My underclocked CPU

[Frylock]

Ok my system is as follows:

350 watt Antec Power Supply
AMD XP 2000+ CPU
MSI KT3 Ultra2 (VIA KT333) Mobo
40 GB Maxtor HDD
2 sticks 256 MB PC 2100 DDR RAM
GeForce Ti 4200 128 MB
CD-R/RW Drive
DVD-Rom Drive
SoundBlaster PCI 512
D-LINK 10/100-network card
Keyboard, Mouse (USB), Joystick (USB), Scanner (USB), MS Sidewinder Gamevoice (USB).

My AMD XP 2000+ is supposed to run at 1.67 GHz. However, currently, it is running at a mere 1.25 GHz. It has been doing this since I have purchased it. I had a friend of mine tweak with the multiplier settings in BIOS to get it to run at 1.67 GHz, however the computer would crash when we did this and I had to reset the BIOS (Take the battery out and put it back in) and it would still run at 1.25 GHz. And yes, I have flashed/upgraded my BIOS to the most current one that MSI put out for my model of mobo. Now I read recently on the Tom's Hardware power supply article that a system similar to mine draws around 355 Watts of power. My power supply is 350 Watts. So the question is if I bought a 400-watt power supply, would I be able to get 1.67 GHz out of my AMD XP 2000? Or is there another problem I am overlooking?

 

[RCPilot]

Your PSU shouldn't be the problem. If you want to do the math on it you can read <A HREF="http://firingsquad.gamers.com/guides/power_supply/" target="_new">this.</A>

Best I've ever seen on PSU's.

I'm still learning & having fun doing it!! Trouble comes with the things you forget or overlook along the way that make it not so fun!!

 

[RCPilot]

I'd say though that you need to set your FSB @ 133 instead of 100. Usually you do that in BIOS or a jumper on the MOBO.

If it crashes that way then look at the RAM timings. If it's set to aggressive you may be pushing the RAM to hard with that timing. Move it back to Optimal or normal.

I'm still learning & having fun doing it!! Trouble comes with the things you forget or overlook along the way that make it not so fun!!

 

[Frylock]

I do have the Antec 350W (SL350) power supply that they recommended in the article. I'm going to try tweaking around with my BIOS settings as you recommended. Wish me luck, and thank you.

 

[RCPilot]

You don't need luck, you just need to get set up.

I'm still learning & having fun doing it!! Trouble comes with the things you forget or overlook along the way that make it not so fun!!

 

[error_911]

I've got the same motherboard, and all you need to do is go into the BIOS, then go into "Frequency Settings" and change the FSB to 133Mhz (or higher to overclock)... also make sure the multiplyer is at 12.5

<b>Moore's Law:</b> <i>Processor speed doubles every 12 to 18 months.</i>
<b>OverClocker's Law:</b> <i>My processor went that fast 12 to 18 months ago.</i>

 

[Frylock]

That is exactly what I did and now my AMD XP 2000+ is running at it's default 1.67 GHz. My thanks to both of you for your help.

 

[RCPilot]

Glad to help & I'm glad that your running up to snuff now.

I'm still learning & having fun doing it!! Trouble comes with the things you forget or overlook along the way that make it not so fun!!