Help noob o/c A64 3200+ (Venice) on Asus A8V Deluxe? Thanks!

First off, I'm not a gamer, and as you can guess I am a total noob at
this, but I really want to try to overclock my new A64 3200+ Venice
core chip to see if I can get better performance out of the
applicatons I use.

I have tried to learn from searching the Internet, but I think I'm
more confused than ever now. If anyone uses the Asus A8V Deluxe (rev.
2.0) board I sure would appreciate some info on how and where to start
with this.

My system:

Asus A8v Deluxe mobo Socket 939, Rev. 2.0
Athlon 64 3200+ Venice core chip, Rev. E3
Corsair ValueSelect 1 gig (2x512) DDR400/PC3200 RAM, dual-channel mode
ATI Radeon 9200 AGP graphics adapter @ 8X

CPU-Z reports this:

CPU

voltage: 1.456v
core speed: 2002.4 MHz
multiplier: x 10.0
HTT: 200.2 MHz

Memory:

Type: DDR-SDRAM
1024 megabytes, dual channel
Frequency: 200.3 MHz
FSB/DRAM: CPU/10
CAS Latency: 2.5 clocks
RAS to CAS Delay: 3 clocks
RAS Precharge: 3 clocks
Cycle Time (Tras): 8 clocks
Bank Cycle Time (TRC): 11 clocks
DRAM Idle Timer: 16 clocks
no correction, not registered, not buffered


Mainboard:

A8V Deluxe, Rev. 1.xx (but the board has 2.0 stamped on it)


Graphic Interface:

AGP ver. 3.0
Transfer rate: 8x
Aperture size: 32 mbs
side band enabled


Thanks for reading this long message and please help if you can.

CB

That's a long story.

I have an A8V Deluxe, Rev 2, with a 3500+ "Newcastle" CPU. I'm running the
latest beta BIOS (1014.007), although 1009 is recommended by many
overclockers. (The main advantage I see with the newer BIOSes is an end to
cold boot glitches.)

I had little luck with the Asus AI overclocking settings. With manual
settings, I pick up one speed grade (3800+ performance). It's quite stable,
so I leave it there.

In no particular order, I'm using the following settings:

AGP/PCI locked at 66/33 MHz. (I'm using the VIA SATA controller with a RAID
0 pair of disks.)

CPU frequency 220 MHz (normal is 200)

Multiplier at default 11X (net 2.42 GHz)

CPU core voltage at 1.50 V (up from 1.45)

memory voltage at 2.7V

Memory timings set manually, 2.5-3-3-8. (My sticks are unmatched; one of
them is only rated at 3-4-4-8 at PC3200. I have run memory tests for long
periods without errors.)

Command rate 2T disabled (so the command rate is set to 1T). This has a
significant influence on memory performance benchmarks. (I'm less sure how
important it might be in real performance.)

The main hardware change I've made is using a Thermalright XP-120 heatsink
on the CPU. It's huge, but relatively light. (It's perhaps a bit too huge
for my Antec Super Lanboy mid-tower case, although it fits. The case uses a
pair of 120 mm fans, one blowing in at the front, a second exhausting at the
back.) I've also gone to a 480W Tagan power supply, motivated by an nVidia
Geforce 6800GT graphics card. (The PSU is good for up to 28A on the +12V
line, which may be more than is really needed.)

Your ATI 9200 is not a major consumer of power (it gets all of its power
through the AGP slot), so your power supply may not be a concern.

I'd expect that a Venice CPU (90 nm design) would be more overclock-friendly
than my old Newcastle (130 nm). Note that the power dissipation increases as
the square of the core voltage, so be cautious about cranking that up.

I'm not sure what sites to recommend for overclocking tips. For information
on BIOS settings,

http://www.rojakpot.com/default.aspx?location=1

For encouragement, visit:

http://www.overclockers.com/

There's a database of OC'd CPUs there, including ones cooled by phase change
chillers (refrigeration).

Have fun.

Address scrambled. Replace nkbob with bobkn.

"ChowBoy" wrote in message
...
First off, I'm not a gamer, and as you can guess I am a total noob at
this, but I really want to try to overclock my new A64 3200+ Venice
core chip to see if I can get better performance out of the
applicatons I use.

I have tried to learn from searching the Internet, but I think I'm
more confused than ever now. If anyone uses the Asus A8V Deluxe (rev.
2.0) board I sure would appreciate some info on how and where to start
with this.

My system:

Asus A8v Deluxe mobo Socket 939, Rev. 2.0
Athlon 64 3200+ Venice core chip, Rev. E3
Corsair ValueSelect 1 gig (2x512) DDR400/PC3200 RAM, dual-channel mode
ATI Radeon 9200 AGP graphics adapter @ 8X

CPU-Z reports this:

CPU

voltage: 1.456v
core speed: 2002.4 MHz
multiplier: x 10.0
HTT: 200.2 MHz

Memory:

Type: DDR-SDRAM
1024 megabytes, dual channel
Frequency: 200.3 MHz
FSB/DRAM: CPU/10
CAS Latency: 2.5 clocks
RAS to CAS Delay: 3 clocks
RAS Precharge: 3 clocks
Cycle Time (Tras): 8 clocks
Bank Cycle Time (TRC): 11 clocks
DRAM Idle Timer: 16 clocks
no correction, not registered, not buffered


Mainboard:

A8V Deluxe, Rev. 1.xx (but the board has 2.0 stamped on it)


Graphic Interface:

AGP ver. 3.0
Transfer rate: 8x
Aperture size: 32 mbs
side band enabled


Thanks for reading this long message and please help if you can.

CB

Thanks for taking time to help and point me to those links.

CB


That's a long story.

Have fun.