Amd Athlon XP 2800+ (barton Core)

hi i have a problem with my computer i have to under-clock my Amd Athlon XP 2800+ (barton Core) to Multiplier = 12.5
FSB = 160
the standard is Multiplier = 12.5
FSB = 166

The system wont run stable at the normal settings so i have to underclock my computer to get it to run stable. Cooling isnt the problem as i have 5x 90mm case fans (RPM 1800-3200) My system stats are below.

Thermaltake Damier V5000
Thermaltake purepower 420W PSU
MSI-KT4V mainboard
Amd Athlon XP 2800+ (barton Core)
1gig (2x512mb) PC3200 DDR400 memory
Western digital 200gig 8mb cache 7200rpm Hard drive
ATI Sapphire 9700pro Ultimate edition

What should i do to get my system to run at normal settings? By the way the multiplier is locked.

 

The multiplier will be locked for a desktop processor, that's AMD's ay of saying "we don't want you changing the clock speed"
Of course it can be done by changing the FSB, but remember this drops the speed of all components on the motherboard, unless you have an asynchronous clock one, but I doubt you do, so let's not go into that.

I'm surprised your system won't run stable at normal settings, what CPU Cooler do you have?

In Addition, what is the brand of your RAM?
Cheap 'value' RAM can often be unstable and cause problems...
The CPU will only need underclocking if:
a) it's too hot
b) There is a fault with it (unlikely)
c) It has been overclocked too far already (again unlikely)

How do you know you need to drop the FSB to 160?
Did someone tell you so?

 

I ave a standard heatsink but i have 5x 90mm case fans and my cpu's temp range from 40-52 degrees. I wasnt told to set my CPU to 160FSB i just kept on going down untill i got no more reset,errors etc:
I have set my cpu to 175 before by accident but it never reached windows becuase of instability then it was set back to 160FSB. It cant be the accidental overclocking though becuase i have had this processor for over a year (i think) and it has done that from day one!

 

That's interesting. At those temperatures your CPu is running well below temperature limits. There must be something else wrong with your system. What brand of RAM do you have (bearing in mind the RAM speed is set by the FSB)

 

Your mobo is only compatible with certain types of DDR400 memory, this could be the problem...check this link to see if your mem is compatible
http://www.msi.com.tw/program/products/mainboard/mbd/pro_mbd_detail.php?UID=362
hope this helps

 

I have two different types of generic ram but both are supported by my mainboard. Apacer,ADATA both exactly the same accept for the name.

This is really weird im not sure what to do

 

Have you tried just using one stick of ram at a time and see how it behaves then it's worth a go

 

Yeh unfortunatly i have becuase i bought the ram 2weeks apart becuae of money issues and it didnt work with my friends DDR400 512mb and i tryed the new ram i bought and same thing. When i got my second stick i swapped them over and same thing.

 

Hmmm....what about updating the bios or using a modded bios if there is one available

 

I have checked for the bios updates and have emailed msi to see if a bios update will fix my problem and they said it wont.

Since i dont have any bios backups if i get 3rd party bios i may screw up my motherboard and i dont have a floppy drive either.

 

On your mobo you have three mem slots are the sticks in slots 1 & 3 or 1 & 2, also when you go in to your bios is there a setting for fsb/dram ratio if so set it to spd

 

My memory is in slots 1&2 and i will check for that setting you speak of.

 

Try slots 1 & 3, as this is normally the dual channel default for most mobos

 

Ok my ram is already set to SPD. i will check on slots 1&3
What does this have to do with my processor?

 

Sometimes using slots 1 & 2 has strange effects on mem, using slots 1 & 3 should enable your mobos dual channel mode and hopefully get you running @ the default 166fsb then you can start o.c'ing you 2800+ ( holds breath ) any way give it a go ....please let this work
edit: clear the cmos/bios as well before restarting with slots 1 & 3

 

i tryed both memory in ALL 3 slots separatly. I tryed the dual channel thing and restting the cmos before the dual channel thing and it had an even worse effect on the computer it didnt like it it was really slow.

 

Go in to your bios and check to see what your setings are with the mem in dual channel .... set it to default settings, also what info is your post screen giving you

 

ok everything is default and nothing is different from the usual post.

i ran a memtest for 48hrs about 3weeks ago and it came back with no errors.

 

So by default your running a FSB of 166 ?

 

Yes, So far i am no random crap yet i will only post back if i get the problem agian

Thanks a billion