Overclocking

I started off with the 5000+ BE CPU, which was a breeze to overclock unlike the 3000+ CPU I used in my OC guide. The unlocked multiplier played a big role in being able to reach the maximum frequency. The stock setting for the 5000+ is 2.6 GHz, reached with a bus speed of 200 and a multiplier of 13 (Image 13). In the end the highest stable frequency achievable was 3250 MHz reached with a bus speed of 250 and the stock multiplier of 13 (Image 13). Unfortunately, at that speed the fastest that the memory would run was about 925 MHz which is still below the rated speed of the OCZ memory. To get the most out of the memory at this speed I reduced the latency to 4-4-4-12 (Image 15) from 5-5-5-18.

Overclocking the graphics cards turned out to be a bit more of a challenge. I decided to start off with the 2600 Pro and tried to overclock using overdrive in CCC. Unfortunately no matter what I set the core and memory speeds to the real speed would not change. I tried ATI tool and ATI Tray Tools. Still neither would show me a correct core or memory frequency. I eventually landed on RivaTuner 2.06, which worked perfectly. To test each overclock I set the clocks and let ATI Tool's artifact scanner run for at least one hour. I eventually landed on 663/922. Next I moved on to the HD2600 XT GDDR4, I had the same troubles that I did with the Pro but this time, RivaTuner eventually worked. The memory on the 2600 XT overclocked like a MONSTER 2.6 GHz without any mods. The final clocks were 874/2600. Now let’s see how the system performs overclocked and at stock.