Phenom 2 only showing one core??

[Nightowl0707]

Hello all,

I was hoping someone might be able to help me out here and at least let me know if I'm overlooking anything.

Core Temp .99.7 shows all four cores in my q6660 and both cores in my i3 but it's only showing one core in the Phenom 2 build. My Bios seems to only be showing one core as well.

Core Temp is showing the temp on the second core though in some of its readings. Am I missing anything here…besides possibly a core? I would really appreciate some advice on this so I’m sure I’m not overlooking anything before I return the cpu and I’ll need to do that by tomorrow.

Thanks a lot for your help.


Components:

AMD Phenom II X2 555 Black Edition Callisto 3.2GHz 2 x 512KB L2 Cache 6MB L3 Cache
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103846

ASRock M3A785GXH/128M AM3 AMD 785G HDMI ATX AMD Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157167

A-DATA Gaming Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820211409


Three images of the Bios, one image of the task bar showing only one reading and two screenshots of Core Temp below.

In the screenshot below it's showing a load on both cores but only registering one core under Temperature readings in the image to the left.

On the right the first two choices are grayed out and Show "highest temp" ticked. On my q6660 and i3 it defaults to "Show all cores" and it shows all of them.

Under System Info it's showing the temp and a load:

Please let me know if I can provide any more info. I'd really appreciate your opinions on this. I only have a couple of days left to return the cpu for a replacement if that's the problem.

Did I overlook a setting in Core Temp?
Could I have missed something in the Bios?

Thanks in advance for your help.


Rob

 

[loneninja]

Is your bios up to date? Slim chance that if it isn't, it will fix the issue.

 

[OvrClkr]

its most likely a Bios issue, that board was released several months before the release of the x2 555. I had a similar issue with my x2 550 and a bios update fixed the problem.

you can get the most updated Bios version here :

http://www.asrock.com/mb/download.asp?Model=A785GXH/128M&o=BIOS

use the "instant flash" option =)

 

[Nightowl0707]

Thanks for the replies. I tried several times to flash the Bios and it finally read off the floppy (didn't have a flash drive). When it was finished a message popped up saying that it was a success and to reboot. When I rebooted I got a message saying "CMOS checksum bad --- Run setup...... or load default values.....

I loaded default values and when windows came up Core Temp still showed only one core.

I flashed again and it said it was a success again. I got the same message but this time I went into setup and I'm in the Bios now. Under "CPU Active Core Control" it still shows: "Options---All Cores---1 Core(Core 0)" just like it did before (the same as the first image in my initial post).

I think the floppy was FAT not FAT 32. Does this matter? The directions were not specific concerning the floppy; they just said that a floppy was an option and I FAT32

Could really use some advice; not at all sure what to do.

Help please.

Thanks
Rob

EDIT:
Downloaded: 1.80 4/22/2010 Instant Flash 733.65KB Update CPU code. (the latest)
From: http://www.asrock.com/mb/download.asp?Model=M3A785GXH/128M&o=BIOS

 

[OvrClkr]

wow, you didn't have to go through all that trouble. Instant flash takes about 20 seconds and there is no need for a floppy or flash drive. You just download the Bios update and flash it in the Bios.

http://www.asrock.com/feature/InstantFlash/index.asp

but before you do anything open up CPU-Z and make sure that you have the latest bios, if the Bios updated correctly then all you need to do is clear the CMOS and re-boot. Keep us posted

 

[Nightowl0707]

Thanks for responding, OverClkr.

After I flashed it I pressed F9 to load the Bios default--scrolled down and got this:

AND THIS IS WHAT I WANTED TO SEE! Look to the right. That was the first and only time I've seen that. Compare it to the first image in my first post.

I selected “2 Cores(0,1)
Saved and booted into Windows
I didn’t have CPUID loaded then but Core Temp was still showing the same info.
Shut down and went back into the Bios to find that the settings had reverted back and I no longer have the option as shown above

Loaded Cpuid per OvrClkr’s suggestion and it shows that the update took:

I cleared the CMOS as suggested and I’m right back where I started (see the first image in my first post). I'm sure it took since I had to reset the time and date.

Any advice?

Thanks for the tips so far. I really appreciate it.

I'm really at a loss here. I'm going to keep working on it and if anyone would like to chime in I'd really appreciate hearing suggestions.

Thanks again for the help so far...

Rob

 

[OvrClkr]

You need to set all your values, you basically have everything on auto.

First off re-boot and go into your Bios,

1. Set your RAM timings to 9-9-9-24-34-2T

Use the below screen-shot to get an idea of what needs to be changed :

2. Set the DRAM voltage to 1.55v

3. Change your "Overclock Mode" to MANUAL

4. Set your CPU speed to 3.2Ghz = 16x multiplier

5. Set your CPU voltage to 1.35v

6. Set your NB and HT to 2000Mhz and give both 1.28v

7. Disable Cool n Quite and/or C1E (for now)

8. Leave everything else on Auto for now press F10 / save / boot and let me know the outcome.

 

[Nightowl0707]

Thanks OvrClkr
If you're still around please let me know how this looks.

A couple of these are off due to the choices available and possibly some misinterpretation on my part.
I've opened windows twice and gone into bios twice; still have the one core showing (like the first image I posted).

1. Set your RAM timings to 9-9-9-24-34-2T
CAS Latency (CL) =9
TRCD=9
TRP=9
TRAS=24
TRTP=Auto=====only had 4-7 to choose from
MA Timing=2T
2. Set the DRAM voltage to 1.55v
Set to 1.53V (closest)

3. Change your "Overclock Mode" to MANUAL
Overclock Mode set to > Optimized. My choices were cpu,pcie sync./ cpu, pcie async/auto/ Optimized
Multiplier/Voltage Change = Manual

4. Set your CPU speed to 3.2Ghz = 16x multiplier
CPU Frequency Multiplier = x16.0 3200Mhz
5. Set your CPU voltage to 1.35v
Set to 1.3500v
6. Set your NB and HT to 2000Mhz and give both 1.28v
NB Freq. Multi. x10,0 2000mhz
NB voltage 1.2875v
HT Bus Speed x10 2000mhz
Ht bus width Auto------choices are auto 8 bit 16 bit
7. Disable Cool n Quite and/or C1E (for now)
Couldn't find it

Thanks again. If you get a chance please let me know how this looks.

Rob

EDIT:
Memory Clock = 800mhz ddr3_1600

 

[Nightowl0707]

I just noticed a change.

 

[OvrClkr]

You have Cool n Quite or C1E enabled , look for the "Advanced" tab in your Bios and then look for CPU Configuration or equivalent :

make sure both are "disabled"

 

[Nightowl0707]

Advanced>

Boot failure guard Enabled
Cool n quiet Disabled
Secure Virtual Machine Enabled
Enhanced Halt State Disabled
L3 Cache Allocation Auto

Still looking to see if there is anything resembling C1E

 

[Nightowl0707]

There's another HT Voltage setting under OC Tweaker>Chipset Settings with three options: Auto, 1.30v and 1.35v. It's on Auto now. I changed the one under CPU Configuration as noted above.

 

[sarwar_r87]

errr.....what r u guys doing playing with ram voltage ???

here is a screen shot of my phenom II x4:

note that the only difference is in the bios is the with ACC settings is only coz u have 2 cores....so options are all core (2) and 1 core.
note that the most imp thing is the number off core and thread in the cpuz.
i dono if its a limitation of coretemp but it shoes one core temp

here is HWMonitor PRO screenshot that shows all cores. note that it is not showing core0 coz my copy is trial version that i downloaded to show u

http://www.cpuid.com/downloads/hwmonitor-pro/1.09-64bits.zip

 

[Nightowl0707]

OvrClkr,

I need to get up in a few hours so I'm going to get some shut-eye. Thanks a lot for helping out; I really appreciate it.
I'll get back to this tomorrow afternoon when I'm not so burned out. Thanks for all your help.

Rob

sarwar,
Thanks for the info. I'll take a closer look tomorrow when I get home.

 

[OvrClkr]

errr.....what r u guys doing playing with ram voltage ???

here is a screen shot of my phenom II x4:
http://img201.imageshack.us/img201/4379/73533918.png

note that the only difference is in the bios is the with ACC settings is only coz u have 2 cores....so options are all core (2) and 1 core.
note that the most imp thing is the number off core and thread in the cpuz.
i dono if its a limitation of coretemp but it shoes one core temp

here is HWMonitor PRO screenshot that shows all cores. note that it is not showing core0 coz my copy is trial version that i downloaded to show u

http://www.cpuid.com/downloads/hwmonitor-pro/1.09-64bits.zip

http://img683.imageshack.us/img683/7213/50608508.png

we are not playing with any voltages, we are setting up his PC properly in the Bios.

 

[Nightowl0707]

Does the system BIOS really need any configuration for it to at least show me two cores?

Shouldn’t I be able to drop the CPU in and expect it to show the two cores that are unlocked already? I can understand the tweaking for optimization and unlocking the other two but is there a chance that I got a bad CPU? I mean it only let me see the other cores ONE TIME and that option never came back. What’s up with that?

And whether or not there’s an issue with the CPU is really what I’m trying to determine. I’ll take the steps needed but am I voiding my warranty? I’m still covered for the next couple of days.

I’m beginning to think there’s a compatibility issue with my motherboard. I’m not finding it on the support list. Please correct me if I'm wrong.


EDIT:
This is from the Asrock compatibility chart:

AM3 Phenom II X2 HDZ555WFK2DGM(BE) Callisto 3200MHz 2000MHz 512KB+512KB 6MB C3 80W P1.20

Mine is:

AMD Phenom II X2 555 Black Edition Callisto 3.2GHz 2 x 512KB L2 Cache 6MB L3 Cache Socket AM3 80W Dual-Core Desktop Processor - C3 Revision HDZ555WFGMBOX

The letters for the model are different but is this because I got it in the box?

Thanks for you help.

Rob

 

[OvrClkr]

Does the system BIOS really need any configuration for it to at least show me two cores?

Shouldn’t I be able to drop the CPU in and expect it to show the two cores that are unlocked already? I can understand the tweaking for optimization and unlocking the other two but is there a chance that I got a bad CPU? I mean it only let me see the other cores ONE TIME and that option never came back. What’s up with that?

And whether or not there’s an issue with the CPU is really what I’m trying to determine. I’ll take the steps needed but am I voiding my warranty? I’m still covered for the next couple of days.

I’m beginning to think there’s a compatibility issue with my motherboard. I’m not finding it on the support list. Please correct me if I'm wrong.


EDIT:
This is from the Asrock compatibility chart:

AM3 Phenom II X2 HDZ555WFK2DGM(BE) Callisto 3200MHz 2000MHz 512KB+512KB 6MB C3 80W P1.20

Mine is:

AMD Phenom II X2 555 Black Edition Callisto 3.2GHz 2 x 512KB L2 Cache 6MB L3 Cache Socket AM3 80W Dual-Core Desktop Processor - C3 Revision HDZ555WFGMBOX

The letters for the model are different but is this because I got it in the box?

Thanks for you help.

Rob

not really, you should be able to see both cores regardless as long as your board has an updated Bios. Try this, download speedfan and run the program. You should see something like this:

there should not be any compatibility issues since the board is AM3, it should be able to run ALL AM3 cpu's with the exception of the x6 series.

let me know if you see 2 cores using speedfan..

 

[Nightowl0707]

The tabs I didn't copy are blank.

I clicked "Show the magic" to get this (in beta stage):

 

[OvrClkr]

there you go, you have both cores present..

 

[Nightowl0707]

there you go, you have both cores present..

What?

Thanks for your help and all but...

Core Temp showed I had two cores
CPU-z showed I had two cores
Now Speedfan is showing I have two cores

The issue is that my Bios isn't showing I have two cores. It only gave me a
selection of cores that one time (see image in prior post).

I planned on trying to unlock one or two of the cores but there's no way I can
do that if the bios won't even acknowledge that I have two. That is what this is
about. There's still something wrong. I'm just trying to figure out what it is.

Is it the CPU? Is it the MoBo? I only have a couple days left to do something about it.

Thanks
Rob

 

[OvrClkr]

What?

Thanks for your help and all but...

Core Temp showed I had two cores
CPU-z showed I had two cores
Now Speedfan is showing I have two cores

The issue is that my Bios isn't showing I have two cores. It only gave me a
selection of cores that one time (see image in prior post).

I planned on trying to unlock one or two of the cores but there's no way I can
do that if the bios won't even acknowledge that I have two. That is what this is
about. There's still something wrong. I'm just trying to figure out what it is.

Is it the CPU? Is it the MoBo? I only have a couple days left to do something about it.

Thanks
Rob

I guess I misunderstood your question, the Bios never shows active cores on a CPU, it will just give you the CPU info, for instance if I lock up my CPU it will show as an x2, once I unlock it comes up as an x4.

 

[Nightowl0707]

Shouldn't I see the selection that showed up only one time as shown below?

This only showed up once as mentioned earlier in this thread. How can I get back to it?

How can I find out if the other cores can be unlocked if I don't have access to them as the screen below allows? How do I access them?

The second image below is all I have access to.

Do you see what I'm talking about?


Thanks

If I select "All Cores" it should show in the drop down menu where it only shows "1 Core(Core0)" and on the right.

Look at the two images carefully. It doesn't seem to matter if I have "Overclock mode" on "Auto" or "Optimized".

Do you see what I'm talking about?

I only got the above screen ONE time and I haven't been able to get back to it. Is it the CPU, the Mobo or my settings. Something is not allowing me to see what is shown in the first image.

 

[OvrClkr]

Shouldn't I see the selection that showed up only one time as shown below?

This only showed up once as mentioned earlier in this thread. How can I get back to it?

How can I find out if the other cores can be unlocked if I don't have access to them as the screen below allows? How do I access them?

The second image below is all I have access to.

Do you see what I'm talking about?


Thanks

http://i289.photobucket.com/albums/ll213/hunter60_album/Bios1.jpg

If I select "All Cores" it should show in the drop down menu where it only shows "1 Core(Core0)" and on the right.

Look at the two images carefully. It doesn't seem to matter if I have "Overclock mode" on "Auto" or "Optimized".

Do you see what I'm talking about?

I only got the above screen ONE time and I haven't been able to get back to it. Is it the CPU, the Mobo or my settings. Something is not allowing me to see what is shown in the first image.

http://i289.photobucket.com/albums/ll213/hunter60_album/2.jpg

I think you are confused, if you want to mess with your cores individually you need to ENABLE "Advanced Clock Calibration". This is the reason why you see only one core under "CPU Active Core Control"

 

[icraig]

For a start everything is fine, you are showing 2 cores, on all.

Also if you're referring to 1 temp showing in the BIOS for the CPU temp, then this is normal as the BIOS only reads a thermal node under the CPU it doesn't read the thermal info given by the CPU.

In addition to this if you're referring to Coretemp and Speedfan etc only giving one temp for the CPU, then this is right too. Due to AMD Thermal monitoring limitations only 1 sensor is present on the CPU itself, hence only 1 temp! Its all explained on Coretemps website, and speedfan et al.

See FAQ #3 here

 

[Nightowl0707]

"I think you are confused, if you want to mess with your cores individually you need to ENABLE "Advanced Clock Calibration". This is the reason why you see only one core under "CPU Active Core Control""

----------------------------------
Just as a side note, ACC was "Disabled" the first and only time I was able to see the screen below (first image).

And of course I'm confused because I have enabled it at least 20-25 times and you must know by now as many times as I've asked that I'm trying to get back to that screen.

I'll try again. Can you tell me how to get back to the screen that you see in the first image below?

Can ANYONE tell me how to get back to the screen that I've posted in the very first image below?

Thank you in advance.

The other images (not the first) are my choices in the "ACC" menu and what happens when I select them. Please review them carefully.

Thanks