Yey new pc

belchingmatt
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Yey new pc

Post by belchingmatt »

I've just spoken to a friend in the UK and it looks like he'll be able to spare a reasonable GPU from his work, and is even willing to pay shipping for me. This just gets better and better.



The next question though is how far will an Athlon XP 1250mhz processor get me?

Should I conisder this new beast as a server or use as a normal PC, bearing in mind of course that there may be more recent equipment on the roadside every day!

I'm happy to overclock if needs be but don't even know if this processor will do the trick.



And now for something completely random, a spoonful of Branston Pickle. Sorry I can't post any piccies but I'm too hungry to wait.




--------------------


<div class='signature'> I'm not addicted to porn, I'm addicted to masturbation. Porn is just an enabler.



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There are plenty more fish in the sea, get your tackle out and see what bites.



Divers go deeper and stay down for longer.
JJW009
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Yey new pc

Post by JJW009 »

An XP clocked at 1250MHz should game about the same speed as Pentium 1400 - that's good enough for a lot of things (It I don't think they ever actually did one at 1250 though so I suspect yours is underclocked.



You could tell by:



1. Taking the processor out and reading what it says - but you'll need a tube of white gunk (TIM) to put the HSF back on with



2. Turn up the FSB until it stops working - then turn it down a bit!



run CPU-Z and post some screen shots?



http://www.cpuid.com/cpuz.php



A very nice box for free ... MUCH better than the one I'm using upstairs :unsure:




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KindaWobbly
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Yey new pc

Post by KindaWobbly »

:D





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JJW009
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Yey new pc

Post by JJW009 »

belchingmatt
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Yey new pc

Post by belchingmatt »

I was having trouble finding a 1250mhz Athlon XP, as they all seem to start from 1300 min, maybe more. Hopefully it is underclocked.



It looks like that CPU-z is for windows only. <!--emo&:(--><img src='http://i6.ifrm.com/html/emoticons/sad.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='sad.gif' /><!--endemo-->

and it may be some time before I have that up and running.



White gunk, tim. Are you saying I need to crack open a timark_uk to replace the thermal compound. I don't think he'd be too happy.



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In the meantime this virtual office is coming along nicely.




--------------------


<div class='signature'> I'm not addicted to porn, I'm addicted to masturbation. Porn is just an enabler.



<img src='http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y81/ma ... Threat.gif' border='0' alt='user posted image'>

There are plenty more fish in the sea, get your tackle out and see what bites.



Divers go deeper and stay down for longer.
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RedeyesUK
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Yey new pc

Post by RedeyesUK »

Just in case mark doesn't want you to crack him open (a possibility), then try some of this:



http://www.coolpc.com.au/catalog/product_i...products_id=509





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belchingmatt
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Yey new pc

Post by belchingmatt »

Excellent work and it's even Australian. &#036;9 is a bit pricey though, it would be the most expensive thing in the system, and you know I'm trying to keep the costs down. :lol:



<img src='http://www.spookshop.com/images/sexy_av ... retary.jpg' border='0' alt='user posted image'>




--------------------


<div class='signature'> I'm not addicted to porn, I'm addicted to masturbation. Porn is just an enabler.



<img src='http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y81/ma ... Threat.gif' border='0' alt='user posted image'>

There are plenty more fish in the sea, get your tackle out and see what bites.



Divers go deeper and stay down for longer.
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RedeyesUK
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Post by RedeyesUK »

Well, there's other brands out there, but arctic silver is generally regarded as the best.



If you don't want to spend that much (and I appreciate it is a bit pricey), then just leave the cpu alone, and overclock it using the time-honoured technique of 'guesswork'. That's what I'd do anyway!





<img src='http://images-eu.amazon.com/images/P/B0 ... ZZZZZZ.jpg' border='0' alt='user posted image'>



(Not as good as your office 'accessory' I know, that's gonna take some beating! :D )
belchingmatt
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Yey new pc

Post by belchingmatt »

So if I'm mid range in my multiplier then I can increase this a bit at a time until it stops working, and then decrease it a couple of notches.



If I reach the top of the multiplier range then I should reduce this to minimum and then increase the fsb (if I can). Then I increase the multiplier until I get to the cpu frequency it was at before, and then take it from there.



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Tell me to go to hell (cpcff) if you want.




--------------------


<div class='signature'> I'm not addicted to porn, I'm addicted to masturbation. Porn is just an enabler.



<img src='http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y81/ma ... Threat.gif' border='0' alt='user posted image'>

There are plenty more fish in the sea, get your tackle out and see what bites.



Divers go deeper and stay down for longer.
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RedeyesUK
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Post by RedeyesUK »

Basically, yeah. You've learnt well! :D



Overclocking a pc to 75-80% of it's capacity is quite easy really, it only starts to get complicated when you try to squeeze that last few percent out of it, and you have to start mucking around with core voltages and so on. Just keep an eye on the temperatures!



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belchingmatt
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Post by belchingmatt »

I might just have to get some themal paste, I can then find out what the processor is and it's potential. I'll also be on my first step to improving performance by increasing the cooling.



<img src='http://www.softwarereality.com/rumours/ ... efcase.gif' border='0' alt='user posted image'>




--------------------


<div class='signature'> I'm not addicted to porn, I'm addicted to masturbation. Porn is just an enabler.



<img src='http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y81/ma ... Threat.gif' border='0' alt='user posted image'>

There are plenty more fish in the sea, get your tackle out and see what bites.



Divers go deeper and stay down for longer.
JJW009
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Post by JJW009 »

A good start is just to see what the BIOS settings are. Tell us the multiplier, FSB and any voltages then there's a good chance we can guess the model.



The multiplier is usually locked, and FSB speeds are always 200, 266, 333 or 400. In the fall-back mode the FSB is run at the lowest setting, but you can easily guess some probable optimum settings.



<img src='http://web.ukonline.co.uk/cliff.lawson/ ... s/2086.jpg' border='0' alt='user posted image'>



^^ my Mum's PC !!




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belchingmatt
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Post by belchingmatt »

I've seen all of those but haven't taken note yet. I'll try to do them later but may not get the chance as I need to do a bit of revision for a physics exam I've got this weekend.



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--------------------


<div class='signature'> I'm not addicted to porn, I'm addicted to masturbation. Porn is just an enabler.



<img src='http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y81/ma ... Threat.gif' border='0' alt='user posted image'>

There are plenty more fish in the sea, get your tackle out and see what bites.



Divers go deeper and stay down for longer.
belchingmatt
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Yey new pc

Post by belchingmatt »

These are the current settings, the current chosen option is in bold.



System performance

optimal aggressive turbo expert



FSB Hz

100 - 300, 133



Mem Hz

50 - 200, SPD, Auto



AGP Hz

50 - 100 Auto



I changed the system performance from optimal as it gives better fine tuning options for the rest of the settings in expert.





Voltage readings



V core = 1.678v

DDR 2.5v = 2.640v

+3.3v = 3.248v

+5v = 5.12v

+12v = 12.175v



Voltage Options



DIMM overvolt normal, +0.1, +0.2v

AGP overvolt normal, +0.1, +0.2, +0.3v

CPU ratio control normal, 11x - 22.5x

CPU voltage control normal, +1.1 - +1.85v



So if I divide the current CPU Hz of 1245 by the FSB Fz of 133, it gives me a rough multiplier of 9.4. As this is at the bottom of the range for the multipier I've got plenty of room to play with.



The questions now are:



How do I create a HDD boot image of knoppix/linux (i'm not that interested in windows now I've finally taken the linux plunge, well except for games maybe) from the live CD?



If I overclock the CPU too far (without blowing it), will I be able to recover easily from the BIOS?



Oops, almost forgot.



<img src='http://p.office1000.com/mrp/54245ROG.jpg' border='0' alt='user posted image'>




--------------------


<div class='signature'> I'm not addicted to porn, I'm addicted to masturbation. Porn is just an enabler.



<img src='http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y81/ma ... Threat.gif' border='0' alt='user posted image'>

There are plenty more fish in the sea, get your tackle out and see what bites.



Divers go deeper and stay down for longer.
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RedeyesUK
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Post by RedeyesUK »

If you're talking about installing linux permanently, IFAIK you can't do that from the live CD (although I might be wrong, I've never really used knoppix), you'll have to download the ISO for the install version.



And as for recovering the BIOS, there should be a 'revert to factory defaults' setting in there somewhere. If you can't even boot the thing, then there'll be a jumper or switch somewhere on the board which'll do the same thing. Failing that, just pull the CMOS battery out for a few minutes!





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