How come my 3800+ X2 machine is only running at 994 MHz?

[mh1314]

Hi. I just bought a HP a1250n desktop and so far, I am not very pleased with it, for two reasons:

1) The case rattles a lot without me having to place something on top of it. The rattling generates a loud noise, even louder than the psu fan.

2) When I check My Computers, I found out that the machine is only running at 994 MHz! Is this normal or do I have to turn it up on BIOS?

Thank you for your help! I have to return it asap as I only have 2 more days to return it.

 

[walk2k]

Hmm, if I had to guess I'd say your HSF got jarred loose in shipment and isn't seated properly, or maybe there's a loose wire jammed in the fan and slowing it down... so the CPU is throttling.

Open it up and check it.

 

[openwheelformula1]

it's called "Cool and Quiet" technology. It dynamically changes multipliers so X2 3800+ changes between 1000mhz, 1800mhz and 2000mhz. It's one of the great features that AMD has. There is little to none performance penalty and you can disable it if you wish.

As far as rattles, it most likely comes from the vibration of harddrive. You can open it up and try to adjust it and void the warranty, or you can just live w/ it. I find that Dell usually has better quality control than HP and Compaq, but Dell forces you to buy Intel, so I guess there is a tradeoff.

 

[Beef Taco]

Or the low CPU speed could be from Cool and Quiet.

openwheelformula1 beat me to it

 

[mh1314]

Thanks for the quick reply guys.

"There is little to none performance penalty..."

Is that true? I am questioning because it takes 4 seconds to load up firefox and almost 30 seconds to boot up to Windows.

Just wondering is this is supposed to be the case.

 

[imhungry]

Try disabling cool 'n quiet in the bios and see if you notice a difference.

 

[mh1314]

Hi. Can anyone who has the X2 3800+ please take a screenshot of My Computers -> Properties?

I just want to see what MHz it shows. Is it two cores, with each core running at 994MHz? Is that why windows is showing 994MHz? Thank you.

 

[F1shF4t]

Originally posted by: mh1314
Hi. Can anyone who has the X2 3800+ please take a screenshot of My Computers -> Properties?

I just want to see what MHz it shows. Is it two cores, with each core running at 994MHz? Is that why windows is showing 994MHz? Thank you.

Well considering i dont use CnQ would be kinda hard to do

Actually i noticed that when using CnQ my cpu sorta respondes slowly to opening programs, thats with my single core, also my psu used to make sounds when ever the cpu throtled to lower speeds.

Check if the speed rises, run an intensive program and then open My Computers -> Properties, it should be at the right speed. Or get CPU Z and do the same thing, the clock speed should jump to 2ghz.

 

[mh1314]

Below is a screenshot of CPU-Z. Just wondering if this is normal?

Link

Thanks!

 

[sangyup81]

that's normal with cool n quiet

just turn if off then if you're looking for more performance rather than energy savings

 

[kyparrish]

Perfectly normal. Enjoy the chip!

 

[mh1314]

Thanks for the feedback! I will definitely enjoy the chip

Since this is a new machine with warranty, I think I am going to wait 3 years before I OC the chip.

Till then, I would read up on it from here! Thanks!