Recently my AMD Phenom II X4 945 3.0Ghz runs at 800mhz

Meltdown08

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ASUS M4A79T Deluxe mobo
AMD Phenom II X4 945 3.0ghz
4Gb (2x2gb) Corsair XM3 1333mhz
Sapphire ATI HD 4870 1gb


For the last 2 and a half years, this computer was running top notch. I had it running at 3.2Ghz and everything was good. In the recent month that my computer is running MUCH slower than usual and my games lagged like hell. So I did a fresh install of Win7 64 and that didn't help. Then I saw that the windows experience index set my processor score at 3.7 where it use to be over 7.0. I look more into it and found out that my CPU is actually running at 800mhz instead of the 3.0GHz it use to run at. It turns out that the multiplier is stuck at 4x (200 x4) instead of 15x. I went to bios and made sure the Quiet N Cool is disabled but it didnt help. Also, I ran Prime95 and that didnt get the speed up to where it should be. I tried ASUS overdrive and set the multiplier to 15X but it reset back to 4x after I hit apply. I also changed the setting in BIOS to 200 x15 but that also doesnt help. The processor is supported in that version of BIOS im using because... first of all, it worked for 2 and a half years. The BIOS sees and recongnizes the processor and clock however its all messed up in windows. I also tried updating the BIOS but that actually gave more trouble than what its worth. The new BIOS caused it not to POST unless i clear the CMOS everytime I restart the computer. I had to downgrade the BIOS back to about the same BIOS I had it for it to POST correctly. And for the record, the new BIOS didnt help the clock either. I see alot of people had this problem with this processor when it was introduced back in 09 but a BIOS update fixed it for them.

Is there anything I can do to fixed this? Was there a windows update that screwed with my CPU clock? Or is my CPU screwed? I already formated the HD twice now and I am about to do it a third time because I am thinking maybe its a windows update. I am goingto run CPU-Z after a fresh install to see the clock speed without updates. I was hoping to squeeze another 2 years out of this computer before I have to build a new one.
 

cmi86

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It is a possibility that the temp sensors in the CPU have failed causing the BIOS to apply thermal throttling ?

Idk try resetting BIOS the power off and pull battery for a few hours.
I know people say all you need is 15 min but idk it has worked for me before to fix mucked up BIOS.

When Re-booting re flash the BIOS from the BIOS off of a flash.
 

Meltdown08

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Ill give that a try... should I reflash the BIOS with the newest that doesnt POST correctly? or should I flash it with the same one that is working correctly?

My CPU is running at 35oC right now. The MB is at 36oC. I got a hugh aftermarket heatsink/fan on the CPU. Also I need to note that the Vcore is only 1.02V. I tried to raise it up but I just wont work so I just left everything as "Auto" in BIOS. Ill try poping the battery out, and clear CMOS using the jumper when I go to bed tonight and leave it that way all night. Hope it helps.
 

cmi86

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I would try the version used that ran the PC fine for the longest time. If for some odd reason that doesn't work repeat the process with the newest release. If neither work i think we need to begin looking more in the direction of hardware issues.
 

Meltdown08

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I left the battery out for 6 hours and reflashed the bios but it is still not working. I am still stuck at 800mhz. I manually set in BIOS and AMD OD the clock (200), multiplier (15x), and voltage (1.3V) but as soon as windows load, its the same result (200,4x,1.0V).

So could this be a CPU or mobo issue? I would hate to buy a new CPU and it turn out to be a mobo problem.
 

teryakisuace

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That happened to me after installing catalyst 12.2 last week. Go into windows control panel > hardware and sound > power options > change to performance setting. See if that's it.
 

teryakisuace

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That happened to me after installing catalyst 12.2 last week. Go into windows control panel > hardware and sound > power options > change to performance setting. See if that's it.
Also open catalyst engine control center > performance > cpu power > slide the bar from min to max.

The 12.2 update had my cpu running at 800 and gpu card at 157.
 

azamataz

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I had this also after upgrading catalyst so I uninstalled it and went back to the previous version to get it to work properly again. I might have a play around with those settings tonight and see if I can get it to work.
 

Meltdown08

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I already uped the performance on Win7's side. I however did not on Catalyst side. I'll will try it as soon as I get home from work. Thank you everyone for your suggestions
 

Meltdown08

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I just read your post and it is rather confusing if its the CPU or the mobo. The thing was that the CPU works fine on another mobo. Ill try to put the computer to sleep and wake it up to see if that helps... but if that is the case, it will seem like a software in compatibility issue. On a side note, my PC never likes waking up from sleep mode. Alot of times, it just freezes on a blank screen so I've turned off the sleep mode. Its been like that on day one. I also have winXP 64bit on a different HDD that I've been meaning to boot to see if I get the same problem.

As for buying a new CPU, I figure I can go to a 6-core that is supported my the mobo but then again, why should I stick with the same mobo... its outdated and still sports the PCI-E 2.0, SATA 2.0, and USB 2.0. If I HAD to get a new CPU, I might as well get new CPU/mobo/RAM first and save money to get new HDD (SATA3.0) and vid card later. I ws hoping to avoid all of this by waiting another 2-years to upgrade so I can skip this generation entirely.
 

einterlan

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Just to know, when you use the PC in full load (or some heavy program) the speed is still 800Mhz? Because my phenom is in 800 when idle and 4.0 in 100% full load work.

Thats Cool and Quiet thing. Just asking.
 

Meltdown08

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Cool N' Quiet is disabled in the BIOS. Plus, running prime95 is not doing anything so its not the load nor CnQ
 

Meltdown08

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Under Catyst engine CC > Performance > I do not see CPU power. I only see AMD OverDrive which only have settings for the GPU not the CPU
 
if the cpu is proven to work on another board then your left with your board having a problem...
most likely it will be a north bridge or south bridge problem... also you have checked the speeds but i see nothing about temps...
if the cpu is overheating then it will throttle if the motherboard supports the feature (some dont and the cpu will just pop)...
my guess is that the motherboards own chips have over heated forcing the cpu to run at the lowest possible multi...
if you have a thermometer of some kind try to get the temps of the chips on the motherboard... the northbridge is often the chip thats down and to the right of the cpu with a heatsync on it. the south bridge is often just below the cpu and may or may not have a sync on it...

also dont forget to get the temps of the cpu... as it stands it should be pretty much at room temp while running at 800mhz so if its reading 50 or 60 then you know theres a problem...
 

Meltdown08

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Im using ASUS Probe II for these temp readings... when idle, the CPU is running about 36-38oC and the MB is at 35oC so its alittle over room temp. As for an actual thermometer, I dont have one.
 

cmi86

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Due to the CPU working in another rig I would begin my suspecting the mobo.

If you are considering a new mobo the asrock 970 extreme 3 i use is awesome $90.00 gets you an AM3+, USB 3.0, sata3, dual PCI-e slots, 2100Mhz ram support, 125W support, UEFI BIOS and a 970 chipset. You can't lose man.
 

Meltdown08

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Im sorry for the misunderstanding... when I said that the CPU works fine on another mobo... I was refering to Shtopor's link... I havent tested this CPU on another mobo so I have no idea. But I am suspecting that its the CPU that is screwed...

Reason for it is that when I update my BIOS, the PC freezes on POST. I must clear CMOS everytime just to POST and load windows. Anything aboove verson 1306 does that. My CPU is supported in 0906. I am using the 125W 945 version. My guess is the higher BIOS is causing the CPU to choke so it wont POST because its attempting to run default processor settings. Why does clearing CMOS allow it to boot? I have no idea. But even after clearing CMOS and booting, the damn multiplier is still stuck at 4x with the higher BIOS.

On a different note. I tried the changing the Catylst CC settings and even uninstalling it with no effect. I also booted up WinXP 64bit of a backup HDD and ran CPU-Z. I am also getting 800mhz on XP so its not software
 

Raidur

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You said you were going to use CPU-Z to monitor your clock speed, have you done this while running under load?

Make sure you have thermal control and clock functions disabled (C1E etc) other than Cool'n'Quiet.

How many different BIOS versions have you tried?

My guess is it's the mobo.

Give this a read.

http://www.overclock.net/t/738906/cpu-stuck-at-800mhz-with-cool-and-quiet-turned-off

http://vip.asus.com/forum/view.aspx?id=20080411095605234&board_id=1&model=P5K+Premium%2fWiFi-AP&page=1&SLanguage=en-us

It's an AMD.

Get an i5 2500k

^^ You aren't helping anybody with posts like that. AMD CPUs are just as good as Intel when it comes to build quality.
 

cmi86

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I disagree man. Your mobo is more responsible for adjusting and regulating the clocks than the CPU. The fact whenever you update the BIOS you have more issues really points me to a failed mobo (most likely NB or SB) CPU rarely ever ever god bad like that.
 

Meltdown08

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Here are my BIOS CPU settings:
GART Error Reporting [Disabled]
Microcode Updation [Enabled]
Secure Virtual Machine Mode [Enabled]
Cool N Quiet [Disabled]
ACPI SRAT Table [Enabled]
C1E Support [Disabled]
Advance Clock Calibration [Disabled]

Yes i tried CPU-z under load (prime95) but that doesnt do anything.

Here are the BIOS version I tried and the results... If I said it will not boot, I had to clear CMOS everytime I restart the PC to boot it:
3503 > Will not boot...Windows is buggy
3303 > Will not boot... Windows is less buggy
3107 > Will not boot... Windows is buggy
3004 > Will not boot... Windows is less buggy
2402 > Will not boot... dont know if buggy or not
1306 > Will boot... Windows works perfectly
1202 > Will boot... Windows is buggy

I am currently using 1306... When I say buggy, I mean that some task bar icons (such as wifi signals etc) will not show even though the program is running. There is an empty space there where the icon should be but nothing hapens when you click on it. Another buggy thing I noticed is every webpage I go to says its missing a security certificate even if its not a secured site. Almost all webpage works incorrectly. Less buggy means the icons show but the webpages security certificate issue is there.