Just upgraded to a tri-core

[Thor_Odinson]

Athlon II X2 250 (3.0ghz) to an X3 445 (3.1ghz) specifically.

Anyway, I just wanted to ask if it is normal for the system to be slow (particularly, the SATA HDD and DVD-ROM autodetection) on the first boot up after the cpu installation?

Because, my system (XP SP3) boots up in about 57 secs. I was wondering why the process took twice as long just to get past the post screen when I first powered up in tri-core. It took longer to get beyond the Win loading screen. Anyway, I turned the machine off then disconnected and reconnected the SATA cables on both ends. When I turned it on, the loading time and autodetection was instantaneous once more. Restarted it thrice and powered it down twice at different intervals to check if it was a fluke, but everything operated as if no slowdown had ever happened.

As for the processor, I can already see the gains, especially in movie file conversion

 

[perdomot]

Check to make sure you have the latest BIOS so that the new cpu is supported.

 

[jiffylube1024]

Yep, I would also heavily suspect an old BIOS for longer boot times. Does your CPU identify as an X3 445 at Boot times, or does it have a more generic title like "AMD Processor 3.1 GHz" ? Either way, check to make sure that you have the latest BIOS.

Did you change your HDD settings - either from RAID to AHCI or from AHCI to IDE or vice versa? That can affect boot times. Or the SATA timeout delay setting (it can usually be changed from 5 seconds to ~45 seconds in 5 second increments).

 

[RavenSEAL]

How much did you spend on this tri core "upgrade"?

 

[tweakboy]

Try giving her OC like 3.6 3 cores is better then 2...

 

[nanaki333]

might even be unlockable to a quad.

 

[Thor_Odinson]

Got it for $75

As for the bios, it hasn't been flashed to the latest one, but the mobo (NF520T-C35) is not that old. The processor is both supported and identified. Took a picture of the loading screen: http://img580.imageshack.us/i/clipboard01bn.jpg/

I haven't tweaked the SATA and HDD settings ever since I bought the PC and installed the OS.

From what I've seen, the loading times are quick once more (and stayed that way) after I disconnected and reconnected the SATA cables on both mobo and drive ends.

That anomaly only occured the moment I powered up after replacing the processor, which leads me to wonder if the pc is "getting used to the new part" ... of course, such a phrase, when applied in a technological standpoint, walks a fine line between B.S. and educated guess.

So, the only explanation I could muster is that physically disconnecting and reconnecting the cables must have somehow reset something in the mobo, causing the system to start-up normally once more.

 

[Thor_Odinson]

And, to those asking about the overclock/unlock, is there a way to identify the processor's serial numbers (or whatever that code is on the surface of the chip) using software? I already seated the fan, so I can't really tell if this model has an L3 cache, a 4th core, etc ... or to just state if it's a Propus or a Deneb.

Thanks, btw, for all the input

 

[WhoBeDaPlaya]

Grab CPU-Z and post a screenshot. We can take it from there

 

[f4phantom2500]

And, to those asking about the overclock/unlock, is there a way to identify the processor's serial numbers (or whatever that code is on the surface of the chip) using software? I already seated the fan, so I can't really tell if this model has an L3 cache, a 4th core, etc ... or to just state if it's a Propus or a Deneb.

Thanks, btw, for all the input

all athlon ii x3 and phenom ii x3 chips have a disabled 4th core. it's just a crap shoot as to whether or not the 4th core is stable. all you have to do is unlock it (without overclocking) and see if the computer is stable. if not, then just disable it again and do what you do. i had an athlon ii x3 435 and when i unlocked the 4th core it wouldn't even load windows before crashing. as for the cache, that's hit or miss; it probably does not have disabled cache, as i'm pretty sure they stopped using gimped deneb cores for the athlon ii series once propus became available. of course, i could be wrong; if you use ACC to unlock and you find yourself with L3 cache, then that's just gravy. but don't expect L3 cache; count yourself lucky if the 4th core works.

 

[Thor_Odinson]

Not sure what other tabs do you require a screenshot of, but here's the main one:

http://img59.imageshack.us/i/cpuzscreen.jpg/

 

[Veliko]

It sounds like a loose SATA cable was the issue.