New system will only boot with failsafe settings.

[Strife]

I just upgraded my system with a new motherboard, processor and memory and something is wrong. Everything was fine until I changed the BIOS settings from fail safe to optimal and my sytem would not boot. I have built six computers for myself, freinds and family and up until now all of them ran stable at optimal settings.

Here are my specs

Soyo KT400 Dragon Ultra (Black Ed), latest bios.
512 MP Corsair XMS PC3500
AMD Athlon XP 2400
TAISOL Processor fan CGK760172 with Artic Silver III
Enlight 340 Watt Power Supply
Geforce 4 Ti 4400
DVD, CDRW, 4 Hard drives (120 GB, 120 GB, 100 GB 45 GB).
Windows XP

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I recently built a similiar system for my mother and it runs perfectly stable at optimal bios settings.

Soyo KT400 Drangon Ultra (Platinum Ed)
512 MB Corsair XMS PC3200 CL2
AMD Athlon XP 2100
Enermax 350 Watt Power Supply
TAISOL Processor fan CGK760172 with Artic Silver III
Geforec 4 Ti4200
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I disconnected everything but one hard drive and video card and did some experiments.

KT266 + Fast Performance Setting = stable
KT333 + Normal Performance Setting = stable
KT333 + Fast Performance Settings = will not boot
KT333 + Fast Performance + Overvolt memory = will not boot

The Soyo Hardware Monitor reports my CPU at 40 degrees, +12V at 12.16, +5V at 5.02 and 3.3v at 5.02. MBM5 and SiSofts Sandra reports 3.3v at 2.98v, +12 at 9.67v and -12 at -9.32 and -5 at -3.25. I wasn't sure which program to believe so I manually tested the +5 and +12 on one of the molex connectors and got +5 and +12.4 v.

Anyway I am at my witts end. After spending nearly a thousand dollars upgrading my system I an not willing to setlle for "fail safe" BIOS settings.

So what do you think is keeping my system from being stable at optimal settings?

Should I trust the Soyo Hardward monitors readings or should I believe the Sandra/MBM5 readings? Can the motherboards +12v be 10v, while the molex connectors is +12v?

Any help/suggestions would be appreciated.

 

[amdskip]

Why be upset if the computer only boots on normal. Computers are not meant to be overclocked really but we nerds do it anyways. What setting change when you go higher than normal. Could a bad stick of memory be holding you back?

 

[Strife]

First of all I spent a lot of money upgrading my system. Way to much for it to have the memory performance of at KT266 MB. I have done the benchmarks and my KT400 with 333mhz DDR is performing like a KT266 under the fail safe settings. If I wanted kT266 performance I would have saved $50 and purchased a KT266 board.

My mothers new system with a XP 2100 processor is faster than my XP 2400 in some benchmarks because hers is running at "optimal" and mine is runnig at "fail safe".

The fact is that every system I ever built has always been able to run at the fastest BIOS settings.

Setting the bios to "fast" performance is not overclocking, and if a system has to be set to "normal" then there is definately a problem.

Anyway computers tend to grow increasingly unstable with age. If my system won't operate under optimal setting when new, who knows if it will continue work under fail safe settings a year from now when it is out of warantee.

If you bought a new car and discovered that the engine was not working quite right and it could not reach speeds in excess of 70 mph, would you keep it anyway because you never need to drive that fast or would you demand that they fix it?

 

[Strife]

I replaced the Enlight 340 Watt with an Antec 550 Watt. I still can't use the "Fast" setting when the memory is at 333 or 400. I am trying to talk my friend into pulling his Corsair XMS PC3200 and letting me try it in my system. Failing that I will be visiting my mother on Thanksgiving and can try my memory in her system and hers in mine.

I am worried that the problem is with the Soyo MB + Corsair PC3500. If neitheir is actually defective then I am in trouble as I can only return the RAM for more of the same.