Won't run at rated speed....

[maxximilian]

Hi folks,

I have just replaced the stock HSF on my machine with a better one. That went fine, but when I went to boot up I got a BIOS screen. There was a message that since the CPU had been replaced (it wasn't), the CPU would start out at 1.3 GHZ. This is an XP2100 which is rated to run at about 1.7 GHZ. The option is then prersented to adjust the speed back up to 1.7 GHZ, which I do. Save changes and exit....

During POST.......I get the audio message (female voice from ASUS)....

"Power on self test failed due to overclocked CPU....."

As I say, at 1.7, this chip is NOT overclocked. Repeated boots yield same message. Right now...the only way to boot the machine is to either go with the minimum option presented of 1.3 or switch to manual on the CPU and UNDER-clock to somewhere lower than 1.7

In short....I can't run my machine at its rated speed since changing the HSF. It thinks I switched CPU and I didn't....all I changed was the HSF.

The specs:

ASUS A7V333 mobo (set to jumper-free mode)
AMD Athlon XP2100
256 MB PC2700 DDR
Thermaltake Volcano 7+ is the new HSF

 

[hw45]

Maybe a BIOS flash will help. You can download here .

 

[maxximilian]

Thanks hw45, but I am hoping for a Flash to be a last resort. I have tried restoring BIOS defaults and the machine will boot with those defaults...but only at a level somewhere below the 1.7 which it should at.

 

[JSanguancheu]

Perhaps the new HSF is not seated correctly on the CPU?

Saw a similar problem to this on the MSI forums. Someone changed their heatsink and the machine would only run at 100 FSB instead of 133. Soon as he reinstalled the HS, it ran perfectly at 133 FSB.

What's your cpu idle temp when running at 1.3?

 

[maxximilian]

At the BIOS default, 1.3 GHZ, it runs at 52 C

 

[JSanguancheu]

I would definitely recheck the HSF installation then. At idle, you should be getting around 40-45C if your HSF is installed right.

Did you use any thermal compound between the HSF and CPU?

 

[maxximilian]

Yes...Arctic Silver 3....

Gonna try reinstalling.....

Thanks

 

[maxximilian]

After a few attempts I ended up with an audio message for CPU failure.

No scorching, but may be fried anyway....

Don't really care, though.....it was a POS board and a POS chip anyway. Gonna kick the machine and walk away from it for now. Been fighting with it for most of the day. This garbage wasn't right from day one and although it wasn't cheap....I'll be glad to get rid of it. I believe the board was a New Egg refurb and the chip was OEM.

Buying retail from now on.......

Thanks for the help, though.