help picking parts

[wind_comm]

hey, you might have seen this thread before that hack (I was wondering what happened) but I need a little help

this is a little side project, to convert my old AMD K6-2 500 to something modern

yeah, I know, youre asking why I even have it around...I kept the drivers updated and the thing runs like a 650...yup, sub GHz is fun (its not my main comp but it used to be)

all I have to do is change the mobo, PSU, CPU, HSF, HD (maybe) and graphics card (BIG maybe)

ok, while I normally pick AMDs, I have an itch to OC a P4 for fun

I currently am considering:
P4 2.4 A (Prescott) w/3.4 E HSF
Enermax EG425P-VE-SFMA
and some others (i'm not really concentrating on this project)

but what I'm having trouble with is the mobo
I know the SIS 655TX is really good but this proc doesnt need 800FSB support, although it might need the yellow HSF mount (prescott ready)

ok so:
Abit VT7
Asus P4S800D-E-DX
Gigabyte SINXP1394

actually I'm having a hard time finding Prescott boards but, nay sugestions?

[silenze]

If you're going to upgrade to a Pentium 4, you may as well go with a C model :)

[playafly187]

"all I have to do is change the mobo, PSU, CPU, HSF, HD (maybe) and graphics card (BIG maybe) "


you will need new RAM also :)

[fstroupe]

all I have to do is change the mobo, PSU, CPU, HSF, HD (maybe) and graphics card (BIG maybe)


Besides RAM, what is left? Less than 100 bucks worth of stuff. And the new mobo may not fit in the old case, etc. That was my big dilemma until I actually started looking at numbers and realized that an upgrade would cost as much as a new build.

[Beemer]

Yeah, when it comes down to it those core componets you will have to get will be only slightly less than a new system.

[wind_comm]

oops...forgot bout that...but yah, after that...it's mostly gonna be an OCing challenge (with a bad airflow pattern) and how much I can fool around with it...yeah, I know the Canterwoods are great but I heard the Prescott A was a crazy OCer...then again, I really dont have to actually convert the thing...eh, I'll probably make it my firewall/server...so, on a REALLY tight OC budget, what would you guys recomend?

[silenze]

If you're looking for the best overclocker, I'd say the P4 2.4Ghz C model with hyper threading :D

( ever checked out www.cpudatabase.com ? )

[fstroupe]

( ever checked out www.cpudatabase.com ? )

Cool site. Gives you something to shoot for. Though, I wish the idiots were edited. I.E. the guy that said he got "3200" (mHz) from his 2500+ Barton with stock voltage and "a cheap aluminum heatsink." Of course he only was running it as if it were a 3200+.

[Beemer]

Yeah some of the numbers in there seem a little outrageous, especially stock cooling that get higher numbers than me :wink:

[silenze]

Most of the stock cooling guys aren't lying though surprisingly, seen a Lot of people get huge jumps on the stock cooler, I wouldn't recommend it though :P


Yeah, thankfully the false one's are pretty obvious :P

[Beemer]

I like the p4 3.0 @ 4.9Ghz and the guy that got his 3.0 to 3.9 on stock cooling. I doubt that, or at least doubt that its a permanent set up. :envisions these people turning on their pc's "Well it made it through post. Dang windows hung, looks like I ll have to back it down so I can post my new oc!":

[silenze]

2.4C to 3.3Ghz on the retail cooler.... what's that you say? ;)

http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/cpu/display/p4-2400c-oc_4.html

[Beemer]

2.4c overclocks more than a 3.0c. They are basically the same chip just a better batch become 3Ghz as they set the cpu multiplier higher. 2.4 is 12 vs 3.0 which is 15. So its pretty easy to get 900mhz out of the 2.4's because it is only 3.3Ghz. To take a 3.0 to 3.9 is a lot harder to do. Its more about the total Mhz than the Mhz increase.

[silenze]

I think you missed the point... that 2.4C is overclocked to 3.3ghz on the retail cooler...

[Beemer]

Yeah, I am saying that its more about the total Mhz (3900). I can overclock my 3.0 to 3.3 with ease on stock cooling, and produce the same amount of heat. But the higher you get in total Mhz, the more voltage & more heat , so it is much less stable. Its a lot harder to get 900mhz overclock from a 3.0 than a 2.4

[silenze]

Yes............................. I know this....................................

Point was................. p4's overclock well on the retail cooler............. Period.

[Beemer]

Yes, I know, but I have a better than stock cooler (thermalright sp94), and its tough to get 3.8 so its hard for me to believe that somebody got a 3.0 to 3.9 on stock cooling. My point was..........there is a threshold where the stock cooling isnt enough - prollly somewhere around 3.4-3.5 reguardless of it being a 2.4c or 3.0c or even 3.2c for that matter.

[techniq]

My 2.8 got up to 3.3 with no effort (voltage, etc) on the intel retail, so I would believe the 2.4 got up that high (might have required a slightly cooler room than how mine stays, but still, retail is retail whatever ambient temp they had).

[Beemer]

Oh, I believe that they got the 2.4 that high, I am just questioning them getting a 3.0 to 3.9 on stock cooling. an overclock of 900mhz is pretty common for the 2.4's but its a lot harder on a 3.0. I just say that from my experience overclocking a p4 3.0c, that you should take it with a grain of salt.

[KryoNexus]

i have a p4 2.8c that was running stable at 3.6ghz, but too much heat was being generated. i'm hopin that i can get it up to 3.87ghz, but to be honest, i doubt i'll be able to push it up there unless i can get phase change cooling. right now i'm running a globalwin silent stream that outperformed my old 847-U, and 3.6 is still the most i can push (well right now i'm not pushing anything till i get my mobo replaced, but regardless)

on a side note, vr-zone's OC database shows the highest overclock for air cooling on a 3.0C to be 3858Mhz.

[playafly187]

My 2.8 got up to 3.3 with no effort (voltage, etc) on the intel retail, so I would believe the 2.4 got up that high (might have required a slightly cooler room than how mine stays, but still, retail is retail whatever ambient temp they had).

i do agree that room temp. plays a big part in your level of overclocking. just imagine setting the AC on 50... using a nice Thermalright heatsink with a 92mm vantec tornado fan.... i bet you could get some pretty high overclocks with that...

[Roadracer_4ever]

i do agree that room temp. plays a big part in your level of overclocking. just imagine setting the AC on 50... using a nice Thermalright heatsink with a 92mm vantec tornado fan.... i bet you could get some pretty high overclocks with that...[/quote]

I've heard of guys actually buying a small apartment sized freezer and setting the case inside of it to cool everything off for some extreme overclocking...anyone in here ever bother with that?

[playafly187]

i have heard of a few people doing that, as well as doing extreme cooling with liquid nitrogen. of course, these methods are not practical and often times end up killing the hardware.

[techniq]

One of the biggest problems with the refrigerator idea is preventing condensation. Water and electronics don't mix, unless the water is in some tubing ;)