My XP2500+ purchased unlocked...

[Gronich]

Much to my surprise my new CPU is unlocked (or are all the Bartons unlocked?)

Details of CPU for you:

AXDA2500DKV4D 4109199261647 AQUCA 0307MPM

Currently running 13.5x166 (2250Mhz) with a Vcore of 1.75v no problem.

Will run 10x200 (2Ghz) but a little flaky.

I'm looking to get the FSB up somewhere between 166-200 so if you could give me any stable suggestions.

 

[DAPUNISHER]

Your board has the vdd voltage adjustments in the bios correct? if so up it a bit when shooting for higher FSBs if needed.

 

[Shimmishim]

or do the pencil trick mod to get your vdd higher...

 

[machu]

My 2500 was also unlocked, but on Abit NF7-S I could not boot to XP with RAM higher the 170!!! (was running it at 166x13.5) It was pissing me off so I took the CPU out and cut L12 Bridge. This was just 30 minutes ago so I havn't finish testing yet. I want to bump RAM as high as I can with low multiplayers. Every bump in speed I'll run 3DMark. Right now I'm running 3DMark2001se at 9x200! - it just finished.
I remember yesterday I run 3DMark at the stack CPU speed (11x166=1826) - 3DMark: 15120
Today (9x200) - 3DMark: 16109

I'll try some more...

Ok, I run some more tests. It looks like I can't bump the RAM past 225.
Currently I'm at 220x10
3DMark: 17828

I have a very quiet heatsink fan (but not a very eefficient one) so I can't run it faster because CPU gets too hot.




ABIT NF7-S
Barton 2500+
GAIL 3500 2x256
Swiftech 462
Barracuda V - SATA
9700 Pro (OC Systems Level II)

 

[cowdog]

machu, what method did you use to "cut" the L12 bridge? Wow, from 170 to 220 mhz!! I have a 2500+ Barton coming.

edit: Not sure about vdd settings between different mobo versions. Are 1.2 and 2.0 both limited to 1.85 vdd unless one does the pencil mod? I thought I had seen that ver 2.0 goes higher, but I cannot find that information again.

 

[DRIFTmode]

u can change the CPU multiplier in all NF7's.. i believe ALL nforce boards have the ability to change multipliers?

 

[machu]

First I zapped it with a 9v battery (well known method) and then just to make sure I cut it with a razor. I recommend zapping it with a battery only, but I have a damn swiftech heatsink which you mount to the motherboard holes. It takes me a long time to install a CPU so I just didn't want to take a chance that a battery trick didn't work.

I have a ver 2.0 and max vdd is 1.7

DRIFTmode, all NForce motherboards unlock multipliers but in a certain range. It is either from min to 13 or from 13 to max.
By saying that my Barton was unlocked I meant that I can use any multiplier (min to max)

 

[cowdog]

Machu, thanks. That sounds a alot better than trying to physically cut it!

BTW, I guess I was having some wishful thinking and was additionally getting the 8RGA and 8RDA3+ mixed up with the NF7-S. Those Epox boards go to (or will go to) 2.2v VDD via bios without any mod (YIKES!), according to some reviews of the 8RGA and posted specs for the 8RDA3+.

 

[TTM77]

Originally posted by: machu
First I zapped it with a 9v battery (well known method) and then just to make sure I cut it with a razor. I recommend zapping it with a battery only, but I have a damn swiftech heatsink which you mount to the motherboard holes. It takes me a long time to install a CPU so I just didn't want to take a chance that a battery trick didn't work.

I have a ver 2.0 and max vdd is 1.7

DRIFTmode, all NForce motherboards unlock multipliers but in a certain range. It is either from min to 13 or from 13 to max.
By saying that my Barton was unlocked I meant that I can use any multiplier (min to max)

How the heck do U zap it? I am new to unlocking and over clocking and what you guy describe totaly seem weird and impossible. How do U know which L to connect and which L to zap???

 

[machu]

Cutting L12 Bridge

Battery trick

 

[TTM77]

Originally posted by: machu
Cutting L12 Bridge

Battery trick

Wow, use a high voltage to zap a track. I hope I don't zap out anything else on the chip. Some say Connect L1 and now U say zap one of the L12 and some even say L3. What gives?

 

[PliotronX]

Originally posted by: TTM77

Originally posted by: machu
Cutting L12 Bridge

Battery trick

Wow, use a high voltage to zap a track. I hope I don't zap out anything else on the chip. Some say Connect L1 and now U say zap one of the L12 and some even say L3. What gives?

The groups of bridges have different effects on the CPU config. The L1 bridges, if all unconnected, lock the multiplier and if any combination of them are connected/unconnected it may produce only certain multipliers able to work. I think the L3 group has the affect of high and low multipliers, somewhere around 13x I think. I can't remember the precise details of it though.

The L12 group controls the FSB config. Currently, NF7-S boards have a strange bug that prevent 333 FSB Athlons from working well above a certain FSB. The only fix found apart from a much needed BIOS update from Abit, is to kill the L12 bridge that makes the chip a 333 FSB part by default. This then makes the chip default to 266 FSB (133MHz) and alleviates the bug.

 

[TTM77]

Originally posted by: PliotronX

Originally posted by: TTM77

Originally posted by: machu
Cutting L12 Bridge

Battery trick

Wow, use a high voltage to zap a track. I hope I don't zap out anything else on the chip. Some say Connect L1 and now U say zap one of the L12 and some even say L3. What gives?

The groups of bridges have different effects on the CPU config. The L1 bridges, if all unconnected, lock the multiplier and if any combination of them are connected/unconnected it may produce only certain multipliers able to work. I think the L3 group has the affect of high and low multipliers, somewhere around 13x I think. I can't remember the precise details of it though.

The L12 group controls the FSB config. Currently, NF7-S boards have a strange bug that prevent 333 FSB Athlons from working well above a certain FSB. The only fix found apart from a much needed BIOS update from Abit, is to kill the L12 bridge that makes the chip a 333 FSB part by default. This then makes the chip default to 266 FSB (133MHz) and alleviates the bug.

I just measure the resisstance and see that the one with the dark mark seem to have higher resistance (assuming they are unconnected). Why would you want to make the FSB lower by burning out the track? Wouldn't it be better to make it higher as possible?

In the Bios, I can change the FSB of the Mother Board and change the memory speed. But can't change the CPU speed. Am I right to assume after "unlocking" I can change this?

 

[machu]

Why would you want to make the FSB lower by burning out the track? Wouldn't it be better to make it higher as possible?

333MHz Bartons are recognized by the BIOS and by default the FSB is set to 333. (166x2). If you want to OC you don't really care if the BIOS recognizes your CPU as 333 or 266, you still want to set it manually to a much higher setting.
As it happens CPUs set by the factory to 333 are having hard time running at high FSB. My system with Barton 2500+ could not run with RAM set higher then 170MHz (340). By cutting L12 bridge, BIOS recognized the CPU as 266 (133x2) and immediately I could set the RAM to 440 (220x2). How was that possible, go figure... all I care is that it worked!

 

[TTM77]

Originally posted by: machu

Why would you want to make the FSB lower by burning out the track? Wouldn't it be better to make it higher as possible?

333MHz Bartons are recognized by the BIOS and by default the FSB is set to 333. (166x2). If you want to OC you don't really care if the BIOS recognizes your CPU as 333 or 266, you still want to set it manually to a much higher setting.

I see, so L12 the second one from the right is zap if I want to be able to change it manually the FSB? (only the second from the left of L12 or do I zap them all?) What do I zap/connect if I want to change the CPU Frequency? Right now I max out at 2.0GHz with only changing the FSB on the mother board. I want to go higher. Push it to the limit without burning it.

At default, my CPU run at 34 or 35oC. When I push up the FSB, it go up to like 45oC. What is the limit that I should keep it under? I see some go up to 80 or 90oC.