Need help with Mobo and P4 combo

[WebSquirrel]

I have a P4M80-M4 motherboard that works fine with a Northwood P4 2.4 and with a Prescott Celeron D 315 (2.23).
I installed a Prescott 3.2 P4 and it locks at the POST screen no matter what I do.
No beep.
I tried a different power supply, one stick of ram, removed all the extras, and even flashed the BIOS. No joy.
The only differences between these procs are the FSB. 400 for the Northwood, 533 for the celeron D and 800 for the 3.2 P4. OK, the cache and HT are different too.
I'm running Patriot Signature DDR 3200, 2 X 1GB each.
The mobo guide says it will support this CPU. Any ideas?

 

[win2kpro]

What is the sSpec number of the Prescott core P4? What is the amperage on the +12V rail or rails of your PSU?

 

[Rich-M]

Board says it takes Prescott cpu...have you checked to see if there is a bios flash to make that happen?

 

[WebSquirrel]

Hello win2kpro

Proc is a SL7QB

P/S is a Rosewill RD450-2DB
14A on +12v1
16A on +12v2
.3 on -12v

Thank you for any help!

 

[WebSquirrel]

Hey Rich-M

Only one BIOS upgrade available. It didn't mention the Prescott.
I flashed it.
Also-The Celeron D is a Prescott-and it worked fine. I'm concerned it might be the FSB causing the issue or maybe the cache size?

 

[Rich-M]

Hey Rich-M

Only one BIOS upgrade available. It didn't mention the Prescott.
I flashed it.
Also-The Celeron D is a Prescott-and it worked fine. I'm concerned it might be the FSB causing the issue or maybe the cache size?

I read it takes 400,533 or 800 so I don't see how fsb could be a problem.

 

[WebSquirrel]

Yeah, that is what it says.
Hmmm..a new angle-
If the CPU itself were at fault, wouldn't I still get beep codes?

 

[win2kpro]

Check the sSpec number again. Intel does not show an SL7QB processor.

 

[WebSquirrel]

I couldn't find it either, but it really is an SL7QB. It says so right on the proc.
I pulled the plug, removed the battery and then started all over. I managed to get a few more steps through the POST.
What's even stranger is that the BIOS now sees it as an EM64T proc.
I wasn't aware there ever was a socket 478 that was 64 bit.
It must be a BIOS error.
Now the POST hangs when it starts to open the BIOS for editing.
Anyone ever heard of this?

 

[win2kpro]

Since Intel doesn't acknowledge the processor on their website, the only thing I can guess is that it is a manufacturer proprietary processor they manufactured for someone (possibly IBM) since I got a couple of hits on Google that referenced IBM.

IF it is a proprietary processor it MAY have a microcode that you're board can't read. If the microcode is STANDARD and you board cannot read the processor, then the processor is probably defective.

 

[WebSquirrel]

Thanks Win2kPro!
After reading your reply, I looked around and also found many references to IBM.
One even indicates it was made by IBM, but I 'm now guessing it is instead an IBM part made by Intel.
While I'm a tad dissapointed I can't use it, I am grateful for your insight. I learned something and that in itself is far more rewarding.
My Sincere Thanks!

 

[win2kpro]

You are very welcome.

 

[WebSquirrel]

FOLLOWUP
I installed a new OEM Socket 478 Prescott P4 3.0 GHz/1M/800 (purchased from Newegg) in this same board and it works perfectly. I bought the previous CPU from geeks.com and I suspect now it may have been a pull and not a new OEM.
Watch out for those proprietary chips!

 

[win2kpro]

I saw processors with that sSpec number listed at a couple of places. It may have been a situation where a manufacturer dumped them from surplus stock. In any event it is rare to see a proprietary processor.

Glad you got your problem solved.