Newbies,
I want to clarify a couple of points, given all of the discussions since
my posting: having done modest overclocking (15%) I found it to be more
trouble than it was worth overall (that is, the overclocking wasn't worth the
time and effort spent solving instability problems a year and a half later).
Yes, I liked the free performance. People seem very adament on this topic,
and whether they have any experience seems secondary. Personally, I don't
love or hate any group, overclockers included. I was reporting my direct
experiences in response to a question. And let me add a further point in
response to the equipment destruction messages I saw a while back: after I
reset my CPU back to stock and thus cured my instability problems my system
has remained stable and alive for almost 6 months now [I'm using it to
compose this message].
Yes, as a computer technician I ran into overclocking, but I have not
personally seen any distroyed equipment. I have heard of equipment damage
happening. Likewise I have heard of people overclocking 25% and operating
for years with no problems. I do not know people from either group. My own
experience was completely stable operation with 15% overclocking, increasing
instability after a year and a half *, successfully restoring my system, and
continuing correctly clocked, again stable, with no failures after another
nearly six months [no failures in the two years overall]. * a possibility
that I had never heard of and that hadn't occured to me, hence my original
posting to this group (equipment death I had heard of, but not just decline).
And, yes, I have been in computers long enough to remember S-100 systems,
and I briefly studied them before buying a Z80 based Osborne, the machine
they invented the term lugable to describe. It screamed at 4 MHz. [Since it
was basically not graphic as we now understand the term, it really was a
decently performing suitcase sized machine.] I also remember the
wonderfulness of having to change ROMs and regenerate the CP/M kernel when
making a hardware change. They had you on that one. Much like Apple and
their ROMs -- Apple was able to successfully keep any clones out of existance
because they had the copyright on the basic graphic routines in the ROMS,
upon which the operating system was built [i.e. the ROMs were indespensible
to doing what an Apple did, and nobody successfully developed a workaround].
IBM was trying to do something similar, but Phoenix reverse engineered (first
successful (in court) reverse engineering ever?) the motherboard BIOS chip.
That act began a chain of events that resulted in PCs as we know them. Have
any of you wondered about the "reverse engineering" clause in so much of
Windon't's software? I'm sure others here on newbie could tell more of this
and other things that led to the Free Software Foundation and eventually to
Linux as we know it.
-Gary-
In a message dated 9/15/2000 8:50:28 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
[EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:
<<
i just love overclocking.
:)
im glad some of u do too. and for those of u that dont.
oh well
On Fri, 15 Sep 2000, you wrote:
> Your not down with www.hardocp.com then eh? :) Overclocking is the best
> thing since sliced bread, when i got a 700mhz and O/ced to 840mhz it was
> awsome, tests showed it. :p
>
> markOpoleO
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Abe" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> Sent: Friday, September 15, 2000 3:32 PM
> Subject: RE: [[newbie] Athlon thunderbird & ka7-100]
>
>
> > Yes, the sentence "How much faster is it going to be at 800mhz or even
> 900mhz
> > then it is now?" from my previous email was intended as sarcastic irony
> not a
> > true question. I have experience with over clocked ram and cpu's. Like
> you
> > I've learned that it is not worth it. If I need pc-150 performance I
will
> buy
> > pc-150 DIMMs. If I need a gig processor I'll buy one.
> >
> >
> > Abe
> >
> >
> > >===== Original Message From John Rye <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> =====
> > >[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
> > >>
> > >> Abe,
> > >> The extra speed that comes as a result of overclocking IS
> noticable,
> > but
> > >> not a big change. A more significant question is: if a system is
> > overclocked
> > >> but stable, how long will it remain stable, and what will you go
> through
> > >> before you find the culprit: how much trouble will it cause you and is
> it
> > >> worth it. I include a copy of a posting I sent to newbie in May. The
> > >> relevant sentence is : " These things [ referring to 15% overclocking
]
> > were
> > >> OK and had worked well for a year and a half." I've done it, and my
> answer
> > >> is that I doubt I will overclock again. As always, remember that your
> > >> mileage will vary. -Gary-
> > >>
> > >> Subj: [newbie] beware old hardware optimizations
> > >> Date: 5/27/2000
> > >> To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> > >>
> > >> I had taken hardware optimizations for granted; this is a reminder
> that
> > >> things can change over time.
> > >> Having read here a while back that Linux is very demanding of
> hardware
> > >> set me thinking. For the last six months I've had problems with
> Windows
> > >> Scandisk completing. I suspected my hard drive was heading toward
> failure
> > >> [before I was disabled I was a computer technician, and this IS one of
> the
> > >> first signs of hard drive failure a user will see], and before I
> installed
> > >> Linux Mandrake 7 I installed a new HDD. The Windows Scandisk problem
> > >> remained.
> > >> In trying to solve Linux WordPerfect vs. StarOffice installs
> corrupting
> > X
> > >> windows, and sound configuration failures it occured to me to remove
my
> 15%
> > >> overclocking and accelerated DIMM timing from my hardware. These
> things
> > were
> > >> OK and had worked well for a year and a half. Removing the
> overclocking
> > >> solved the Scandisk problem. The DIMM timing changed nothing and was
> > reset.
> > >> Too bad this didn't fix my Linux problems.
> > >> -Gary-
> > >>
> > >> In a message dated 9/13/2000 11:42:02 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
> > >> [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:
> > >>
> > >> <<
> > >> How much faster is it going to be at 800mhz or even 900mhz then it is
> now?
> > >> And how unstable will it be? Bottom line is, I don't need to over
> clock
> > it
> > >> to
> > >> feel like I got my moneys worth. If it ain't broke it works just
fins
> and
> > >> should be left alone.
> > >> >>
> > >
> > >Gary if you've been round the industry long enough you'll remember the
> > >good old Z-80.
> > >
> > >We used to run Z-80 based S-100 boards in multi-user MPM systems. The
> > >boards
> > >(manufacturer forgotten) supplied 1Mhz Z-80's and clocks on the boards
> > >which we replaced. We clocked all of the cards on the buss to 10Mhz and
> > >got fantastic performance!!!!!!!! And it worked well on these beasts.
> > >
> > >We had several very happy customers how really loved the 5 times
> > >thru-put
> > >increase. Multiple fans the whole 9 yards to keep them cool.
> > >
> > >However there was a downside.....................
> > >
> > >Really pungant smells throughout the offices, smoke detectors going off
> > >for no apparent reason, inexplicable loss of data, and what was really
> > >strange was the lovely green laquer on the boards went a really dark
> > >brown !!!
> > >
> > >Now that's overclocking!!!
> > >
> > >I should add that none of these systems lasted more than 6 months !!
> > >
> > >I couldn't agree more with your suggestion that overclocking may be
> > >detrimental to the performace of the system..
> > >
> > >I wonder how I get my tongue out of mt cheek now.. any suggestions?
> > >
> > >Cheers
> > >
> > >PS I guess I should advise any contenders for the Americas Cup that we
> > >Kiwis still don't overclock <grin>
> > >
> > >--
> > >ICQ# 89345394 Mailto: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> >
> > Jesus saves,
> > Allah forgives,
> > Chthulu thinks you'd make a nice sandwich.
> >
> > >>
