1200 MHz only at 900

I pulled an AMD Athlon 1200 @ 266MHz out of the box, slapped in on a new motherboard, let the bios detect everything. Belarc says i am getting 900MHz.

I have been reading for the last two days on AMD's. Here are the number off the processor.

A1200AMS3C
AXIA0118MPMW
Y6307250396

So it should be running at 1200 MHz, FSB 266, and run about 95 deg.

I have downloaded GCPUID and here is what it says

Processor #1

Processor Information:
CPU Vendor: AuthenticAMD
Processor: AMD Athlon(TM) (Thunderbird)
CPU Type: Original OEM processor
Name String: AMD Athlon(tm) Processor
CPU Speed: 900.04MHz

CPUID Information:
Standard: Family: 6 Model: 4 Stepping: 2
Extened: Family: 7 Model: 4 Stepping: 2
Process: 0.18µm
Revision: A4-A7

Basic Cache Information:
L1 Instruction Cache size: 64KBytes
L1 Data Cache size: 64KBytes
L2 Cache size: 256KBytes

Instruction Set:
MMX: Supported
3DNow!: Supported
3DNow!+: Supported
MMX+: Supported
SSE: Not Supported
SSE2: Not Supported
Thermal Monitoring: Not Supported


I checked my L1,2,3,4,5,6,7 And it looks like they have all been cut. So does this mean that i need to bride all of them or only certain ones?

CompFX

You FSB is set to 100... go into the BIOS and change it to 133 and you will be at 1200.

Don't worry, its a common mistake as most board default to 100.

You aren't the first to have this and you won't be the last

I under stand that this processor o/c's well. What do you think i could change to oc it?

It really depends on the motherboard and memory that you're running the chip on, but basically you have a x12.5 multiplier maximum, there's no special setting you have to choose, you have to play with the multiplier and FSB settings. if you got a KT333 or better mobo and PC2700 RAM, I'd start with dropping multi to x7.5 and upping the FSB to 166, and then bump the FSB up as it goes till you hit the limit. I guess the limit of this chip would be somewhere around 1.5-1.6 GHz @ 1.85v, so depending on your cooling, RAM, motherboard you should go for something like that

To help you better we need to knowwhat mobo you have, what RAM, what PSU. that's the minimum we have to know to really make a helpfull suggestion

Sorry Should have said that to start with.

MoBo: Spacewalker Mainboard AK31
PSU: PowMax 350W
RAM: (2) PNY 128 DDR PC2100 Non ECC

I cannot find any thing on line that contains the mobo specs but i have the manual right here.

Chipset:
Features VIA KT266, VT8366/VT8233
VT8366, Integrated high preformance DDR DRAM controller.

Jumperless CPU Config

That is what the book says.

I can have AMD Athlon 600 ~ 1.33+ GHz and Duron 600 ~ 850+ MHz. And i can hold up to 4 gig of PC1600 or PC 2100.

I have an Awqard BIOS V6.0 PG on 2MB Flash EEPROM and supports Green PC, Desktop Management Interface (DMI)



If you need any more info let me know. I am a computer tech (learning programmer) , but rather new to OCing.

I would be happy at 1 or more GHz.

CompFX

Well I'm not too familiar with your RAM, but I guess it should do around 140 FSB. basically you have to find the sweet spot between the highest FSB you can reach and the highest CPU speed possible...

just play with the settings abit and see what happens.
Just watch the temp, and don't let it go over 50-55C on full load.
Also get Prime95 and run it in torture test for 24 hours to confirm a stable O/C

I dont understand this. I set my FSB to 133 and leave all my other settings alone. I save and restart. It POSTs fine, i get the Win2k Splash screen, and before the little box that says "Starting System" comes up i get a BSOD and it automatically reboots. If I set the FSB to 166, (the max it will let me go without bridging the CPU) It will POST maybe once in about 20 restarts. I have to keep clearing the cmos. Right now it is set to 120 and it seems to be working ok. But The CPU is a 1200MHZ and i am only at 1080. The board says it can take a Socket462 package CPU with 200/266 MHz FSB, the CPU is suppose to be a 266MHz, but nothing even works at 166 which is what the BIOS says is the max.

I tried the 100 FSB with a ratio of 7.5 and it was only 750MHz or something close. I jacked it up to 9.0 and it was running around 900 again, so i increaded it to something like 14.0 and it wouldnt POST.

Before i go messing with many more settings i guess i should understand them first.

What is the CPU Vcore Select? My Choices are "Default, -0.025V ~-0.100V, or +0.025V ~ +0.275V. I dont understand what Vcore is.

Also i have an Auto Detect DIMM/PCI CLK I can either enable or disable it. What should i do?

Also what is spread spectrum? Enable or disable it?


Is there a difference in "CPU Clock" and "FSB" maybe that is my prob. I keep changing the CPU clock.

In a different part of the BIOS i have settings under DRAM Clock/Drive Control.

Current FSB Freq: (Unchangeable)
Current DRAM Freq: (Unchangeable)
DRAM Clock: (Host CLK), or (By SPD)

I was reading something about locking the PCI to max of 38MHz. Would one of these do that:

CPU & PCI Bus Control:
PCI1Master 0 WS Write: (Enabled) or (Disabled)
PCI2Master 0 WS Write: (Enabled) or (Disabled)
PCI1 Post Write: (Enabled) or (Disabled)
PCI2 Post Write: (Enabled) or (Disabled)
PCI Delay Transaction: (Enabled) or (Disabled)

I know, quit a bit of ?'s for one post, but i was trying for a few hours last night and could not get it.

Thanks

First of all, as I said you ARE limited to x12.5 multiplier, even tho you have options for more, you can't work with them.
What are your temps? Try relaxing the memory timings, setting them the the "Highest" you can (the higher the number the more relaxed are the settings).

It does seem weird that it reboots at 1200. Try 100x12, see if it boots, if it does, it's either your memory is bad, or its timings are just too tight for the RAM

Auto Detect DIMM/PCI set to disabled
then these options should be enabled

Current FSB Freq: (Unchangeable)
Current DRAM Freq: (Unchangeable)

set them both to 133, or set the DRAM to run at the speed of the FSB.
FSB = Front Side Bus, its the speed at which the mobo communicates with the CPU and the other hardware installed. Your mobo lets you run at a certain FSB, but run the memory at higher/lower speeds, as you have just PC2100 (rated at 133MHz or 266DDR) you should run both FSB and RAM at 133 (as its your chips default, and is faster than running it at 100, and loosing performance)

I don't really understand this: DRAM Clock: (Host CLK), or (By SPD), as I don't have any expirience with your board, but as I see it you should set it to be By SPD, as it selects the default timings for the RAM by reading the chip on the RAM...

VCore is CPU Core Voltage, it supplies the power to the CPU. Every chip model has different default voltages, like for example your chip has 1.75volts default. Now when overclockers overclock, and the CPU can no longer be stable at the higher speed, we increase the voltage to gain stability, this is usually only done when its needed and the cooling can handle it.
You should leave it at default as you're trying to get your PC working at default settings for now.

Also you can't lock your PCI to 38Mhz. The speed at which all PCI devices operate is 33MHz, now usually people consider 38Mhz being the MAX at which usually there are no hardware problems, also the PCI speeds also affects HDs and some of them may corrupt the data, and 38Mhz is usually safe for HDs, I personally never had any data corruption from high FSB speeds, but it really depends on your drive and your luck.

the PCI speeds are affected by the FSB, there is a divider, so say you're running at 133Mhz, to get 33MHz PCI speed the divider would have to be set to 1/4. You cannot select the divider, its done automatically. so if you run higher FSB, your PCI speeds increase as well so if you'll run at 140Mhz FSB you'll get PCI speeds of 35MHz.

Hope this makes it more clear now

*EDIT:* Sorry for the bad english , its 1:20am here so I'm a bit tired...

I jacked the mult up to 13 and MHz to 100 and it ran at 1300MHz, but the temp shot up to 120 F (about 50 C) So i backed it down to default for mult and left it at 100 mhz. I think i should get a better cooling setup than the stock AMD fan.

FX, run your FSB at 133Mhz, and crank up your multiplier untill the comp is unstable. By running the FSB at 133Mhz, your FSB and pc2100 RAM will run in sync, and you increase the overall performace of your system. If your system wont post at 133FSB with a decent multiplier, try upping your Vcore to see if your system will become stable.

Running stock settings at 50C is ok, run your CPU at 133x9.
I had my chip reach 64C full load at stock speeds (my 1200 athlon) and stayed rock stable. When running at stock settings the temp is less important, but I don't suggest going over 60C tho.
Untill u get better cooling and start OCing, I suggest you at least set it to its default speed
133x9 = ~1200

I cant set it at 133Mhz because Win2k gives me a "BSOD" before i can even log in. The system posts fine and everything seems to go great, but the OS crashes and resets the comp.

What i do not understand is that the processor and the motherboard are a perfect match for each other. Both meet the specks that they both require from each other.

Check to see if you're running your FSB and memory in sync, or at same speeds, coz if u'r running the RAM at FSB + 33 or something like that it could well be the problem

When the FSB is set to 100MHz, on POST it says that the DRAM is 200 MHz. But if i set the FSB to something like 133MHz, on POST DRAM is 266. There are options to change the MHz on the ram, but i am not there yet. I can also change the voltage of the ram as well. The ram is PNY 128Meg PC2100. I will try to sync the ram and cpu.

they seem to be already synced. one thing only I can think of is that either the RAM is bad or you should set to the most relaxed (meaning highest numbers) setting you can and maybe up its voltage a bit. Also are you 100% sure its a PC2100 stick and not a PC1600?

absolutely sure. It says on the packages and on the stickers. I will run a prog on the ram to see if it has any errors, but both are brand new. I will do some reading on relaxing and overclocking the ram so i know what i am doing a bit better.

I feel like i am missing something. I have tried a bunch of different settings and nothing seems to work out. So here are all the settings and options from the BIOS if someone could take the time to set them for me.

DRAM Clock / Drive Control

Current FSB Frequency: 200MHz (Grayed out)
Current DRAM Frequency: 266MHz (Grayed out)
DRAM Clock: (By SPD) or (Host CLK)
DRAM Timing: (By SPD) or (Manual)
SDRAM Cycle Length: (2) or (2.5)
Bank Interleave: (Disabled) or (2 Bank) or (4 Bank)
DRAM Command Rate (1T Command) or (2T Command)


Frequency / Voltage Control

CPU Voltage: 1.744V (Grayed Out)
CPU Voltage Default: 1.750V (Grayed Out)
CPU Vcore Select: (+.025 ~ +2.75) (-.025 ~ -.100)
CPU Ratio Select: (6.5 ~ 14.0)
DDR Voltage Control: (Auto) or (Manual)
DDR Voltage Select: (Default) or (2.55v) or (2.60V) or (2.70V)
Auto Detect DIMM/PCI CLK: (Enabled) or (Disabled)
Spread Spectrum: (Enabled) or (Disabled)
CPU Clock: (Min: 100MHz) ~ (Max: 166MHz )


These are all the settings that are under the DRAM and CPU sections in the BIOS. The ones that are grayed out are not changeable, the are just the BIOS giving me information.

If someone could go through and let me know which ones to change and to what, I would be most apreciative. Right now i still have everything on default running at 900MHz.

Thank you
CompFX

just spend 45 bucks and get a new proc, or 125 for a new proc/mobo....

"DRAM Clock: (By SPD) or (Host CLK)"
If you set this to (Host CLK) it means the memory is running at whatever you have set the FSB to.
Try setting the Multiplier to 9 and the FSB to 133 and see what happens, it should run well at those settings. I see you keep wanting to run with a high multiplier.
"Also i have an Auto Detect DIMM/PCI CLK I can either enable or disable it. What should i do?" I'd say disable. This way you can set it to what you like and it not be grayed out.
I'm not familiar with your board either but those settings are similar to what is on my motherboard. Hope this helps a little.