Overclocker -> Few Questions

[Conrad11]

Hi there,

I am overclocking my computer but I have a few questions:

• With regards to the HT link - is it the higher the better? Does it affect stability? Does it affect performance considerably? For my PC Spec (listed below) is it ok to run it at 1200 or should i lower it to 900?
• With regards to cpu voltage - what is the highest i should go with air cooling
• Why is it different cpu programs + bios show different vcore values? which should i trust?
• Is orthos ok as a stability test - how long should i run before i know its stable?
• Is it ok to have the ram running on divider -> does it affect the performance of my pc, as i know this affects some.
• Different programs show different values for temperatures, which should i trust for my setup?
• What is the max temperature you think i should have for this cpu?
• Does changing the chipset and ldt voltages affect stability?

My Pc Spec:
AMD Dual-Core Operton 165 (Click Here for CPU-Z)
DFI Ultra-D Motherboard
Arctic Cooling Freezer 64
2x1GB TwinX Corsair XMS
580W Hiper PSU
X1900XT

Thanks.

EDIT:

With Regards to Voltages, here is what I mean. SpeedFan and CPU-Z show around 1.425v and nvTune shows 1.45v and the bios shows 1.44v but is set to 1.475v (iirc)

http://img404.imageshack.us/img404/9255/untitled2vc0.png

 

[MikeTimbers]

HT link needs to be as close to 1000 as possible so as you increase the FSB you have to reduce the link multiplier. e.g. 4x250 =1000, 5x200=1000, 3x300 = 900. Stay at or under 1000.

I wouldn't go over 1.5v with air cooling but it's temperatures to be careful of not voltage. Vcore reporting will depend on where it's coming from, some apps report what it should be, some report what it really is etc.
Orthos is a good stability test
RAM on a divider is fine, don't worry about it.

 

[Conrad11]

How important is the HT link and getting it near 1000? at the moment I have 3x300 = 900. with the multiplier at 8.5 = 2550mhz

I can't get that stable. So should I drop to 250*4 with 9 multiplyer = 2250mhz

I think i can get 280 with 9 multiplier stable but that would mean 840mhz ht link

Which program will show me the actual vCore reading?