Originally posted by: BAUBAU
Originally posted by: weblurker
Originally posted by: BAUBAU
E2180 + 2x256MB DDR400 (kingmax pc3200u/ddr433) on 4core dual-SATA2.
BIOS 1.60A
modded to have speedstep and thermal throttling enable/disable
Could this have helped with my clock speed beeing ok?
Hi Baubau.
I'm also running an E2180 but I find that the BIOS doesn't generate the correct cpu speeds.
I have no such issues. We have the same board, the same CPU.
So stop blaiming the BIOS. Blame the hardware. Things that might have happened:
I'm not the only person who has had this problem. If you go back in this thread a few pages and look at posts by NeonGerbil and Farfle, they had the same problem as I've experienced.
I didn't post all my notes about the issue (which now run about 10 or 15 pages) but I'm very sure that neither the cpu nor the socket are damaged.
I'll add some more details about the tests I've run.
When I use the F9 "set defaults" option, the system comes up properly at 2000Mhz. That must mean the cpu is recognized correctly.
Test: compare automatic cpu setting to manual setting.
1)Use F9 load defaults, BIOS comes up showing the cpu is set to 2000Mhz.
2)Set cpu host frequency to "manual", set host frequency to '200", BIOS comes up showing the cpu is set to 1508Mhz (for some reason, the actual number varies from 1500 to 1509).
Those two settings should result in identical settings, the cpu set to 2000Mhz. The automatic setting works but when the BIOS calculates the setting, it comes up with the wrong answer.
The maximum cpu host frequency the BIOS will allow is 340Mhz. When I use that setting, the cpu is set to 2550Mhz, or 10*(200/266)*340.
I've set the cpu to run at 2550Mhz and run OCCT for 12 hours and Orthos for 24 hours. Then I set the cpu to 2660Mhz using setfsb and again ran OCCT for 12 hours and Orthos for 24 hours. No errors came up. Because of that, I think it's extremely unlikely that the cpu or socket is damaged. The long error free OCCT and Orthos runs also should show that the hardware is stable, including the power supplied by the PSU.
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The other problem I've run into is that the system won't come up out of a power up when the dram is set to DDR400.
Test: System boot after turning power on.
1) Set cpu host frequency to "auto". BIOS sets cpu to 2000Mhz. Turn power off, then turn power on and the system boots normally.
2) Set cpu host frequency manually to 200Mhz. Save and exit the BIOS. The BIOS does not come up after the warm boot. It beeps three times, indicating a lower memory fault. The system won't boot up until the reset button is hit and when it comes up, the BIOS says the cpu is set to around 1500Mhz. However, cycling the power will change the cpu frequency to 2000Mhz.
3) Set cpu host frequency manually to 266Mhz, BIOS sets cpu to 10*(200/266)*266 = 2000Mhz. It should be set to 2660Mhz but 2000Mhz is the correct default speed of the E2180, which is the same cpu setting as part 1) of this test. Cycle the power. The BIOS won't come up and beeps 3 times. Again, hit the reset button and the system boots up.
The BIOS automatic cpu parameter set feature works but setting the cpu host frequency manually results in cold boot problems, even when both the automatic and manual settings result in the same CPU frequency, 2000Mhz.
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CpuID reports that the E2180 I have is the M0 rev, same as your 2180. In fact, the data on the package is virtually identical to what you have:
Version # E14253-001 Pack Date 09/13/07.
The hardware I'm running is nothing high powered, Asus fanless 6600 video card, one 250G Seagate HD and Samsung DDR400 ram rated at 3,3,3,8,2T. The E2180 and Asrock replaced a Sempron+DFI Infinity NF4X, everything else remained the same. The Sempron+DFI only used 90W measured at the AC plug. The PSU is an NSpire 350W, so power shouldn't be an issue.
The BIOS settings I'm using are the same as yours, except for the dram settings which are slightly slower.
Farfle solved this problem by implementing the BSEL cpu mod, which effectively made the cpu into a 266Mhz part. I suspect that worked because the cpu was forced to match what the BIOS may be erroneously assuming about the E21xx cpus, that it is a 266Mhz FSB cpu.
However, the fact that you haven't experienced the same problem as NeonGerbil, Farfle and me is extremely interesting.
All my tests seem to show that the BIOS is miscalculating the cpu frequency and probably the memory parameters as well. The F9 set defaults and automatic cpu host frequency work properly, none of the manual cpu host frequency settings work correctly.
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BTW, is it easy for you to examine parts on your motherboard? If so, could you check the part number of the PLL? That part is right below the purple PCIe x4 socket and beside the PCI socket that is above the silver 2032 coin cell battery.
The reason I ask is that a friend has the older VSTA motherboard and that board used an RTM682-800 PLL and he didn't have any problems with his E2160 cpu settings, but Farfle had problems with his E2160+SATA2. The SATA2 motherboard I have uses an ICS953002DFLF PLL, a different part number from the VSTA.
I wonder if Asrock changed the PLL part way through the SATA production run? If so, it's possible the BIOS has to be updated to reflect the new clock generator.