**Update, now with Mainboard comparision** All about P4 1.6a Northwood here!

[KenAF]

sulu,

Make sure you have the PCI and AGP dividers locked in near their defaults using the "turbo 1" option in the bios. Also, please try a FSB of 133MHz or higher. As I told you in the other thread, also make sure you do not have anything plugged into the USB 1.1 slots (if you have the P4B266, use the USB 2.0 slots when overclocking).

advocate,

According to the reports on Hardforum, the MSI doesn't overclock quite as well as some of the other boards. All 1.6A's are going to hit 2128MHz, but when you get to 2400MHz and particularly 2500-2600MHz, the board plays a big part in the extent to which you are able to overclock. If you only want to run 2128MHz, which would seem a waste, IMO, then just get the cheapest board you can find. If you want to hit 2550 or 2650MHz, then I would look to the Asus P4B266 or P4S333.

 

[exp]

Apparently the MSI 645 Ultra only allows you to up the Vcore to 1.6, which would really suck for o/cing.

OTOH, the Epox 4SDA+ looks really good for overclocking but I haven't heard of anyone who has it yet.

 

[SSGTi]

BigJ2078, Where have you heard that about that 125 mhz bus speed problem ?? Tom's hardware use the gigabyte mobo when they oc'd there p4 to 3 ghz and Anand recommends it has the best p4 ddr board...

 

[WheelsCSM]

Well, I just ordered my 1.6A and P4S333 from Newegg last night, hopefully they will be in this Thursday. Can't wait to fire it up and start overclocking. Any suggestions from you veterans out there? This will be my first Intel Overclock. Should be quite a difference from my old 912 MHz Athlon (non-Tbird). Thanks

 

[BigJ]

<< BigJ2078, Where have you heard that about that 125 mhz bus speed problem ?? Tom's hardware use the gigabyte mobo when they oc'd there p4 to 3 ghz and Anand recommends it has the best p4 ddr board... >>



Here's one thread in Anandtech's forums:

Gigabyte, overclocking, rude tech support
Also, many ppl (like Stawberrymom) have mentioned the issue in the posts they've made recently in the P4 1.6A topics. You have to literally unplug the power cord from the case or outlet to turn the puppy when reaching speeds in excess of 125mhz.

 

[SSGTi]

Hmm thanks for the link... Damn just when I thought I had decided on a mobo... might have to think twice now...

 

[SSGTi]

Ok so since the Gigabyte p4 titan has some issues for rebooting, what does everyone here think about the MSI 845 ULTRA ?? Any issues ?

 

[Wolfram]

apparently the MSI 645 ultra puts a cap on the vcore at 1.6 or so. otherwise a pretty good price/performance board. I am currently debating the MSI vs Asus P4S333. Was going with an athalon chip until I read about the P4 OCing. So started the research process in a new direction!

 

[kevman]

<< sulu,

Make sure you have the PCI and AGP dividers locked in near their defaults using the "turbo 1" option in the bios. Also, please try a FSB of 133MHz or higher. As I told you in the other thread, also make sure you do not have anything plugged into the USB 1.1 slots (if you have the P4B266, use the USB 2.0 slots when overclocking).

advocate,

According to the reports on Hardforum, the MSI doesn't overclock quite as well as some of the other boards. All 1.6A's are going to hit 2128MHz, but when you get to 2400MHz and particularly 2500-2600MHz, the board plays a big part in the extent to which you are able to overclock. If you only want to run 2128MHz, which would seem a waste, IMO, then just get the cheapest board you can find. If you want to hit 2550 or 2650MHz, then I would look to the Asus P4B266 or P4S333. >>



Ken,

Turbo1 setting locks the AGP/PCI dviders? I thought that the Asus p4b26 automatically does this?

 

[Slacker]

I have the p4s333, got it last week, make sure you check the cpu:mem ratio in the bios, if you are going for a big overclock you should leave it at 1:1 for memory speed=bus speed

if you run at 100mhz fsb for the cpu and you have ddr333 ram then set the ratio to 3:5 for 166mhz ram clock (=333ddr)

Determining the ram speed is a little complicated,

take your fsb speed and divide it by the first number of the ratio then multiply that by the second number of the ratio,

example........

for a 3:5 memory ratio at 100mhz fsb divide 100 by 3 = 33 times 5 = 166 mhz memory speed,

also the available ratios change depending on the fsb, so if you are at say 150fsb cpu the ratios are 1:1 4:3 and 4:5 (i think)

so if your cpu can handle 150mhz fsb then leave your memory at 1:1 (if your memory can do 150mhz)

or to have the memory run at less than the cpu fsb set it to 4:3 in this case it works out like this, fsb is 150 divided by 4 = 37.5 times 3 = 112mhz memory speed

I have a 1.6 now but I have a 1.6a on the way, it wont be here until next monday though

I am REALLY hoping it will do 150mhz cpu fsb, that would be awesome to get it to 2.4ghz with 300mhz ddr memory speed

 

[Expandable]

Slacker,

I see some get to 150 FSB with P4B266.

Have fun with your 1.6a OC madness!

 

[kulki]

deciding the mobo seems reallly tricky
I was initially thinking of MSI 645 since its really cheap and pretty stable. As far I see the major disadavantage as mentioned earlier is the 1.6v limitation which might not be a major factor if ur lucky but could be a problem if u CPU is not stable at 1.6v. I have been swayed towards buying the P4s333 Mobo what do u guys think

 

[Scott5000]

Just found this SIS 645 roundup on digilife. I already ordered the P4S333/1600a combo a couple days ago and am waiting for it, but the Gigabyte 8SRX looks very impressive with it Rev A2 chipset and overclocking options. Both the Asus and Gigabyte were the fastest, with the Gigabyte leading some benches by just a hair. The Gigabyte is also going for around 80$ on pricewatch. Too bad there are not any other reviews out there stating how high the FSB will get to on the 8SRX yet. I think the safest bet right now is still the Asus 645 board. Here is the link to the 645 roundup on Digilife.

645 roundup

 

[Instigator]

codehack2,
Your a mad man! Next you'll be overclocking your toaster! Hey and where is my $129 G4 4600?

 

[kulki]

darn is the MSI 645 Ultra board really that bad when it comes to OCing? I mean the price difference between the MSI board and the Asus one is huge. Is it really worth its price difference this Asus board?

 

[kulki]

Pl check this review MSI 645
It says that "Changeable core voltage + Up to 1.85 V in 0.025 V steps "
Can someone confirm if this is indeed true. If it is true I dont see the problem with this board for OCing

 

[bonkers325]

<< Hi,
I just got 1.8A and P4B266 too, but I am having problem oclocking. I can only get to 129 FSB with 1.725 V! I also get lock up when I reboot.

One thing I noticed in the Hardware monitor and MBM is that no matter what voltage above 1.65 I set, thevoltage stays at 1.65V. I have the board over-volted too. If jump the board for non-over-bolting then the voltage reads 1.5v no matter what CPU voltage I set.
When you set CPu voltage to 1.7V, does your harware monitor in the BIOS read 1.7V? Please help I think there is something wrong with my motherboard. I tried 2 different power supply. Please help! >>



hmm i think u got a dud
case it takes u so much volts to overclock
i have built 10 systems so far with the 1.6a and asus p4b266-c
all do 133fsb@1.5v

 

[Yourself]

I have my Asus P4B266 running my 1.6a @157 fsb with no problems. I don't however know my temps because the asus probe reads a continuous 40c.

Self

 

[whateverdude]

yourself, are you only using the bios monitor? I installed the probe software in windows, then run a looping sandra cpu bench and the temp changes. it was getting up to 48, 49, I took my hs off this afternoon, lapped the 1.6a, then reapplied thinner layer of AS, now it doesnt break 43. but this does show up in the software. I have the 266-C btw. It never goes below 40 though. currently have mine at 140, 1.525v. gonna run a looping demo all night tonite to test stability.

does anyone know about the new thermaltake volcano 7+ for p4's? any good? loud? any other recommendations for a good cooler?

 

[Tom]

kulki,

I'm using an MSI 645 Ultra and the maximum vcore available with a Northwood is 1.6v.(actually 1.57v according to voltage reporting utilities) The higher number from that review is for earlier non-Northwood processors.

Mine does work well, but the voltage could be a problem. It's possible to get around it using a somewhat risky wire trick, a better idea might be to try the Epox 4SDA which doesn't cost much more. I haven't been able to find much info about the Epox tho'.

BTW, I was able to overclock my 1.8a to 2.25g, with another .5 volt I'm pretty sure it would be stable at 2.4g. Even at 2.25g it's a super system.

 

[Yourself]

Whateverdude-

I tried using the probe software and it never moved off 40....either up or down. I did however find that Motherboard Monitor works like a charm. If you set the CPU to read ASUS2(CUSL) board sensor in the setup it reads the proper temps. Running prime last night it peaked at 48c under load and is about ~37-38 idle.

BTW...I too am waiting for the Volcano 7+.....


Self

 

[y2kc]

I got my 1.6a (retail/fan) northwood up to 2GHZ (self imposed limit) on my Abit BD7. I did replace the tape with thermal paste from Radio Shack and my CPU temp is hovering around 37.5 C. She seems to be pretty solid for now as long as I keep the voltage @ 1.6. I've made no other changes in the BIOS and I just wanted to know if I'm doing this (overclocking) right. Are there any other settings elsewhere in the BIOS that should be adjusted? I haven't overclocked since I had my 300a and documentation on the subject (overclocking this particular chip) seems to be scarce (besides here of course) thanks.

Ext. Clock (CPU,AGP,PCI) 125/62/31 MHZ
FSB Ratio (CPU,PCI) 4:1
Multiplier Factor x16
Memory Freq (CPU,DRAM) DDR200
Speed Error Disabled (DUH!)

Core Voltage 1.6 V
DRAM Voltage 2.5 V

 

[kulki]

<< I got my 1.6a (retail/fan) northwood up to 2GHZ (self imposed limit) on my Abit BD7. I did replace the tape with thermal paste from Radio Shack and my CPU temp is hovering around 37.5 C. She seems to be pretty solid for now as long as I keep the voltage @ 1.6. I've made no other changes in the BIOS and I just wanted to know if I'm doing this (overclocking) right. Are there any other settings elsewhere in the BIOS that should be adjusted? I haven't overclocked since I had my 300a and documentation on the subject (overclocking this particular chip) seems to be scarce (besides here of course) thanks.

Ext. Clock (CPU,AGP,PCI) 125/62/31 MHZ
FSB Ratio (CPU,PCI) 4:1
Multiplier Factor x16
Memory Freq (CPU,DRAM) DDR200
Speed Error Disabled (DUH!)

Core Voltage 1.6 V
DRAM Voltage 2.5 V >>


could u tell me on what basis did u decide the ratio 4:1 for CPUCI? Is is due to the fact that PCI bus is supposed to run around 31MhZ?
Whats the default value of the PCI bus frequency?
thanks

 

[JeffG]

Ordered a 1.6a today, a "sunflower" cooler and Artic Silver 3. Got the heat spreader for the DDR also. Still haven't decided on the memory or the motherboard.

 

[y2kc]

<< could u tell me on what basis did u decide the ratio 4:1 for CPUCI? Is is due to the fact that PCI bus is supposed to run around 31MhZ? >>



yes. at 3:1 the bus was a bit high (i don't know the exact number). the bus runs at 33 by default. these settings appear to be ok, system seems to be stable and cool, but I'm sure i could do a bit more tweaking.