[Overclocking] A7V8X / Barton 2500+

On Mon, 12 Jan 2004 21:10:53 -0600, "Norm" wrote:

did you find a good source for unlocked Athlon XP Barton 2500+ ? Most
retailers won't promsie unlocked cpu's

I got mine on Ebay. But be careful. I bid on one CPU on the basis of
the included photograph. I magnified the photo and could just make out
the week number as 34 but I later found out that the seller had used a
generic photo and the week number was actually 42. After a lot of time
and hassle I managed to get him to refund my money. Basically, a lot
of sellers aren't aware of the 2500+ locking issue.

I've managed to overclock my unlocked 2500+ (using the FSB only) to
the equivelant of a 3200+. I can only go a few Mhz higher by
overclocking the CPU on its own. I should have spent my extra money on
better memory/cooling rather than an unlocked CPU.


Dan

On Wed, 14 Jan 2004 09:05:16 GMT, Nanga Parbat wrote:

Dan Dan wrote:

Overclocking isn't all about speed, it's mainly a hobby. Well, to me
it is

To you it is! To the majority who have a specific budget it's a way of
getting better value for money.


Often overlooked are the possibilities of underclocking. Not long ago
I had to install UnixWare7 to do some testing. This is an old OS that
won't install on CPU's running above 600MHz, no problem for a 2500+ if
it's unlocked. Once installed you can run it at full speed.

And what percentage of people who read this newsgroup would find
themselves in that esoteric situation?

Underclocking is also nice if you wanna play older games that run way
the fast on newer computers. Etc...

You don't need an unlocked CPU to achieve that. Simply change the
speed of the FSB.

That's where an unlocked CPU is at his best. If your memory isn't that
good, just push the multiplier.

If you have X amount of money in your budget and you want to maximise
the value you get from it then my point is that you should think
carefully before paying a premium for an unlocked CPU. Of course If
you get it at the same price then it's a 'no brainer' but unlocked
CPU's are selling at around a 20% premium on Ebay at the moment.

It's not that locked CPU's aren't overclockable, it's their lack of
possibilities

Well, in my case, despite the fact I'm seriously overclocking, I'm
making little use of the fact that my CPU is unlocked. The (small)
premium I paid was largely a waste of money.



Dan