Need ram help for budget AMD overclocker... - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

cheesemoney · 01-30-2004, 11:05 PM

I am putting together a very basic budget overclocker for my brother. It is gonna be a budget gaming system.

AMD XP 2500+ Barton 333 Fsb (will be OC'd to 400 mhz Fsb 3200+)

MSI K7N2 Delta L nVIDIA nForce2 Ultra 400 + MCP
(this is cheaper and similar to the sweet Abit NF7S boards in the hundred dollar range and is great at budget overclocking--VCore doesn't go above 1.8, unfortunately)

Lots of fans, etc.

I just want to push the system to 3200+ by adjusting the FSB to 400mhz up from 333. I want to know what the cheapest ram is that I can get that will let me achieve these speeds. I certainly want to take advantage of dual channel ability, so I was wondering if it would work by buying budget PC 3500 and running it at 3200 to get lower CAS timings or something? What is a cheap and budget effective way to ensure that the ram I buy can push my FSB speed to 400 to ensure that I can run at 3200+ speeds?

Lasereth · 01-31-2004, 07:31 AM

Corsair is known for being one of the best overclocking RAM manufacturers. NewEgg.com has 256 MB PC3200 chips with 2.5 CAS for $39. I'd buy two of those for dual channel. That'll definitely allow an overclock to XP 3200+ speeds. My shitty PC2700 RAM with my old PC got it that far, so I know the Corsair will.

I still suggest getting the Abit NF7-S motherboard; the extra price is definitely worth it. The on-board sound is better than 90% of the sound cards on the market!

PS: Make sure to get a good CPU Heatsink Fan for the processor. A Thermaltake Volcano 7+ or 9+ will do the job very nicely. The standard AMD CPU HSF won't let ya go to 2.2 GHz without massive heat issues!

-Lasereth

munchini · 01-31-2004, 01:47 PM

just as a tip... when you buy your processor, you might already know but make sure the model is before week 39 to acheive that overclock...

and if you're ever bored check out
forums.extremeoverclocking.com

you can find people with similar questions there and find their own blah blah....

Wyodiver33 · 01-31-2004, 05:29 PM

I have 1 stick of 512 MB PC 3200 and 1 stick of 512 MB PC 3700 - first is Samsung, second is no-name. I'm able to run rhem up to 220 MHz, but a little unstable, set it back to 200 and all is well. I guess I'm lucky. I here a lot of bad stories from people using crappy RAM.

cheesemoney · 02-02-2004, 08:21 PM

Ok, I certainly don't expect to unlock the processor. You don't need to unlock it to overclock your FSB though. Its hard to get an unlocked stepping these days, but its still damned easy to get a 3200+ speed out of a 2500+ by just setting your FSB to 200/400 instead of 166/333.

For me, its cheap and fast to not worry about getting an unlocked stepping and then unlocking the multiplier.

I guess my question is should I spend 110 bucks on 2 corsair Cas 2.5 3200 256mb sticks or should I spend about 130 bucks on 2 crappy 3700 sticks at 512 mb?

Will 2 corsair 2.5 sticks at 3200 give me more bang for my buck than two unknown 512 mb sticks at 3700 (possibly bumped down to 3200 for better CAS timings?)

As to the Abit board--I know it rocks, and if I was building my own system I'd be tempted to go for it, but I save probably over 40 bucks by going with the MSI board--which has been known to overclock very successfully and run extremely stably at 3200+ speeds.

01-30-2004, 11:05 PM	#1 (permalink)
cheesemoney Loser Location: Paradise	Need ram help for budget AMD overclocker... I am putting together a very basic budget overclocker for my brother. It is gonna be a budget gaming system. AMD XP 2500+ Barton 333 Fsb (will be OC'd to 400 mhz Fsb 3200+) MSI K7N2 Delta L nVIDIA nForce2 Ultra 400 + MCP (this is cheaper and similar to the sweet Abit NF7S boards in the hundred dollar range and is great at budget overclocking--VCore doesn't go above 1.8, unfortunately) Lots of fans, etc. I just want to push the system to 3200+ by adjusting the FSB to 400mhz up from 333. I want to know what the cheapest ram is that I can get that will let me achieve these speeds. I certainly want to take advantage of dual channel ability, so I was wondering if it would work by buying budget PC 3500 and running it at 3200 to get lower CAS timings or something? What is a cheap and budget effective way to ensure that the ram I buy can push my FSB speed to 400 to ensure that I can run at 3200+ speeds?

01-31-2004, 07:31 AM	#2 (permalink)
Lasereth Knight of the Old Republic Location: Winston-Salem, NC	Corsair is known for being one of the best overclocking RAM manufacturers. NewEgg.com has 256 MB PC3200 chips with 2.5 CAS for $39. I'd buy two of those for dual channel. That'll definitely allow an overclock to XP 3200+ speeds. My shitty PC2700 RAM with my old PC got it that far, so I know the Corsair will. I still suggest getting the Abit NF7-S motherboard; the extra price is definitely worth it. The on-board sound is better than 90% of the sound cards on the market! PS: Make sure to get a good CPU Heatsink Fan for the processor. A Thermaltake Volcano 7+ or 9+ will do the job very nicely. The standard AMD CPU HSF won't let ya go to 2.2 GHz without massive heat issues! -Lasereth __________________ "A Darwinian attacks his theory, seeking to find flaws. An ID believer defends his theory, seeking to conceal flaws." -Roger Ebert

01-31-2004, 05:29 PM	#4 (permalink)
Wyodiver33 Just here for the beer. Location: Ft. Lauderdale, Floriduh	I have 1 stick of 512 MB PC 3200 and 1 stick of 512 MB PC 3700 - first is Samsung, second is no-name. I'm able to run rhem up to 220 MHz, but a little unstable, set it back to 200 and all is well. I guess I'm lucky. I here a lot of bad stories from people using crappy RAM. __________________ I like stuff.

02-02-2004, 08:21 PM	#5 (permalink)
cheesemoney Loser Location: Paradise	Ok, I certainly don't expect to unlock the processor. You don't need to unlock it to overclock your FSB though. Its hard to get an unlocked stepping these days, but its still damned easy to get a 3200+ speed out of a 2500+ by just setting your FSB to 200/400 instead of 166/333. For me, its cheap and fast to not worry about getting an unlocked stepping and then unlocking the multiplier. I guess my question is should I spend 110 bucks on 2 corsair Cas 2.5 3200 256mb sticks or should I spend about 130 bucks on 2 crappy 3700 sticks at 512 mb? Will 2 corsair 2.5 sticks at 3200 give me more bang for my buck than two unknown 512 mb sticks at 3700 (possibly bumped down to 3200 for better CAS timings?) As to the Abit board--I know it rocks, and if I was building my own system I'd be tempted to go for it, but I save probably over 40 bucks by going with the MSI board--which has been known to overclock very successfully and run extremely stably at 3200+ speeds. Last edited by cheesemoney; 02-09-2004 at 09:57 PM..

01-31-2004, 01:47 PM	#3 (permalink)
munchini Psycho Location: Chair	just as a tip... when you buy your processor, you might already know but make sure the model is before week 39 to acheive that overclock... and if you're ever bored check out forums.extremeoverclocking.com you can find people with similar questions there and find their own blah blah....