overclocking question

[stuntpenguin007]

I just got a second n64 from a garage sale, and it came with perfect dark, dk64 and golden eye along with 11 other games and 3 controllers

so since the 3 games I listed tend to get a little laggy I plan on overclocking my 64, which I did to my first system, but it screwed up and wouldn't turn on for a couple days so I undid it.

so my questions are, will overclocking speed up the game or just make it less laggy? what would be a good speed to overclock it to so its not laggy but doesn't overheat? And are there any diagrams of how to hook it up to switch so I can switch it back to normal?

I could probably do it without the diagram, but just in case it would be nice to have.

[Shakespeare]

I think the reason overclocking the GBA and handheld devices makes them run 2x as fast is because they're not as hardware-intensive as, say, a computer. Overclocking shouldn't make the game run faster, I think. Then again, I know very little about overclocking.

[Basement_Modder]

It basically makes the game go faster. There is lag, but less lag, because its going faster.

[stuntpenguin007]

well, I've got an extra n64 and a 3 way switch, I guess I'll try it out.

[marshallh]

The overclocking mod is just changing the CPU speed multiplier. This doesn't affect the RCP operations at all (or the TV sync would be screwed up)

Perfect Dark multiplayer is CPU-intensive and benefits a ton from the mod. Most other games are fill-rate limited by the RDP and won't see any changes by a faster CPU clock.

It really just reduces the amount the framerate drops (it drops in divisions of 60 - down to 30, 20, 15, 12, 10, etc)

Later revisions have die-optimized CPUs and work better with the overclock (most translucent cases are later revisions and work fine with overclocking but fry more easily)

[stuntpenguin007]

I broke one of the legs off of the cpu the first time I did this. Any tips, or am I just out of luck?

[ylexot]

yeah, does anyone know of a guide out there for doing this?

[stuntpenguin007]

this is the site I used

http://www.gamesx.com/misctech/n64oc.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[ylexot]

Thanks for the link!

Does anyone know how much extra heat this will generate? I just don't want to start creating more problems than I need to. If it is going to cause a lot of overheating, any tips for what would cool it down the best (heatsinks, thermal paste, fans, etc.)?

[Basement_Modder]

No additional heat.

[stuntpenguin007]

uhhh.... back on topic... am I just out of luck with that broken cpu leg? all that's left of it is a really little metal stub, I'll try solder to it.

[glassjoe92]

Is it possible to make a pot that OC's the N64 as you turn it?

Like 0 = Regular Clock, 5 = Mid Overclock, 10 = Highest Overclock

[palmertech]

Yes, but very difficult to pull off.

[marshallh]

Yes, but very difficult to pull off.

Actually, no. The R4300 is a R4200 derivative and as such has two pins, "DivMode" that sets the onboard PLL config (treated as a 2-bit bus). The multiplier is selected by the binary number on these pins (multipliers are 1, 1.5(stock), 2, and 3)

So you can actually underclock the cpu if you want to save that extra bit of power.

You really only need two switches to switch between all 4 multipliers.

[ylexot]

From looking at some other threads, it definitely looks as though the colored N64's are the console of choice to overclock (sounds like they have some kind of revision - I know marshall mentioned a different CPU a few posts up). Anyway, is it even worth trying to overclock an original black console? I've heard multiple people say that theirs would run for about half an hour before giving out. What I don't know is whether this is from an issue with the CPU, or simply less efficient cooling leading to overheating. Just wondering if anyone has any experience with the older models.