Need some help...

[djg5125]

So, today I got my new eVGA 8800gt in the mail and I was extremely excited to hook it up. The first thing I did, was ran 3dmark 06 and to my dismay, I received a very very low score (5500). Initially I thought either the card wasn't getting enough voltage or the drivers were messed up, so I tried fixing both those issues and yet again, I received a very low score on two consecutive tests.

Now the real problem. One thing someone pointed out to me was that my CPU score on 3dmark 06 was extremely low (899) and it was half of what I should be seeing with my processor. Sure enough, when I checked the clock speed of my processor, it was 1 ghz slower than what its supposed to do. Now, I'm not exactly sure how this happened, but it underclocked itself to say the least, because I've never tried overclocking my CPU let alone touched the BIOS since I first built my computer. Now, basically I'm trying to fix this issue, but the problem seems to be the clock multiplier, which is supposed set at 6x (based on CPU-Z and AiSuite). I've now tried to change it back to 8x in both the BIOS and AiSuite and have been unsuccessful, so my processor continues to be 1ghz slower than it should be. I was hoping that someone on here would be able to help me with my problem because I really wanna get this issue solved so I can enjoy my new graphics card.

Here's my computer stats:
Mobo: ASUS P5B Deluxe
CPU: Intel e6400 2.16ghz (running at 1.6ghz)
RAM: 2gb Corsair XMS2
PSU: 500W Enermax Liberty
GPU: eVGA 8800GT

Thanks in advance!

 

[djg5125]

Does anyone think they could help? I really need to fix this problem.

 

[perzy]

Update your mb bios.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

Just off top of my head, here:

If "SpeedStep" is "enabled," then disable it. And simplify your Windows "Power Options" to "Always On."

Then try 3DMark06 again . . . .

You'd think, though, that 3DMark06 "loading" would kick up the processor speed (via the multiplier) if SpeedStep is enabled.

Unless you either need to flash a new BIOS (as another person already suggested), or that, somehow, your BIOS settings fixed the processor to an under-clock speed, I can't think of anything else at the moment.

 

[Denithor]

What you have is EIST and C1E doing exactly what they are supposed to do: clock down your cpu to conserve energy, reduce heat generation, and generally prolong the lifespan of your processor.

This is done by reducing the voltage and operating multiplier of the chip (in this case from 8xfsb to 6xfsb) so your net change at stock speed is:

8x266 = 2.13GHz
6x266 = 1.60GHz

Now, EIST/C1E are supposed to only run when you aren't doing anything cpu intensive. What I would recommend is to download and run Prime95 to push your cpu into a heavy load. While it's running, open your Windows Task Manager (ctrl-alt-del) and select the Performance tab to monitor the load on your cpu. You will probably only see the load on one of your two cores but it should be hitting close to 100%.

With your cpu loaded like that, go into your System Properties and your e6400 should show 2.13GHz. If it does, everything is working fine. If your cpu doesn't come out of speedstep settings during Prime95, you have a problem with your motherboard. Try updating your BIOS to the latest version (find the newest version along with instructions for updating on the ASUS website) and check it again.

If everything is working correctly (cpu comes up to speed properly when loaded) you could always try overclocking the cpu to gain some additional power. I have an e6400 that runs 3GHz (8x375) on stock voltage with stock cooling 24/7 with complete stability. You could probably get similar results with a little tinkering in your BIOS (follow the sticky C2D/C2Q OC guide at the top of this forum if you are unsure how to proceed).

 

[djg5125]

I've upgraded my BIOS and tried the stress testing and it seems like my CPU multiplier is stuck at x6. I tried turning both the EIST and C1E off to see if I could get it to raise by that, but I didn't have any luck. I think my next step is to possibly call ASUS and talk to a technician there to see if they can help me. I think something may end up being wrong with my motherboard.

 

[hockey1122]

is there any reason you guys recommend upgrading your motherboard from an oem's?? Example, i have a dell vostro 400 and would like to know if upgrading the motherboard is essential..im not overclocking or anything

 

[BlueAcolyte]

No, you don't need to as long as it can hold the parts you want in it.

 

[BlueAcolyte]

No, you don't need to as long as it can hold the parts you want in it.

 

[GuitarDaddy]

Sounds like your bios got messed somehow. I would unplug it from the wall and reset the CMOS with the onboard jumper and see if that helps

 

[djg5125]

I've tried that already...twice.

 

[VirtualLarry]

Check your PCI-E link width. Some people have a problem with it defaulting to a x1 width. The CPU clocking slower is due to Speedstep. That likely shouldn't be the problem.

 

[djg5125]

I figured out what was wrong with it, and you guys don't even want to know...I've got the CPU multiplier running back to normal, and I even overclocked my CPU from 2.13ghz to 2.3ghz. I wanted to try to get to 2.6, but it seems like anytime I try anything over 2.4ghz, it doesn't boot up or is unstable. Oh well, I'm happy with this for now. Was able to improve my 3dmark score to 9281. Thanks for all the great help guys!