Tweaking an Average System

[Xmo1]

Running XP Pro.
FSB is at 166MHz. All output is nominal.

What kind of tweaks should I do to this very average system, if any?

The Corsair pamphlet says it has been verified to operate at 200MHz(DDR400) at 2.5-3-3-6 on AMD platforms. The video is running 1024x768x32 at 72Hz with 128Mb ram. Internal DAC is 400MHz.

I certainly don't want to approach the edge of the envelope with it, but I do want it to be properly adjusted.

[Darthtanion]

Re: Tweaking an Average System

To have everything "properly adjusted" you'll need to go to factory specs. To enter into our world you'll want to play around.

First off, you can try to bump the memory speed to 200MHz (if you're motherboard is capable of performing at this speed). Many Athlon processors of the 166MHz flavor will handle this increase just fine. If not just reset the CMOS using the motherboard jumper and try something a bit less drastic. You can also experiment with memory timings. Just as before, when things start to become unstable just reset the CMOS and set the timings to a value they can handle. Overclocking is different for every system so a bit of trial and error is generally called for.

As for the video board, you probably won't get astronomical speeds from it but you should be able to use an overclocking utility to bump it up a little bit at least. If you start to see glitches or graphical distortions, set it back down a few MHz. There are several utilities available for this at www.guru3d.com

Finally, try tweaking the operating system and primary game settings. There are several guides posted at www.tweakguides.com that cover this topic so browse on over and fix things up.

Good luck!