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AMD |
Tips Voltage Mods Over the past number of months, people have been coming up with ways to change the default voltage of Intel PIV chips without changing the processor, either by wrapping thin wires between certain pins on the processor, or more recently, using conductive ink to connect pinholes. Recently, someone in our forum did the same wire wrap trick with TBreds, and since the relevant pins are adjacent to each other, there's no reason to believe the conductive ink approach wouldn't work, either. This is especially appropriate for those with motherboards that allow only limited or no voltage adjustment on the motherboard. It doesn't seem to get you more than 1.85V, though (that's because XPs have a maximum voltage of 1.85V; getting more than that requires other modifications). Temperatures These things are getting pretty toasty even at 2GHz, and less than optimal cooling could prove a barrier even at those speeds. I read an account someplace of someone who couldn't get past 2GHz with an air-cooled system, but could after he opened up the window and let some of that winter air in. In any case, overclocking up to around 2.3 or better with even just a little extra voltage is going to mean wattage in the neighborhood of one watt per sq. millimeter. That may not be hot as hell, but it's close, and demands high-quality air cooling at a minimum. The Real Nightmare As you saw, telling TBredAs and TBredBs apart can be pretty rough. Up to now, though, we haven't seen more than one particular type of TBred being sold in any speed class. What we don't know is how many TBredAs made for higher speeds and stockpiled while the Palominos were being flogged off are sitting around in AMD's inventory waiting to be sold. I think the Newegg 2100+s will be a leading indicator of that. Will they be TBredAs that have been gathering dust? Are they TBredBs? The real nightmare will be if they're both. There will be no way to tell besides visual inspection of OEM chips to tell (in the case of 2000+s and 2100+s) which is which A Frustrating Trip Loyal AMD fans have had a rough time of it. They've waited forever for cheap Tbreds, and now that they are starting to arrive, they'll have a hard time finding the right one inbetween the Perpetual Palominos and TBredAs. A lot of people will not make the effort and pay for it with the wrong processor. Even those who get through that may well find that what they have is indeed a little brother to the much more expensive TBredBs. It's hardly a grave injustice and AMD can hardly be denounced for ripping people off by selling them $60 processors capable of 1.9-2GHz. But people are funny. They don't buy a CPU; they make up a fantasy about it and buy that. If the fantasy doesn't come true, no matter how unrealistic it was, it's the company's fault, and the reaction is often, "I'll never buy for them again." For a lot of people, buying this kind of equipment is an emotional purchase, and they react emotionally when they don't get what they want. AMD is having enough problems as is. The idea behind an article like this is not only to keep you from personal disappointment, but also to keep AMD from suffering the consequences of that disappointment. But you have to help yourself a little, too. Copied from www.overclockers.com (I think) |
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