CPU clock speed problems

Brand new MB: ASrock G41M-S3
Brand new RAM: (2) 4gb DDR3-1066
Brand new video card: Gigabyte Nvidia GTX550Ti
Not brand new but totally functional CPU: Intel Q6600 Core2Quad 2.40ghz 1066fsb

The problem is this: when I power up and go straight to BIOS, the CPU brand name and model is listed correctly, but the CPU is listed as 1600mhz. The memory comes up correctly at 1066mhz. This MB has a set of on-board jumpers to control FSB for overclocking. I have tried EVERY possible combination listed on page 15 of the user manual. Sometimes the system will POST but still show the CPU speed at 1600mhz; sometimes (depending on the jumper settings) the RAM speed will drop to 800 or 850, but that's not a big deal, however the CPU is still reported as being 1600mhz; sometimes the system will not POST due to incompatible jumper settings, no big deal there. The REALLY weird thing is that if I clear the CMOS using the on-board CLRCMOS jumper, then power up and go straight to BIOS, the CPU speed is reported CORRECTLY at 2400mhz! But since everything was cleared, I have to set the time and date. Then I choose "Save settings and exit", restart, go right back to BIOS, and the CPU is back at 1600mhz! Even if the only change I make to a cleared CMOS is setting the date/time, the CPU still drops to 1600mhz after a restart. Even if I make NO changes (meaning I don't change anything in a cleared CMOS) and choose "Save and exit", the CPU drops to 1600mhz. The only time the CPU is reported correctly at 2400mhz, is the first restart immediately after clearing the CMOS. All it takes to drop it back to 1600mhz is to select "Save and exit". Just to be clear: I AM NOT trying to overclock anything. I simply want the MB to report the correct CPU speed of 2400mhz instead of 1600mhz, and it want reported correctly EVERY time the PC is powered up!

:banghead

Any suggestions will be appreciated.

Oh - yeah, I already checked in to a possible BIOS update, the MB already has the newest release. :cry

 

I am not sure if this may be your problem but in this thread the person said that using ASRock IES (Intelligent Energy Saver) lowers the CPU voltage. You might also want to try the ASRock OC Tuner. You have to download the one specific to your motherboard.

http://www.asrock.com/feature/OCTuner/download.asp?Model=G41M-S3

 

I haven't installed Windows yet - I was trying to get the CPU to read at default speeds.... isn't this AMAZING in this day and age? You pop in a CPU, clip in some RAM, and the MB doesn't recognize the speed correctly? There's jumpers on the MB to control FSB? What?!??!!!??! Is this 2005? Is this an old ECS socket A motherboard? No, and no. Luckily, this MB is not my personal board, it belongs to a client that bought a bunch of gear "on line" instead of from our shop (which is disgusting to start with; and he picked the cheapest mobo he could find; and as will happen when "budget" shoppers buy online, there are problems; had he spent 10-20% more in our store vs online, he'd have had 2 finished systems by now), then he brought it to us to build in to a system with parts all purchased elsewhere. Believe me, after this fiasco, he will be paying a "slightly" higher labor fee.

Anyhooooo - yeah, I thought of using the OCtune app included on the mb CD. However, just for kicks, I installed a PentiumD 3.40ghz 800fsb CPU with the two 4gb DDR3-1066 memory modules.... wouldn't you know it, the CPU is reported perfectly in BIOS, but now the memory is reported as 800mhz instead of 1066mhz!!!

For anyone reading this: do NOT, ever, for ANY reason, buy the ASRock G41M-S3 motherboard regardless of anything you read online. This board is a joke. The fact that it has FSB speed jumpers is ridiculous and is a flash back to 2003 or 2005. This is 2011 - and I can honestly say that this MB is the first "modern" board that I haven't been able to simply install a CPU and some RAM, and BAM! It all works at the correct speeds.

(the client actually bought TWO of the same board - we though the first was faulty and asked him to bring the 2nd board - it behaves identically - LAME)

 

imo asrock always been crap....

Check for bios updates
Looks like some are related to your memory

 

Well, they have great higher end boards, but anything under $100 or so (esp under $60) is junk. The G41M-S3 I think is about $45 - so, yeah - you get what you pay for. I was shocked to see jumpers for FSB. That's a thing of the past!

I did- "Oh - yeah, I already checked in to a possible BIOS update, the MB already has the newest release" (from my 1st post)

It seems that when the RAM speed matches the CPU FSB, the RAM is reported at the correct speed- ie: the C2Q Q6600 has 1066FSB, the DDR3 4gb sticks are 1066mhz, they read perfect but the CPU is reported as 1600mhz in BIOS; when I swapped to a PentiumD 3.40ghz with 800FSB (I don't remember the model number) the CPU speed was reported perfectly at 3.40ghz, but the 1066 memory was reported as 800mhz.

I have made every adjustment to the on-board jumpers and they made no difference except for the occasional lock - no POST.

I read a thread in a different forum where someone had success with this exact CPU and MB. It's not explained how it was accomplished. I looked at the CPUZ shots in that thread and tried to mimic the settings, but the multiplier is locked at 6; in the CPUZ shot it shows 9. Regardless, I should NOT have to mess with multipliers and clock speeds and OCing and freekin' JUMPERS just to get a "modern" mobo to correctly read the CPU and RAM speeds. It's a freekin' joke and travesty to modern computing.

 

Here's how I "fixed" it.... since the ONLY time the MB would report the correct CPU speed of 2.40ghz was immediately after clearing the CMOS and ONLY if I made NO changes to ANY settings including time and date, I set the date and time, and installed Win7 X64 using the mis-reported speed of 1.60ghz. Once Windows and the drivers were installed, I ran CPU-Z to check the CPU speed... it was indeed at 1.60ghz, and for some reason the multiplier was locked at 6x, it should be 9x. So I powered down, and cleared the CMOS. Upon powering up, I got the regular warning "CMOS time/date error" or whatever, and "Press F2 to enter Setup, F1 to enter Default settings". With a bit of trepidation, I pressed F1 and loaded to the desktop. CPU-Z reported the CPU at 2.40ghz!!! I was stoked!!! Windows also held the correct time/date. So I powered down, unplugged the power cord for 30min, then powered back up. I did this to test if Windows time/date would stay accurate if the time/date in the BIOS was wrong. Well, Windows kept the correct date and time, and the CPU still reads at 2.40ghz like it should.... after about 10 power on/off/unplug cycles, all is still as it should be....

:celebrate


PHEW.... a very frustrating experience with perhaps the worst mobo I have worked with in the past few years, all to end up having to use a funky "work around" which is mainly not entering the BIOS at all for any reason.

 

:drink :wine :cool :drink :wine :dood :drink :wine :drink :wine :drink :eek uke rolleyes :drink uke :-o :zzz :zzz :zzz :zzz

(that's my progressive timeline for the next few hours - symbolized with smilies LOL )

and tomorrow morning.....

uke :banghead :zzz :zzz :zzz

and tomorrow afternoon......

:zzz :zzz :zzz :drink . . . and so on . . .

LOL