Archived from groups: alt.comp.hardware.overclocking.amd (More info?)
Were any Athlon XP 3200+ chips released to market with the multiplier
unlocked, or was the lock instated before the 3200+ came out (or
concurrently)? Also, can anyone point me to an _authoritative_ explanation
of the bridge configuration for each chip?
I bought an OEM 3200+ chip awhile ago that caused me some significant
problems. Upon investigation, I concluded that the chip was a remarked 2500+
based on two facts:
- The L12 bridge configuration suggested that the stock bus speed is 166MHz
(the first bridge is open, whereas it seems that 200MHz bus chips should have
all four bridges closed)
- The multiplier was not locked.
As conclusive as this seemed at the time, I'm having second thoughts, for a
few reasons:
- After returning the chip and replacing it with another one (XP-M 2600+ this
time), I'm still having problems that appear to be motherboard-related, much
like the problems I had with the "remarked" 3200+. The "remarked" chip fried
the BIOS of my old A7N8X-Deluxe (reset doesn't work - I need to have the chip
completely reflashed), but I've heard of occasional problems with 200MHz FSB
Barton chips on that MoBo, even with the latest BIOS, so it's possible that I
was struck by that problem.
- The company I bought it from is a reputable one, mWave.com (Even AMD
expressed surprise when I said I bought what appeared to be a remarked chip
from mWave). They've been actively communicating with me, and although they
still haven't processed my refund, they have answered my emails, and most
recently answered an email asking for the refund - they answered within 24
hours and promise that the refund will be processed by Wednesday.
- The company claims that they've received and tested the chip without any
problems, and that AMD has been involved in the tests themselves. (but since
they're the ones who sold me the chip, the claim that AMD is working on the
case doesn't mean a whole lot when it's coming from the vendor, and not AMD)
That leads me to two possible conclusions:
- The remarked 2500+ chip can run just fine at 3200+ speeds, but my
motherboard-based problems got in the way, causing me to expose the fact that
this chip is remarked, when I probably would have never noticed if I didn't
have the motherboard problems.
- The chip is not re-marked.
And the possibility that the chip isn't remarked leads me to two questions
(first paragraph, but repeared here):
- Does the first L12 bridge being open really mean that this was factory set
for 166MHz FSB? I haven't been able to find anything to refute that "fact,"
but I can't find anything "official" (i.e. from AMD) that explains the L12
bridge configuration.
- Did any Athlon XP 3200+ chips come out before AMD started factory-locking
the multipliers? My chip didn't appear to be modified (see
<http://www.eharrishome.com/CPUPic1.jpg>), but I could change the multiplier
at will, and was not limited to the 11X multiplier that corresponds both with
the Athlon XP 2500+ and XP 3200+.
Simply put, do I owe MultiWave a big apology? All evidence pointed to a
remarked chip, but now I'm only 90% sure instead of 100% sure.
--
Erik Harris n$wsr$ader@$harrishom$.com
AIM: KngFuJoe http://www.eharrishome.com
Chinese-Indonesian MA Club http://cimac.eharrishome.com
The above email address is obfuscated to try to prevent SPAM.
Replace each dollar sign with an "e" for the correct address.
Were any Athlon XP 3200+ chips released to market with the multiplier
unlocked, or was the lock instated before the 3200+ came out (or
concurrently)? Also, can anyone point me to an _authoritative_ explanation
of the bridge configuration for each chip?
I bought an OEM 3200+ chip awhile ago that caused me some significant
problems. Upon investigation, I concluded that the chip was a remarked 2500+
based on two facts:
- The L12 bridge configuration suggested that the stock bus speed is 166MHz
(the first bridge is open, whereas it seems that 200MHz bus chips should have
all four bridges closed)
- The multiplier was not locked.
As conclusive as this seemed at the time, I'm having second thoughts, for a
few reasons:
- After returning the chip and replacing it with another one (XP-M 2600+ this
time), I'm still having problems that appear to be motherboard-related, much
like the problems I had with the "remarked" 3200+. The "remarked" chip fried
the BIOS of my old A7N8X-Deluxe (reset doesn't work - I need to have the chip
completely reflashed), but I've heard of occasional problems with 200MHz FSB
Barton chips on that MoBo, even with the latest BIOS, so it's possible that I
was struck by that problem.
- The company I bought it from is a reputable one, mWave.com (Even AMD
expressed surprise when I said I bought what appeared to be a remarked chip
from mWave). They've been actively communicating with me, and although they
still haven't processed my refund, they have answered my emails, and most
recently answered an email asking for the refund - they answered within 24
hours and promise that the refund will be processed by Wednesday.
- The company claims that they've received and tested the chip without any
problems, and that AMD has been involved in the tests themselves. (but since
they're the ones who sold me the chip, the claim that AMD is working on the
case doesn't mean a whole lot when it's coming from the vendor, and not AMD)
That leads me to two possible conclusions:
- The remarked 2500+ chip can run just fine at 3200+ speeds, but my
motherboard-based problems got in the way, causing me to expose the fact that
this chip is remarked, when I probably would have never noticed if I didn't
have the motherboard problems.
- The chip is not re-marked.
And the possibility that the chip isn't remarked leads me to two questions
(first paragraph, but repeared here):
- Does the first L12 bridge being open really mean that this was factory set
for 166MHz FSB? I haven't been able to find anything to refute that "fact,"
but I can't find anything "official" (i.e. from AMD) that explains the L12
bridge configuration.
- Did any Athlon XP 3200+ chips come out before AMD started factory-locking
the multipliers? My chip didn't appear to be modified (see
<http://www.eharrishome.com/CPUPic1.jpg>), but I could change the multiplier
at will, and was not limited to the 11X multiplier that corresponds both with
the Athlon XP 2500+ and XP 3200+.
Simply put, do I owe MultiWave a big apology? All evidence pointed to a
remarked chip, but now I'm only 90% sure instead of 100% sure.
--
Erik Harris n$wsr$ader@$harrishom$.com
AIM: KngFuJoe http://www.eharrishome.com
Chinese-Indonesian MA Club http://cimac.eharrishome.com
The above email address is obfuscated to try to prevent SPAM.
Replace each dollar sign with an "e" for the correct address.
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