Boot problems with a new AMD Phenom 8650...

[aussiemob]

Hi Guys,
As it states in the title, I'm having problems with a new processor.

I have an ASUS M2N-32SLI Deluxe, an AM2 processor (can't remember the spec), BFG 8800GT OC, 2G DDR2-6400 and running 32 bit Vista. This rig was running fine but I decided to put in a new CPU.

I purchased an AMD Phenom 8650 (AM2+). I just installed the CPU and the fan and tried to power up...well it wouldn't pass the POST and I was unable to get to the BIOS to change any settings.

Is there something I have missed? I was thinking it new CPU may need a higher voltage than the old AM2.

I'm hoping someone can point me in the right direction.

Cheers,

Mark

 

[myocardia]

Welcome to anandtech. You're going to have to reinstall your old processor, then update your board's BIOS to the latest version, before it will support your Phenom. They don't ship with Phenom-compatible BIOS, as far as I know.

 

[aussiemob]

Hi,
Thanks for the welcome and the response.

I followed your advice and have made some progress. I am now getting the 'blue screen of death' after I click on my profile to log on. The icons start appearing on my desktop and then the system crashes.

I can boot in safe mode but I'm not sure what to do when I get there...any advice appreciated.

Cheers,

Mark

 

[myocardia]

It sounds to me as if you need to boot into safe mode, and remove your X2 driver. Safe mode uses Windows drivers for everything, to make sure it doesn't crash. Also, did you remember to raise your Vdimm, after updating your BIOS?

 

[perdomot]

If you were OCing before, be sure to reset bios settings to default values as the Phenom will no doubt have a different oc potential.

 

[aussiemob]

Ok, I'll give that a try. What are my X2 drivers? Also, what voltage should I set on the Vdimm? BTW, I wasn't OCing before so the bios was at standard settings,

Cheers,

Mark

 

[heyheybooboo]

Originally posted by: aussiemob
Ok, I'll give that a try. What are my X2 drivers? Also, what voltage should I set on the Vdimm? BTW, I wasn't OCing before so the bios was at standard settings,

Cheers,

Mark

There is no such thing as an 'X2 driver' in WinV.

WinXP had performance and timing issues with dual core processors from Intel and AMD. There were a series of patches, hot fixes and updates across 8 or so files in XP to address the issues.

The AMD 'Dual-Core Optimizer' in XP was used to improve some gaming performance for those applications that bypassed the Windows API.

Your BIOS will typically set your ram based upon something called SPD info. Sometimes a bit of conflict will arise between the SPD info, the ram and the BIOS. The vDIMM JEDEC standard for DDR2 is 1.8 volts (and 5-5-5-18 timings). Your ram stock settings may be different.

(EPP/SLI ram is a whole different story - EPP ram performance settings are not JEDEC certified AFAIK. Some mobo BIOSs will allow you to disable 'EPP' in ram.)

The first thing you need to do is determine the basic specs for your ram and enter that information in the BIOS. Set the vDIMM to your ram spec (It may say something like 'DDR VCORE' to adjust the voltage.). I'm not sure about your specific board but I believe with ASUS you enter the Memory Configuration tab and set MCT Timing to **manual**. You should then see ....

CAS Latency (tCL)
RAS to CAS Delay (tRCD)
Row Precharge (tRP)
Active to Precharge Delay (tRAS)

Enter the timings for your ram specs.

 

[myocardia]

Originally posted by: heyheybooboo
There is no such thing as an 'X2 driver' in WinV.

Oops, I missed that he was running Vista. Thanks for explaining it to him, though.

 

[heyheybooboo]

Originally posted by: myocardia

Originally posted by: heyheybooboo
There is no such thing as an 'X2 driver' in WinV.

Oops, I missed that he was running Vista. Thanks for explaining it to him, though.

:thumbsup:

You duh man!