according to the 3dmark2001 i have my bus running at 100mhz. isn't that awfully slow for a 1.6ghz p4. it's running pc2100 ddr if that helps. but could you tell me how to speed it up and then how much to speed it up buy without having to get a new cooling system for it.

it's just a crappy dell. i tried talking my dad into getting us a falcon nw talon but he wouldn't go for it because he had never heard of the brand. it's kinda weird how all the people who work at the ibm near my home including my dad are all getting dells rather than getting the ibm's with their discounts.

Th 1.6 GHZ P4 runs on a FSB of 100mhz but its quad pumped meaning it theoretically runs at 400mhz. Nothing you can do about it, it'll be very hard, if yet impossible to run at a FSB of 133 especially with a "name brand" computer.

Well, as long as your motherboard is overclock friendly (as in, it lets you up the bus speed over 100mhz...thus overclocking by the multiplier of 16). Just go into your BIOS and see if you can find something in the menu about Changing the frequency or changing the bus speed. But don't expect much from it...because well, it's a Dell.

And come on! He doesn't know what falcon northwest is!?! Educate him already! Hey, if I was going to go for any name brand, well-known computer system I'd go with an HP anyway...I don't think falcon nw are all that cheap either...

Cheaper than an Alienware, but their tower (cheap one) sits roughly $1,100 add speakers and monitor from them, cheapest I got it was $1450's

That's all you got? When I configured my Dream Machine I got almost $5,000. Of course this doesn't do phantom any good.

Phantom, if you would post the model of your motherboard it would help.

I went into the bios and all but i couldn't find anything where i could change the bus . i'm still trying to figure out what mobo i have though. the falcon northwest i was looking for at the time was a talon going for $1300 with an amd xp 1800+, 60gb wd hdd, 256mn ddr, a gf2 64mb mx400, and a sb live, it was very similar specs to the dell and it was about the same price. + or - $50.

Well, I wouldn't expect a Dell to have an OC friendly motherboard...so I think you're pretty much screwed in that area.
but sheesh, 1300 for that!?! I got basically that same setup when I built mine and it only ran me around 700 total!

Dell motherboards are made by Foxconn technologies and have zero, i repeat zero overclocking abialities, AND they are programmed to not be able to overclock or even switch out with a faster cpu (the new p4 systems) the bios consists of 2 options: 1)agp aperture 2) fast boot/normal boot
dude try to see if you can peice together a system, and dont bother trying for a new motherboard, its sotered to a metal tray that clips to the chassis and it is IMPOSSIBLE to use another motherboard thats not dell brand in that dell case. Also, and this is very important, dont even think about using that dell psu with another mobo either, its propeitary and has a missing cable in the ATX 12v connector and comepletely differant voltages on the ATX 12v and P4 12v connetors, trust me i did and i blew up the psu and trashed the mobo trying on one...

Since you all are on the subject I have an Elitegroup P4VXASD2 mobo with a P$ 2.2Ghz and my bios reports it running at 100Mhz locked.. How the heck do you unlock it.. I have looked but I have not had any luck.. Probably just to tired to realize... Any suggestions?

oh boy we have some noobs here, its ok ive been there, anyway ok heres the beans on the bus:
it operates @ 100mhz quad pumped which equates to 400mhz fsb
it appears @ 100mhz because that is the un pumped speed, its really @ 400mhz trust me, if a p4 ran underclocked to 33mhz fsb (100mhz quad pumped) it would fry anyway ROFL
Also, the 533mhz models appear as 133mhz bus which is also quad pumped(133mhzx4=533mhz)