rec.autos.simulators

I am seriously considering ordering a Celeron 300A next week.
But I have a few questions...

All related to overclocking to 450.  FWIW I studied Computer Science
in University for several years (and finished my degree).  I also have
a P150 overclocked to 166.  Tried 180+ but wouldn't boot or had system
errors.  The point being that I am not new to this computer thing.

I am either getting a Celeron 300A or an AMD K6-400
1)  What motherboard should I get?

2)  What are multipliers and bus speeds typically to overclock to 450?
What should I be looking for in a motherboard?

3)  If you have a 300A overclocked to 450, have you had any error
messages while running Win95/98?  When I tried running my P150 with a
75 bus speed I got a lot of error message--in fact my system was
outright unstable.  When I tried 66*3, it wouldn't boot up at all.

4)  Is the Sound Blaster 64 PCI supported in Grand Prix Legends?

5)  Any problems with overheating?  Should I put the computer unit
into a refrigerator? :))

6)  Any other advice?

7)  What about the Celeron 400?

Try the newsgroup alt.comp.hardware.overclocking. There is LOTS of info
there on overclocking the celeron.

Abit's BH-6 seems to be one of the best boards for overclocking... Clock
and multiplier settings in the BIOS rather than via jumper is one
reason, another is CPU voltage settings available in BIOS. The ASUS P2B
is another nice board, but it doesn't allow for voltage adjustments.
Some Celerons won't run at 450 without a bit of voltage fiddling.

Bus speed 100, multiplier 4X. Again, the Abit BH6 is probably the board
to get for this.

I haven't had a Celeron, but I run a PII 333 at 450 and I've seen no
error messages of any kind in Windows.

Yes, but it's not the best choice. I'd go with a Sound Blaster Live
Value or Monster Sound MX300. Both can be had for under $100, both are a
much better choice than the PCI 64.

Use a good quality fan/heatsink combo, no overheating problems here at
450.

Visit http://www.bxboards.com  (a wealth of overclocking info)

Trips

Abit BH6.  It has BIOS options for bus speed and core voltage.  I'm currently
running my 300A on it at 450. The other popular board is the ASUS (P2B??).

See above.  The celeron 300A is multiplier locked to 4.5x, so you run it at a
100MHz bus speed.  Set the AGP/BUS setting at 2/3.  
You can even try running it faster.  I haven't.

At first, very much a "yes".  With a couple of days burn in running at lower
bus speed, and/or running in DOS at higher bus speeds, it now takes 450 with
the std 2.0V. No more errors.  Excercise that puppy at lower speeds!

???

Some say yes.  But if you are able to run at the normal 2V, I doubt it.

Patience, and luck.  At least back up your registry (MS site, look for
cfgback.exe).  I'd recommend backing up your entire drive.  I had a couple of
scary registry errors and one FAT problem.  But they seamed to heal thyselves.

Doubt it can be much overclocked (actually over "bussed") since it'll be
clock-locked to 6x and 6x100 is seriously doubtful.  You can probably run
6*75, or hope for 6*83.  But they are new so I don't know (nor care since I
just got my 300A).

I bought my 300A "boxed" from NECX for $100.  That includes the std heatsink
and fan.  If you get an OEM one cheaper, you still need a decent sink/fan
combo.  In that case, everyone says get the thermal compound from Radio Shack
to give a better thermal path from chip to sink.

Some say that the "boxed" are better, but this is most probably anecdotal.

AnandTech recently put up a good article that got to the bottom of which
300a's are good for overclocking and which aren't.  Go to
http://www.anandtech.com and look for the story called "The Celery Report:
Overclocking the Celeron."

-Bill

--
Bill Mette      | "A person is smart.  People are dumb."
MCSNet, Chicago |                        - K MiB

Oops... make that bus speed 100, multiplier 4.5X for 450.

Sorry about the typo...

Trips

Does ambient temperature matter when overclocking ? I'd be interested
to know anyone who has succesfully overclocked 300A to say a 450
(without frying the processor)  who lives in the tropical region in
which the air temperature normally ranges from 31-35oC . How did you
manage to do it ?

regards,
B Hisham

What, no air conditioning?!

With a dual fan/heatsink, you should be ok.  The humidity in a tropical
location increases the cooling effect of the heatsink through condensation
and evaporation.  Moisture combined with a fan in a small warm room is
called an air conditioner.  In some areas they're called "Swamp Coolers."
Not as effective as a Freon-based refrigeration A/C unit, but much cheaper
and very simple.  Your processor should run cooler than one in a dry place.

Your only worry should be what the moisture will do to the electronics.  You
may get as little as half the life expectancy as a dry climate(without
dust).

The 300a is the choice for overclocking - it appears that you have a very
good chance of running it at 450.  The Abit BH6 is the only board to get -
if you can find one in stock somewhere right now.  Boxed Celerons can be
found right now for as low as 70.00.
Don't even consider the K-6, it is not good for games unless the game has
a 3D-Now instruction set.  Also, the Super 7 mobos needed to run this chip
had a lot of problems and may still have them now.

It is not uncommon to have to step up the core voltage to get to 450.
This means cooling is an issue - but a good heatsink fan and perhaps an
extra case fan will probably suffice.

There is a company called Minotaur technologies- www.minotaur.com - that
will sell you a 300a that has been pretested at 450 for $20.00 more than
their standard price.  As of yesterday, that was 79.00 untested, $99.00
tested.  I have not bought from them, but they are well regarded at
www.resellerratings.com.  However, check on their return policies - they
may not take CPU's back.  (If you catered to Overclockers, would you?)

I am about to take the plunge myself.  Wish ATX cases and PC100 ram were
cheaper!

--
Otto Matheke

"Mandrake, have you ever seen a commie drink a glass of water?"

The Abit BX6 is *just* as overclocking friendly as the BH6 (also with
the softbios for easy overclocking). The only real difference is the
number of ISA, PCI & memory slots.

8-)

*Peter*   #:-)

 Just wondering, is "Peter Gagg" your real name?

Rick

Yes, I believe (may be wrong) that the BX6 has one more mem slot, one less
PCI?
The BX6 came out before the BH6.  There has been a fair amount of speculation
and/or anecdotal info that points to it *perhaps* being less oc friendly for
some reason or other.  Again "perhaps" due to it being older and less
refined??  I opted for the BH6 due to this.

Isn't there ar newsgroup that would be more suitable for the discussion of
overclocking [voiding the warranty of the chip] processors?

Yep, it certainly is, why would I want to change it?

And, yes, I've heard most of the usual jokes (gags!), but hey, if you
think you have an original one to offer, go for it.....

8-)

*Peter*   #:-)

Yes there are newsgroups that deal with overclocking & also news groups that
dealwith building your own PC's.  But most people that are asking these
questions on this newsgroup are looking for "real world" reports on what it
does for their Sims.

Yes overclocking is DANGEROUS.  It will make your hair fall out, your ***s
dry up & fall off & all other kinds of "Bad Things Man". {this is a disclaimer
so if you blow yourself up it's not my fault}.  The reason we overclock is to
get PII 450 performance from the lowly Celeron processor.

But if you want to take the risk of pushing your processor to the limit, YOU
WILL get faster frame rates & a more enjoyable *** experience.

The best thing to do if you want to overclock your machine is to do some
research.  There is a lot of information out there on overclocking eberything
from a P120 to the new Celerons, K6-2s, & PIIs.

Bill