CPU Speed Changes

[nottsstar]

My question concerns the stability of my system to run at a constant CPU Speed. I have an Athlon XP 1600+ on a SiS730S System Board with 256PC133 & 128PC133 RAM.

I've recently flashed the BIOS to the most recent version and set the CPU Speed to 1600+ and RAM Speed to 133Mhz and CPU Frequency 133Mhz and I'm running WinXP.

When I boot the machine from cold I get a CPU Speed of 1393Mhz is the expected value for 1600+. After the machine has been on for a while, say a couple of hours, and I reboot I intermittenly get the CPU Speed being reset to 1045Mhz (as though I'd set the CPU speed in BIOS to 1050MHz). If I check in the BIOS it still says 1600+. If I resave my BIOS settings and reboot, the machine locks up at various points in the Boot sequence, sometimes at NVRAM check sometimes during the later stages of loading up Windows.

All I can think of is an overheating problem, or possibly I'm could it be related to me running an old Hard Drive which can't keep up with the speed of the CPU / Memory ....

Any ideas ??

 

[Guest]

Since it is caused by the new BIOS version, can you just go back to the old version?

 

[nottsstar]

...ah sorry I didn't mean that the BIOS change has affected anything. I just upgraded to the most recent version before I started rebuilding the machine as matter of course. I was running Win98 previously and was just doing a full rebuild to WinXP. I suspect the machine wasn't performing at full speed previously, I just didn't notice it !!

 

[Guest]

Can you read your power supply voltages and list the values?
Most likely this would be done from the bios menus.

Edit also note any fluctuations in voltage.<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1><EM>Edited by knewton on 07/27/02 09:36 AM.</EM></FONT></P>

 

[nottsstar]

Okay, CPU Temps and Voltages are,

CPU temperature 49C / 120F
System Temperature 36C / 96F
CPU Fan Speed fluctuates between 5037& 5075 RPM

Vcore 1.792
Vcc 2.5V 2.528
Vcc 3.3V fluctuates between 3.328 & 3.296
Vcc 5.0V 5.026

+12V 12.416
-12V -11.639

SB3V 3.424
SB5V 4.945

Voltage Battery 3.424

Can anyone tell me if these figures look ok ?

<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1><EM>Edited by nottsstar on 07/28/02 08:01 AM.</EM></FONT></P>

 

[Cowgoesmoo]

I also have this problem on my Mothers computer i have tried everything I can think of to fix it and have had no success. It often have boot troubles when windows starts loading. Usually a restart or two will let me into windows. But yeah occasionally the whole bios will just reset time, date, settings everything. Don't think I have the problem when the cpu is running below speed though.

My harddrive is brand new so i dont hink it could be that. I am tempted to blame windows. THought it might have been a power thing but it still happened when I had everything unpluged ( cdrom, dvd, network card) and the monitor going from the wall and not the back of the case.

Mainboard name is K7S5A Elite is the manufacturer as far as I can tell.
SiS 735 chipset

Yeah help would be really good.

 

[tbirdXPplus]

hmmm i`ve heard something like this from a few of my friends. they told me that in the sis735 mobos, many didn`t follow amd protocols. they needed better power management for CPUs that need a lot of power, like the tbird 1.33 and above. something about elevtrical resistance, i can`t remember it well. these sis735 mobos would be very unstable with tbirds of high clocks, and athlon XPs. there was no problem with durons(spitfire core), and lower clocked tbirds. for these problems, sis` reputation crashed in korea, and now u can only see few models based on the sis735, sis745 core in the market. very good for via, even though they`re so crappy, they now have about 90% of the market share in amd mobos here.

anyway, the mobo is the problem, i think. it just can`t handle high clocked CPUs.

"Is Celeron good?"
"No. Celeron is bad."
LOL

 

[Guest]

I'm going to say that the fluctuating 3,3V supply is a sign that it is struggling/failing. Also the -12V is definitely a bit low. All of this is pointing to an overtaxed power supply in my opinion.

When a power supply can't deliver a high enough current to keep the system happy, then the voltages will start lagging.
If I'm not mistaken CPU core voltage is just a regulator on 3.3V. What I'm trying to say is it is very likely that since there are signs 3.3V is struggling, your CPU isn't getting all the power it needs.

Others here will be able to make power supply suggestions, but you may want to list what hardware you are trying to run, so that a ball park figure for baseline power requirements can be made.

 

[tbirdXPplus]

is your system OK whem it runs in 1050MHz?

if so, my suggestion is right(i answerd to cowgoesmoo)

the sis735 mobos, a large part of them cannnot deliever enough power to high clocked CPUs.

maybe power supply is the problem, but i have a strong feeling that the mobo is the problem.

"Is Celeron good?"
"No. Celeron is bad."
LOL

 

[MeTaLrOcKeR]

I agree with tbirdXPplus........many manufacturers (Mainly ECS though) had a HELL of a time with quality control on there SiS735 based MOBO's......ask Matisaro.....he knows about the K7S5A....I used to have one too, absolutley nothing wrong with mine, it ran beautiful up until the time I traded it for an A7S333.....its still goign strong today too! looks to me liek u just got a bad mobo......try and return or exchaneg ti if u can.. =) ALSO get a better PSU..like an Enermax or something...

<A HREF="http://www.anandtech.com/mysystemrig.html?id=13597" target="_new">-MeTaL RoCkEr</A>

 

[Guest]

yes these ECS K7S5A boards are notorious for being power hogs. they are not too bad if you can give em the juice though.

 

[Cowgoesmoo]

So I take it the answer looks to be a nice big power supply?

 

[Quetzacoatl]

*shakes head*

Not exactly big, but from a reputable supplier, namely Antec or Enermax. A 300watt or 350watt PSU is enough for the AXP's generally. *grins* I went crazy and bought a 430watt Antec PSU for my 1800+ overclocked.

"When there's a will, there's a way."

 

[Guest]

yes.

 

[Quetzacoatl]

Not true

You could get a crappy PSU, with a lot of watts, and lose
Example, a Sparkle 400watt PSU. Absolutely terrible company imho, and not worth mentioning. Proving more power (watts if you want to call it that) doesn't equate to quality.

"When there's a will, there's a way."

 

[Guest]

actually it is true.

in his post he specified a "nice" big power supply, not a "crappy" one.

 

[Quetzacoatl]

The average computer buyer (in other words, an idiot), would buy whatever crap was available at an OEM shop. If someone saw a "big" "nice" 430watt PSU on a shelf, one being an Antec for $150, and the other being a Sparkle for $100, he's most likely to save himself some money and get the cheapo brand, thinking he made a deal.

"When there's a will, there's a way."

 

[Guest]

I didn't think cowgoesmoo sounded like an idiot.

Besides, if in your example the so called "crap" is capable of delivering enough current at the required voltages, how could saving $50 not be making a deal.

Everything I have said is what I believe is true, and I stand by it.

 

[Quetzacoatl]

I wasn't implying he was an idiot, you just took it offensively. Obviously, you are the idiot.

You aren't saving $50 by getting that Sparkle PSU, it will be unreliable and inefficient for an Athlon or Pentium4 system.

"When there's a will, there's a way."

 

[Guest]

Hey, if you are ever in the Seattle Washington area I would be glad to meet with you in person and thump you.

 

[Quetzacoatl]

You can [-peep-] yourself. Newbies like you don't deserve to be on this forum. Get the hell out of here now, I am in a bad mood. I am

"When there's a will, there's a way."

 

[Guest]

Why would I leave now it's just getting funny...

I can just picture a bright red face, and steam shooting out your ears.

Funny thing is I haven't even insulted you. I wonder what would happen then...

Homo!

 

[eden]

ALL RIGHT BREAK IT OFF YOU TWO, I AM NOT GONNA PLAY NANNY!!!

That's one of the reasons we are losing people, because some fight over nothing.

STOP NOW!

--
The sound of determination is the echo of will...

 

[Cowgoesmoo]

Thanks for the help on that one its had me puzzled for quite a while.

 

[jihiggs]

i went a bit overboard on my psu too, i got the enermax 431, it rocks! im going to have to disagree with you about sparkle power supplys, they are not really for the hc over clocker but they really get the job done, every site i support (about 1000 computers) have sparkle power supplys, that i can remember i have only had 5 psu problems, most were fan making noise. now if you want to talk about crappy power supplys, check out deer.

how do you shoot the devil in the back? what happens if you miss? -verbal