The Celery Report: Overclocking the Celeron

There are actually 14 distinct sSpec numbers for the Slot One Celeron CPU, but most are not currently in production. Here is the information for the flavors of the 300 and 333:

Source: Intel Corporation

You will note that the CPUID and core stepping are identical in all cases. That's why the assertion that the Retail Boxed CPU's are better overclockers makes no sense. It's also why, as I noted earlier, it's not a good idea to run out and buy the 333Mhz flavor since the only difference between it and the 300 is the multiplier. Since it is rare for a 300 to hit the 500Mhz mark it is also rare for the 333, since it is clocked-locked at a multiplier of 5.

But, there was still one minor problem. In order to overclock to this level, many times the CPU would need an increase in the core voltage.

Most Slot One motherboards auto-detect CPU voltage and set it without user intervention. So, what happens to those who are stuck with a chip that requires this goose in the voltage? Well, some smart Geek somewhere figured out that by taping specific pins on the CPU, one could trick the motherboard in to setting the voltage higher. But, this is a tedious procedure, not for the faint of heart, and is limited to only .2 increments.

Up to the plate steps Abit with the BH6 and its soft menu feature that lets you, the end user, control the voltage in increments as low as .05. Now, all the ingredients are in place, and now, I finally woke up to the potential in this combination.

It started with a couple of customers e-mailing to ask if I wouldnt mind testing some out at 450Mhz on the BH6 prior to the sale. Word spread and I soon found myself offering this combo at my web site. As a side note, I myself crossed back over to the Intel side for the first time in years; this was just too much for a mere mortal to resist.

During the testing of these "450Mhz Combos", I was discovering information that I thought Id pass on to the community, so I started filing regular "Celery Reports". These caught the eye of our gracious host here at AnandTech, Anand Lal Shimpi, the man himself, and he asked me if Id like to do up these reports for publication. Of course I said YES! Well, on to the meat and potatoes.