 03 Feb 2002 Karma :

hush · Scooby Slapper Joined: 04 Apr 2004 Karma :

If your VapoChill case is a cryocooled - then the -15 case, 11 CPU is entirely possible. The performance of your computer is effected a lot by the ambient case temperature. The cooler the processer the better it works. 35-40 is a good operating temp for a P4, but they can run at 60 fine, and will not be too bothered by a 90 degree C burst either (Athlons on the other hand self destruct at those temps). But there are other components inside the computer effected by temperature.

The warmer the case, the slower everything works. but if your readings are right, you have nothing to worry about temperature wise. But as ZaphodBeeble said, 1MHz steps. Also, bear in mind that if you are adjusting your system performance, keep an eye on your memory as well, ensure that you are not getting any data errors from memory at the enhanced performance.