Hello,

I asked at a local store (Bucharest, Romania) what week their Barton 2500+ were and they replied that they were week 41, year 1999.

Firstly, is that possible ?

Secondly (if it's possible), is one of those OC'able ?

I'm thinking it's more likely to be week 41, year 2003, which I've heard are a gamble (might be SuperLocked).

Any help appreciated.

Thanks in advance,

Razvan

Bartons weren't available in 1999...

You can be almost certain that a 0341 (week 41, 2003) Barton is gonna be locked

...there is no spoon...

It is week 39 in 2003. I have one BLOWN one sitting in front of me, 2500 XP 333 BUS Barton, says copyright 1999. BUT.... I believe the copyright is to copyright the TYPE and NAME of cpu, ie ATHLON.

Not copy right specific model...

In fact I know it is copyright for that, as Athlon debuted in 1999 and in 1998 we were only on k62's, right? Feel free to crrect me on that bit if I am wrong!

I asked the lady at the store to check again and she said that she was sorry, and she was wrong.

She sent me the stepping: AQZFA0411RPMW so she was way off.

I guess that with week 11 in 2004 I can't go wrong.. it'll be locked :( too bad.

You CANNOT! find a brand new pre-week 39 2500+ out there. You can get a used one but what is the point, when with a board like NF7 and some others you can still get more out of a regular 2500+.

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What can I do on a locked Barton 2500+ ?

I guess I could increase the FSB up to around 200 in small increments, but when it gets over that, I think it needs an increase in voltage, right ?

What's the stock multiplier set to on a Barton 2500+ ?

TIA,
Razvan

get the mobile 2500+

Yes, well it's very hard to get in Romania.

Not many stores have mobile processors for sale.

So, could you please tell me what I can do with a locked Barton, if in the end it's all I'll be able to get ?

Thank you,
Razvan

get it to 200 FSB and couple that with DDR400 memory and call it good...i am very satisfied with the results and i keep it there at all times

Abit NF7-s 2500+ @ 3200+
512 Corsair XMS PC3200
128 meg Radeon 9800 Pro
36 GIG WD Raptor SATA
3+ Mbps cable connection

Athlon XP 2500+ comes @ 1833MHz (166*11.0) clock speed, once you get it just crank up the FSB increamentally if you run stable @ 400FSB (which you should) that gives you a 3200+ clock.

You can infact get a 2600+ (barton) if it is available, it shouldn't be but a couple of bucks more.

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Thanks guys !

I'll just mail a few more stores to find out their Barton week (I'll get the money soon, but in the meantime, why just sit around ?), and in the end, if nothing comes up (or I get a Mobile Barton), I'll just go for a locked one (but I'll still try to connect the bridges on it :D ).

Let's just hope for the best ! :)

All mobile bartons are unlocked and connecting the bridges (pencil trick or shortening pins) WILL NOT! unlock a barton, so forget that idea.

What you need to do in the meantime is shop around for a decent board to go with your 2500/2600+ and some good memory with tight timings (PC3200).

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Right now I have an Abit NF7 v2.0 mobo, but I'm thinking of getting the NF7-S v2.0 or the newer AN7 for it.

I've been extremely pleased with the overclocking capabilities of the NF7, but I'm thinking of switching to SATA - which my current mobo doesn't have :(

I have the 2.0 version of the board, but am not currently using a SATA hard drive, if you are not hard pressed for a SATA hard drive I say keep your current board and save that cash for something else.

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I have the 2.0 version of the board as well, only the NF7 non-"S".

The thing is I'm thinking of getting a SATA WD 36Gb Raptor (10.000 RPM, 8 Mb buffer, 5.2 ms average seek time)

One more question:

If I end up getting a locked Barton 2500+, is there any chance of getting it at 233x11 (to have it in sync with DDR466) on an NF7-S 2.0 (or an AN7) with a Thermaltake Extreme Volcano 12 ?

yes. Just be willing to use high vcore. Try it with the case cover off first - 1.85v-1.95 vcore might get you there. I would lap that sink also - thermaltake's need it

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=lap+heatsink

Hopefully the fan lets you run it manually at max rpm as opposed to being subject to temp-sensing speed only.

1.85v is the common max "safe vcore" but if your temps stay at 50c or below you are good to 1.95v, and if 40C or below 2.0v.

They key is always to find the knee of the curve. Make a chart of idle temps as you increase vcore from 1.7v to 1.75v to 1.80v and higher, with no change to clock speed. At one of those vcores your temp will jump significantly from the previous setting and that is the spot at which your cooler is fighting a losing battle. Then step back to the previous vcore and live there. The reason for doing this at stock speed and not at load temps is to put a margin of safety in.

And there is nothing wrong with maxing out at 11x220. I wouldn't get married to 233 just because its the ram's rating....