Got my new Core 2 Duo 3ghz, Having some problems

[plainman007]

Hi,

Im actually a little disappointed. I thought the Core 2 Duo 3 Ghz will perform better than my existing Pentium D Dual Core 3.4 Ghz + 945 GNTL. Firstly it is a little sluggish compared to the older setup. Ive got 3 gb 667 mhz ram running with this setup.

1. The system will shutdown or hibernate. But standby wont work. It just instantly shuts down.
2. Doesnt recognize any usb devices on any usb ports.
3. When i right click my computer it shows the processor to be 3ghz but running at 2ghz speed. What does that mean ?
4. I installed avisynth which is an avi edit program,the installation completes but the main exe file is not there in the installed folder. The actual installation reports a successful install. But the the damn .exe file is not there in the programs folder. All these are programs i have already worked with regularly on my older set-up.

Any help please.

[Brian]

Originally Posted by plainman007

Hi,

Im actually a little disappointed. I thought the Core 2 Duo 3 Ghz will perform better than my existing Pentium D Dual Core 3.4 Ghz + 945 GNTL. Firstly it is a little sluggish compared to the older setup. Ive got 3 gb 667 mhz ram running with this setup.

1. The system will shutdown or hibernate. But standby wont work. It just instantly shuts down.
2. Doesnt recognize any usb devices on any usb ports.
3. When i right click my computer it shows the processor to be 3ghz but running at 2ghz speed. What does that mean ?
4. I installed avisynth which is an avi edit program,the installation completes but the main exe file is not there in the installed folder. The actual installation reports a successful install. But the the damn .exe file is not there in the programs folder. All these are programs i have already worked with regularly on my older set-up.

Any help please.

What motherboard are you using? Is it brand new?

Does it have the latest BIOS?

Have you installed the latest version of (I'm assuming it's an Intel-based board) Intel's chipset drivers?



I believe the slower speed of the processor is because of SpeedStep which throttles down the processor when it is not necessary to run it at full speed (to save on power and reduce heat).

I'm not sure what's going on with your application...

[ctal]

I was going to make the exact same comments Brian did.

I assume that what you got is an E8400. Is your motherboard compatible with a 1333MHz fsb cpu? Many of the recent boards require a bios update for that. Many slightly older boards are incompatible. Check the mobo manufacturer's website for a listing of cpu compatibility, and if the E8400 is listed, what bios version it requires.

Check your bios setup for settings that are relevant to standby/hibernate/shutdown, as well as checking the Windows control panel. The bios settings may be in a section called "power management," or similar, and may refer to things like ACPI sleep states. What are you doing to try to put the computer into standby?

As Brian says, some of the problems could be the result of not having installed the latest Intel chipset driver. Your mobo manufacturer's website should have it available for download, which may be simpler than trying to find it on Intel's site.

Regards,
-- Al

[ctal]

Just noticed that you mentioned the Intel D945GNTL. I believe that only supports 800 and 1066MHz FSB CPU's, so if that is the board you are trying to use an E8400 with, you have a pretty definite incompatibility.

Regards,
-- Al


Edit: Same comment applies if it's an E6850, which also has a 1333 fsb.

[plainman007]

Hi,

Its a Brand new Intel Processor and Motherboard.
Core 2 Duo @ 3Ghz. E8400.
Intel DG33-FB Motherboard with 6mb L2 cache.
The board is listed as 1333 / 1066 / 800 FSB compatible.
Ram support DDR2 800 Mhz. But the ram ive got inside is 667 mhz x 3 nos of 1gb sticks.
All original packing from intel. Its all intel original and new.

CTAL > The 945GNTL was my older motherboard paired with the dual core (pentium d) @3.4 ghz. I removed both as a pair and put in the new Core 2 Duo with its own DG33-FB Motherboard.

[ctal]

OK, good!

What OS are you using? One of the user comments at NewEgg indicated that with XP Pro 64-bit the person had to disable legacy usb support in the bios before Windows would recognize the usb ports.

As we said earlier, did you install the latest chipset driver, and is the bios up to date? I see at Intel's site that there have been 6 bios updates released since January 1, 2008, and more prior to this year: Download Search Results

Also, you may want to download and install CPU-Z, CPUID, which will tell you more about how the cpu parameters are appearing to Windows, as well as providing other possibly helpful information. If you open some other program while running it, you should be able to see the cpu speed jump up due to the speedstep function responding to the added load.

Also, check your memory timings in the bios and/or with CPU-Z. You are running the memory at a relatively low clock rate, which is fine as long as your latency settings are as fast as the memory is capable of, but I'm wondering if the bios defaulted to slow latencies (which you could improve by setting them manually in the bios).

-- Al

[plainman007]

ctal > Im using Windows XP Pro 32bit. I installed the original chipset drivers given on the factory cd. How do i know if the bios is upto date ?

I saw your link to the bios update. Thanks.
The date mentioned there is 3.6.2008.
How do i find if my bios is outdated or behind this one ?

Sorry im so new to this.

Update > Of the problems listed out to start with. Problem 4. (avisynth installation) was completely my error. Its a plugin and does not install an exe program that can be run, i knew this since i use it regularly but was so nervous with the new system that i just went bonkers due to the first 3 issues. So thats one issue down. Problem 2. (usb not recognized) was sorted out by the technician who came to the office. It turns out the divers were uninstalled. Even though i had installed all essential modules on the driver disk provided.

So only problems are 1 & 3. System running @ 2 ghz speed. Slightly slower compared to my earlier Dual core. And the windows standby issue.

[zman88]

For problem #1 you might try going into power options and see what the settings are at.

[ctal]

The bios version may appear on the post screen that briefly appears at start-up, before Windows starts loading. It may also appear on one of the bios setup screens. But a better way would be to download and install the CPU-Z program I mentioned, which will show the bios version among many other things (under its "mainboard" tab).

If you do a bios update, follow directions (in the manual or on the website) very carefully, or you can render your machine unbootable.

Re the 2GHz symptom, in one of the bios setup screens you can probably disable the speedstep function. It may be called EIST (Enhanced Intel Speedstep Technology), or something similar. Do that temporarily, if its possible in your bios, and see if you then run at 3 GHz. And look on the CPU-Z screens after you install it for further clues, if necessary.

Also, did you defragment after installing all of the software? If not, that could account for some of the slowness. For that matter, did you reinstall Windows and all of the software from scratch, or did you just use the software installation that was on the old system, with the new drivers added to it (which may have been ok, but I'd have to think about it a little)?

Regards,

-- Al

[plainman007]

Ctal > I did what you suggested. Ran CPUZ and hit render on my video editing application with some pretty intensive VFX layers. The processor jumped to a maximum value of 3000Mhz. This might be good news in that it can actually clock up when needed. But whats the benefit in reserving power, Does it help with multitasking ? Or help processor life ? If not id prefer to run at full speed. I never want to overclock etc. Just run at specified speed. When not taxing the system it maintains a mid point of 1999Mhz.

Other CPUZ Reports -
-------------------------------------------------
CPU SECTION
CLOCKS
Multiplier = 6x - what is this please ?
Bus Speed = 333 Mhz - its a 1333 Mhz MothrBrd, why so low a report ?
Rated FSB = 1333Mhz - This is correct but why is the actual speed reported at 333Mhz ?

CACHE
L1 Data = 2 x 32 KBytes
L2 Inst = 2 x 32 KBytes
Level 2 = 6144 Kbytes
L2 seems to be ok. Dont know about the first 2 values.

LAST PANEL
Processor #1 Greyed out and unselectable.
Cores 2.
Threads 2.
--------------------------------------------------
MAINBOARD - BIOS
Version = DPP3510J.86A.0293.2007.1002.1519
Date = 10/02/2007
Does this mean i should update ? The site shows a 2008 latest upate.
But mentions nothing about the huge code number.
---------------------------------------------------
MEMORY SECTION
GENERAL
Type = DDR2
Channels # = Dual
Size = 3072 MBytes
DC Mode = Symmetric
TIMINGS
DRAM Frequency = 333.3 MHz
FSB DRAM = 1:1
CAS Latency = 5.0 Clocks
RAS TO CAS Delay = 5 Clocks
RAS Precharge = 5 Clocks
Cycle Time = 15 Clocks
Command Rate = 2T
Is my memory running slow ? Ive got 3 sticks of 1gb 667 Mhz Ram inside.

[ctal]

That all sounds completely normal, except that your bios definitely needs updating (which may account for all of your problems), and the memory timings have defaulted to settings that look somewhat slow.

For an explanation of the 333 MHz bus and the multiplier, see post number 32 of this thread: Please help me pick a board for a Q6700.

You have bios 0293 dated 10/22/07. If you look at the release notes at the Intel page I linked to earlier in this thread, you will see that there have been 9 updates since then, including many that say "updated processor support." The E8400 was introduced in January, 2008.

Follow the instructions for bios updating, in the Readme linked to at the Intel page, or in your manual, very carefully.

Your memory timings (5-5-5-15-2T) seem slow for DDR2-667, although that would probably not be too great a contributor to the slowness you are sensing. The SPD tab of CPU-Z should show what timings the memory is rated for, and you can manually set them accordingly in the bios settings.

Speedstep was originally developed for laptops, to prolong battery life and reduce heat. It was then applied to recent desktop cpu's, although obviously the need for it there is less critical. But I've never read of there being any performance hit or downside to it. As I said, if you want you can probably disable it ("eist") in the bios settings -- check your manual or look at the setup screens.

Finally, before updating the bios check the first screen in cpu-z and let us know what it shows for "voltage." I'm wondering if the bios (that pre-dates the cpu) may be applying a voltage to the cpu that is incorrect.

Hope that helps,
-- Al

[plainman007]

Hi Ctal > Thanks for all the info. I have downloaded the exe bios file. Which is lsted as the most popularly used method. How can i set the speed settngs of my ram within the bios ? Also if i update the bios will my OS installation get corrupted or will i lose any OS preferences and settings. I primarily use my systems for HD video editing and i have a lot of footage on the 2 other drives. The OS is on an exclusive drive making a total of 3 drives.

Reg the core voltage i couldnt find a heading saying voltage but i found CORE VID = 1.150 V. I hope its the voltage you were asking for. What does this value look like ?

Thanks

[ctal]

Originally Posted by plainman007

Hi Ctal > Thanks for all the info. I have downloaded the exe bios file. Which is lsted as the most popularly used method. How can i set the speed settngs of my ram within the bios ? Also if i update the bios will my OS installation get corrupted or will i lose any OS preferences and settings. I primarily use my systems for HD video editing and i have a lot of footage on the 2 other drives. The OS is on an exclusive drive making a total of 3 drives.

Reg the core voltage i couldnt find a heading saying voltage but i found CORE VID = 1.150 V. I hope its the voltage you were asking for. What does this value look like ?

Thanks

A bios update will not affect your os or any other software or data. I think that on PC's from major manufacturers (Dell, HP, etc.) Windows activation may be tied to the bios, so an update might require reactivating with Microsoft, but that is not applicable here, and not a big deal anyway.

If you don't see an indication labelled "voltage" on the first ("cpu") tab of cpu-z, it could be that the motherboard hardware doesn't report it to the software. Vid is an output from the cpu that tells the motherboard what voltage to default to for the particular cpu; 1.15V looks ok, and since the software can see it I guess the hardware is seeing it and would be setting the actual voltage appropriately.

RAM timings are set in the bios setup screens. However, most Intel boards do not support overclocking, and may not have provision for this, unlike Asus, Gigabyte, etc. (I have no experience with Intel boards). Look in the mobo manual or at the actual bios setup screens. In any event, I don't think RAM timings are your major problem; the need for a bios update probably is.

Regards,
-- Al

[plainman007]

Ctal > HELP !!! Did the bios upgrade. Went ok. System was functioning as usual after that. But then i changed memory timings and EIST to disable. Now my system wont just start. Theres no bios screen nothing. The system is running i can hear it. But it just makes a 3 beep noise and theres no signal even going to the screen. If i press the reset button on the cpu it again sounds like its restarting but then sounds 3 beeps and just the power led is on, thats all. What should i do ? Have i damaged the board permanantly ?

[Rickwell]

No you didn't hurt anything.You just set the memory timing to a wrong value.If your not getting anything on the screen and just 3 beeps.Three beeps is a memory error.Then you may have to reset a jumper pin on the motherboard.It will reset the BIOS to it's factory values.

Here's how to reset the jumper on the motherboard.
Desktop Boards - Troubleshooting BIOS issues

Here are the beep codes Desktop Boards - BIOS Beep Codes