P4 2.66b at 3.2ghz - stability question

[Snajo]

System Specs are:

Pentium 4 2.66ghz (b-533fsb)
MSI 865PE Neo2-FIS2R
2 x 256mb pc3200 CAS 2.0 Geil Golden Dragon (2.5v to 3.1v)
GeforceFX 5600 128mb
36gb WD Raptor (10k spin/serial ata)
60gb Maxtor (5400spin/ata 66)
DVD Player
CD-RW
5x 80mm Case Fans
Thermaltake Spark 7 Heatsink/Fan
2 x Dual 10in Cold Cathode Blacklights
330watt Enermax Powersupply

Overclock:
2.66(133bus) to 3.2(160bus)
GPU Core Clock 325 to 360mhz
GPU Mem Clock 500 to 680mhz

Issue:
Prime 95 won't last typically 5 minuites before erroring out and or resulting in screen artifacts. 3dmark 2001/03 run with no artifacts, etc. Sandra gives good benchmarks and stress testing does not cause lockups. Playing UNreal2003 Demo with all options and Postal2 with all options is not a problem.

Possible Issues:
My Vcore reads lower than it is set. All my power settings read lower than specified when viewed in CoreCell or MSI Bios.
Vcore: 1.44v (set at 1.525v)
3.3v reads 3.2v to 3.3v
5v reads 4.9v to 5.0v
12v reads 11.0v to 11.2v

Temperatures seem to be the same at 2.66ghz as they do at 3.2ghz. The fans and heatsink keep it 55C or lower.

While running Prime95 I can hear a change in fanspeed as the tests start and stop. My fans, even CPU fan.. are run off the 4pin connectors that power hard drives. None are powered through the motherboard. At 2.66ghz I see no errors. At 3.2ghz Prime95 errors within the first few tests(5 - 30min). Also at 3.2ghz I have noticed graphic artifacts while playing freecell with Prime95 in the background.

Any suggestions? I'm worried about increasing voltage as I don't know much about these processors. What are safe temps and what is safe voltage for processor/memory/agp. I'm not interested in frying my pc. Do I need a higher capacity power supply? Is there any way to test this. As an option I have a 420 watt powersupply by the name of Turbolink. It came with my case. I'm using the 330watt enermax because I've heard it is better than the 420w i have.

I will try lowering my overclock speeds, but the computer is so close to being completly stable that I'm actually annoyed at the prospect of scaling it back.

Beyond that, how high could I expect a 2.4/800mhz to overclock? Would there be any noticable gains. I really want to run an 800mhz fsb cpu to take full advantage of my board.

Can I trust this Corecell untility? are there other programs that I could use to confirm the accuracy of this information?

thanks much

 

[Solstice]

330 watt power supply hadly seems like enough to run all you have. It sounds like your fans may be telling you to get more power.

"Bush+Rumsfield=Dictatorship"

 

[Snajo]

Thanks Solstice.

I'm curious as to how close most people's vcore is to their setting. any feedback would be appreciated.

My Vcore is set at 1.6v, but it reads back as 1.50 to 1.54v.

Also, what kinda of power do I need for my system.. say if I add another hard disk or two. I can't imagine adding more than that. Maybe a 120mm fan if I ever cut a hole in the top of my case... who knows.

On the Overclocking front, with my Vcore reading 1.52v(set at 1.6v) I am able to run 3.2ghz stable and error free through over 2 hours of Prime95 while playing mp3s and running a 3DMark2001 benchmark loop.

Would that generic 420watt have enough juice, or do I really need to spring for a new ps?

 

[scottchen]

Enermax 450Watt should be good enough for that. If your computer is stable then that means the vcore is good.

I hate Computers! My P4 2.4C won't go above 3840mhz. My Sapphire 9800pro core/mem speed won't go above 490/790. I really hate computers!

 

[pIII_Man]

i highly recomend fortron's powersupplies...their 400 watt powersupply will put out the same watts as an enermax 450 watt psu....also they are cheep but good quality...

The reason why your vcore is low is on many mobos the cpu's core voltage is taken from the 12v line...also enermax psu's are notorious for undervolting the 12v rail...

If i put my k6 in a Ferrari it would be faster than your your pentium 4 or Athlon XP :tongue:

 

[Snajo]

If the vcore at stock setting is undervolted, would adjusting the setting to 1.6v be considered dangerous, since it is only getting 1.50v to 1.54v?\

Also, I have removed/disabled many of the non-essential components in my computer until I get a new powersupply. Vcore is still all over the place, especially if I start/stop Prime95. The variance is from 1.47v to 1.55v. Anyhow, this has been a nice experience for me.

I'm running Geil Golden Dragon series pc3200 memory. The package lists it as supporting voltage in the range of 2.5 to 3.1v. What is safe for my memory? It has no heatspreader, but the chips are enclosed in clear acrylic. The chips are also much smaller than standard memory chips. Strange stuff. thanks

 

[pIII_Man]

you can take that stuff as high as you want...i have yet to see more than a 2.9v vdimm in any bios...

Yes the golden dragon is strange stuff...but hey...the price is right...

I would hold off on overclocking until you get a new powersupply

If i put my k6 in a Ferrari it would be faster than your your pentium 4 or Athlon XP :tongue:

 

[Snajo]

mine allows up to 3.2 volts for ram. scary huh? also allows like 2+ volts for processor. now all i need is some liquid nitrogen and a badass compressor. those msi guys are nuts... or is that overkill?

actually, I'm not sure what the exact specs are.. I could find out, but then I'd have to reboot. blah that