Overclocking the Pentium

Intel's Pentium processor is the most successful CPU ever. Because of that it has to come first here. The nice thing about this CPU is that it is also the most overclockable CPU ever. This can be attributed to Intel's increased quality demands put in place after the floating-point flaw disaster. The Pentium MMX is just as overclockable as the Pentium Classic, maybe even better. This CPU normally runs at 2.8V. Most motherboards that offer this voltage also offer 2.9 or 2.93V. This is only 0.1 V more than 2.8 V and probably just the right thing for overclock-unwilling Pentium MMX CPUs. Pentium MMX 200 runs fine with 2.8 V at 208/83 and 225/75 MHz. For 250/83 increase the voltage to 2.9 V and everything works fine

Default Settings for Pentium

CPU Speed

FSB Speed

Clock Multiplier

60 MHz

60 MHz

1.0x

66 MHz

66 MHz

1.0x

75 MHz

50 MHz

1.5x

90 MHz

60 MHz

1.5x

100 MHz

66 MHz

1.5x

120 MHz

60 MHz

2.0x

133 MHz

66 MHz

2.0x

150 MHz

60 MHz

2.5x

166 MHz *

66 MHz

2.5x

200 MHz *

66 MHz

3.0x

233 MHz *

66 MHz

3.5x


* Both for Pentium Classics and Pentium MMX
Please let me put a short note about the so much feared 'overclock protection' from Intel. So far the only thing Intel has done once was disabling the CPU pin 'BF1', which is responsible for the multiplier settings x2.5 and x3. You still can run those P133 at 166 MHz, but only with 83 MHz bus speed. Now since the message about thousands of remarked or counterfeit Pentium CPUs has eventually reached the US, Intel has to at least make some announcements to this counterfeit and overclock protection again, which they did. However already 2 years back, Intel was claiming to soon ship their chips with a overclock protection, which never took place. I still doubt that Intel will invest any money in producing this feature at all. Before they do that, they should and will have to do something against the remarking opportunity of their chips. Hence I wouldn't worry at all. Intel will probably never avoid that their chips can be clocked higher, but they may push the motherboard industry to produce motherboards that don't offer any overclocking abilities.

If you've read all the paragraphs above, you'll remember the following things:
Always try to increase the bus speed first if you can.
Don't increase the multiplier while decreasing the bus speed - you won't gain anything.
Try higher voltages and don't be afraid of it!
Avoid the P133 'SY022' and 'SU073' if you can.
Don't buy a remarked Pentium - there are loads of them around!
The most overclockable Pentium CPUs:
P150 is the absolute winner - it's most likely nothing else than a P166 in disguise!
P166 Classic & MMX (and hence the P150) is super for 187.5 @ 2.5 x 75 MHz and in most term runs fine at 200 @ 3 x 66 MHz.
P133 great for 150 @ 2 x 75 MHz or 166 @ 2 x 83 MHz - forget about higher multiplier settings with that CPU.
P75 most of them run at least flawlessly at 90 @ 1.5 x 60 MHz, many of them at 100 @ 1.5 x 66 MHz.
P200 Classic & MMX superb at 208 @ 2.5 x 83 MHz, great at 225 @ 3 x 75 MHz, amazing at 250 @ 83 MHz - the CPU for the real speed freaks!

Where do you want to overclock today?

Pentium at

1st choice

2nd choice

3rd choice

4th choice

75 MHz

112.5 MHz @ 1.5 x 75 MHz

100 MHz @ 1.5 x 66 MHz

90 MHz @ 1.5 x 60 MHz

83 MHz @ 1.5 x 55 MHz

90 MHz

125 MHz @ 1.5 x 83 MHz

112.5 MHz @ 1.5 x 75 MHz

100 MHz @ 1.5 x 66 MHz

-

100 MHz

125 MHz @ 1.5 x 83 MHz

112.5 MHz @ 1.5 x 75 MHz

-

-

120 MHz

125 MHz @ 1.5 x 83 MHz

133 MHz @ 2 x 66 MHz

112.5 MHz @ 1.5 x 75 MHz

-

133 MHz

166 MHz @ 2 x 83 MHz

150 MHz @ 2 x 75 MHz

166 MHz @ 2.5 x 66 MHz

-

150 MHz

166 MHz @ 2 x 83 MHz

187.5 MHz @ 2.5 x 75 MHz

200 MHz @ 3 x 66 MHz

150 MHz @ 2 x 75 MHz

166 MHz

208 MHz @ 2.5 x 83 MHz

166 MHz @ 2 x 83 MHz

187.5 MHz @ 2.5 x 75 MHz

200 MHz @ 3 x 66 MHz

166 MHz MMX

266 MHz @ 3.5 x 75 MHz

250 MHz @ 3 x 83 MHz

225 MHz @ 3 x 75 MHz

208 MHz @ 2.5 x 83 MHz

200 MHz

250 MHz @ 3 x 83 MHz

225 MHz @ 3 x 75 MHz

208 MHz @ 2.5 x 83 MHz

-

200 MHz MMX

290 MHz @ 3.5 x 83 MHz

266 MHz @ 3.5 x 75 MHz

250 MHz @ 3 x 83 MHz

225 MHz @ 3 x 75 MHz

233 MHz MMX

290 MHz @ 3.5 x 83 MHz

266 MHz @ 3.5 x 75 MHz

250 MHz @ 3 x 83 MHz

-


To get a P166 running at 208 MHz is a tough thing and requires high quality hardware I hope I'll succeed with SDRAM and the R-534, if I ever should receive it. There is no excuse for running a P150 at 2.5 x 60 MHz as intended - this CPU definitely runs at least at 166 @ 2.5 x 66 MHz or 150 @ 2 x 75 MHz, which is even better!!

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