tehsiggi wrote on 2026-09-11, 06:25:

I was thinking about the design he had shown / or in mind at some point where he used a PLX bridge to go from AGP to PCIe, it's […]
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Tzk wrote on 2026-09-11, 06:15:

I always forget about Titan X, you’re right Norstein.

Regarding the SDZ adapter: iirc that one has level shifters on board which work at 3.3V only (5V/3.3V on the pci side and 3.3V on the „agp“ side). So you’re limited to AGP 1.0 and no 1.5V support. The fastest 3.3V AGP boards are KT333 ones. And those are limited on FSB.

Not sure how compatible the HSI Bridge adapters are, I had those in mind. I’m not aware of a Rialto based adapter card.

I was thinking about the design he had shown / or in mind at some point where he used a PLX bridge to go from AGP to PCIe, it's not listed on his page, but I recall him doing something in that direction.

The HSI ones had jumpers on them which made sure they work correctly with the AGP counter part. They were strongly limited in what they can work with. And they were from Albatron, my bad: https://www.techpowerup.com/3272/more-albatron-atop-info

And for the Rialto bridge.. there is no card with it.. ..yet 😉

Wild, that an AGP to PCIe adapter actually exists where the opposite sounds a lotmore desirable to me for retro computing.

Then again, we could finally use these practically worthless Geforce 7900GT PCIe or even a 7950GX2 on Windows 9x with that.

NorsteinB wrote on 2026-09-11, 06:47:

tehsiggi wrote on 2026-09-11, 06:25:

I was thinking about the design he had shown / or in mind at some point where he used a PLX bridge to go from AGP to PCIe, it's […]
Show full quote

Tzk wrote on 2026-09-11, 06:15:

I always forget about Titan X, you’re right Norstein.

Regarding the SDZ adapter: iirc that one has level shifters on board which work at 3.3V only (5V/3.3V on the pci side and 3.3V on the „agp“ side). So you’re limited to AGP 1.0 and no 1.5V support. The fastest 3.3V AGP boards are KT333 ones. And those are limited on FSB.

Not sure how compatible the HSI Bridge adapters are, I had those in mind. I’m not aware of a Rialto based adapter card.

I was thinking about the design he had shown / or in mind at some point where he used a PLX bridge to go from AGP to PCIe, it's not listed on his page, but I recall him doing something in that direction.

The HSI ones had jumpers on them which made sure they work correctly with the AGP counter part. They were strongly limited in what they can work with. And they were from Albatron, my bad: https://www.techpowerup.com/3272/more-albatron-atop-info

And for the Rialto bridge.. there is no card with it.. ..yet 😉

Wild, that an AGP to PCIe adapter actually exists where the opposite sounds a lotmore desirable to me for retro computing.

Then again, we could finally use these practically worthless Geforce 7900GT PCIe or even a 7950GX2 on Windows 9x with that.

All those ways come from a time where the stuff wasn't retro:

nVidia HSI: Supposed to exist in bi-directional way, but iirc. limited to a certain set of GPUs by design (there were AGP cards that were adapted to PCIe having a second die on the GPU package, see https://www.techpowerup.com/gpu-specs/geforce … 6800-ultra.c720)
ATI Rialto: Only AGP to PCIe - used to allow AGP users to upgrade to newer cards, used in at least X700, X800, X1300, X16(0/5)0, X1950, HD2400, HD2600, HD3450, HD3850, HD4650 HD4670.. that makes it appear to be very universal and interesting.. from a hardware point of view I already know basically all I need about them.
PLX bridge chips: They basically convert PCI to PCIe and are bi-directional. And since AGP is just PCI with extras, you can use that to translate to AGP 1x - but that's kind of it..

---
To the original topic: I finally get around to re-cap and mod my second A7N8X. A few CPUs are on the way as well. Let's see what next week brings 😀

supercordo wrote on 2026-09-11, 03:50:

The Sandman wrote on 2026-08-18, 16:21:

https://valid.x86.fr/yyckpi

I Just realized this is on an Asrock K7NF2-RAID.

The Asrock board is basic equiped as it could be. No really Vdimm control, same for Vcore. Booting FSB frequency is limited to 233MHz for now. But in my opinion it is one of the best socket a boards in terms of DRAM compability. If it is modded correctly it can shine. My board is able to run superpi at 279MHz with the Hynix ETR (2,5-3-3-8) dimms and somewhere ~270Mhz with Winbond RAM (2-2-2-7).
https://www-hardwareluxx-de.translate.goog/co … p#post-29137873

I need to look for a good Thoroughbred B CPU. I stuck with mediocre scores.

_digitalbath wrote on 2026-09-12, 11:11:

The Asrock board is basic equiped as it could be. No really Vdimm control, same for Vcore. Booting FSB frequency is limited to 2 […]
Show full quote

supercordo wrote on 2026-09-11, 03:50:

The Sandman wrote on 2026-08-18, 16:21:

https://valid.x86.fr/yyckpi

I Just realized this is on an Asrock K7NF2-RAID.

The Asrock board is basic equiped as it could be. No really Vdimm control, same for Vcore. Booting FSB frequency is limited to 233MHz for now. But in my opinion it is one of the best socket a boards in terms of DRAM compability. If it is modded correctly it can shine. My board is able to run superpi at 279MHz with the Hynix ETR (2,5-3-3-8) dimms and somewhere ~270Mhz with Winbond RAM (2-2-2-7).
https://www-hardwareluxx-de.translate.goog/co … p#post-29137873

I need to look for a good Thoroughbred B CPU. I stuck with mediocre scores.

Look for a Geode NX 1750.

supercordo wrote on 2026-09-13, 00:10:

_digitalbath wrote on 2026-09-12, 11:11:

The Asrock board is basic equiped as it could be. No really Vdimm control, same for Vcore. Booting FSB frequency is limited to 2 […]
Show full quote

supercordo wrote on 2026-09-11, 03:50:

I Just realized this is on an Asrock K7NF2-RAID.

The Asrock board is basic equiped as it could be. No really Vdimm control, same for Vcore. Booting FSB frequency is limited to 233MHz for now. But in my opinion it is one of the best socket a boards in terms of DRAM compability. If it is modded correctly it can shine. My board is able to run superpi at 279MHz with the Hynix ETR (2,5-3-3-8) dimms and somewhere ~270Mhz with Winbond RAM (2-2-2-7).
https://www-hardwareluxx-de.translate.goog/co … p#post-29137873

I need to look for a good Thoroughbred B CPU. I stuck with mediocre scores.

Look for a Geode NX 1750.

Although the Geode NX series are supposed to be well-binned to reach their extremely low default voltages of 1.1V (NX 1500 @1 GHz) and 1.25V (NX 1750 @1.4 GHz), I have two of the former and three of the latter and they all run into a wall around 2.1 GHz, they need extreme voltages to even reach 2.2. Now at a sample size of only 5 CPUs that might me anecdotal, a coincidence, but these might not be the best overclockers after all.

I tested 10 Geode NX 1500 (the 1ghz ones) and my cpus also did mediocre. Best one managed spi 1M 2300Mhz at 1.8V, worst struggled at 2100Mhz 1.8V. Five to six cpus passed 1M at 2200Mhz. Vcore was measured with a DVM on cpu socket.

Still got about 90 geode left to test, but I don’t expect much more. All are BJJF stepping and were made in 2006 and 07. it seems optimized for low leakage at low volts, but not to scale well.

_digitalbath wrote on 2026-09-12, 11:11:

The Asrock board is basic equiped as it could be. No really Vdimm control, same for Vcore. Booting FSB frequency is limited to 2 […]
Show full quote

supercordo wrote on 2026-09-11, 03:50:

The Sandman wrote on 2026-08-18, 16:21:

https://valid.x86.fr/yyckpi

I Just realized this is on an Asrock K7NF2-RAID.

The Asrock board is basic equiped as it could be. No really Vdimm control, same for Vcore. Booting FSB frequency is limited to 233MHz for now. But in my opinion it is one of the best socket a boards in terms of DRAM compability. If it is modded correctly it can shine. My board is able to run superpi at 279MHz with the Hynix ETR (2,5-3-3-8) dimms and somewhere ~270Mhz with Winbond RAM (2-2-2-7).
https://www-hardwareluxx-de.translate.goog/co … p#post-29137873

I need to look for a good Thoroughbred B CPU. I stuck with mediocre scores.

It 's a tiny little Board. Not worth to mention. I'm bussy right now watching "Kill Command". Awesome Movie btw.

supercordo wrote on 2026-09-13, 00:10:

Look for a Geode NX 1750.

I own some NX1500 CPUs. The best one clocks barely at ~2400MHz at high voltages. As Tzk wrote, I guess most (not all) will be mediocre at best. My NX2001 CPUs are superlocked, so not an option for me.
I am looking for JIUHB stepping CPUs.

Now thinking of it, I own a fake Sempron 2800+ CPU that is actually an NX1750. I might test it.

I guess Slot A is out of the question here... not that there's much competition in that sector? 🤣 (Goldfinger and resistor mods are its way of OC, but that's incredibly hard...)

I seem to finally have found suitable RAM but will need to wait another few days for it to arrive and complete the Abit NF7-S v2.0 + Barton XP-M 2400+ setup.

Meanwhile, are y'all doing this on open bench setups or as anyone going for an actual running system?

I'm about to do this with a 480 (240x240) rad custom loop. Could add some more radiators I guess, but since the whole build, even with an X800XT, is probably not generating more than 200W of heat, I doubt that is needed. I plan on using a dual bayres with more than 1.5l capacity, which is about triple that of an average sized tube reservoir, hoping this will give me a bit of a buffer and delay the water heating up.

NorsteinB wrote on 2026-09-13, 05:57:

supercordo wrote on 2026-09-13, 00:10:

_digitalbath wrote on 2026-09-12, 11:11:

The Asrock board is basic equiped as it could be. No really Vdimm control, same for Vcore. Booting FSB frequency is limited to 233MHz for now. But in my opinion it is one of the best socket a boards in terms of DRAM compability. If it is modded correctly it can shine. My board is able to run superpi at 279MHz with the Hynix ETR (2,5-3-3-8) dimms and somewhere ~270Mhz with Winbond RAM (2-2-2-7).
https://www-hardwareluxx-de.translate.goog/co … p#post-29137873

I need to look for a good Thoroughbred B CPU. I stuck with mediocre scores.

Look for a Geode NX 1750.

Although the Geode NX series are supposed to be well-binned to reach their extremely low default voltages of 1.1V (NX 1500 @1 GHz) and 1.25V (NX 1750 @1.4 GHz), I have two of the former and three of the latter and they all run into a wall around 2.1 GHz, they need extreme voltages to even reach 2.2. Now at a sample size of only 5 CPUs that might me anecdotal, a coincidence, but these might not be the best overclockers after all.

Check my score with on on here.

PcBytes wrote on 2026-09-13, 09:48:

I guess Slot A is out of the question here... not that there's much competition in that sector? 🤣 (Goldfinger and resistor mods are its way of OC, but that's incredibly hard...)

There is a slot A stars thead.

NorsteinB wrote on 2026-09-13, 11:27:

I seem to finally have found suitable RAM but will need to wait another few days for it to arrive and complete the Abit NF7-S v2.0 + Barton XP-M 2400+ setup.

Meanwhile, are y'all doing this on open bench setups or as anyone going for an actual running system?

I'm about to do this with a 480 (240x240) rad custom loop. Could add some more radiators I guess, but since the whole build, even with an X800XT, is probably not generating more than 200W of heat, I doubt that is needed. I plan on using a dual bayres with more than 1.5l capacity, which is about triple that of an average sized tube reservoir, hoping this will give me a bit of a buffer and delay the water heating up.

In my situation heat doesn’t seem to the limiting factory in this competition. The NF7-S is a terrible overclocker. You need too get really lucky and find one that allows you to go up to 250Mhz. Replacing caps and moving to a water block made zero difference. Just trying to find time to try to change BIOS firmware, if that doesn’t work I have another 2x NF7-S’s and a A7N8X to try.

For the experts…is it absolutely mandatory I perform the 12v mod to the A7N8X when overclocking? I have a PSU that does 40amps on 5v and will put a big fan over the VRM.

zuldan wrote on 2026-09-13, 14:28:

For the experts…is it absolutely mandatory I perform the 12v mod to the A7N8X when overclocking? I have a PSU that does 40amps on 5v and will put a big fan over the VRM.

I'd say no. Finding the right BIOS should be more important.

----------
First score with a Thoroughbred B (Sempron 2200+). Still far away from P1, but I will try other CPUs.

zuldan wrote on 2026-09-13, 14:28:

For the experts…is it absolutely mandatory I perform the 12v mod to the A7N8X when overclocking? I have a PSU that does 40amps on 5v and will put a big fan over the VRM.

nah, no need. As long as your PSU really provides 40A, you should be good. The mod is pure convenience 😉

zuldan wrote on 2026-09-13, 14:28:

The NF7-S is a terrible overclocker. You need too get really lucky and find one that allows you to go up to 250Mhz. Replacing caps and moving to a water block made zero difference. Just trying to find time to try to change BIOS firmware, if that doesn’t work I have another 2x NF7-S’s and a A7N8X to try.

Interesting, the general consensus seems to be that there is a very clear pecking order: DFI > Abit NF7-S > Asus A7N8X-E.

It is however absolutely mandatory to use a custom BIOS for the NF7-S. I was told to get a TicTac or Merlin one. Will see about that once I get my RAM.

I've had 4 A7N8X-E Deluxes in my lifetime and from my experience:

• it is way better than the Asrock and Gigabyte Nforce 2 Ultra 400 boards I had
• it still struggles with FSBs over 210
• it is the most stable of all socket 462 boards I have ever owned
• the 12 V mod is necessary when your PSU only supplies 30A on the 12V rail, but with 40 you should be fine
• I found it hard to find a custom BIOS, which made it somewhat inconvenient for Athlon XP-M CPUs and also might be the reason the FSB didn't want to go very far, I suspect that better RAM subtimings would help

By the way, anyone benching a complete PC in here? I plan on putting this into the good old Thermaltake Mozart TX, gotta love the behemoth with the 480 rad space. Might dial down the voltage and reduce clock to 2.5 GHz after benching for retro LANs and such.

zuldan wrote on 2026-09-13, 14:28:

The NF7-S is a terrible overclocker. You need too get really lucky and find one that allows you to go up to 250Mhz.

This exactly. I've clocked quite a few NF2 boards and it doesn't depend on the brand and type of board, but on the silicon quality of the chipset.

My best board is a A7N8X (278Mhz FSB 3D stable) and the absolute worst is also a A7N8X-E (215Mhz at most). I got two DFI Ultra-B, both manage ~250Mhz. Then a NF7 and NF7-S, both reach 250-255Mhz. Then theres a Shuttle AN35 which looks promising (valids at 295Mhz), but i haven't tested further. I also got an Epox 8rda3i, also clocks about 250Mhz. Also got an AsRock K7NF2-RAID (same as A7N8X-XE). And then there's a bunch of still untested boards, even rare ones: Chaintech 7NJL6, ECS N2U400-A, Soltek SL-75FRN2. Last there's two red MSI Delta-L, those perform ok'ish at about 240-245Mhz.

Tried to collect the full rainbow of boards and (almost) succeeded: Got black, green, brown, purple, red, blue, gold.

NorsteinB wrote on 2026-09-13, 20:36:

Interesting, the general consensus seems to be that there is a very clear pecking order: DFI > Abit NF7-S > Asus A7N8X-E. It is however absolutely mandatory to use a custom BIOS for the NF7-S. I was told to get a TicTac or Merlin one. Will see about that once I get my RAM.

(...)
I found it hard to find a custom BIOS, which made it somewhat inconvenient for Athlon XP-M CPUs and also might be the reason the FSB didn't want to go very far, I suspect that better RAM subtimings would help

There's no clear pecking order. The reason DFI and Abit (AN7 and NF7) are listed first is the great support out of the box. Both support higher Vdimm, got a huge range of Vcore and there's plenty modbios available. TicTac or Merlin (or Hellfire on DFI) is a solid choice. I'd go with a @digitalbath bios though, at least on Abit, Asus, Asrock, MSI. Far more options and tweaks available. For DFI Hellfire 3EG is great.

The reason i mentioned Hynix ram (256mb BT-D43, 512mb DT-D43, 512mb ETR-E3C) is that those don't need high Vdimm to reach the chipset limit. Thus these chips are perfect for boards/chipset testing without hardmods for Vdimm.

If you're running a XP-m cpu (133Mhz stock FSB) then using a modbios is mandatory. Else the board will load the FSB timings for 133Mhz and you'll run into a FSB wall. Modbios replaces all timings AND will set the same timings for all cpus, regardless of stock FSB (it's called "soft L12 mod"). Make also sure to test both, cpu interface "off" and "on". One option ("on") is usually faster and adds stability it higher FSB when using a modbios.

Cooling mostly doesn't help on Nforce 2, same for Vdd (chipset voltage). If you hit a wall it's due to FSB and RAM timings. Using more Vdd does give you a few extra Mhz, but another bios or different timings will help a lot more. My Asus reaches the FSB limit with (only) 1.825V Vdd and aircooling.

I have 2 BH5 UTT 512MB that work on 230+ MHz 2-2-2-11 in single channel, but I cannot get any higher than 218 MHz in dual channel. Abit NF7-S with blackmantaray cpc on&l12, 2.9V vdimm, 1.6V vdd, athlon mobile 2500 1.575v.

NorsteinB wrote on 2026-09-13, 20:36:

By the way, anyone benching a complete PC in here? I plan on putting this into the good old Thermaltake Mozart TX, gotta love the behemoth with the 480 rad space. Might dial down the voltage and reduce clock to 2.5 GHz after benching for retro LANs and such.

My goal eventually is to put one of my A7N8X fully modded + the 120 AIO into a case with an era correct card (9800Pro/XT probably). Kicking the CPU to the limit is just a side-quest 😉 It'll stay on cozy 2-2.2GHz for daily retro use.

SlowA wrote on 2026-09-14, 05:03:

I have 2 BH5 UTT 512MB that work on 230+ MHz 2-2-2-11 in single channel, but I cannot get any higher than 218 MHz in dual channel. Abit NF7-S with blackmantaray cpc on&l12, 2.9V vdimm, 1.6V vdd, athlon mobile 2500 1.575v.

I'd wager the additional strain from dual channel mode demands more VDIMM. Possibly 3.2 or 3.3V.