Terrible Overclocker or just need to get a better PSU?

[bloodugly]

First off, system specs:

Opty 144 CABNE 0544EPMW @ 2.56, temps stay in the mid 40's under full load
2 x 1gb Gskill PC4000 @ 256mhz
EVGA 7900gs KO
Epox 9npa+ Ultra board
200gb Seagate 7200.7 PATA
160gb WD PATA
NEC 3550 DVD burner
400watt Sparkle PSU, dual rail at 18amps (if i recall correctly), it was 30something bucks at Ewiz

Seems like no matter what I try (i've gone through all the overclocking guides, tried a billion different settings, and i've tried voltages from 1.4 to 1.6) I can't get this chip above the 2.5something range. I don't really want to give it anymore juice, because honestly I don't think it'll help, and I don't think I should have to going by other people's overclocks with this same stepping/date when I've googled it. I know my PSU is kinda lame. It was totally great for my previous severly overclocked XP setup with a 6800, but yeah...probably shouldn't be in this rig. Everest reads the 12v rail at 11.14volts in this rig now, when previously it read very close to 12. I know this board reads my CPU temp totally wrong, so perhaps its reading this voltage wrong too? The system is totally SP2004 stable right now, and gaming in Oblivion is just fine too...so I'd be kinda surprised if I could do that if that 12v rail reading is true. I'm just wondering what you guys think. Is it most likely this budget PSU holding back my overclock, or could I just have a bad overclocker?

 

[Zim]

Most Opterons have difficulty exceeding 2.6Ghz at any settings. Personally I wouldn't run one beyond 1.5v for any length of time.

 

[bloodugly]

Tons of single-core Opterons pass 2.6ghz. Lots of people run them beyond 1.5volts also.

 

[sbuckler]

Originally posted by: bloodugly
Tons of single-core Opterons pass 2.6ghz. Lots of people run them beyond 1.5volts also.

And that's cause you heard it on the web right?

1) Lots of people post higher scores then run stable 24-7.
2) The people who post are mostly those who get a really good overclocker, the silent majority with lesser chips don't bother.
3) It's not unusual for a hardcore overclocker to buy/rma several chips till they get a good one, which they then boast about.

 

[bloodugly]

Originally posted by: sbuckler

Originally posted by: bloodugly
Tons of single-core Opterons pass 2.6ghz. Lots of people run them beyond 1.5volts also.

And that's cause you heard it on the web right?

1) Lots of people post higher scores then run stable 24-7.
2) The people who post are mostly those who get a really good overclocker, the silent majority with lesser chips don't bother.
3) It's not unusual for a hardcore overclocker to buy/rma several chips till they get a good one, which they then boast about.

I understand there are sample variances. I went through a TON of XP chips over the years and I saw first hand the variances even in the same stepping/date. That's why my question is whether people thought it was the chip itself or the PSU holding me back because it can't handle the power draw when overclocking. And don't most of us get most of our info on the web these days? Yes there's tons of people that can't get a really good overclock, but there's also many who can. From what I've read, Lots of people can't get over 2.6...but I've seen lots of people that can with screenshots to back it up. Like I said, I was just seeing if I could get an opinion on if it was the chip or the PSU.

 

[aka1nas]

1.6v is more likely to hurt your OC due to heat than to help it. I get the same results in OCing with anything above 1.45v, just more heat with more voltage.

Also, you are probably running your RAM at too high of a clockspeed. The integrated memory controller gets more picky about RAM settings as you OC the CPU and it.

 

[bloodugly]

I have no Heat issues, I'm not breaking mid 40's under load. I finally dug out the multimeter, and all my voltages are solid with .02v movement max under full load. Even with ATITOOL and SP2004 running at the same time, I'm getting 12.13v, down from 12.2 at idle. A little high, but that's never caused me problems in the past. I've tried other RAM speeds, with no improvement in CPU speeds I'm able to obtain. I'm running this RAM at close to its stock speed now for being PC4000. Man...I miss the days when overclocking required practically no thought. I guess I'll have to just find another chip that suits me better.

 

[txtmstrjoe]

At Zim:

I beg to differ, sir.

I've had my 165 up to 2.727GHz stable, 1.4V VCore. I'm presently running it at 2.655GHz, 1.36V VCore. All this at air cooling.

With more bravery and maybe water cooling, I'm sure I can go up to 2.8GHz, maybe even a little bit beyond that.

 

[txtmstrjoe]

It's entirely possible that you've hit your chip's wall. More voltage injection would only result in more heat.