BH7 settings

External Since: Mar 27, 2005 Posts: 3

Good evening,

Just got an Abit BH7 with one 512 stick of DDR Crucial 3200 cas 3 ram,
and a P4 2.4B (D1, multiplier unlocked).
This machine is really new to me as I've only had BX boards before
with no options like this one has and really do not know how to set it
the way I want which is with the equation: best performance for the
least stress possible on the system as I do not want to go through
buying a new heatsink, fan, arctic silver... and want to keep the
original heatsink and fan.

Now, when it boots it shows Host/Ram : 133/166
I've read that 1:1 ratio is best so I set it to 133/133 but that feels
like the system is way below its possibilities.
I tried 150/150 a few hours last night, was OK but overclocking the
board and underclocking the memory does not look right to me (maybe I'm
wrong...).
So I was thinking if it would be ok setting the memory to 166, like it
proposes on boot up and setting the processor to 14 X 166 = 2324
or 15 x 166 = 2490 knowing that the original settings of this processor
are 18 x 133 = 2394.
Or perhaps another way ?

Thanks for any help.

Erick

External Since: Jan 11, 2005 Posts: 394

"Nobody" <deadspam.RemoveThis@today.de> wrote in message...
> Just got an Abit BH7 with one 512 stick of DDR Crucial 3200 cas 3
> ram, and a P4 2.4B (D1, multiplier unlocked).
> This machine is really new to me as I've only had BX boards before
> with no options like this one has and really do not know how to set it
> the way I want which is with the equation: best performance for the least
> stress possible on the system as I do not want to go through buying a new
> heatsink, fan, arctic silver... and want to keep the original heatsink and
> fan.

If you're used to overclocking 440BX boards, you'll have no problems getting
the best out of this. The principles involved are exactly the same, although
you now have neat features like AGP and PCI bus locking, which eliminates
some of the problems you used to face.

> I've read that 1:1 ratio is best

Under ideal circumstances, yes. And with an unlocked CPU you have the
ability to get the best of both worlds.

> so I set it to 133/133 but that feels like the system is way below
> its possibilities.

Indeed. You should be able to run far higher on both the FSB and memory bus.

> I tried 150/150 a few hours last night, was OK but overclocking
> the board and underclocking the memory does not look right to
> me

Indeed not. Still, as you have an unlocked CPU, why not just try 200/200?

> So I was thinking if it would be ok setting the memory to 166, like it
> proposes on boot up and setting the processor to 14 X 166 = 2324
> or 15 x 166 = 2490 knowing that the original settings of this processor
> are 18 x 133 = 2394.
> Or perhaps another way ?

The processor should handle 14 x 200MHz without breaking a sweat, thus
keeping with your "most performance without stressing the system" maxim. You
may be able to take it a little beyond that, in both FSB and/or multiplier
terms.
--

Richard Hopkins
Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom
(replace nospam with pipex in reply address)

The UK's leading technology reseller <a style='text-decoration: underline;' href="http://www.dabs.com" target="_blank">www.dabs.com</a>