P35-S3G not accepting ANY custom CPU frequency/FSB timings, any ideas?

[Rhoniel]

Hi All,
I have Gigabyte P35-S3G motherboard with E2160 CPU for 3 years and I was able to over clock E2160 from 2GHz to 2.66GHz and higher without any problems. Now I have upgraded to Q9400 and tried to play with FSB and DDR2 settings so that I can eventually overclock Q9400 to some extent. It turned out that with new CPU I cannot use ANY custom settings for FSB or PCIe frequencies.

For example: system boots fine with all settings in auto mode but when I change PCIe Frequency from auto to 100MHz manually, then system double boots, beeps and previous bios settings are reloaded automatically. Same way when I change FSB frequency from auto to 333MHz (8 x 333 MHz, which is default for Q9400) manually, then system again double boots, beeps and previous bios settings are reloaded automatically. In both cases when I go to BIOS after the reboot, FSB and PCIe settings are reverted to 'auto'. I cannot make the motherboard to take even underclock of 8 x 266MHz, it still double beeps and reverts back to auto FSB timing. So basically and motherboard only boots with auto settings and ANY custom setting (even the default or underclock setting) make system to reboot to auto settings.

I have played with various settings, like incrementally increasing voltages for DDR2, FSB over-voltage, MCH over-voltage and vcore to max. I have pushed CPU voltage as high as 1.4 with FSB of 333Mhz but still system reverts to 'auto' as mentioned above. I have disabled CPU C1E, CPU TM2, CPU EIST and HPET support in BIOS before playing with custom speed and voltage settings. I have used the latest F5 and F6c version of BIOS before attempting custom settings. I have also removes battery from the motherboard to clear CMOS and loaded optimized default values many time throughout the testing process. I have also used relaxed memory timings and over-voltages.

Now I have no idea what I am doing wrong. My question is, has anyone ever successfully overclock a quad core CPU with this motherboard?

Any suggestions or ideas to resolve this situation would be welcome.
Thank you.


Test System:
PSU: OCZ ZX-850 (850 watts - 80 plus Gold)
RAM: OCZ PC2-6400 platinum2 (2 x 1GB) - part# OCZ2P800R21G
Hard Drive: disconnected
CPU: Intel Q9400 (8 x 333 = 2.66 MHz clockspeed / FSB 1333 MHz)
CPU Cooler: Thermalright XP-90 with Arctic Cooling 90mm fan.
Motherboard: Gigabyte P35-S3G with F5 and F6c BIOs versions.
Video Card: 8800GT 512MB

[profJim]

Which bios version are you using?
GIGABYTE TECHNOLOGY Socket 775 - Intel P35 - GA-P35-S3G (rev. 1.0) shows that bios F5 is required for the Q9400.

If F5 is already installed, turn off your system, unplug the power supply cable from the wall outlet and put a jumper block on the CLR_CMOS motherboard pins for several minutes. In some cases you might have to CLR_CMOS for much longer, sometimes for 8 or more hours.

You can download a newer bios version from GIGABYTE - Motherboard - Socket 775 - GA-P35-S3G (rev. 1.0)
Follow the procedures in BIOS Flashing - A "How To ~ Qflash Guide" to properly update your bios.

**edit**
Which bios version have you tested with? F5? F6c? Both?

[Rhoniel]

Hi, Thanks for your reply.
i have tested the system both with F5 as well as with F6c version of the BIOS. I have found F6c posted on a message board after searching for the solution for last few days. I did not notice any change in the mobo behavior with BIOS update to F6c and has now reverted back to F5.

I have also attempted to clear CMOS by removing battery for 10 minutes though. After reinstalling battery, I have confirmed that all the bios settings & system clock has reverted to default.

Rhoniel

Edit: I have noticed your PSU, nice. I also wanted that Seasonic 650 80+ Gold but ended up with OCZ. Hopefully this will be as good as Seasonic.

I have used the latest F5 and F6c version of BIOS before attempting custom settings. I have also removes battery from the motherboard to clear CMOS and loaded optimized default values many time throughout the testing process. I have also used relaxed memory timings and over-voltages.

[profJim]

Can you test with different memory, even if it's only one stick?
There might be a problem with your Q9400 or with the cpu socket pins.
You might need to test with the stock Intel cpu cooler.
I doubt that your higher end OCZ psu is the problem but it might be worth testing with another psu.
Disconnect and reconnect all cables and wires in your system and make sure that all hardware is fully seated.
Try an overnight cmos clear with the mobo battery removed and the psu power plug removed from the wall outlet.
As a last resort, remove the motherboard from the computer case and set the motherboard on a cardboard box beside the computer case.
Test with a minimal hardware setup where your goal is to get a stable overclock where you stress test with a bootable floppy, cd, or usb drive with all unneeded hardware disconnected.

A quick forum search with Q9400 in the title shows that most threads are with a P45 or P43 motherboard.
I've seen several P35-S3G systems with high overclocks with Core2 Duo processors, but none with quad core processors.

One time my P35-DS3L mobo "lost" it's overclocked settings and booted with stock settings.
I loaded and applied several of my saved bios profiles and and nothing worked.
I couldn't successfully boot with even minimal bios tweaks.
A quick cmos clear magically cleared up the problem and everything has been fine ever since.

I've had no problems with three different Seasonic made power supplies; EA500 (original version), TP-750 New, and X-650.
OCZ power supplies seem to be a mixed bag. Some are quite good but many are mediocre at best.
The psu reviews at the best review sites show that their higher end gold rated power supplies are very good to excellent.

[Rhoniel]

A quick forum search with Q9400 in the title shows that most threads are with a P45 or P43 motherboard.
I've seen several P35-S3G systems with high overclocks with Core2 Duo processors, but none with quad core processors.

I think this is the main point that no one has reported a successful overclock on P35-S3G mobo with a quad core CPU or any CPU with FSB of 1333MHz. I have searched and read many forums before posting my original question and I came across many unsuccessful attempts to overclock a quad core CPU with this mobo. As you have mentioned, many folks have successfully overclocked dual core CPUs (I ran an overclocked E2160 for 3 years), and I think this is possible because many of these CPUs have FSB lower than 1333MHz. Even though this motherboard has options for custom timings but still this motherboard was marketed as a 'budget' offering and thats probably why the BIOS is restricted to prevent any overclock beyond 1333MHz FSB.

Since my last post, I have removed the motherboard battery for 24 hrs and main power disconnected and pressing on/off switch few times to discharge any electrons. I also got another RAM (OCZ SLI ready PC2-6400) and tried to boot with only one stick. It did not make any difference in the outcome, and system did not even POST.

Lets try asking the question differently; Has anyone successfully overclocked a quad-core CPU or a CPU with 1333MHz with this P35-S3G motherboard?

Thanks for reading.

[profJim]

I think this is the main point that no one has reported a successful overclock on P35-S3G mobo with a quad core CPU or any CPU with FSB of 1333MHz.

Cpu FSB = 1333MHz is NOT an issue.
E8400 Safe Voltage Help with an E8400 C2D and a P35-S3G at 3.95GHz was not a problem.
Using a quad core cpu might be a problem.