Processor upgrade

[U-96]

To commerorate my PCs 1st birthday, I think it is time to reward my Celeron400@500 with early retirement.

I have an Abit BX6-2 mobo and an Abit slotket, so the Duron route really isn't an option.

P3 or Cel2 is the question. Also, I don't know if I need to replace the slotket for an FCPGA CPU, so if anyone can clear that up, I'd be grateful http://sysopt.earthweb.com/forum/smile.gif

Those 566/600 Cel2 at 800+ look mighty tempting!

[penguin]

How much you got to spend. A 700/100 P3 at mwave is about $225.

[krusty the klown]

Reckon you'll have to upgrade that slocket.

The "Abit slotket!!!" is a neat piece of kit.

Here's a couple of handy UK OCing sites:
http://www.overclockers.co.uk

and

https://secure-www.areti.com/powercomputing/

for non-OC stuff at good prices:
http://www.cclcomputers.co.uk/price.htm

Have fun http://sysopt.earthweb.com/forum/wink.gif

EDIT: oh yeah, celery2 vs. P3...

Celery2 - for:

Cheap, high multiplier means lower FSB (can be useful for some mobos, especially the BX where the AGP divider is 2/3 - can give problems with AGP cards and 133+Mhz FSBs), has all the new insructions that the coppermine P3 has, performance will be ~ equal to P3 of same MHz for games & RC5, lower FSB for same MHz means memory is more likely re-usable from old system.

Celery2 against -

Smaller cache can give poorer performance than the P3 with some apps, higher multiplier means lower FSB for same MHz - will give lower memory performance. High multiplier means large MHz gaps on mobos with few FSB options.

P3 for -

Almost the opposite! more cache, faster FSB giving better memory performance.....

P3 against -

Price does not justify performance difference over celery2, can end up using high FSBs to clock to the limit (I have a 550E@825 on a 150MHz FSB), can end up having to ditch old slower memory to achieve high FSBs, high FSBs can hold back overclocking with AGP cards and BX chipsets.

Hope this helps - personally, I reckon there's not one single chip that is the ideal OCer when upgrading - you have to consider the capabilities of your existing peripherals, what you're likely to achieve with that chip and what happens if the chip doesn't make the grade. For example if you're gunning for tweaking a celery to 100MHz, what is the fall-back? If you've got a 90 and 95MHz FSB sitting there, it's still a good overclock - but if the next step down is 75MHz, you'll be fairly p!ssed...

[This message has been edited by krusty the klown (edited 08-03-2000).]

[U-96]

thanks for the replies. http://sysopt.earthweb.com/forum/smile.gif

I'm pretty set on the Celeron because my memory is a stick of 66 and another of 100. While the latter one is okay, the cost of a PIII and some 100/133 RAM is raising the ante even more...
The benefit of SSE would be nice, but I still don't think it can be justified with the reduced o/cing odds on the 100MHz FSB. If I had a mobo with smaller FSB increments, I probably would... http://sysopt.earthweb.com/forum/smile.gif

My current set-up takes 83MHz o/c very happily, which places the 600 at around 750Mhz, quite a nice boost from what I have at the moment. Shooting for 900 would be nice, but I don't rate my chances.
Now I just got to sort out some coolant http://sysopt.earthweb.com/forum/wink.gif

Does anyone have an opinion on resellers who advertise "guaranteed overclock to xxx"? Can there really be such a guarantee? Is it better than taking pot luck with a boxed CPU?

[This message has been edited by U-96 (edited 08-03-2000).]

[Dputiger]

As far as I know, selling at guaranteed at XXXX is legit, but I'd take a good hard look at the company first. Really, it depends on how much of a die-hard OCCer you are. If you just want the best processor for your cash, I'd get a Pentium III.

The Celeron 2 only has about 80% of the performance of a Pentium III in gaming or other apps--so your 750 Celeron will act about like a Pentium III 600.

One other thing on that RAM--If your RAM is PC66 that could mean anything. Unlike PC100 or PC133, there was never an established PC66 specification. Personally, I've got two DIMMS that are three years old and labeled PC66, but will do CAS-2 and can be set to turbo DIMM timming (5-1-1) latency @ 100 Mhz FSB.

[IFReeman]

Hi U-96, I believe (and I could be wrong) that www.overclockers.co.uk (http://www.overclockers.co.uk) randomly pre-test some of the chips, so they can say they are gauranteed to a certain speed. BUT, and there is always a BUT, they also say that it is only gauranteed to that speed if you use the specification of board, memory etc that they list.

It is a fair assumption though that if they have overclocked it to those speeds, if you were to use a similar setup then you should be able to produce roughly the same results.

Be on the look out for dodgy sites with stupid claims for their cpu`s.

Just my opinion, hope its worth something.

Iain


[This message has been edited by IFReeman (edited 08-03-2000).]

[krusty the klown]

U-96, the celeron2 does support SSE!!! I've just run WCPUID on a celeron2 600 and it says SSE is supported.

I've taken the liberty of emailing you the screenshot, hope that's OK!

EDIT: well, I would have done if the email addy in ur profile worked http://sysopt.earthweb.com/forum/wink.gif

[This message has been edited by krusty the klown (edited 08-04-2000).]

[U-96]

sorry krusty, please try again. hopefully I've fixed it http://sysopt.earthweb.com/forum/smile.gif

I forgot I had left some processed meat in there http://sysopt.earthweb.com/forum/smile.gif

I honestly didn't know that the Cel2 had SSE. Time to visit Intel!

[wtp]

Hmm.. i think celeron 2. http://sysopt.earthweb.com/forum/smile.gif

wtp

[krusty the klown]

Well the email hasn't bounced, so that should be OK!

Hmmm.... it's no good for you, all this processed food, eh?

[U-96]

thanks krusty, I'm sold http://sysopt.earthweb.com/forum/smile.gif

what fan do you use on that?
I saw your post elsewhere on the thermal grease, and the soft cheese.

[krusty the klown]

I'm using a GlobalWin FOP32:
http://www.globalwinusa.com/images/fop32_final.jpg

Hmmm... I've seen it called the FKP32 before, but the piccie's from the GlobalWin site, so you'd hope they can get the name of their own products right http://sysopt.earthweb.com/forum/wink.gif

It's about £15 ex VAT.

I had to file mine a little 'cos it was catching on a capacitor on the Abit sloket, but it only took a couple of minutes.

- Don't get ya thermal compound and Philadelphia mixed up http://sysopt.earthweb.com/forum/wink.gif

[BC]

U-96 for the price it is hard to beat the celeron 566. Check out the golden orb as a hs/fan combo. Also some of that artic silver. I am trying to get a 566 from buy.com they had an offer to me that I couldn't refuse but I am still waiting for them to get them back in stock. **** them. BTW I have a 500 not much of an upgrade but I am putting that 500 in another machine for someone else.

Oh yeah and I too have the abit slotket. It will work with the fc-ppga

[This message has been edited by BC (edited 08-09-2000).]

[Inferior]

Celeron II is the only way to go!

And yes, with a golden orb and some silver compound, than its time to overclock! This is the ultimate combo! http://sysopt.earthweb.com/forum/smile.gif

Golden orbs are the best! http://sysopt.earthweb.com/forum/smile.gif