"CPU is Unworkable or Has Been Changed"

[awolkoff]

Greetings,

I've been running the setup below for almost a year, o/c'd to 3.0. Its been rock solid.

Today, the machine would not post on power on. After three "resets" it would post but the above error message is displayed. Going into BIOS and turning the clock back to 2.4 allows the machine to boot.

I did replace a smoked power supply a couple weeks ago--could the PS have damaged the CPU when it went? Why then would the machine boot at 2.4? Do chips lose the ability to OC?

My system:
CPU: Intel P4/C 2400MHz (WAS o/c to 3.0)
Themaltake Spark7 HSF
Thermaltake NB HSF

Motherboard: ABIT IC7-G

Memory: 1024 MB of Corsair TwinX PC3200

Video Card: ATI 9800 Pro 256MB to 9800XT mod ATI Radeon
Arctic Cooling VGA Silencer Rev. 3

Hard Drive: WD Raptor 35.0 GB @ 10000 RPMS
Additional Hard Drives: 2 @ Seagate 160gb SATA
Opticals, etc.

 

[Kaido]

I recently got a p3 866mhz box and got that CPU unworkable/changed message. During shipping, the slot CPU had come loose, so I had to plug it back in, and I also reseated the CMOS battery, so all the stored infomation was lost. When I booted it recognized it as a 433mhz CPU, since the settings weren't there anymore. In BIOS, I went into the CPU section (I had to press the up arrow key because the second item was selected first in this BIOS) and set it to 133x6.5, which made it 866mhz. So, all I had to do was set the CPU to the proper setting and the message went away (I'd imagine it gives you that message whenever you put a new CPU in so that you'll go and set the proper settings first).

 

[awolkoff]

The computer boots at the stock CPU speed. The problem is that it no longer will boot (or even POST) at 3.0 o/c.

 

[The Green Bean]

POS PSU

 

[awolkoff]

520W OCZ Powerstream, brand new, which replaced the Antec that failed.
I'm ruling out the ps since the computer ran fine at 3.0 for weeks before this recent problem.
or?

 

[wfbberzerker]

try resetting cmos

 

[awolkoff]

Originally posted by: wfbberzerker
try resetting cmos

good thought, but no go. problem persists

 

[Kaido]

It may just be the chip itself. Extra heat, such as heat generated from overclocking, generates all kinds of nasty problems from stability to reliability. I'd say just leave it at stock, or else go and buy a 3.0ghz cpu. I gave up on overclocking a few years ago...I decided I wanted stability more than a bit of speed. I'd rather not have a cooked chip and not have to worry about running hi-CFM fans and all that. So my advice is, if you want more speed, just invest in the stock speed you want and you'll save yourself potential headaches.

And another bit of advice my dad taught me about playing with machines - have one to run, and one for fun. Have one main system for stuff like homework and finances and all that, a stable one, and then if you really want to screw around with the parts, have another one to do that with, so you're not hosed if your "fun" box bites the dust

 

[Dman877]

First, start the oc process again. Try 2.6, 2.7 etc etc with dif voltages and ram timings. See what it maxes out at now. I'm sort of curious to see...

 

[awolkoff]

Originally posted by: Dman877
First, start the oc process again. Try 2.6, 2.7 etc etc with dif voltages and ram timings. See what it maxes out at now. I'm sort of curious to see...

I'd love to answer this question, but it is not to be...
Now even when underclocked, the machine will post mayby 50% of the time, and those times it does post it hangs before booting into windows.

I got about 24 hours on stock settings before it started to degrade. I'm treating this as proof of Kaido's theory that the chip itself is dust.

Now to scare up a proc somewhere...

 

[ModemMix]

I had the same problem with an athlon 1600+ a while back. Overclocked like a champ and then one day it would only boot at stock. Not much later i had to drop the fsb 33 mhz to even get it to boot.

I have since pulled that chip out of storage and thrown it in my sons pc to see if it might have been somthing else in my old box, however the results are the same.

I belive, as many have said before, that when you overclock a chip its usefull life is shortened considerably.

 

[oldman420]

Originally posted by: Kaido
It may just be the chip itself. Extra heat, such as heat generated from overclocking, generates all kinds of nasty problems from stability to reliability. I'd say just leave it at stock, or else go and buy a 3.0ghz cpu. I gave up on overclocking a few years ago...I decided I wanted stability more than a bit of speed. I'd rather not have a cooked chip and not have to worry about running hi-CFM fans and all that. So my advice is, if you want more speed, just invest in the stock speed you want and you'll save yourself potential headaches.

And another bit of advice my dad taught me about playing with machines - have one to run, and one for fun. Have one main system for stuff like homework and finances and all that, a stable one, and then if you really want to screw around with the parts, have another one to do that with, so you're not hosed if your "fun" box bites the dust

:beer::beer::beer::beer::beer::beer::beer:

 

[ltsmash]

I got the exact same problem but it's rather bizarre. I took out my heatsink because I wanted to replace it but the damn cpu came off with the heatsink. I have a P-4 2.4 and those CPUs aren't supposed to come off with the heatsink. After I got done replacing the heatsink, my computer booted up with that "unworkable" error message. Now I can't overclock back to 3.0 like I did before even though I can overclock a little bit. I'm thinking when the CPU got pulled out of the socket (even though the lever was still depressed) may be screwed it.

Another weird thing is that if I connect one of my hard drives my computer won't boot up right. That got me thinking it's a PS problem but I have an Antec TruPower 430... I do have a bunch of devices and fans but everything was working just fine prior to me switching the heatsink. It's obviously either my CPU or my motherboard but I can't figure out which. Guess I should be happy that at least almost everything works...