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System unstable after OC, Cause?

N

Northwood3313

n00b
Joined
Mar 18, 2004
Messages
11
Hey guys I recently purchased some stuff to help my system be able to overclocked higher. Heres my full specs:

P4 2.4C
PC4000 1GB DDR OCZ
IC7-G Motherboard
Geforce 3 Ti500 (Going soon)
Audigy Gamer
7200RPM 80GB Maxtor
7200RPM 40GB Maxtor
ATI TV Wonder PCI
D-Link Network Card
400 watt PSU
WinXP Pro

Ive overclocked the CPU to 3.0GHZ bringing the FSB up to 250, and putting the memory into its rated spec which is DDR500. The problems began yesterday when It started randomly rebooting. I figured out the problem, I forgot to connect the P4 PSU connector. After I got that it was ok but it still crashed.

I checked my temps while running Prime95 and they peaked at 53 Degrees. By no means a temp to crash at.

Just a few minutes ago I tried extracting a file out a of a .zip file and it errored. So I rebooted and took it back to 225FSB and extracted the file fine. So my question is this, What is holding me back here?

I just purchased a ThermalRight SP-94 which is a beast! Along with some Arctic Silve 5. Its definitly not the CPU or the RAM as the temps for CPU arent in the crash zone and the RAM is rated for DDR500.

Could it be the stock Northbridge cooler? If so can anyone reccomend a decent cooler which will fit with the two hook design of the IC7-G (as seen here http://images10.newegg.com/productimage/13-127-152-14.JPG)

I ran Prime95 in safemode and it passed, but when I try it in normal mode it crashes halfway through. Anyone?

I would try this if it wasnt so damn expensive..Almost as much as my SP-94! http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=35-108-022&depa=1
 
Well your CPU temperature is OK, and your ram should be able to handle that fsb no problem. Perhaps try raising the voltage on your CPU an increment at a time, running a Prime95 test at each increment until you find your system is stable. However, I've only ever used AMD, not sure if the same rules apply to voltage when overclocking P4s or not.
 
Well the thing is I heard raising the voltage decreases the lifespan of the CPU, I dont wanna do that but if it comes to it I will. Are there any negative side effects of raising the voltage? I recently replaced the HSF on my northbridge and it uses a putty like pad so Im afraid to remove that an apply some AS5.
 
not all ram performs to spec, and I would be especially wary of OCZ. Try running a divider to take the RAM below 225 while keeping the FSB at 250.
 
Well raising the voltage will probably reduce the CPU life from 50 years to 20 years or something, in the same way overclocking does, but that's no big deal. As long as you keep the CPU voltage under about 2v it's safe for your CPU, and I'd imagine by 1.8v at the most your system should be stable. One of the side effects of increasing voltage is that it increases the CPU temperature, but only by a few degrees at each voltage increment. Just take it slowly, increasing voltage in increments and testing stability each time. Once you've got your system stable, don't increase the voltage any more, because obviously you want stability at the lowest possible temperature.
 
Thanks for the tips! I raised the voltage to 1.500 and it works fine. Its only a +.250 increase and by seeing some people here running at 1.8 I think im ok. Again, thanks guys!
 
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