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CPU mod to enable hi multi's on 2100B ?

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jboy

Member
Joined
Apr 5, 2001
Location
Near Berkely, California
Is there any knowledgeable person out there who knows whether or not it's possible to do a cpu mod that'll enable higher multiplier functionality on an Epox 8K3A MB ? This is a KT333 board, and all other such boards that I know about allow users to access the higher multipliers. The Epox, however, will only post if the cpu speed is on Auto, so you have only fsb control and a 13X multi. You can, apparently do a bridge mod that access the lower multi's, (12.5X on down), so I'm hoping there might be a coresponding mod that accesses the higher ones also..Anybody know, or know of links to someone who might know ?
 
We assume you have a Tbred with 13X default Multiplier.
You would seem to be stuck if you can't get to the user-defined Multiplier option in bios. Only thing we can suggest is to ask around to find if there is some way to get into user-defined. We know this isn't much help now, but if you are able to get into user-defined, but STILL have problems getting over 13X, THEN ring our bell as we have some tricks that have worked in the past...but tricks need the ability to set "fake" Multipliers in bios.
John C.
 
John C., I hoped you'd turn up. Actually, I am able to enter the Manual mode in bios, and set the multiplier anywhere I want, all seems normal to that point. Trouble is when I reboot, it wont post, no monitor or any other kind of activity whatsoever. Others with this same board describe the very same problem Our computers will onbly boot when cpu selection is set to Auto. Any ideas on what might work ? What about somebodys idea to blow some bridges and going for a fixed multiplier, (though this sounds like it might create more probs than it solves-if the multi's dont work I'd be back in defogger unlock hell) ?
 
If you wanted a multi of 14 my understanding is that you would break the 2nd L3 bridge - though maybe in time the epox (like the Asus I understand) will update the bios to give you the option to change.
 
I'm using the latest bios, cant remember the name, but it is the latest release. Hope it is a bios issue, but even if it is, there's no guarantee epox will correct it, so I'd like to find an alternate way to accomplish this, just in case. Does anyone know if the asus a7v333 was also unable to do this before a bios update ? It'd be encouraging if this were true. In reading the posts on this forum I noticed a few other boards, all KT333's, with the same problem, (Epox 8RDA, Abit KX7-333). Might be interest to start a lising of the the KT333 boards that do allow multiplier manipulation..people seem to be asking this same question, in one form or another, over and over again.
 
Jboy I guess the only way of knowing is to try and flash back to an early bios on the Asus and trying the Tbred in there - most users on this forum seem to be proactive in updating their bios to at least 1012 or later so probably wont know. I would say that it is almost definitely a bios issue (which bizarrely is occurring on the NF2 Asus!)
 
jboy said:
John C., I hoped you'd turn up. Actually, I am able to enter the Manual mode in bios, and set the multiplier anywhere I want, all seems normal to that point. Trouble is when I reboot, it wont post, no monitor or any other kind of activity whatsoever. Others with this same board describe the very same problem Our computers will onbly boot when cpu selection is set to Auto.

Try setting 5.5X and 6X in Manual mode and see what you get. We're hoping 5.5X gets 13.5X and 6X gets 14X...hoping that your mobo will NOT turn off the default HI 5th 8X Bit Value signal circuit...so then you get 8X more than you set. It's not going to work according to your post, but give it a try anyway esp if you haven't tried that low before.

And if you should get 5.5X and/or 6X, let us know cause then we have a suggestion for how to get the lost 8X back.

But if it should work, don't try 6.5X and 7.5X as 14.5X and 15.5X are "Reserved" and someone found that AMD has Remapped Reserved settings on their Tbred to 19X thru 24X. Notice we say their Tbred, as there is no documentation by AMD on this.
John C.
 
Oh karap ! I got so excited when I saw your suggestion that I didn't read it all the way thru,rushed out of the room to the computer in question, set the multi at 6.5x-(thinking this would be the safest setting, since 2X6.5=13, the default multi), and really screwed things up good. No post at all, I've cleared the cmos twice and nothing. The computer starts, but no vid display . Dont know what I did, but I hope I can get out of it. Any suggestions ? I'm real surprised that clearing the cmos didn't work, this has me worried. Unless I can think of something else, I guess I might have to reinstall my XP1600 pally and hope that'll get it going. You dont think I damaged something in the chip, do you ? Am I an idiot, or what ?
Looks like we're going to have a little learning experience before this is over..
 
OK. Got it going again after pulling the cmos battery and power cord, and letting it sit for 15minutes, after reading of someone else's experience with similiar problems on an 8K5A2, (love these forums). Tried the 6x multiplier, (no 5.5, only 6X to 15X), exact same result, so this isn't going to work. I want to run higher multis so I dont have to upgrade my 2100 ram, (Crucial), even though it seems OK at 175mhz. Dont know if it's the ram that's keeping me from going higher, or the cpu. Anybody know if there's a simple way for determining whether your ram or cpu is at fault, if an OC fails ?
 
jboy said:
OK. Got it going again after pulling the cmos battery and power cord, and letting it sit for 15minutes, after reading of someone else's experience with similiar problems on an 8K5A2, (love these forums). Tried the 6x multiplier, (no 5.5, only 6X to 15X), exact same result, so this isn't going to work. I want to run higher multis so I dont have to upgrade my 2100 ram, (Crucial), even though it seems OK at 175mhz. Dont know if it's the ram that's keeping me from going higher, or the cpu. Anybody know if there's a simple way for determining whether your ram or cpu is at fault, if an OC fails ?

Suggest you try 6X again with System Clock at 100MHz just to definitely prove you can't get 14X that way....6X setting and open 5th L3.

As for checking ram with your system...we'd do the "wire trick", setting the 5th bit LO, that usually enables the 5X thru 12.5X Multipliers in bios. Then set something around 9X, 10X, something that won't use up Cpu's headroom with 200MHz, and crank up the System Clock till you get errors, which you could then be reasonably sure are fault of memory...right??
John C.
 
jboy said:
I'm using the latest bios, cant remember the name, but it is the latest release. Hope it is a bios issue, but even if it is, there's no guarantee epox will correct it, so I'd like to find an alternate way to accomplish this, just in case. Does anyone know if the asus a7v333 was also unable to do this before a bios update ? It'd be encouraging if this were true. In reading the posts on this forum I noticed a few other boards, all KT333's, with the same problem, (Epox 8RDA, Abit KX7-333). Might be interest to start a lising of the the KT333 boards that do allow multiplier manipulation..people seem to be asking this same question, in one form or another, over and over again.
Not going to help your situation but may provide a glimmer of hope but the Asus NF2 which up till now was "locked" for the XP2100 and upwards Tbreds (except XP2600 333) is now unlocked thanks to the latest bios that was released in the past week.
 
John C., resetting jumper to 100 mhz didn't work. Thanks for the ram testing suggestion. OC, thanks for the encouragement, hope epox gets off its butt and writes a bios update.
 
FYI - I saw this thread and thought I would try it on my computer.

I tried setting the multiplier to 5.5x on my KX7-333 motherboard, hoping to get the 13.5x multiplier. I lowered the FSB way down, so that my CPU MHz would not be the limiting factor. It would not boot at all, not even into the BIOS. I had to clear the CMOS to get it rebooted.

It looks like the only alternative, unless a new BIOS is released, is to hard-code a higher multiplier.
 
What do you mean "hard code to a higher multiplier" ? cpu mod-defogger paint, etc. ? And if this is what you mean, do you know if it's possible with the B's ?
 
Be really careful about advising people to blow the bridges with a battery. Some ill-informed souls have already ruined their CPUs by either using a far-too-strong electrical source or just plain bad luck.....

Last guy I heard used a rechargeable drill battery to cook his CPU quite nicely!
 
I'm not entirely clear on what blowing the 5th L3 bridge does. Does it add 8x to whatever multiplier is set in the BIOS, i.e. if you set 5x in your BIOS you actually get 13x?
 
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