Fluctuating core speed?

[xphantg0d]

I downloaded cpu-z and ran it and my core speed is fluctuating. It moves from like 308.3-3014.8 its is just like moving around that area. Is this normal? it is a 3.0ghz p4. its not overclocked (though the fsb reads as 201mhz).

And of course what is a good temp on this proccesor? and does anyone know a guide about overclocking it? How high can i go on the stock hsf?

Thanks in advance.

 

[BillLeeLee]

Yes, it's normal.

It's very hard to get it at exactly 200 FSB and 3.0 GHz, it's just an approximation, and the front side bus will fluctuate a little, causing the change in clock speed.

Good temps: 45 C idle, 55 on load. But if it's stable, can't be too hot, so 60 C on load is not bad. Approaching 70 C is bad though - it's near the temp when the processor starts speed regulating (I think 75 C).

Overclocking is easy to do, but you have to do it in small steps to know the upper bounds of your processor. Go into your BIOS and look for the CPU/FSB controls. Bump up the FSB a little, and see if the system boots at that. Do so in small steps (I did like 5 Mhz at a time) until the computer refuses to boot.

You'll have to reset the BIOS jumper or CMOS battery now to clear out the BIOS. Go back into BIOS and set it back to the last known FSB that it would still boot at. Now you'll have to test for stability with Prime95's torture test, Memtest86 to see if the memory holds up, CPU Burn, and some people like to run endless loops of 3DMark2003 while Prime95ing.

Depending on your memory and what I've seen, I'd say you could realistically get it to 3.5 - 3.6, maybe more with better cooling.

 

[xphantg0d]

Alright thanx alot.