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**Praetor** · 07-04-2005, 10:25 AM

Section 2 - Building an OC System: What to Look For
There are five major component areas that need to be examined for a successful (i.e., significant) OC (some will/have be dealt with in other 101 guides)

Naturally having a good CPU is important: some CPUs are more friendly to OCing than others. Generally, one, two or three models back from the latest and greatest is an ideal OCing processor
Having a good flexible motherboard that will let you get to the nitty gritty features is critical. All the fancy parts in the world wont mean very much if you cant get access to the manual controls that allow you to fine tune your OC
A good cooling solution is critical to ensuring that your system doesnt die of heatdeath (i.e., overheating and burning out). To a degree the motherboard should feature some protection features but usually those features kick in after it's already too late (and your system is approaching fatal temperatures).
Since RAM speed is often determined by mobo/CPU speed, it's important to have memory that scales effectively with the rest of your OC attempts
Having a good PSU is critical: the harder your push your system, the more sensitive it becomes to voltage fluctuations and as such you need a nice solid power supply to ensure your setup gets the clean power it needs.

Which CPUs are OC Friendly? Which will benifit from OCing?
If you've not decided what platform to choose yet, have a look at the CPU 101, for those that have an idea of what platform they want, some processors to consider:

For those looking at the AthlonXP or Sempron(462), platforms, consider
- AthlonXP 2500+ (Barton core, AXDA2500DKV4D) ... this is the lowest model of the AthlonXP running with the Barton core (which features 512K of L2 cache over the 256K on previous models). Being the lowest model, it will have the lowest price tag and also has a decent OC ceiling thus granting an awesome performance return potential
- AthlonXP 2800+ (Barton core, AXDA2800DKV4D) ... one of the more popular AthlonXPs packing a decent amount of performance for its cost straight out of the box and still has a nice OC ceiling
- AthlonXP 3000+ (Barton core, AXDA3000DKV4E) ... although this processor starts to become a bit more expensive than it's worth, it has the distinction of being the cheapest/lowest AthlonXP processor featuring a 200MHz core clock (the other Bartons pack a 166MHz core) and thus gives you a slight head start when it comes to OCing the core)
- Sempron 2500+ (TBredB-Paris based, SDA2500DUT3D) ... again chosen because it's the cheapest model and still has a decent OC ceiling
- Sempron 2800+ (TBredB-Paris based, SDA2800DUT3D) ... same reasoning as the AthlonXP 2800+, this is a fairly decent chip right out of the box and has a nice balance of price/performance both in stock and OC'd state
- Sempron 3000+ (Barton, SDA3000DUT4D) ... this is the only Barton based S462 Sempron (thus meaning it packs 512K L2 cache as opposed to 256K) and also is the highest Sempron model available for the S462 platform.
For those looking for a Athlon64(754) or Sempron(754) option,
- Athlon64 2800+ (Clawhammer, ADA2800AEP4AP) .... being the lowest rated Athlon64 this will also be the cheapest Athlon64 and thus be a good price/OCability route
- Athlon64 3200+ (Newcastle, ADA3200AEP4X) ... choosing not to go for the Clawhammer for this processor was simply based on the fact that the Newcastle would be cheaper
- Athlon64 3700+ (Clawhammer, ADA3700AEP5AR) ... this is the best S754 processor AMD made to date (dunno if they planning on extending the S754 lineup or not) but if you want to get the most from your S754 box this is the processor to get. Of course, with the pricetag of the 3700+ you should be in the ballpark of a S939 setup
- Sempron 3000+ (Plaermo Winchester-based SDA3000AIO2BO) ... the lowest S754 model (thus the cheapest), this Sempron should be affordable and being built on a 90nm process gives it a cooling advantage (thus allowing for a higher OC ceiling than the older 130nm-process based chips)
- Sempron 3300+ (Plalermo Winchester-based, SDA3300AIO2BO) ... this is the latest and greatest Sempron, packing SSE3, being a 90nm processor and supporting AMD64 makes this a very versitile platform to OC from
For those looking at the Athlon64(939) platform, have a look at:
- Athlon64 3000+ (Winchester, ADA3000DIK4BI) ... the lowest grade S939 Athlon64 processor and being a 90nm processor make this a very good choice from both a performance/cost and OCability perspective
- Athlon64 3500+ (Winchester, ADA3500DIK4BI) ... a midrange (pricewise) processor with good out-of-the-box performance and decent OC ceiling make this an ideal candidate
- Athlon64 3700+ (San Diego, ADA3700AEP5AR) ... a good processor packing a recent core but without becoming excessively pricey, this is a good processor for those wanting an above-average out-of-the-box setup to start with but without stepping into the "expensive arena"
- Athlon64 FX53 (Sledgehammer, ADAFX53DEP5AS) ... cheapst of the FX processors for the S939 platform and packing 1MB of L2 and totally unlocked multipliers, this is the cheapest uber-OC chip you can get
- Athlon64 FX57 (San Diego, ADAFX57DAA5BN) ... the best single-core processor available now, this CPU packs 1MB L2 cache, SSE3 support and a tweaked memory controoler in addition to fully unlocked multipliers for lots of OCing control
- Athlon64 X2 4200+ (Manchester, ADA4200DAA5BV) ... the lowest model of the dual-core processors and thus the cheapest, this is the best proc to get if you're trying to balance dual-core, price and tons of OC headroom make this a brilliant processor
- Athlon64 X2 4800+ (Toledo, ADA4800DAA6CD) ... the best all around chip money can buy (and it's going to take a lot of money) but this is a superb platform straight out of the box so OCing it should yield some devasating resullts
For those looking at the Pentium4(478) platform, have a look at:
- Pentium4 2.80 (NorthwoodC) ... an ever increasingly rare processor, this was a great CPU both out of the box and OCd and for a reasonable price
- Pentium4 3.20 (NorthwoodC) ... a bit more common than the 2.80, this processor also has a bit more OC flexibility due to a higher stock multiplier
- Pentium4 3.20 (Prescott) ... cheaper than its Northwood counterparts and also significantly hotter and less clock efficient, many enthusiasts have gotten significant overclocks from this processor
For those looking at the Pentium4(775) platform, have a look at:
- Pentium4 520/620 (Prescott/Prescott2M) ... at 2.80GHz this is the lowest and cheapest processor of its series and poses less of a heat-problem than its 478 siblings yet still has room for OCing
- Pentium4 540/640 (Prescott/Prescott2M) ... very impressive out-of-the-box performance coupled with nice OC capabilities and a reasonable pricetag make this a very respectable processor to buy
- Pentium4 550 (Prescott) ... this is the lowest S775 processor that supports hacked clock multiplier unlocking on certain motherboards
- Pentium D 820 (Smithfield) ... this is the lowest modeled Intel dual-core processor available and is quite affordable .. a definite solid candidate for OCing
- Pentium Extreme Edition 840 (Smithfield) ... this heavy hitting (performance and budgetwise) processor is the best Intel has to offer and OCing it to get all the performance you can may be the only way to relieve yourself of the sting of its cost hehe

On to Part 2 ...

07-04-2005, 10:25 AM	#3 (permalink)
Praetor Administrator Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Canada Age: 24 Posts: 19,946	Section 2 Part 01 Section 2 - Building an OC System: What to Look For There are five major component areas that need to be examined for a successful (i.e., significant) OC (some will/have be dealt with in other 101 guides) Naturally having a good CPU is important: some CPUs are more friendly to OCing than others. Generally, one, two or three models back from the latest and greatest is an ideal OCing processor Having a good flexible motherboard that will let you get to the nitty gritty features is critical. All the fancy parts in the world wont mean very much if you cant get access to the manual controls that allow you to fine tune your OC A good cooling solution is critical to ensuring that your system doesnt die of heatdeath (i.e., overheating and burning out). To a degree the motherboard should feature some protection features but usually those features kick in after it's already too late (and your system is approaching fatal temperatures). Since RAM speed is often determined by mobo/CPU speed, it's important to have memory that scales effectively with the rest of your OC attempts Having a good PSU is critical: the harder your push your system, the more sensitive it becomes to voltage fluctuations and as such you need a nice solid power supply to ensure your setup gets the clean power it needs. Which CPUs are OC Friendly? Which will benifit from OCing? If you've not decided what platform to choose yet, have a look at the CPU 101, for those that have an idea of what platform they want, some processors to consider: For those looking at the AthlonXP or Sempron(462), platforms, consider AthlonXP 2500+ (Barton core, AXDA2500DKV4D) ... this is the lowest model of the AthlonXP running with the Barton core (which features 512K of L2 cache over the 256K on previous models). Being the lowest model, it will have the lowest price tag and also has a decent OC ceiling thus granting an awesome performance return potential AthlonXP 2800+ (Barton core, AXDA2800DKV4D) ... one of the more popular AthlonXPs packing a decent amount of performance for its cost straight out of the box and still has a nice OC ceiling AthlonXP 3000+ (Barton core, AXDA3000DKV4E) ... although this processor starts to become a bit more expensive than it's worth, it has the distinction of being the cheapest/lowest AthlonXP processor featuring a 200MHz core clock (the other Bartons pack a 166MHz core) and thus gives you a slight head start when it comes to OCing the core) Sempron 2500+ (TBredB-Paris based, SDA2500DUT3D) ... again chosen because it's the cheapest model and still has a decent OC ceiling Sempron 2800+ (TBredB-Paris based, SDA2800DUT3D) ... same reasoning as the AthlonXP 2800+, this is a fairly decent chip right out of the box and has a nice balance of price/performance both in stock and OC'd state Sempron 3000+ (Barton, SDA3000DUT4D) ... this is the only Barton based S462 Sempron (thus meaning it packs 512K L2 cache as opposed to 256K) and also is the highest Sempron model available for the S462 platform. For those looking for a Athlon64(754) or Sempron(754) option, Athlon64 2800+ (Clawhammer, ADA2800AEP4AP) .... being the lowest rated Athlon64 this will also be the cheapest Athlon64 and thus be a good price/OCability route Athlon64 3200+ (Newcastle, ADA3200AEP4X) ... choosing not to go for the Clawhammer for this processor was simply based on the fact that the Newcastle would be cheaper Athlon64 3700+ (Clawhammer, ADA3700AEP5AR) ... this is the best S754 processor AMD made to date (dunno if they planning on extending the S754 lineup or not) but if you want to get the most from your S754 box this is the processor to get. Of course, with the pricetag of the 3700+ you should be in the ballpark of a S939 setup Sempron 3000+ (Plaermo Winchester-based SDA3000AIO2BO) ... the lowest S754 model (thus the cheapest), this Sempron should be affordable and being built on a 90nm process gives it a cooling advantage (thus allowing for a higher OC ceiling than the older 130nm-process based chips) Sempron 3300+ (Plalermo Winchester-based, SDA3300AIO2BO) ... this is the latest and greatest Sempron, packing SSE3, being a 90nm processor and supporting AMD64 makes this a very versitile platform to OC from For those looking at the Athlon64(939) platform, have a look at: Athlon64 3000+ (Winchester, ADA3000DIK4BI) ... the lowest grade S939 Athlon64 processor and being a 90nm processor make this a very good choice from both a performance/cost and OCability perspective Athlon64 3500+ (Winchester, ADA3500DIK4BI) ... a midrange (pricewise) processor with good out-of-the-box performance and decent OC ceiling make this an ideal candidate Athlon64 3700+ (San Diego, ADA3700AEP5AR) ... a good processor packing a recent core but without becoming excessively pricey, this is a good processor for those wanting an above-average out-of-the-box setup to start with but without stepping into the "expensive arena" Athlon64 FX53 (Sledgehammer, ADAFX53DEP5AS) ... cheapst of the FX processors for the S939 platform and packing 1MB of L2 and totally unlocked multipliers, this is the cheapest uber-OC chip you can get Athlon64 FX57 (San Diego, ADAFX57DAA5BN) ... the best single-core processor available now, this CPU packs 1MB L2 cache, SSE3 support and a tweaked memory controoler in addition to fully unlocked multipliers for lots of OCing control Athlon64 X2 4200+ (Manchester, ADA4200DAA5BV) ... the lowest model of the dual-core processors and thus the cheapest, this is the best proc to get if you're trying to balance dual-core, price and tons of OC headroom make this a brilliant processor Athlon64 X2 4800+ (Toledo, ADA4800DAA6CD) ... the best all around chip money can buy (and it's going to take a lot of money) but this is a superb platform straight out of the box so OCing it should yield some devasating resullts For those looking at the Pentium4(478) platform, have a look at: Pentium4 2.80 (NorthwoodC) ... an ever increasingly rare processor, this was a great CPU both out of the box and OCd and for a reasonable price Pentium4 3.20 (NorthwoodC) ... a bit more common than the 2.80, this processor also has a bit more OC flexibility due to a higher stock multiplier Pentium4 3.20 (Prescott) ... cheaper than its Northwood counterparts and also significantly hotter and less clock efficient, many enthusiasts have gotten significant overclocks from this processor For those looking at the Pentium4(775) platform, have a look at: Pentium4 520/620 (Prescott/Prescott2M) ... at 2.80GHz this is the lowest and cheapest processor of its series and poses less of a heat-problem than its 478 siblings yet still has room for OCing Pentium4 540/640 (Prescott/Prescott2M) ... very impressive out-of-the-box performance coupled with nice OC capabilities and a reasonable pricetag make this a very respectable processor to buy Pentium4 550 (Prescott) ... this is the lowest S775 processor that supports hacked clock multiplier unlocking on certain motherboards Pentium D 820 (Smithfield) ... this is the lowest modeled Intel dual-core processor available and is quite affordable .. a definite solid candidate for OCing Pentium Extreme Edition 840 (Smithfield) ... this heavy hitting (performance and budgetwise) processor is the best Intel has to offer and OCing it to get all the performance you can may be the only way to relieve yourself of the sting of its cost hehe On to Part 2 ... __________________ ASUS P5K Premium WiFi-AP, Q6600@3.7 / ASUS P5ND, E6400@3.8 4GB OCz Platinum XTC 8500 / 4GB CorsairXMS2 6400 5x500GB Seagate 7200.10 / 2x500 Seagate 7200.10 OCz 8800GTX 768MB @ 630/800 / 2x Galaxy 8800GT SLI Last edited by Praetor; 07-04-2005 at 10:48 AM.