Multipliers/Clocking

BadCharlie

I have an xp1700 cpu and im trying to clock it higher then i have been. I have put the fsb up and that has helped. But when i change my Multiplier from 11 "to 11.5 it does noting for my mhz". I use the program called sandra and it tells me my multiplier is set at 11 even though i know i have changed it from 11 to 11.5 at start up.
Does this mean my multiplier is locked at 11 ?
or is there any way to turn off this lock on my cpu?

I have an i-will mother board r-333 or something i cant remember, will have to wait till i get home before i can give the full speck of my mother board.

Lorddrakul

The short answer is yes your chip is multiplier locked.


Some came from AMD unlocked but the vast majority are locked. Look up the serial number on the chip itself and find out if it is a palomino, or a throughbred a/B.

There are different methods for unlocking each. Your mobo is unlikely to unlock it for you. It is only the most recent nForces2 and KT400/600 chipsets that are capable of soft unlocking.

LD

philmore46

There are ways to unlock your multiplyer, but you have to be very careful.

Virus_Inc

AMD cpu multipliers are (or used to be) locked by the cutting of the L1 bridges on the cpu itself - if you look at the cpu you will see on one side a little gold L1 and little gold dots with a burn mark in between em. In the good old days you could just re-establish the connection with a pencil but laterly holes are actually burned inbetween the contacts and the resistivity of the material between the contacts has to be much lower. Basically it involves masking and filling the holes with epoxy or similar then more masking and bridging the contacts with silver-based paint. Very tricky and hard to pull off. Wouldn't advise it myself.

Lorddrakul

Its not as hard as all that really.

Not to be facetious or anything, it is easier than soldering.

To fill the hollows, just use super glue.

Maplins has contact and paint. Sharpen something like a lollypop stick to a point and use it like an ink knib. You do need a steady hand though and a decent magnifying glass.

LD

philmore46

It's really not worth the risk

Lorddrakul

Well it depends.
Currently youi can get an XP1800 T-bred B on komplett for less than a hundred bucks.
A ittle tweaking at it can be turned into a 2400+ quie easily.

Marx-computers.com has OC'ing coolers for €22 a piece.

So, its a case of what you are willing to do, spend the money on an expensive CPU or a cheap one that will clock.

LD

BadCharlie

My cpu is palomino which is not ment to be good for oc?

Well i dont think i want to go messing around with my motherboard. Maybe in a few months time ill go and build a new system. Or just a new video card as my old geforce 2/gts is getting kind of old now

Lorddrakul

Some Palis are good, some not.

The best thing is look at the core. If the last line of numbers starts with a Y, a K or an R, you are in luck, they are all good clockers. If it starts with a 9, it will not clock well.

Col_Loki

Thought all palli's were not great at all, they run hotter than Tbreds and higher stock Vcore - wouldnt hold out much hope.
Palli's run @ 1.75V stock, the Tbred are 1.5V, 1.6V, 1.65V.
dLt3c -> 1.5V ,
dUt3c -> 1.6V ,
dKt3c -> 1.65V .
dMt3c -> 1.75V :eek:. (palli's)

The Xp1800's on komplett are Tbreds & the one i got is a Tbred B - does 2.25ghz, pitty it wasnt a dlt3c and it would do more (got a dut3c).

Lorddrakul

What you are quoting here is true, but the serial number generally gives a silicon yield measure too.

So for example, I had an old thunderbird that had a K serial number, it was a 100Mhz bus, 1Ghz chip. I ran it at 1.85Vcore and 1500Mhz for nearly a year.

So even within the various steppings there are yield differences marked by the serial numbers.

LD

Col_Loki

There is a common belief that the second last letter indicates the silicon quality..... ie my barton....

AQUCA0308VPAW , ie the lower the second from last letter the better - this what you mean??

From what ive heard even good palli's struggle to keep with Tbred A's never mind Tbred B's (feel free to correct me if im mistaken) . They have a majour disadvantage given that their Vcore is soo high from the start, when some Tbred B's are hitting 2.4Ghz with that voltage...

Loki

Ps Nice overclock on that Tbird.

Lorddrakul

No what I mean is this:

AXDA2200DKV3C
AIUGA 0240RPIW
9371673280018

the last line is the serial no. This one was a 2200+ T-bred A it struggles to do 2050at 2.2Vcore.
It starts with a 9 which is bad.

It if it starts with a Y you could expect anything up to about 25% plus with little Vcore increase and air cooling.

If it starts with a K, you're laughing.

Across Thunderbirds, Paliminos and Thoroghbreds this has been consistent. I am not sure about Barton's as I ain't got one, yet!

But a mate has just got, as you rightly point out, an XP1800+ off Komplett, T-bred B with a Y serial number that is running 2000Mhz plus on air cooling.

I am not saying this is a hard and fast rule, but it is one of the best yield guides I have seen and have confirmed by personal experience.

Also, check out the www.overclockers.com CPU Database, it has really good numbers from users.

LD

Col_Loki

Thats a good one to know, may check my barton and see ..... heres hope'n cause im getting water cooling prob next week.

On your Xp2200+ code, it has a pretty bad second last letter....... AIUGA 0240RPIW , the "I" is pretty well up in the letters which is "suppose" to also indicate a bad overclocker.

My chip is doint 2.4ghz stable on 1.85Vcore with dreadfull cooling (almost stock) volcano 7, so im expecting to break the 2.5ghz mark with water cooling.

Xp2500+'s are really starting to make people happy these days, results between 2.2ghz - 2.5ghz on air!! Looks like the new Xp1700.

BadCharlie

Lorddrakul
Where can i find all this numbers about my chip. Im useing sandra program and i dont find it in there "its not the most up to date version".

Col_Loki

The numbers will be on the chip itself just under the core...........

BadCharlie

Oh man im not going to rip out my cpu to find out

Thanks for all the info guys its most intresting, and im learning all the time!!!!

Lorddrakul

Well slap my leg and call he Henry!

In looking around for some more info on this I found pics of T-Bird Bs that have a serial number begining with an F!
I have no idea how this fits with the whole 9/Y/K thing.

Anybody any info?

LD

Lorddrakul

Additional,

just saw Barton Core


Which has a pic of Barton and lo and behold, the Y serial no. is there, top right of the sticker.


Still don't know what the implications of a F serial no.are though.

LD

BadCharlie

Do all AMD chips these days have locked Multipliers ? Or is it all down to the motherboards ?
Maybe if u get a better motherboard u can change your multiplier ?

Lorddrakul

I have heard reports that the Bartons are multiplier unlocked.

I have an 8RGA (Nforce 2 Ultra 400 chipset) that unlocks it anyway through the bios with no mods.

LD

Digi_Tilmitt

I have an 8RDA3G which is an nforce2 ultra 400 and unlocks my barton but only allows me to use multiplyer's of 12.5 and below, and 12.5 is my default multiplyer.

Lorddrakul

Well I had moved over from an 8KHA+ which was the KT266A chipset board so I had done the single bridge unlock and that gives you the 12.5 and down ones too, so I wasn't sure if that was limiting what the board could access.

Still, with the extremely high FSBs possible, the lower multipliers are what is important if you are gonna OC anyway.

At the moent, because my T-bred A is not a very good cloker, I am running at 1827.5 8.5x 215.

LD