is it possible that AMD has "locked" their new chips?

[govtcheez75]

I have a week 51 Winchester 3200+, but I've read about others with the newer week chips having the same problem, no matter what processor they have (3000,3200,3500, etc...).

I am "stuck" at 2.4ghz (no matter how many volts, or ram timings/settings etc...). I can run 300x8, 266x9, 240x10...whatever combination, as long as I don't exceed 2400mhz, perfectly fine, but as long as I go over that "threshold", it craps out in prime95 after a few seconds. It's really strange. I can go up 1 or two FSB over, and it'll crap out, but at 2400, it'll prime all night.

It will boot well into the 2.6+ ghz, but I do get some random windows errors. 2.5ghz seems stable, but prime95 spits out a fatal error after about 10 seconds.

...this is puzzling. I really thought that my setup would reach at least 2.6ghz.
....I have pretty much top of the line stuff (PSU/RAM/MOBO/HSF/etc...)

 

[Duvie]

I hope not....could be many other factors....too early to tell...

I have seen a week 50 do 2.7ghz at stock...haven't heard of anything at the other boards..I guess time will tell but I cant see areason why they would do this

 

[Koyanisquatsi]

i have the same problem. not sure what week mine is. how can i tell? i also was expecting 2.6 but am stuck at 2.4. i can boot into windows up to 2.55 and play halflife2, doom3 no problems, but get errors in prime with anything over 2.4. it's not my memory, psu, mb it's definitely the cpu. guess i just didn't get lucky. oh well, system is still fast as all hell. just expected more than a 10% oc

 

[Duvie]

There were early reports of earluier then week 40 cpus failing priem 95 at stock but that is th elast I have heard of it...prime is not the end all but it is hard to say stability when any app can dont finish without errors....

 

[frogger9]

Are you using a divider to eliminate your RAM as a problem (and low HT multiplier)?

If so, you may have just gotten unlucky. Some CPU's just don't go as high as other unfortunately

 

[govtcheez75]

Originally posted by: frogger9
Are you using a divider to eliminate your RAM as a problem (and low HT multiplier)?

If so, you may have just gotten unlucky. Some CPU's just don't go as high as other unfortunately

possibly. This sucks, cause I heard good things about week 44-50 chips. I did try dividers, but it didn't help. Not that I needed to, as I am using the G.Skill memory that does 270mhz at 2.5-3-3-7 timings easily.

 

[brazzmunk]

how to find tou which week is the 64 from?

 

[ryderOCZ]

Govtcheese - post some of the bios settings lets look through it.

What mobo?

Post the CPU config page and the RAM page.

 

[CheesePoofs]

in the jumble of letters and numbers on the IHS of the processor, there is an 04xx. the xx's are what week it is. Exmple: if it says 0433 its from the 33 week of 2004. If it says 0450 its from the 50 week of 2004.

 

[Koyanisquatsi]

yikes i dont wanna have to rip my heatsink off to tell what week it is

 

[ryderOCZ]

Google for Central Brain Identifier, I believe it tells you.

 

[Zebo]

...

 

[Koyanisquatsi]

ok downloaded and it gives me this info. what does that convert to?

ADA3500DEP4AW

 

[govtcheez75]

Originally posted by: ryderOCZ
Govtcheese - post some of the bios settings lets look through it.

What mobo?

Post the CPU config page and the RAM page.

I'm doing some stress testing at 2400mhz as we speak, but I will take some pics of the bios pages tomorrow. I remember what the settings are though, so I will go ahead and post them.

The MoBo is an Epox 9NDA3+.

The CPU is set at:

Normal, 240FSB, 10X Multi, +.20V CPU, 2.7V Dimm,

The RAM is set at:
200 (1:1), 1T, 2.5-3-3-7 (tried other settings such as 2.5-3-3-10, 2.5-4-4-8, 2.5-4-4-10, etc...)


mine is a week 51, it says 0451xxxxx

 

[Ackbar]

I have a 3200+ 0451 and mine doesn't clock that well (can do 2200 on 1.425V but really nothing else). I've tried all the way up to 1.6V and nothing is really stable. The thing that bothers me is that I can boot into 2500 but absolutely nothing is stable, then as I go down and check to see what is stable, I find that only 2200 is stable! I've been rather upset with my chip lately, but I don't think there's a lock. I think towards the end of the year quality at any work place tends to go down... I'm sure AMD is no exception.

 

[govtcheez75]

Originally posted by: Ackbar
I have a 3200+ 0451 and mine doesn't clock that well (can do 2200 on 1.425V but really nothing else). I've tried all the way up to 1.6V and nothing is really stable. The thing that bothers me is that I can boot into 2500 but absolutely nothing is stable, then as I go down and check to see what is stable, I find that only 2200 is stable! I've been rather upset with my chip lately, but I don't think there's a lock. I think towards the end of the year quality at any work place tends to go down... I'm sure AMD is no exception.

wow. That's terrible. I guess my 2400mhz stable would be a "good" OC'er compared to yours then. I don't know if it's really that the people at AMD are slacking, because I think most of the silicone wafers that are used in the processors are mostly machine manufactured.

 

[Zebo]

Originally posted by: Koyanisquatsi
ok downloaded and it gives me this info. what does that convert to?

ADA3500DEP4AW

Look for anouce date:clock:

 

[Ackbar]

Originally posted by: Zebo

Originally posted by: Koyanisquatsi
ok downloaded and it gives me this info. what does that convert to?

ADA3500DEP4AW

Look for anouce date:clock:

Converting my annouce date doesn't seem to equate to the same week I got just by looking at the CPU. Hmm... ideas?

 

[SunSamurai]

If they were going to do anything, they would lock it at stock. They _do_ want to sell 3500s etc.

 

[ironique]

I had a similar problem, only my winchie was crashing a couple of minutes after booting into windows. I got a modded bios for my mobo and that did the trick. I'm now stable at 2.6ghz. You might want to try a new bios. Dont know what week my processor is but I got it on the January 20th. Maybe a week 50 or 51?

Plus, try relaxing your mem timings to CL3. My rig had problems at 260Mhz - 2.5-3-3-10, so I set it to 3-3-3-10. What's strange is, I didnt get any errors in Memtest86 at CL2.5. I believe your GSkill dimms are based on the same samsung TCCD chips. Some chips dont do as well as others.

 

[Rich85]

Basically the manufacturing process for all winchesters is that they all came off of the exact same production line, and they are not classified (3000+, 3200+ 3500+ etc) until they are run through some tests to see how well they perform and depending how they perform depends on what multi they are locked at thus whether it is a 3000+, 3500+ etc.. In other words there isn't a production line producing 3000+ procs, another producing 3200+ procs, and a third producing 3500+ procs. Their capabilites are not known until after they are made. They were simply 90nm Winchester cores when they came off of the production line and then they are tested and the appropriate heatspreader is attached with the appropriate classification that we see when we look at our CPUs before we install them on our motherboards. And of course at some point during the classification process their multiplier maximum was locked. the 90nm Winnies are all the same untill they have been tested and then branded. so the case could be that your proc could have just reached a stable clock of 3200+, 3500+ etc, and then branded, so the waffers used that (i.e. week 50) week could have not have been as good quality as other previous weeks, so it is actually just bad luck, what week etc you end up getting....

 

[shira]

Perhaps AMD is beginning to tweak their production process in preparation for the Venice core. And it may be that although the tweak is "bad" in terms of OC'ing Winchester, it may be beneficial for Venice.

Just a wild guess.

Question: Is anyone out there getting good overclocks on Winnies from week 50 or later? If so, that would prove no explicit lock.

 

[WA261]

Do not run at 1T and try a divider.

 

[Zebo]

system is still fast as all hell. just expected more than a 10% oc

Then buy the 3000 instead of 3500 next time

Guys it's something else. either your out of spec on memory, LDT ratios are off, mobo can't handle high FSB, reched chips end something...

 

[Zebo]

Originally posted by: Ackbar

Originally posted by: Zebo

Originally posted by: Koyanisquatsi
ok downloaded and it gives me this info. what does that convert to?

ADA3500DEP4AW

Look for anouce date:clock:

Converting my annouce date doesn't seem to equate to the same week I got just by looking at the CPU. Hmm... ideas?

I was told that worked but it don't on verification...scratch that..