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Blurred screen with speed problem

Discussion in 'PC hardware help' started by nesh02, Sep 14, 2007.

  1. nesh02

    nesh02 Guest

    hi i am having 2 different problem. both independent to each other. 1stly, my cpu clock speed. i recently changed my mobo to asrock p4i65g. i am using a northwood 478 3.0gb processor. however the new mobo only shows the speed of 1.6gb or 2.4gb alternatively. i have updated the bios but no changes, even tried reseting but still the same. my 2nd problem is that sometimes when i on my computer, the windows appear blurred, but when i restart it some what comes back to normal. this was the initial problem happened before my 1st mobo died. i was just wandering what would the problem be most likely. thanks 4 any help. :)
     
  2. sammorris

    sammorris Senior member

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    Ok firstly, to clear something up. CPU speed is measured in GHz (Giga-Hertz) not Gb (Gigabits).

    Which power supply are you using? Your components might be getting killed off by a cheap power supply. I know from the fact that you chose an Asrock motherboard that you're not going with top-calibre components, so it would be wise to check your power supply. Cheap power units have nasty habits of damaging components time and time again until they're replaced.
     
  3. nesh02

    nesh02 Guest

    oh yeah, ghz, sorry...errrr. bout the power supply, not a high end one but i think it gives 384W as for the true power. the problem is, i had a gigabyte GA- 8IPE1000 mobo and it had no prob. I truly bought asrock becoz there is no other aftermarket mobo available brand new for 865 chipset and second hands are extremely rare 2 b found. wud there be any problem with mobo, it s still under warranty though
     
  4. sammorris

    sammorris Senior member

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    That's fair enough, I didn't realise 865 had become so rare. Can you find out the brand of the power supply?
     
  5. nesh02

    nesh02 Guest

    it is icute 450W/p4
     
  6. sammorris

    sammorris Senior member

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    I'd recommend replacing it with a better known PSU brand, such as a Thermaltake TR2 series.
     
  7. abuzar1

    abuzar1 Senior member

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    The speed is probably the EIST. It tends to adjust the multiplier when you aren't using your CPU full potential, and it just slows it down so less power is used and less heat is made.
     
  8. sammorris

    sammorris Senior member

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    True, I wasn't aware it used multiple frequencies.
     
  9. abuzar1

    abuzar1 Senior member

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    Yeah, It just adjusts the multiplier, I've never seen it change the FSB.
     
  10. sammorris

    sammorris Senior member

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    Nah it wouldn't, FSB is never adjusted by things like that.
     
  11. nesh02

    nesh02 Guest

    wo wo.... what is that? EIST? multiplier?... i'm totally lost. is it normal or what, why the speed is less, it is even like that in the bios! any idea bout the blurry screen?
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 15, 2007
  12. sammorris

    sammorris Senior member

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    EIST is a system that changes your processor's speed whilst it's on to use less power, it turns it up when you need it more (games, video encoding and what have you) and turns it down when you need it less (when the PC's idle, or word processing). That's our explanation for the variation in speed. I am a little concerned that it happens in the BIOS too, but I'm unfamiliar with EIST as I don't personally use it.
    The Multiplier is how many times the Front Side Bus speed (the speed of the network that connects all your PC's parts together, if you like) the processor is. Normally, a 3Ghz CPU on a 200mhz Front side bus would have a multiplier of 15, since 15x200Mhz = 3Ghz. In order to lower or raise the speed accordingly, it is this multiplier that changes, down to 12x for 2.4Ghz, down to 8x for 1.6Ghz and so on.
    The blurry screen is a little mysterious, but to make sure it isn't the power supply I'd say replace it, it couldn't do any harm to do so. All too often video problems are related to poor quality power supplies.
     
  13. abuzar1

    abuzar1 Senior member

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    If you have built in graphics, did you update the vidoe drivers? You could try that. Me and Sam were just talking about how EIST(Enhanced Intel Speedstep Technology) reduced your speed.

    Here is how CPU speed works. On my computer my FSB(Front Side Bus) speed is 430 MHz. Now the CPU takes that speed and attached a multiplier to it. Now my multiplier is 8x so my CPU speed is 3440 MHz. On my CPU the multiplier can change from 6x to 8x, so when I am not using my computer to do anything CPU intensive my multiplier goes down to 6x giving me 2580 Mhz. This way the CPU runs slower and produces less heat.

    That is probably what is happening to you. You can look in your BIOS and disable EIST, and your speeds will return to normal.
     
  14. sammorris

    sammorris Senior member

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    Owned! I beat you by 3 minutes! You got served!
    lolz
     
  15. abuzar1

    abuzar1 Senior member

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    Damn it, it took me a long time to write that too. lol

    EDIT: I just read your explanation, and I think I did better. Just sayin...
     
    Last edited: Sep 16, 2007
  16. sammorris

    sammorris Senior member

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    Lies, Hacks and lies! :D
     
    Last edited: Sep 16, 2007
  17. abuzar1

    abuzar1 Senior member

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    Haha. Hey you think we should write up a basic PC trouble shooting guide and post it up on here?
     
  18. sammorris

    sammorris Senior member

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    it's been done too many times already, and it'd end up being 100 pages long if it included all the different problems we've been asked to solve on aD. The best solution to problems is really live correspondance like we have now. I posted an article on why not to buy cheap power supplies in the PC hardware section but disappointingly nobody has replied to it.
     
  19. abuzar1

    abuzar1 Senior member

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    heh, so they never get stickied? I meant like a basic guide, that people would see on the top of the page.
     
  20. sammorris

    sammorris Senior member

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    Well, I suppose an simple check the obvious guide might be a good idea, things like leaving off the 4-pin ATX+12V CPU connector, you won't believe how many times I've seen that one. I did it once!
     

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