The 4Ghz wall.

[ctjoyce]

Okay, so as many of you know I'm a speed junkie. The faster the better, so I overclock. I recently invested in a Zalman CNPS-9500 CPU cooler, and a ZMNB-47J northbridge cooler. At 3.91Ghz both are cooling my system amazingly. CPU is 32C idle, and 49~50ish load. My N Bridge I don't know, however its much colder than it used to be. Now my problem is that when I go to 4.01Ghz windows will boot, however I can't do much more than basic computing tasks, as the system will crash. I do know that the idle temp is 39C with the clock, however I dont know what the nBridge was baking at. So do we think I'm not giving it enough power (1.5375V) or is it that the nBridge is getting too hot / too stressed?

This is angering me as the highest I can go is 3.95Ghz stable (however I dont like the load temps on it, but would put up with them should I achieve 4.01Ghz). Am I going to have to bite the bullet, and finally watercool? Or is there a better nBridge block / CPU cooler I should know about.

Grrrrr, and I would have had an untutchable clock too

Cheers
Cameron

[ctjoyce]

Well I could use liquid nitrogen like the people from toms hardware, but I need a more practical approach to it. I looked at how much watercooling would cost me, and wasn't impressed by the $360 price tag that it came with.

Cheers
Cameron

[ctjoyce]

Alienware? I will cut off my genitals before I ever buy another OEM, and btw their watercooling sucks. Aluminum blocks, a slow pump, no T line, crappy radiator. Shall I continue?

As for your new system. Cooling in any system depends on what your going to do to it. Useing stock sinks, and fans is fine if your not overclocking at all. That means any of the componants. If you plan to do even a small Overclock something like a zalman CNPS-7000 is going to be needed.

Cheers
Cameron

[kipman725]

hmm Get a big fan and point it at your components and push the voltage up abit more, if you can achive no speed increase then it's not worth watercooling.  If there is then go for it.

If increasing the volatge dosen't help the following may:
1. using a pci graphics card (most agp/pci/pci-E locks don't work too well so your cards may be getting an overclocked bus and pci cards are more tolerent of this.  Of course you won't be able to game with a pci card but this is to reach a stable 4ghz )

2. Relaxing memory timings/ running a divider (you seem resonably experianced so I guess you know what this is about)

3. Unplugging anything that you don't need and disabling stuff like onboard sound network etc in the bios.

4. If your using a PATA hd or a SATA hd try using the other type of hd and disabling the controller you used to use.

6.  Check your voltages with a multimeter from your PSU as the P4's are power hungery to begin with, nevermind when there overclocked (they lose power efficincy very quickly when overclocked)

7.  Check the temp of all the IC's that you can see.  If any are hot put a heatsink on it.

8.  Use a program like VNC to run your pc headless and see if it's any mroe stable.  (IE. set overclocked bios settings, power off unplug graphics card and reboot) (you will need a network and another pc to do this).

9. go to one stick of ram and disable duel channel, even if the memory isn't holding you back this helps sometimes to get that last mhz.


some pretty drastic mesures there but it's what you have to be prepared to do if you rearly want to hit that magic clock speed.  

Good luck  ;D

[ctjoyce]

Got it finally. 1.6V and running stable. 42 Idle, and 58Load. Those are about the stock temps, so its not too bad, I guess.

Cheers
Cameron

[ctjoyce]

Ya, Alienwares have come down in price, somewhat. However any OEM with watercooling is going to be useing very cheap parts, and probibly not useing non conductive liquid.

The only "OEM" (though I wouldn't call it that) that has good watercooling is Voodoo PC. They use swiftech, and Danger Den (the same stuff I would be useing in my PC), and do a very good job (then again their completely custom systems).

However I have had my fun, and have my screenies, so I'm back down to 3.93Ghz now. I have decided to go watercooling, and will do so probibly at the end of the summer. I mean, its an area I don't have any real expirence with (helping my friend set up his dosnt really count) so I'll post pics when I get that all set up.

Cheers
Cameron

EDIT: I also realised that if I want that 4.4Ghz (which is my aim) I'm going to need a new mobo too (current one dosnt have enough power for the processer to hit 4.4)). Thus bringing this upgrade to a cool $900.

[4_Series_Scania]

Wall? What Wall?

You just need good cooling....  ;)

[ctjoyce]

Yes, I need a liquid nitrogen cooled systme for that However I've seen that video, rathar impressive. Also I need more power, and my mobo cant provide any more than 1.6V

Cheers
Cameron

[Mees]

Cameron, Dell has released their XPS Renegade Rig, maybe you can figure out something with this. IMO i think 4 512MB GPU's for fs2004 is a bit.......Too

[ctjoyce]

Yes the fact that they are useing 4 GPUs in a horrably cooled case, also their have been reviews that those boards can only see three of the four cores anyway, thus rendering one card useless. Personally I find that we wouln't need that for another 6 years or more.

Cheers
Cameron