Cannot Rest Bios - FSB Stuck in XP

[CartmanMMA]

Here are my specs:
Intel Pentium E5200 2.5GHz (200MHZ * 12.5) (800MHz FSB)
Gigabyte GA-E7AUM-DS2H mATX 9400
A-DATA DDR2 4GB Ram (2x2GB)
Windows XP SP3
Latest version of BIOS.
All Intel features disabled - NO SPEEDSTEP.

So here is my problem -
I was performing overclocking and just changing the FSB.
Able to get a simple overclock changed to 900MHz for the FSB. Linked with Ram.
Results were good CPU now set at - 225MHz * 12.5 = 2812.5 MHz
RAM overclocked as well (linked so I believe the ratio is 1:2).

So these are the weirds things:
I change to 928MHz and reboot. CPU-z shows no change.
Windows XP reports in system info says the clock has changed (232MHz *12.5) = 2900 MHz.
I decided to start over. Reset all to AUTO in the BIOS and even tried manually set back to 800MHz. On restart Windows says 2500MHz but CPU-z still says the FSB is set to 900MHz (225MHz * 12.5) = 2812.5 MHz.

I've even tried removing the battery from the MB. Reload the BIOS based on fail-safe mode.
But as soon as Windows XP starts up CPU-z still says the system is overclocked at 900MHz (225MHz * 12.5) = 2812.5 MHz.

I have changed the FSB in the BIOS to anything from 800 to 928MHZ.

Anyone have any ideas what I should do or try next??? I can't change the FSB in Windows. Seems like it is always stuck now at 900MHz (225MHz * 12.5) = 2812.5 MHz.

 

[Fruity]

I might have misread what you wrote, but the figures don't look right.

Can you confirm what rate your RAM is runing at? Depending on what FSB / NB Strap setting you have will depend on the RAM ratio. Be careful not to push the ratio too far as it will cause permanent damage to your hardware. But at 225MHz that would only give a RAM frquency of 450MHz at 2:1 ratio which is waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay low! Possibly too low for the chipset to operate properly.

 

[CartmanMMA]

You're right. It is running at 450MHz at 2:1 ratio. The BIOS POSTS and Windows XP loads.
I have even been able to run OCCT without issue.

Isn't the 450MHz correct though? It is DDR2 RAM so the RAM is overclocked to 900MHz?

I haven't been able to get the BIOS back down to even Fail-Safe settings. This means I might have permanently damaged the hardware. No manual changes in BIOS seems to do anything. I even manually set the BIOS to the default FSB at 800MHz and when Windows XP loads CPU-Z reports it is still running at 900MHz.

 

[Fruity]

I could be wrong, but it's unlikely that your RAM and NB will operate correctly at 450MHz RAM speed. What RAm do you have? DDR2-800? Your system may be compensating in other areas (BIOS settings set to 'Auto') to enable it to boot. The conseqeunce of this may be the 900MHz rated FSB.

Edit: i just realised that I didn't answer your question. at 2:1 ratio the RAM will operate a double the frequency of the FSB (i.e. 2 * 225 = 450MHz). The rated FSB is 4 * FSB = 4 * 225 = 900MHz). So your RAM is underclocked by a significant margin. Chipsets and RAM sticks tend not to work too well when they go too slow!

 

[CartmanMMA]

It is DDR2-800.
Since it is DDR2 800 CPU-z displays it as 450MHz which I thought is double pumped to the 900MHZ overclock linked with the FSB. The ratio is displayed as 1:2 in CPU-z.

So any suggestion on if and how I can start over.

Everything is running stable for the moment even after OCCT with a LINKED FSB at 900MHz. CPU-Z displays the following:
Core speed = 2812.5 MHZ
Multiplier = 12.5
Bus Speed = 225
Rated FSB = 900MHz

Just not understanding why I can't reset it back to default Rated FSB 800MHz and original 200 MHz Bus Speed.

The BIOS lets me set the FSB to AUTO, LINKED, or UNLINKED.

Windows and CPU-z always reverts to the Rated FSB = 900MHz and other settings.

 

[Fruity]

Do you have FSB Strap settings in your bios? Most likely values are 200MHz, 333Mhz, 400MHz and possibly a couple of others.

It's very very possible that your default system settings won't have the RAM at a 2:1 ratio. More likely something like 5:3 or 3:2.

This may be enough to enable you to maintain a 200MHz FSB (800MHz rated) and 800MHz RAM.

For starters, set your FSB to 200MHz, CPU muliplier to 12.5 and everything else to Auto. Let us know what happens!





p.s. excuse the way i write the ratio's - i always put them the wrong way round. bad habit. sorry!!

 

[Fruity]

Just found this on the gigabyte website:

Dual Channel DDR2 800
Experience the advanced technology of DDR2 800 memory by overclocking, featuring faster speeds and higher data bandwidth, which delivers superior performance for the most demanding applications.


This seems to imply that the max default RAM speed for the mobo will be 667MHz, which an adjusted FSB Strap will almost certianly provide.
800MHz is only available on OC

 

[CartmanMMA]

Ok so I think I've sorted out partially the issue with my BIOS and CPU-z.

I've cleared CMOS by removing the battery and restarted with "Load Optimized Defaults".

I uninstalled all the nVidia drivers and Easy Tune 6 which I had installed at one pointed.

When I launch CPU-z now with no nVidia drivers for the MB or display it is showing the correct Rated FSB with no overclock but stock settings.

I'm thinking that Easy Tune 6, even though I was not using it to set my FSB, was somehow retaining the overclock or whatever the FSB was at one point, even after I tried to revert all my settings to stock in the BIOS. CPU-z would then report those settings instead of what I believe I set in the BIOS.

Windows Properties always showed the settings I had in the BIOS.

So the next step is for me to just install the MB drivers and nVidia drivers and see what happens there. Then I'll only make my overclock settings in the BIOS and never install Easy Tune 6 or nTune or other Windows based tool.

Anyone heard or seen this kind of problem? This is entirely a guess from other posts related to nTune and not specifically Easy Tune 6.

 

[Scotteq]

Your Front Side Buss is Quad Pumped - Not Dual, like memory. So the baseline for your stock 1066 FSB should be 266. If you cranked it to 900, that'd equal a 3600Mhz Front Side buss.

The fact that you haven't fried your mother board tells me you're adjusting the wrong thing.

Are you *SURE* you are adjusting FSB, and not just playing with the Memory Divider??????????????

 

[Fruity]

All the time.....OC utility programmes are notoriously unreliable. Not heard of the problem you have had before. Usually they just don't work.

 

[CartmanMMA]

http://www.techwarelabs.com/guides/misc_mod/overclockingguide/

"Programs that overclock
...
I noticed that the nTune program seems to overclock the settings again after I did so in the BIOS once Windows is loaded. I've uninstalled the program and it's still continuing to do so. System properties will show 2.98GHz for a setting (the actual speed) and CPU-Z will read 2.56 for the same settings (what the BIOS thinks it's running). "

Basically this is similar to the problem I encountered. I uninstalled everything related to the MOBO drivers (just in case) and ET6 and needed to clean out registries related to Easy Tune 6 (which seem to include nTune) using CCleaner. Now everything is in sync in Windows and CPU-z and BIOS. I never used ET6 to make changes but I guess even launching it or having it installed causes it to retain overclocking information. Even after I unstalled it. I'm guessing cleaning out the registries and maybe even uninstalling the MOBO drivers helped.

Already have the CPU overclocked to 3GHz (250Mhz * 12x). Aiming for higher after I run more stability testing.