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You are here: MacNN Forums > Hardware - Troubleshooting and Discussion > Mac Notebooks > mostly dead overclocked iBook

mostly dead overclocked iBook
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eza
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Join Date: Jun 2001
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Dec 13, 2002, 11:01 AM
 
So I have an original 500 DVD May 01 iBook that I overclocked once the warranty ran out to a 600/100. So I've been running that for about 6 months or so, just fine. Then, the other day, it starts freezing on me. Oh, about 5 or so minutes in after startup. I zap pram, reset power manager, still freezes. This is in 10.2.2 w/Journaling. Checking the logs I can't see anything that jumps out and says I'm failing. I get around to checking the Apple System Profiler, and it says I'm running at 400 MHz. Odd. So I'm guessing my O/C soldering job was sloppy or came loose or something. Before I take it apart, I try to run the Hardware Test CD that came with it, no luck. It never fully makes it past the loading screen.

So I take it apart, resolder a couple resistors, and poof, no more startup. No Hard drive activity. But if i hit the startup, the graphics chip gets warm, and i'm able to get the caps lock light to go on on the keyboard. I'm sure it's time to send it to a chop shop and sell it for parts, but I'd like to keep it around.

Anyone have any ideas? Does O/C shorten any components life spans?
     
Carl Norum
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Dec 13, 2002, 11:13 AM
 
Originally posted by eza:
I get around to checking the Apple System Profiler, and it says I'm running at 400 MHz. Odd. So I'm guessing my O/C soldering job was sloppy or came loose or something.
If ASP says you were running at 400 MHz, it is because you didn't modify your machine's open firmware to report the correct information to the operating system. Several people have noted the kinds of instability you were talking about in relation with the OF modification. Check out the oveclocking instructions at the iBook Modification Page

Anyone have any ideas? Does O/C shorten any components life spans?
Overclocking does probably shorten some component lifetimes. It's the difference between 25 years and 20 years though.
     
chadseld
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Dec 13, 2002, 11:15 AM
 
Yeah, OC can shorten lifespans. Components are hotter than they normally are, so they don't last as long. At least, that is the theory. I think that in most cases, the lifespan of the component is so insanely long that shortening it is no big deal, iDuno.

Originally posted by eza:
So I have an original 500 DVD May 01 iBook that I overclocked once the warranty ran out to a 600/100. So I've been running that for about 6 months or so, just fine. Then, the other day, it starts freezing on me. Oh, about 5 or so minutes in after startup. I zap pram, reset power manager, still freezes. This is in 10.2.2 w/Journaling. Checking the logs I can't see anything that jumps out and says I'm failing. I get around to checking the Apple System Profiler, and it says I'm running at 400 MHz. Odd. So I'm guessing my O/C soldering job was sloppy or came loose or something. Before I take it apart, I try to run the Hardware Test CD that came with it, no luck. It never fully makes it past the loading screen.

So I take it apart, resolder a couple resistors, and poof, no more startup. No Hard drive activity. But if i hit the startup, the graphics chip gets warm, and i'm able to get the caps lock light to go on on the keyboard. I'm sure it's time to send it to a chop shop and sell it for parts, but I'd like to keep it around.

Anyone have any ideas? Does O/C shorten any components life spans?
If your computer stops responding for a long time, turn it off and then back on. - Microsoft
     
eza  (op)
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Dec 13, 2002, 11:34 AM
 
Actually, I followed your directions to the letter, and had great success for many months. If I hadn't said thanks before, Thanks for the instructions.

Originally posted by Carl Norum:

If ASP says you were running at 400 MHz, it is because you didn't modify your machine's open firmware to report the correct information to the operating system. Several people have noted the kinds of instability you were talking about in relation with the OF modification. Check out the oveclocking instructions at the iBook Modification Page
I was trying, actually, to do that and while in open firmware the iBook would power down.

Overclocking does probably shorten some component lifetimes. It's the difference between 25 years and 20 years though.
right. i didn't think it was gonna be that.

any ideas on getting it to start up, or at least ways to see if anything still works?
     
Eug
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Dec 13, 2002, 12:24 PM
 
Overclocking does probably shorten some component lifetimes. It's the difference between 25 years and 20 years though.
I can overclock the PCI bus on a hard drive and have it die permanently in about 5 minutes (although that's a different situation). With less overclocking it takes a longer time to kick the bucket, but it still dies more quickly than average.

My overclocked video cards seem to die a lot quicker than my non-overclocked ones.

Then again, I've been running a Celeron overclocked by 50% for the past couple of years with no problem. I even had it running at an 80% overclock for a month with no problems. (I just backed it down to keep the PCI bus speed at spec.) If I overclock a CPU too much though, even if the CPU is intact, obviously I more often encounter weird unexplained bugs.
     
iNub
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Dec 18, 2002, 12:13 AM
 
<shameless ploy to make a few bucks>

If you do find out that the motherboard is dead, I have a spare 500 MHz board for sale...

details are here

300 bucks shipped
(Or you could pay $450...)

<shameless ploy to make a few bucks>
( Last edited by iNub; Dec 20, 2002 at 06:00 PM. )
     
rworne
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Dec 20, 2002, 05:46 PM
 
My 500 to 600Mhz overclock went well, and my system profiler (in OS X) states I have a 400Mhz processor and a 100Mhz bus. The iBooks has been rock-solid since I overclocked.

OS 9 states that the speed is 600Mhz.

Can't say why you are having problems otherwise, but 5 minutes sounds like an overheating problem. You can always check to see if the heatsink that goes on top of the PPC chip is in place and you might need to put a wee bit of thermal paste (just a tiny bit!) on it.

Otherwise, just reverse the overclock, you CPU might have just decided it can't take it.
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NeXT Cube, NeXT Turbocolor,
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