XP unlocking question

[thekingofpain]

Will unlocking actually give you a good chance of running the CPU significantly faster than you can with simple FSB overclocking?

(it aint as easy as it used to be)

Seems as if it isnt providing much of an increase over just running REAL HIGH fsb speeds due to lessor speed headroom with the new XP's---the high speed ones I read about are rediculously cooled w/modified voltage m/b's and great mem---underclocked multipliers and wildly raised fsb speeds seems the way to go, but with all this activity it seems the heavily modified are only getting a marginal higher speed over simply raising the fsb with some good mem and a quality hs/fan---may not be worth the effort, any unlocked XP users got comments???

Small XP OC database: http://www.vr-zone.com/guides/AMD/AthlonXP/

[Hellmund]

Will unlocking actually give you a good chance of running the CPU significantly faster than you can with simple FSB overclocking?

Well yes and no....see it depends on what's limiting your overclocking, multiplier adjustment solely affects the cpu, hence u can max it out. FSB overclocking will limit u if a PCI device or RAM can't take it....if the RAM can take it then basically the entire system receives and overclock and everything benefits....

[MrLuigi]

I agree with Hellmund. My 1600+ is unlocked and runs fine at 12.5 x 133 but I am running it at 11.5 x 133...no BSOD's or freezing at either setting...just gets a bit hotter at 12.5x

[storm2k]

the advantages of overclocking via the multiplier is that you protect your other equipment, such as ram and whatnot, which can fry much more easily than the chip itself can.

tom's hardware by the way has a pretty good how-to on overclocking the new XP's.

[thekingofpain]

If you look at that OC database they are all running the highest speed chips at lower multipliers then normal but with EXTREME fsb speeds---im familiar with ocing the older Athlons but the XP's are very different---most of the tests ive read for unlocking kits say---"yes it worked"--- but none of them show a substantial increase in speed from it---its as if its not worth messing with if yer gonna actively overclock your XP, since the best way seems to be thru the fsb---

the advantages of overclocking via the multiplier is that you protect your other equipment

That seems to have been thrown in the wind---these guys are using fsb speeds above 200mhz amd multipliers of 10 or less on competent volt modded m/b's with the highest quality mem...
And some of course are using wild cooling---but you also have MC462 or otherwise equipped XP's running close to 2.0...