I have this small problem with my processor, since I cannot overclock by reducing the Multiplier and increasing the FSB Freq. If I change the Multiplier, the system will not boot, I figured that it is locked. Also, my MB is an ASUS A7N8X-X and my RAM frequency is just at 1/2 speed, and at single channel mode, I also tried with 2 PC3200 and the same thing happened, I have one 256MB PC2100 and one 512MB PC2700, if someone knows if it is possible to change that to Dual channel, please help me.
Thanks to all in advance.

ASUS A7N8X-X NForce2 400
AMD AthlonXP 2000+ 1.67G
768MB RAM 256MBPC2100 512MBPC2700
HDD 120GB Seagate ATA IV
HDD 40GB Seagate ATA IV

1st of all, your board doesn't support dual channel mode, & 2nd, even if it did, it wouldn't make any difference in performance.

If you're 100% certain the nForce board won't unlock your multiplier, you're stuck with 12.5x...all you can do is raise the FSB. Dump the PC2100 - it will only hold you back...use the 512MB PC2700 instead.

Are you familiar with the BIOS settings & how to change them so that you can adjust the FSB in 1MHz increments rather than 133, 166, 200?

Asus A7N8X-X
1800+ @ 8 x 210MHz
768MB PC3200
Asus A9550 128MB/128-bit
Gamer Edition
WinME/WinXP Pro

The multiplier of every Athlon XP is fixed
by AMD so without finding a way to unlock
that you can't change it in any direction.

Your PC2100 Ram is meant to run at only
133MHz FSB (266MHz Ram clock) so above that
you might get problems.

Check what Bios version you have on your
board. Older version sometimes lack
important settings for OCing like the PCI/
AGP lock which allows you to keep your PCI
clock stable at 33,33MHz and the AGP clock
at 66,66MHz. Or that lock isn*'t working
properly.
Check the net with google to see if there
are recommended bios versions for OCing
that board or just try the newest final
version you can find on www.asus.com.tw or
you experiment with any newer beta version
you can find there but it's possible that
there are some problems with that version!

And if you OC the CPU you may try to raise
the VCore a little bit to make it more
stable. But do it careful with one step at
a time because otherwise you might fry the
CPU.

I have the same board & it's a great overclocker. I believe the latest BIOS version is 1010, but I haven't checked in a while.

- the trick is to release the "hidden" BIOS settings by changing System Performance to "User Defined". This will allow the FSB (CPU External Frequency) to be adjusted in 1MHz increments

- make sure your Memory Frequency is set to 100%...don't use "BY SPD"

- disable both Spread Spectrum settings

- set Graphics Aperture Size to 128MB

- set AGP Frequency to 66MHz

- set CPU Vcore setting to Menu

- set CPU Vcore to 1.65V (Tbred) or 1.75v (Palomino). This setting may have to be increased to stabilize the overclock. Add 0.025v at a time (if necessary) until it runs stable again

- raise the FSB a little (5MHz) at a time until you reach a point of instability. PC2700 is designed for 166MHz...it will easily handle 175-185MHz & some will even run at 200MHz, it depends on the quality of the RAM.

Are you sure the multiplier isn't unlocked? The nForce chipset is able to unlock many "locked" CPUs

Asus A7N8X-X
1800+ @ 8 x 210MHz
768MB PC3200
Asus A9550 128MB/128-bit
Gamer Edition
WinME/WinXP Pro

Well, about the multiplier being locked I'm not 100% sure, but, if I try to decrease the multiplier, even just 0.5x it wont boot when I restart the computer.

I tried to change the FSB to 233 and the Multiplier to 7x to keep the 1.6GHz, but I had no success. Still, about overheating the processor it's hard, as its "die" temp. is only at 95º.

Btw, I have the latest BIOS updates (1010).

ASUS A7N8X-X NForce2 400
AMD AthlonXP 2000+ 1.67G
768MB RAM 256MBPC2100 512MBPC2700
HDD 120GB Seagate ATA IV
HDD 40GB Seagate ATA IV