Can't change FSB, GA-965p-DS3

[Scrooge2]

Before I had a e6320 with GA-965p-DS3 running at 400 FSB. FSB changes worked fine! I even got up to around 430 FSB. However when I got my new e8400 and flashed my bios with the latest bios update, I found tht my system would restart at bios booting when I changed the FSB! Stock for the e8400 is 333x9. I can't change the FSB to over 333, under 333 or EVEN MANUALLY SET THE FSB TO 333! I have to leave the FSB on the "default" setting (which is 333). The system would boot and during bios posting the system would reset and go back to default settings at the memory check/posting. I am 100% sure my memmory (crucial ballstix ddr2 800) can do at least 1000 and I am running it significantly lower than that. I seem to be able to underclock the CPU by changing the multiplier fine. The CPU runs 100% stable at stock 3ghz (333x9) though.

Anybody ever run into this problem?

System specs:
Intel e8400
GA-965P-DS3 Rev 3.3
Crucial Ballstix 2g DDR2 800
Windows XP
PNY 8800GT 512

This I have tried:
1. reset CMOS
2. update to newest bios.

 

[Markfw]

That motherboard doesn't support that chip, from what I saw in another post.

Revison 1.0 has no support, revision 3.3 has un-official support.

Look here.

 

[Scrooge2]

That's what I thought. However, a quick google and it seems other people seemed to have no issues ocing their e8400's. =/

 

[darthjoe]

I have the same board (Rev 2.0) and was looking at the e8400. It looks like my version only supports the chip via overclocking.

The other thing I've noticed is that the board will only unofficially support C0 stepping. It looks like if you got one with E0 stepping, you're completely out of luck.

Has anyone heard if this board will support any of the newer chips (e7200, e7300) via bios updates in the future?

 

[Manzan]

I had the same thing happen with my GA-965P-DS3P rev. 3.3 with e6300. I found that the problem was having external USB drives attached. When I removed those it would run overclocked no problem. I moved them to a USB PCI card and it continued to work. I suspect that is the problem you are having. I stumbled on this thread looking for a hint if a new BIOS rev might be coming to allow an E0 stepping E8400 to run. I foolishly bought one and even the BIOS screen won't come up.

 

[Fox5]

I had an e6300 and overclocked it to around 2.6ghz stable.
I got an e5200 since I figured it would overclock better being a 45nm chip that starts at 2.5ghz.

I was barely able to overclock it at all on my p965-s3 rev 1.0 (basically same motherboard as yours). I can't overclock it at all with memory option 2 enabled (which does something to memory timings and is basically required to get vista working correctly on those boards with all 4 ram slots filled) and memory option 1 only gets me limited overclocks.

The board has so many problems. The i965 chipset in general is a POS, but it's what was affordable when the c2d's came out.
I just picked up a 630i board for my old e6300 and with worse cooling (I gave the e6300 the e5200's tiny cooler, about half the size of the e6300's stock cooler) the 630i board is overclocking the e6300 better than my p965-s3 ever did. I'm sure the higher end Intel boards are fine, but I never had an nvidia board disappoint me back in the athlon days, and it looks like they're still high quality. I'm strongly considering picked up an nvidia mobo for my comp, and I don't think I'll ever purchase an intel mobo again if I have a reasonable alternative. (which at the time of the c2d launch, there wasn't, same as with the i7's)

And heck, I know ATI's new chipsets are the favored chipsets for the AMD platform, but I've been more impressed with nvidia's offerings there too (though ACC may be an overclocking trump card for the ati side). I've noticed nvidia boards tend to command a price premium, but it seems like its worth it.