Xfx 790i ont using all my processor cores?

Melvin132

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Jun 25, 2009
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Good evening everyone. Long time reader first time poster http://img.tomshardware.com/forum/uk/icones/smile.gif
I put together a new rig a few days ago, using the xfx 790i, an Q8200 and 3 GBCorsair XMS3 DDR3 1600MHz an xfx8800GTX and a 700W PSU.
And I booted up my system and everything went well for about an hour, then the system suddenly reboot and when its starting up i notice that it only finds 2 cpu cores.
I enter bios and see that core 3 and 4 are "Disabled" and gray so that i cant enable them. Thus far iv tried reseating the cpu twice, resetting and flashing bios. Im currently using the p07 version (was 08 before) , iv also tried another psu but no luck. CPU-z also reports that only 2 cores work. Any ideas?
 

MikeJRamsey

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One a different thread and a different CPU, Synergy had this to say:
http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?t=152775

"If you're running a MS Windows type OS e.g. XP, probably the same
for W2K, similar for Vista/98.... Try this...

Open up Control Panel, then click on System Properties, then
click on the "Hardware" tab, then click on the "Device Manager" tab, then
click on the (+) next to "Processors" to expand that.

You should see four entries listed under the "Processors" list,
and if you click to select each one, then right-click and click on
the "Properties" menu item, then click on the "Details" tab,
you should see something similar to:
ACPI\GENUINEINTEL_-_X86_FAMILY_15_MODEL_4\_0

where the first part of it will be different for your Q6600 than my
example, but the last bit: _0 should be different for each
of the processors listed in the list...So you should have
processors with _0, _1, _2, _3 as the last parts of that
Properties/Details string.

If the OS itself sees only two processors, it's time to check the
BIOS for sure and see if maybe a BIOS bug has disabled some of your
processor cores or something."

Good luck with that.

--Mike
 

MikeJRamsey

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Twoboxer,
It did say a BIOS bug. The OS needs to know how many cores it can schedule. When scheduler runs out of cores the threads waiting for execution get queued.
 
if there is nothing in the BIOS about number of cores

run msconfig from the run line
go to the boot tab
click advanced

there is a box that says number of processors, change this to the number you want
 

Melvin132

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Jun 25, 2009
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Well there is a seting for number of cores in bios and the first 2 are enabled, and the 3d and 4th are grayed out so that i cant enable them. when in the boot screen it does recognize the CPU as a "Intel(R) Core (TM)2 Quad CPU 2.33GHz(333x7.0) , 2CPU(s)"
And i cant change anything about the 3d and 4th processor in windows as i only got 2 of them working abd it only finds 2 when i get there.
Ps I got some pics of the bios, but i cant seem to post them here? Anyone know a good host site?

Thanks
 
Well, either your processing is hurting and travelling incognito as a duo, or your BIOS has a problem - which seems odd after what you have done.

I guess I'd talk to the mobo mfg pronto, and find out if they think there's any way it could be the mobo. If they offer an RMA, take it.

But I *am* worried about that processor. How are/were your temps? did you overclock it?
 

Melvin132

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Yeah, i will be contacting the blace where i bought it tomorrow and see if they will take it back.

my temps are around 45-50 C(120F) for core 0 and around 40(105) for core 1. and the overall cpu temp reads about 35C (96F)

I have not OCd it. Just used all 4 cores for about an hour, them boom...restart and now only 2 cores :??:
 
I honestly don't know if a mobo can fail so selectively as to perform well but only show 2 of 4 cores. Which points to cpu.

OTOH, I honestly don't know if a processor can fail so selectively as to perform well but only show 2 of 4 cores. Which points to mobo.

Hopefully, the place you bought it will allow you to pop that processor into another mobo and see if it reads correctly.

PLEASE let us know what the problem ultimately turns out to be.