What is the most a athlon XP 3200+ has ever been OC'ed? And what are the setting for it, meaning vcore, FSB, and memory timings. I am interested because I can't seem to get mine over 2475mhz stable at 43c idle and 47c under load. If I take it up to 2520mhz it is stable for about 10 minutes and then BOOM reboot. I have tried taking the vcore up to 1.8v and laxing the memory timing to 10/6/6/3 and it still doesn't want to stable out at that OC. Any suggestions?
Thanx

I know Athlon XP 3200+ CPU's aren't any of your favorite CPU's to OC but I figured I could post here and get some suggestions from some more experienced OC'ers but looks like no one cares. Oh well, thanx for the suggestions anyhow.

Do a Google search. I did some research on the 3200 about year ago. 2400mhz sounds good. I think the main bottleneck is the motherboards FSB.

Just keeping my 3200 XP stable at default is tough.

I doubt you have the resources to get near the max. The cost of cooling would be more than just upgrading to a faster system.

The best rule of thumb is "12%" for how far you can generally oveclock any CPU (the average tolerance level in testing), but that assumes you have beyond-average cooling on your CPU/GPU (yes, *both*).

I seem to have enough trouble keeping my 3200+ stable just at it's default speed (temps same as you, the mid to low 40's depending on load), discovering only recently that my "3200" was actually a remarked/overclocked 2500+. I sent it back and they replaced it with a real non-OEM 3200+. If it turns out you have a fake 3200+ that is already overclocked, you're not going to push it any faster.

Once you start hitting speeds over 2GHz, the meager increase in speed due to OC'ing is not worth the potential trouble and damage you may do to your system. I doubt you could tell the difference between a 2.2GHz Athlon and a 2.4GHz Athlon. Don't waste your time.

Wanna REALLY speed up your PC? Look into getting faster hard drives... and someday (soon I hope), a full "SmartCard" based hard drive with no moving parts, 10x faster, using less electricity and generating less heat.

:grinthumb

Hey thanx for the replies. The Athlon XP I have is a genuine chip. Right now I have it OC'ed to 2475mhz and running exceptionally stable with temps of 41c idle and 46c under 100% load from Prime95 for over 24 hours with no errors. I did notice an increase in performance between 2.2ghz and 2.4ghz. However it wasn't much. I am benchmarking with 3DMark05 and the results are 5683 points with a Geforce 6800 GT 256MB card. I think I have found this chips MAX OC with reliable stability and reasonable cooling. I have 7 case fans, 3 of which are blowing straight on the CPU itself, and 3 on the GPU. If I could get this graphics card to OC like the CPU I think I could be well over the 6500 point mark on 3DMark05. I think I am going to invest in a good water cooling system to see if I can push this system to it's limits. I am not scared of burning this CPU up due to the prices of new mobile CPU's and so forth. Does anyone have any suggestions as to which water cooling system to go with? I was thinking about the Kingwin Arctic Cooling Kit but want some expert opinions.

What motherboard are you using?

ASUS A7N8X-E Deluxe, FSB @ 215

Hey Extreme,

What mobo settings are you using to get your clock up to 2475mhz? I got a Xp 3200+ and was wondering what I might be able to push it to. I have OCed it a little but nothing that fast. I got a Leadtek mobo that will let me OC it some, but not to 2475mhz.

Thanks for the encite.

Capt. Ruger

OC'ing at this level not worth it.

Hi Capt,

I tell people nowadays to not even waste their time OC'ing. The increase in speed is almost undetectible at this level and not worth the hassle of the extra cooling, compatibility and stability issues you'll encounter.

Back when processors were running at 300 and 400 MHz, a 1/6 increase in speed was definitely noticeable. But today, a bump from 2.2GHz to 2.4GHz is the difference between a 190 MHP Ferrari and a 200 MPH Ferrari.

My mobo is an ASUS mobo and it allows 1.850v vcore which is what it is set at. The multiplier is set to 11.5. I can set my FSB up to 300 if the CPU and memory can handle it. Right now, I have it set to 217fsb for an OC of 2511mhz. w/ watercooling. The temps are 35*c idle and 38*c under load for several hours. The change in speed is very noticable. To compare a CPU to a car is rediculous. +300mhz over stock on this chip is an accomplishment. My brother came over the other day, who is a computer genius, and I bet him he couldn't crash it without making a program that is puposely made to crash a PC, and he couldn't do it. I need to find out how to modifie my mobo for more vcore, if anyone knows it would help. I am thinking of incresing it to 2.5v to see how much farther I can take this XP CPU. Any suggestions on how to up the vcore voltage past what my mobo will allow would be highly appreciated.

Thanx in advance.

Hey vegasgmc, are you watercooled? Just wondering because of your OC on your 6800GT. I can't seem to get mine past 409/1113 on air.

be very careful. I had a 3200+ that I overclocked and burned out. the 3200+ generate a lot of heat. I would say you are already at the upper limits.

Well I changed out my mobo with a ABIT NF7-S V2.0 and I can tell a heck of a difference in performance and stability. I am running a 1.9 vcore and this thing runs at 31*c idle. I have ran prime95 for over 10 hours now and not 1 error with 218fsb x 11.5 @ 2511. And to boot, my memory timings are awesome. Not bad!

glad to hear it. I have had nothing but trouble from ASUS.

Yeah I don't think I'll ever buy ASUS agin after experiencing this. I just had SO many probs with that mobo it was rediculous. Very, very unstable. I have been experimenting with this new mobo all day and so far I have the CPU OC'ed to 11.5 x 224 @ 2578 with a 1.9 vcore and have ran prime95 for nearly 3 hours now with no errors, running 32* idle and 41* load. I had to adjust memory timing a bit but not much and still running stock voltage. Im stoked man, totally Amazed!

good luck. I wouldn't push it much further.

Well, now I have it OC'ed to 2593 (11.5 x 225) and prime95 has been running for over 10 hours. 31.5*c idle and 44*c load. I am wondering how much this Barton can take.. I think I will push it till it pops. Not worried about expense of new chip because I have back up of same 1. I think I can get 2700 out of this 1 with some cooling improvements. What do you all think?

don't expect the same performance from every chip. They're made in different batches.

Here is a screen shot of CPU-Z on my OC, with everything running smooth as a babies a**. This thing is fast as s*&t. And a memory shot to boot !

hope you have it decently cooled!

Why is it that when I raise my vcore my temps go down at idle but when I lower my vcore they go up?
I am confused, shouldn't my temps go down when I lower the vcore?
I was running at 29*c at idle with a 1.93 vcore and when I lowered it to 1.875 I started running at 36.5*c idle. BIG difference. So does anyone know what is up?