Do you Overclock your Notebook?

Well I think that going up to a 450MHz core is as high as it will go. I tried 475 and I saw some pretty obvious artifacting. Also, if you plan on upgrading ur memory, make sure u get pc5300 ram (667MHz) as that will make the gpu ram run at the faster 667MHz (instead of 533 stock).

Also, make sure u have the latest ATI catalyst drivers. If you have teh same machine as me (aspire 5102) then get the 2.73 BIOS as that lets u set the memory to 256. But if u have another computer, I don't know anything about that.

Good luck, and don't be afraid to ask me any more questions if you can't figure something out.

 

ok cool, thanks for the info bud I appericate it .

Ok I used the configuration you suggested and it works out great! However I do have on last question , Is there anyway using winclk to keep(saves) the setting after a reboot? It have to keep going back and manully setting it up after each reboot.

 

I've been trying to figure that out myself, and so far I can't seem to find any setting to save the OC.

 

Well, I used to overclock my GPU but recently I haven't due to the fact that my games are performing fine after a few system wide tweaks.

 

yup...same here. it works for me.
got the xi 1546 and i overclock the x1800 a bit. dont really need to unless i know i want to underclock cpu to prevent too much heat. (only one fan you see) so its better if it works on the gpu mostly! x1800 is overclocked to about 450mhz (apparently ATI stock) and 500mhz memory. it works for me. NOTHING ive tried lags. i see good frames. adn im always on the highest detail. quite frankly. perfect for me. cant complain!

i also underclock a bit. NHC really does wonders! keeps my notebook quite cool for a 17" . umm..usually normal load is about 49 to 52c while say...photoshop, media player, firefox, az and messenger running. about 55c under gaming...it depends. sometimes a max of 75c CPU! that was under tiberium wars! but i cut the cpu to 966mhz (each core) and it runs much cooler. maybe 65 to 70c. still all runs smooth. im quite happy with it..17" are quite hard to cool. u DEFFO cant use this on your lap. and besides. tha fan would struggle. im thinking of applaying some AC5 and maybe buy a cooler. (thyre kinda cheap. £30)

 

Well, now im overclocking my GPU again.

I'm doing 500mhz on the core and 400mhz on the memory which is what the gddr2 on my x1600 is supposed to run at up from the stock 370mhz.

 

Well the last time I overclocked through clockgen my mobo mysteriously died. lol.
So I went a different route this time. I upgraded my mobo on ebay to a newer one with a 915 chipset, 533bus, and through a jumper wire and a great write up here on notebook review I used a jumper wire to overclock my 1.6G pentium M to 2.1G. For a three year old pc this thing flies now. My idle temp is the same at 45C but it hits 62C much quicker now under load. lol. but the fan kicks in at that temp and cools it quickly plus the arctic siver helps cool a bit!

 

i wouldnt OC my notebook
as im happy with the way it performs currently
and wouldnt want to risk any damage to my beloved rig

 

yep I pin modded my I6000 from a measely 1.4GHz to a more respectable
1.86GHz, for free! obviously stripped my thermal pads off and ArticSilvered the CPU and GPU. Doubled my memory to a gig (wasn't seated correctly at first and i got a SCARY post error) Gonna XPS up my I6000 casing soon.

 

No need to, I think.

 

All my OCing experiments ended in failure. Laptop either got too hot, or I had software conflicts and my speeds would go down to minimum settings (thus making the idea worthless for me).

I know it can be done, but I'm done trying for a while.

 

thats what i'm worried about, cooking my cpu or my gpu, and then it not being covered by warranty. i'm fine with OC'ing my desktop, but that is because i can replace individual parts myself, and not destroy the whole system.

 

I never tried OCing my CPU. Too dangerous. I did try to overclock my GPU though. From the default 375/600 to 405/680. I'm using a Geforce Go 6600. The heat did spike though. It was scary looking at the GPU temperature reaching 70-75 C.

 

As touched on in my Samsung R20 review, ClockGen works with the ATI 1250M chipset and I took the 1.73GHz T2250 up to 2.6GHz (=800MHz FSB). I had first established that the CPU would undervolt down to below 1V at full speed. I ran a series of benchmark tests at 2.6GHz so it was evidently quite stable at that speed. The results showed that the 50% increase in CPU speed didn't have the corresponding boost to benchmark scores.

PCMark05: 3498 -> 4408
3DMark05: 1151 -> 1383
3DMark05: 472 -> 493
Cinebench 1CPU 256 -> 384
Cinebench 2CPU 474 -> 706

As shown by the attached graphic, the CPU was running quite hot compared with the alternative of undervolting and having it cruise along at 60C on full load.

A compromise would be to have partial undervolting (1.1V?) and 25% overclocking. However, overclocking is only worth the effort if the CPU is the weak link in the system, which in this case it was not.

John

 

Underclocking would appeal to me considerably more than overclocking. If I could reduce my CPU frequency to ~600mhz I'd suffer no performance loss on desktop applications but should see a noticable battery life improvement.

 

How do you overclock in the first place?

 

Well after looking around with google I found that some folks were able to use clockgen to overclock the ATI 200m chipset on this Toshiba Satellite A135-S2386. I downloaded Clockgen and set the PLL to ICS 951416 (info I also found via google search). I then started overclocking in 10Mhz increments and got to the final 13x188=~2450Mhz on this laptop. Super pi went from ~48sec to ~36sec.

In clockgen there are two slider bars, one that controls fsb, and one that controls pci and pcie. The laptop I have has a t2080 1MB cache installed in it that runs at 13x133mhz bus. I have also ran Orthos on it now for over 4 hours and not one issue. The temperature runs about 56c full load, and at this temp the fan is either off or on a low setting (its quiet). I just got this a week and a half ago from one of BestBuys sales for $500.

 

hi guys i'm new to overclocking i just dl clockgen but i can't seem to find the PLL IC for my Mb. i'm using samsung x60 core duo t2300 intel Mobile 945GM can someone pls enlighten me what are the steps to OC my processor many thks in advance......

 

hi what did u enter besides the PLL setup as ICS 951416, how about offset, hex value and binary value need to enter any value? thks

 

btw what is yr mainboard i can't seem to find my PLL anyway my maniboard is 945GM do u know which PLL should i select? many thks

 

his is a ATI one. As I mentioned in the PM, asking the author of clockgen is would be better.

An alternative I can think of is see if you have friends with 945 desktop which is easier to access the motherboard and check what PLL is used there. That may give you a better clue of what is likely to be used in your notebook.

Otherwise, you have to open up the notebook and look for it on the motherboard.

 

thks pal the genclock site mention if i can see the PLL setup and PLL control mean my mainboard is in the list? But dun know which 1 right?

 

Hello all,

I overclock my notebook and it overclocks pretty well. Here's my specs:

CPU: Turion 64 X2 TL-50 w/ 2 x 256K L2 Cache
Stock: 1608 MHz @ 1.1 volts
Overclocked: 1920 MHz @ 1.1 volts (240 x 8)
HT: 960 MHz from 800
Ram: 2 x 1GB G.Skill PC-5300 667 MHz DDR2
(Chip config: Double Sided w/ 8 chips per side)
Original speed: 667 (333)MHz @ 5-5-5-15/21 (last number is Row Cycle Time)
Overclocked: 770 (385)MHz @ 5-5-5-5/17

Video: GeForce Go 6150 IGP w/ 128MB shared
Stock: 425 MHz
Overclocked: 600 MHz at stock voltage

Chipset: GF Go 6150/MCP 430
See my sig for other miscellaneous info. Overclocking made possible by nTune.

-J.B.

 

Hell No! this is a good way to smoke your notebook, and end up with a really big, very expensive paperweight.

ev

 

Well if you're clueless as to the workings of your notebook, then you will think that.

But considering that the stock cpu voltage of my laptop was higher (1.075) than the voltage I'm using to keep a safe OC (0.975) I don't see how this would smoke my notebook. In fact, keeping my notebook stock is more a danger of smoking/heating up than undervolting and OCing.

So you my friend have a better chance of smoking your notebook than I do, even tho I am overclocked.

Thanks for participating.

 

OC'ing is stupid. Minimal gains and shortens the life of your notebook. Notebooks run hot enough as is. Heat is what eventually wears out engines and machinery of all kinds and will do the same with notebooks. Why speed up the process?

 

I disagree. Looking at how fast computer hardware is advancing these days, the average new consumer laptop will last 2-4 years before most people feel the need the upgrade to something much faster. Slight overclocks won't shorten lifespan to 2-4 years. If you're paranoid, you can just get a relatively cheap notebook cooler. Plus, even slight overclocks on cpu, ram, and most often the graphics card can boost system performance to try to keep up with technological advancements. Personally, i boosted my laptop's 3dMark05 score from 3501 to 3897. And lastly, overclocking is very fun. There's nothing as enjoyable as seeing benchmark scores rise, and experiencing smoother framerates in games. I think most gamers would agree.

 

I would only agree with you if your talking about only slight OC'ing. I would never dare to try and OC your CPU/GPU by more than 15-20%.

 

Yeah that's definitely a good point that i didn't really mention. The only thing i overclock right now is my graphics card, but that's only by 15-30mhz on both the core and memory. Heat levels are a little higher but still quite low, but the performance gain is enough to make it worth it.

 

And I disagree! OC causes more heat and more heat will shorten the lifespan of your notebook. No if or buts... the law of physics.

Kinda like smoking... sure it won't kill ya now, but it WILL shorten your lifespan!

 

The question though is, what is the "expected" lifespan of a notebook without overclocking ? If it shortens it from say 10 years to 9 years and 200 days, I believe no one cares. Many smokers think that way too.

 

Here's some food for thought if you're thinking of overclocking. Read it. It's a blog entry from a Microsoft employee and VERY relevant to you. Heat (and lifespan) is not your biggest problem:
http://blogs.msdn.com/oldnewthing/archive/2005/04/12/407562.aspx

Personally I think overclocking a notebook is pointless, with only very small upside and plenty of downside.

I remember when the Celeron 300 was the overclocker's choice (in a desktop PC), it could easily run at 550 - a *huge* boost. I put two of those in the famous Abit VP6 and had a killer dual-cpu rig for a cheap price. Those days are over though.

 

unfortunately, this looks like too broad a brush about overclocking. I don't overclock other than for fun as 80% of the time, my CPU is at the lowest frequency. But this page give people the impression that all overclocking are bad which I just don't believe that is the case. Intel is well known for its Fab cookie cutters that most of its CPU coming from the same process have more or less the same speed grade and it is more of a marketing strategy to bin things into different speed grade.

 

Yes that's a point that is apparently true, but smart overclockers will find ways to decrease heat. Besides, shortened lifespan is a small price to pay when you can get better performance out of your computer for free (besides a slightly higher power consumption). And as i said before, slight overclocks in notebooks will not shorten lifespan by much. 3 to 4 years later you're probably going to get a new machine anyways and forget about your old one, so lifespan isn't really a problem.

 

You believe that no one cares... WRONG.. maybe only 1% of the computer folks OC. The 99% are the ones who care and the smart ones.

 

99% don't know how or don't have the need or don't know the real impact of OC. It has nothing to do with whether it is smart or not.

 

The impact is NIL. I'm one of the 99% dummies that don't know about OC.

Lessee here, I've owned over 25 notebooks since my first Tandy 600 in 1985.
I've tore apart 1/3 of those notebooks.
I do computer related work for a living:
http://1-4u-computer-graphics.com/

Yup... I don't know a thing!

 

What do you want to say ? The impact is NIL means it has no harm or no noticeable harm ?

 

The impact is certainly NOT "NIL." I know because i personally overclock my graphics card. There IS a noticeable difference. I get better framerates in games. For example, one part of 3dMark05 that got around 15 fps at stock speeds now gets 18-20 fps. That might not seem like a lot, but trust me, it's noticeable. If you don't like overclocking, then don't do it. But those of us who take advantage of it know what we're doing.

 

The simple fact is this: Those who kill hardware through overclocking do it blind eye and pay the price! It's as simple as that. People who overclock and know what they are doing end up with a noticable performance increase, and at the same time know where their comfort zone is.

I personally have a very large overclocking background and I will be overclocking my 8600M GT because I know what I am doing. My first overclocking began on my Athlon XP 2000+ and I ran it at 1.9v for a good 6months straight. 1.9v is right on the top end of how high you can run it on air. But I knew with my temps maxing 56c full load, with good airflow and a solid prime95 stable for 3 DAYS, not 15mins, it was rock solid and a HUGE performance increase (1.66GHz to 2.2GHz)

Today I'm onto an X2 3600+ Brisbane which I have running at 2.9GHz (1.9GHz stock) which is a huge overclock.

I would overclock my T5250 as well, but there are no pinmod's available...so I'm out of luck.

Again to reiterate, those who kill hardware don't know the limits. You watch the temperatures, ensure it is stable BEYOND a few hours of gaming. I actually primed my 3600+ Brisbane at 2.95GHz today and it was stable with playing Supreme Commander, but I wanted it to be 100% stable so left it running Ortho's and it failed at 9hrs 21mins while I was at work. So you MUST ensure it is stable. When something is not stable, its running too high and you running more risky.

The life of processors is far beyond its actual usable period of time before you will upgrade. Even with a very high overclock...the processor will probably still last 5years or even more. Technology will outpace the lifespan as long as you stay within reasonable limits.

 

You OC'ers are missing my point. I know successful OC'ers and many that aren't. My whole point WAS OC'ing WILL shorten your cpu/gpu lifespan... no if' or but's about it. Sure you OC'ers can get more out of them. But, that was not my point.

Have fun with OC'ing. It is not unlike hot rodders who soup up their engines. The hot engines won't last as long as a stock one, but they sure have fun.
I know because I have a 750hp 77 Vette.

 

No one is saying it would not "shorten" the lifespan but whether that is noticeable or have significant impact. As I said, I the measured lifespan is 10 years and it is shortened to 9 years 200 days and I would only use the notebook for 5 years, that means nothing as far as deciding whether I would overclock.

If I don't use the notebook for the first ten years, I can extend its lifespan by 10 calendar years, so should I lock it in the safe ?

 

No offense, but I think you are missing the point. Just like chimpanzee said, NOONE is disagreeing with u that OCing shortens the lifespan of components. Stop saying that, WE KNOW! What he is saying is that this reduction in lifespan is not gonna impact 99.9% of computer users given the average time a person owns a machine for.

Using chimp's example, if the lifespan is reduced from 10 years (stock) to 9 years (OCed), what's the differnce if a person used that laptop for 5 years and then throws it away. Please answer that question.

And you say that modding and engine (and thus increasing the heat and lowering the lifespan) sure is fun. So how is this different than OCing your machine and gettin better performance out of ur games etc.

You're contradicting urself, you have a nice modded car at the expense of a shortened life span (but fun) yet you are against THE SAME EXACT concept but in computers rather than a car. If you blow up ur computer by OCing it's gonna cost u a couple hundred bux to fix. If you blow up ur 700hp engine it's gonna cost u a couple grand to fix.

I really don't get ur point jack.

 

I really don't get ur point jack.
MY POINT was just that, OC'ing shortens the life of the cpu/gpu... I chose not to do it, you guys all want to argue... must be from that other notebook forum as most of you are fairly new.

On modding a car, I went from a stock 180hp to 750+ hp. Now THAT is a BIG difference! AND I know that I won't get a long life from that motor like the stock one too. This was my choice.

 

I understand, and you're entitled do your own opinion.

But my question is, why does shortening the lifespan from 10 years to 9 for example matter when you use that machine for 5 years and then throw it away?

Like I said before, what's the difference between modding an engine to make it faster and OCing a cpu/gpu? Why are u more than willing to do one but not the other? How are they different? Besides the fact that the risks involved in one (the car) are 100x more than the second (the computer). Not only are cars more expensive to fix, but ur very life is at stake.

When you sup up a car and the engine blows up on you while going 130mph you're kinda screwd. If you fry your gpu while gaming your life is not at stake.

The way I see it:

car more expensive than laptop
life more valuable than gaming

Yet you seem to have absolutely no problem risking the first ones by modding your car to 4x its stock specs, yet you are completely against even the slightest modding of the latter 2. Seems to me you're more of computer fan rather than corvette fan seeing as how you have no problem risking the corvette, yet are very careful with computers.

 

I brought up modding my Vette to show it is similar to modding computers.
That is the choice of the owner and more power to them. I chose to mod the Car and not the notebook. Modding the notebook isn't going to make anything I do go any faster or more efficient. For me anyway.
BUT where do you get the 9-10 year lifespan? These newer notebooks aren't going to last that long as they generate much more heat than the older notebooks did and HEAT is what wears out anything. And this is STOCK notebooks.

Most modders I know don't keep their notebooks that long as they can't stand it when the new cpu/gpu's are that much faster than what they have... so after a year or so, they go buy another one.

 

You seriously belive that a current core 2 duo cpu produces more heat than a prescott Pentium 4?

Also, I see no problem keeping a notebook for 10 years. Sure it's not gonna be usable and fast, but it can still run. Aren't you the one posting pictures over on nbf.com of a laptop from like 1982? Once again you are contradicting yourself.

You might not, but to some people more power will help.

At the same time, you can say that for most people having a 700hp car is not gonna make things faster and more efficient.

So just how u are indifferent to computer speed for your needs, and are very much for car speed, other people could care less if they had an 100hp honda or a 700hp corvette but would love to do things on their computer much much faster.

 

gamers who overclock are not ignorant or stupid in any way, shape, or form. we know what we're doing, and like everyone else said, we're probably going to have a new main computer in a matter of a couple years anyway.

 

AND a pentium 4 notebook would be very lucky to make it 2 years1

 

Lol ok, you're obviously clueless when it comes to computers.