I have an XP2000+ processor, what's the 'safe' overclock zone?

What's recommended before overclocking? Fans, heatsinks etc.

And finally, how is it actually overclocked?

Cheers

 

You 'overclock' a processor by running it faster than the speed it's rated to run at. It's rated speed is a function of of the FSB (Front Side Bus) speed and the clock multiplier. The 2000+ runs at 1.67GHz (133MHz FSB * 12.5 multiplier), so to overclock the chip you increase either the FSB or the multiplier (or both).

The multiplier is locked by AMD when it's shipped from the factory. It can be unlocked (instructions) - to make it variable again, but this will void your warranty. O/C-ing is explicitly against the chip's warranty, in fact.

Once unlocked you can raise or lower the multiplier as you want. Before raising the speed of the chip, make sure you have adequate cooling power. A stock (OEM) cooler won't necessarily be good enough, and make sure that you measure the chip's core temperature whilst you're running. Keep the temp <60°C and you should be fine. Try bumping up the multiplier the smallest amount possible (it's variable by integer and half-integer units), so go to 13* first.

You may need to raise the core voltage in order to gain stability at any particular speed. But additional voltage brings additional heat generation. Cooling ability is the key.

With regards to how much faster your chip could run, it's pretty much luck of the draw. Some chips O/C well, others not at all. You would be lucky to get your chip running faster than 1.8GHz without a meaningful cooler upgrade (assuming you're using OEM now).

Just watch those temps, and don't try any drastic/rapid jumps in V-core, FSB or multiplier.

 

Be warned, if going the conductive grease route, it can and has been known to wear out after about a month or so. I know of a few people that have had this happen.

Cheers,

Nick.

 

Are there any other routes?

And is it worth overclocking an XP2000+?

 

i would try adjustng the FSB speed rather than the multiplier. You dont need to do any fancy stuff like unlocking it then

just go into bios and gradually increase the bus speed (starting point is 133, try 134, 135 etc.

familiarise yourself with your bios and the settings that can be tweaked, may be worth having a read of the relevant section of your motherboards manual. There are probably high performance options in there that are not enabled by default.

if for any reason your computer fails to boot or becomes unstable take that as a sign that you are pushing it too hard and knock it back a bit until its all stable again. There are many web sites that deal with this stuff. start here and here