AMD Athlon 2500+ & ECS N2U400-A $70 @ Fry's

[blacklit]

Originally posted by: kenrippy

Originally posted by: blacklit

Originally posted by: kenrippy
I took back my 2600 OEM/n2u400a combo that i bought last week for $79 and bought this combo. it's a better deal IMO.

I have one of these boards running in a test rig with a 2500+ & corsair value select pc3200 2x256mb at 200fsb (mem & cpu) 2.2ghz totally stable with a speeze whisperrock II @ about 40c idle/47c prime95 load. I'm just now testing it at 210fsb 2.31ghz to see how she handles it.

i don't normally overclock but i just bought this. i'm considering trying after reading your post. what do you have the voltage set to? sadly i'll still be using my 2x512 PC2100.. until i can shell out more $$.

there is no voltage adjustments so you're SOL as far as that goes. the only adjustments are FSB and it's ratio between the FSB & CPU speed. (like Scaramouche said above)

your only real hope of OC'ing with this board is with some good ram & a decent hsf.

update: this rig is totally stable at 210fsb (prime95) 48c with the hardware I listed. (cpu & ram running at 210) 2.31ghz

ok, i know the ratio you are referring to. it's also on my older ecs board. i'll have to try this. i have crucial infineon chips and slk900... might be able to get away with cpu/ram=400/333.

one last question... i thought the only options for clock speeds were 200/266/333/400, how are you getting up to 410fsb.

 

[kenrippy]

Originally posted by: blacklit

Originally posted by: kenrippy

Originally posted by: blacklit

Originally posted by: kenrippy
I took back my 2600 OEM/n2u400a combo that i bought last week for $79 and bought this combo. it's a better deal IMO.

I have one of these boards running in a test rig with a 2500+ & corsair value select pc3200 2x256mb at 200fsb (mem & cpu) 2.2ghz totally stable with a speeze whisperrock II @ about 40c idle/47c prime95 load. I'm just now testing it at 210fsb 2.31ghz to see how she handles it.

i don't normally overclock but i just bought this. i'm considering trying after reading your post. what do you have the voltage set to? sadly i'll still be using my 2x512 PC2100.. until i can shell out more $$.

there is no voltage adjustments so you're SOL as far as that goes. the only adjustments are FSB and it's ratio between the FSB & CPU speed. (like Scaramouche said above)

your only real hope of OC'ing with this board is with some good ram & a decent hsf.

update: this rig is totally stable at 210fsb (prime95) 48c with the hardware I listed. (cpu & ram running at 210) 2.31ghz

ok, i know the ratio you are referring to. it's also on my older ecs board. i'll have to try this. i have crucial infineon chips and slk900... might be able to get away with cpu/ram=400/333.

one last question... i thought the only options for clock speeds were 200/266/333/400, how are you getting up to 410fsb.

set it to "expert" and it will allow 1fsb increments up to 233 or 232 something like that. one note, ram timings are important when pushing the fsb. the corsair value select 3200 I'm using wouldn't pass prime95 at cas3, but it runs great at cas2.5 (2.5/5/5/9) weird huh

 

[blacklit]

Originally posted by: kenrippy

Originally posted by: blacklit

Originally posted by: kenrippy

Originally posted by: blacklit

Originally posted by: kenrippy
I took back my 2600 OEM/n2u400a combo that i bought last week for $79 and bought this combo. it's a better deal IMO.

I have one of these boards running in a test rig with a 2500+ & corsair value select pc3200 2x256mb at 200fsb (mem & cpu) 2.2ghz totally stable with a speeze whisperrock II @ about 40c idle/47c prime95 load. I'm just now testing it at 210fsb 2.31ghz to see how she handles it.

i don't normally overclock but i just bought this. i'm considering trying after reading your post. what do you have the voltage set to? sadly i'll still be using my 2x512 PC2100.. until i can shell out more $$.

there is no voltage adjustments so you're SOL as far as that goes. the only adjustments are FSB and it's ratio between the FSB & CPU speed. (like Scaramouche said above)

your only real hope of OC'ing with this board is with some good ram & a decent hsf.

update: this rig is totally stable at 210fsb (prime95) 48c with the hardware I listed. (cpu & ram running at 210) 2.31ghz

ok, i know the ratio you are referring to. it's also on my older ecs board. i'll have to try this. i have crucial infineon chips and slk900... might be able to get away with cpu/ram=400/333.

one last question... i thought the only options for clock speeds were 200/266/333/400, how are you getting up to 410fsb.

set it to "expert" and it will allow 1fsb increments up to 233 or 232 something like that. one note, ram timings are important when pushing the fsb. the corsair value select 3200 I'm using wouldn't pass prime95 at cas3, but it runs great at cas2.5 (2.5/5/5/9) weird huh

ya, that's bizarro but glad you're getting good results. thanks for all the info -- i got what i needed.

 

[Triggerhappy007]

Originally posted by: AkumaX
maybe you'll hit 3200+, maybe you wont

there's no vcore or mult adjust, only fsb

so if anything, since pci/agp is unlocked, you could take the fsb from 166 to anywhere around ~200

Did you mean the Barton or the ECS motherboard?

I haven't been catching up on CPU's lately but I heard that the first Bartons were unlocked, but now they locked it, but I'm not sure if they locked the multiplier or the voltage too.

 

[kenrippy]

Originally posted by: Triggerhappy007

Originally posted by: AkumaX
maybe you'll hit 3200+, maybe you wont

there's no vcore or mult adjust, only fsb

so if anything, since pci/agp is unlocked, you could take the fsb from 166 to anywhere around ~200

Did you mean the Barton or the ECS motherboard?

I haven't been catching up on CPU's lately but I heard that the first Bartons were unlocked, but now they locked it, but I'm not sure if they locked the multiplier or the voltage too.

he's talking bout the mobo. the bartons are all multi-locked now days. all voltage adjustments are done via motherboard, this one in particular has no adj for cpu or ram voltage.

 

[natenut]

Does anyone know if the Fry's in the Chicagoland area is open yet? i remember hearing a rumor about this or a thread somewhere. Good deal though, i need to dump this ECS-K7S5A

 

[Archaicknite]

Got the 2600+ OEM/ECS N2U400-A last week for $80. Debating over returning it and getting this or keeping it. Anyone know which will overclock better or will they be more or less the same?

 

[kenrippy]

Originally posted by: Archaicknite
Got the 2600+ OEM/ECS N2U400-A last week for $80. Debating over returning it and getting this or keeping it. Anyone know which will overclock better or will they be more or less the same?

more or less the same, except the new deal is better since you get a retail cpu w/ hsf. the oem 2600 is $85 at egg and the retail 2500 is $80 so that's a toss up. personally i think the 2500's OC better since the default multi is only 11x and you're limited to FSB overclocking with this board.

i returned my 2600/ecs combo today as well.

 

[EagleKeeper]

Originally posted by: natenut
Does anyone know if the Fry's in the Chicagoland area is open yet? i remember hearing a rumor about this or a thread somewhere. Good deal though, i need to dump this ECS-K7S5A

Chicago Thread

 

[tsowen]

According to this site: http://www.cpudatabase.com/CPUdb/ 2500+ seems overclock better.

 

[Rickten]

just picked this up at the frys in sacramento. Good by duron 600. Only thing I need is some ram. I've been out of the loop on this for awhile, what kind of ram do I need? WTF does 3200 mean?

 

[beserker15]

ddr3200 is ddr ram at 400mhz, if ur gonna run it at stock, u'll only need ddr2700. 400mhz ram is only needed if u wanna overclock it to athlonxp 3200

 

[UCSDHappyAsian]

MAN.. THIS IS A SWEET DEAL...

 

[kenrippy]

i just found my receipt for when i bought this exact same combo back on april 27, i paid 99.99 for it. damn how prices keep droping, this is an amazing deal!

 

[Showtime]

Picked the combo up yesterday..... I'm feeling a little lazy right now but will probably set it up this weekend. How is the stock heatsink/fan? I have a tt 900 but I think i lost the clip. Can I use the clip that comes with the stock heatsink? Any driver issues?

TIA

-show

 

[Showtime]

BTW, the mobo looks brand new and the retail cpu came in a sealed plastic box so Im assuming it's all new stuff. I asked the cashiere to bring a new sealed cpu box and the guy in the cage came out and had a look. Never know with frys... Hopefully it oc's to around 3200 speeds.

Chip marking:
AXDA2500KV4D
KQYHA 0415VPGW 1999 AMD


-show

 

[Probedude]

Originally posted by: beserker15
ddr3200 is ddr ram at 400mhz, if ur gonna run it at stock, u'll only need ddr2700. 400mhz ram is only needed if u wanna overclock it to athlonxp 3200

Just to confirm: I can buy 1 stick fo DDR2700 and this setup will be happy? Any reason to get 2 sticks of 256MB vs 1 stick of 512MB DDR2700?

 

[Nomjr]

Dual channel. Not a ton to benefit from, but any benefit is ok right?

 

[ToxicMussels]

Originally posted by: Showtime
Picked the combo up yesterday..... I'm feeling a little lazy right now but will probably set it up this weekend. How is the stock heatsink/fan?

TIA

-show

The stock HSF is just fine if you don't intend to O/C this baby. If you do O/C, AND you change the AMD Approved HSF, this will void your 3 year warranty with AMD.

 

[Showtime]

Originally posted by: ToxicMussels

Originally posted by: Showtime
Picked the combo up yesterday..... I'm feeling a little lazy right now but will probably set it up this weekend. How is the stock heatsink/fan?

TIA

-show

The stock HSF is just fine if you don't intend to O/C this baby. If you do O/C, AND you change the AMD Approved HSF, this will void your 3 year warranty with AMD.

How will they know?

-show

 

[ToxicMussels]

Originally posted by: Showtime

Originally posted by: ToxicMussels

The stock HSF is just fine if you don't intend to O/C this baby. If you do O/C, AND you change the AMD Approved HSF, this will void your 3 year warranty with AMD.

How will they know?

-show

When you send in a "bad" CPU for warranty, they (AMD) ask you a few questions and then ask you to send in the HS/F along with the CPU. The AMD "Approved" HS/F comes with a thermal pad. When applied to the CPU, and with the system running, the thermal pad molds (melts) to the CPU and around it's edge's too. If you haven't removed/replaced the HS/F before your request for warranty service, then AMD can compare the residue left on the die with what's left on the HS/F. Thus voiding your 3 year warranty if other HS/F used besides what was supplied by AMD.

I know this for I have RMA'd 2 CPU's with them. Also, if you get bored, read your Warranty booklet that came with the Retail CPU.

There are ways around this questioning by AMD for a request for RMA; but, I will not go into detail here. You can figure most of it out on your own (if you replace the HS/F of your own choice and need an RMA).

 

[kenrippy]

Originally posted by: ToxicMussels

Originally posted by: Showtime

Originally posted by: ToxicMussels

The stock HSF is just fine if you don't intend to O/C this baby. If you do O/C, AND you change the AMD Approved HSF, this will void your 3 year warranty with AMD.

How will they know?

-show

When you send in a "bad" CPU for warranty, they (AMD) ask you a few questions and then ask you to send in the HS/F along with the CPU. The AMD "Approved" HS/F comes with a thermal pad. When applied to the CPU, and with the system running, the thermal pad molds (melts) to the CPU and around it's edge's too. If you haven't removed/replaced the HS/F before your request for warranty service, then AMD can compare the residue left on the die with what's left on the HS/F. Thus voiding your 3 year warranty if other HS/F used besides what was supplied by AMD.

I know this for I have RMA'd 2 CPU's with them. Also, if you get bored, read your Warranty booklet that came with the Retail CPU.

There are ways around this questioning by AMD for a request for RMA; but, I will not go into detail here. You can figure most of it out on your own (if you replace the HS/F of your own choice and need an RMA).

i always remove that junk of a thermal pad and put some AS5 on there anyway. AS5 wipes right off for easy clean up with alcohol - unlike the stock pad which is a bit of a pain to remove. you can't tell me that using a better brand of thermal paste would void the warranty. either way, at this price these cpu's are disposable.

 

[BentValve]

Originally posted by: Passions

Originally posted by: Harvey
Holy sholy boly!!! IT'S A BOXED RETAIL CPU!

Linkzilla from Fry's ad in the L.A. Times. You may also want to get the WD 120 GB drive for $59.99 AR. Linkola.

These links will probably only be good today, June 4. Here's the link from the Orange County Register.

Linkalicious, dude!!! :beer:

The Linkmeister! :beer:

 

[gsethi]

Originally posted by: ToxicMussels

Originally posted by: Showtime

Originally posted by: ToxicMussels

The stock HSF is just fine if you don't intend to O/C this baby. If you do O/C, AND you change the AMD Approved HSF, this will void your 3 year warranty with AMD.

How will they know?

-show

When you send in a "bad" CPU for warranty, they (AMD) ask you a few questions and then ask you to send in the HS/F along with the CPU. The AMD "Approved" HS/F comes with a thermal pad. When applied to the CPU, and with the system running, the thermal pad molds (melts) to the CPU and around it's edge's too. If you haven't removed/replaced the HS/F before your request for warranty service, then AMD can compare the residue left on the die with what's left on the HS/F. Thus voiding your 3 year warranty if other HS/F used besides what was supplied by AMD.

I know this for I have RMA'd 2 CPU's with them. Also, if you get bored, read your Warranty booklet that came with the Retail CPU.

There are ways around this questioning by AMD for a request for RMA; but, I will not go into detail here. You can figure most of it out on your own (if you replace the HS/F of your own choice and need an RMA).

hehe..hes correct...AMD will ask for original Retail HSF and checks the Original HSF and the CPU to see if the thermal paste that AMD uses is melted or not..they also look for some dust on the hsf (due to normal use).

When i had to RMA my CPU (CPU not getting recognized properly), I made sure that I ran the Retail HSF for couple of hours to make sure that the thermal paste melted on both the HSF and also some residue left on the actual chip. Regarding dust, did a vaccum that day and took some dust out of my vaccum and put it on the Heatsink's fan...and it worked.

So, dont throw away from retail heatsinks or take that thermal paste out...you never know when you need one.

 

[daveshel]

Got one of these combos today in Phoenix (Baseline). Have not powered it up yet but it looks sweet. Now to find my next case.