I went from an Athlon 2800 (2250mhz 256 L2 cache) to an Athlon XP-M (2450mhz 512 L2 cache) and have noticed a lot of improvement in general computer speed. In FS2004, however, I notice quite a bit of improvment in low density scenery areas but in high density areas such as default Seattle area with everything maxed and 30 miles of visability, I notice maybe 1 frame per second increase with default C-172 and no improvement when using my beloved RFP 747-200. Is my 9800 Pro holding me back? Would I get better frames per second with a better card? I purchased the XP-M (A stepping) from NewEgg.com and it came a day earlier than expected. I also purchased Artic Silver 5 and applied it according to directions. The update was smooth, and it poped easily and fired up as is. I immediately went into the BIOS and set it at 13.5x166 (the same setting as the TB Athlon XP 2800 that I had in there), and I noticed it ran 10C cooler. Right now, I have it up to 14x175 (2450Mhz) @1.70v, and it runs smoothly with no crashes, even with games. The temp is at 53 to 54c, so I am going to give it time to burn in (and hopefully cool down) before I try and up the settings anymore. I am using the Volcano 12 at the lowest fan settings. Would you guys try and shoot for a higher multiplier (15 perhaps) or work just on the FSB for FS2004 performance. I thing at my current temps, I am close to maxing this thing out. What do you guys think or suggest? Again, should I go for a better card?RH

How much RAM do you have?Otherwise generally for gaming FSB helps more but this is something you have to experiment with. If your RAM have trouble keeping up you may have more luck pushing CPU clock etc.I had a 2500+ mobile and it did 2,7+ on my Koolance so they are generally very good overclockers. Have seen mobiles on 2,7 on high end aircooling as well.But what RAM do you got. On nforce 2 systems it

I am using Samsung 3200 speed RAM at the fastest settings my KT-400 will allow. What do you mean by RAM 1:1 witht the FSB. With the A7V8X, I have a lot of overclocking options. My CPU temps when I check in the BIOS are between 53 and 54C, is that getting too high?The funny thing about my video card settings is that if I don't get a drop in framerates between AA and AF all the way maxed and with them at the lowest setting. However, they are not as high as I would expect. From my understanding of it, upping the multiplier increases the CPU clock speed but does nothing for how fast the information gets to other components like memory and the video card. Those things are influenced by the FSB. Is that correct? Thanks again for your help!RH

>I am using Samsung 3200 speed RAM at the fastest settings my>KT-400 will allow. What do you mean by RAM 1:1 witht the FSB.> With the A7V8X, I have a lot of overclocking options. My CPU>temps when I check in the BIOS are between 53 and 54C, is that>getting too high?>>The funny thing about my video card settings is that if I>don't get a drop in framerates between AA and AF all the way>maxed and with them at the lowest setting. However, they are>not as high as I would expect. >>From my understanding of it, upping the multiplier increases>the CPU clock speed but does nothing for how fast the>information gets to other components like memory and the video>card. Those things are influenced by the FSB. Is that>correct? >>Thanks again for your help!>>RHYes that is correct. CPU clock make your CPU go faster raising the FSB make everything go faster. Also harddrives and PCI buses get overclocked so make sure your mainboard have a AGP/PCI lock if you want to go for real high FSB :)Some Samsung chips are quite good actually. Lowering your multi way down and use memtest86 to see at how high FSB they will go. However first check with your mainboard that it do have an AGP/PCI lock. Many VIA mainboards for the A64 lack them however don

Thanks for the info. I don't the the A7V8X has an AGP lock. Would I check in the BIOS? How would I find out what memory chip it uses? Is it written on the RAM itself? I will also check out memtest86. Hopefully, FS2004 will do a lot better with an increased FSB. Thanks,RH

Yeah it

I would second that FSB is the way to go. I would rather have a lower MHZ and high FSB then low FSB and high MHZ check out this web site for lots of good OC tips for AMD boards. http://forums.pcper.com/

Thanks once again for the info. I will have to check out the memory, and those other things, when I get a chance. My wife is expecting me to cook dinner and have our Valentine evening tonight since we have other things going on between now and that date. I am going to try and sneak away to the computer to do these things, but you know how it is. I'll get nagged at if I mess with it too much. I'll keep you updated though.RH

I'll give 185x13 a try and will report on the frames per second. What are your thoughts on the multiplier vs. FSB and FS2004 performance.Thanks,RH

Well don

Thanks once again for the info! Which of the benchmarks most highly correlates with FS2004?RH

No idea just create your own using FS 2004 :). You can use fraps to measure fps with.

Thanks!RH