Epox 8RDA3+ Review

[TeaLeaf]

Personally I stick the heat sensors on the underside of the heatsinks (yes you have to fit them before the actual CPU   ) for both the CPU and Northbridge as close as possible to the core.  However put them wherever you want to measure whatever you want - you may want to use them for the HDD or gpu temps for example.

Default settings for an XP1700 are clock multiplier of 11 and default FSB of 133MHz.  That gives you 11 x 133 = 1.463GHz CPU speed = XP1700     Initially set the RAM to accept SPD settings - we can talk later about tweaking them, but in the meantime make absolutely sure that you set the RAM clock divider to a 1:1 ratio (or 3:3 or 6:6 etc) as you will not get it to run in dual channel mode otherwise.

The system you have should allow you to bump the FSB right up to 200 with a multiplier of 11.  That will leave you running at 2.2GHz and will be fairly close to your ceiling (mine was 2.338 GHz with a 10.5 x 222MHz setting).  I wouldn't jump right up there to the 11 x 200 setting, I would probably go for an initial massive jump from default settings to 10 x 200 and then edge everything up slowly from there.  You may need to increase your voltages a bit to get it to run stable, my system ran well with Vcore 1.65v, Vchipset 1.7v and Vram 2.8v.  Remember that edging things up slowly may mean decreasing one of the settings!  Getting a faster system is a balancing act for the multiplier and the FSB to get the best overrall GHz for the CPU and utilisation for the RAM, for example a reduction in multiplier combined with an increase in FSB means a faster CPU and a better RAM bandwidth utilisation.

10.5 x 200 = 2.200GHz (memory = PC3200)
10 x 222 = 2.220GHz (memory = PC3522)

If any'o'this garbage makes no sense to you then call me, it is way easier to talk through than type through! - my tel numbers are in the Member's section of the forum (Announcements - Private, under a thread called 'contacts').

GL & HF.....

TL.  

[albert]

Thanks TL, it makes sense, I've done a fair bit of reading so have a basic understanding so I'm loking forward to giving this a go. I first need to get  my old HDDs cabled up and the new HDD partitioned so I can get the data sent over. I posted that last message as I had been working on the PC from 9am until the middle fo the afternoon and was well chuffed when the thing booted up first time. I still have to change a few little things and get the cables tidies but hopefully by the end of the day I'll have a working system again and a Ghost backup.

[albert]

Yeeeeeeeeeeeeessss, I managed to get all the files off my old HDDs. They are both in fine working order. So that narrows the problem with the old pc down to mobo, CPU or power supply. I already think the PSU has something to do with all this mess but I suspect the mobo is also shafted.