Having trouble with 4th core on amd. Help?

[PowderdToastMan]

Ok,

 

so i have had my pc overclocked at 3.9ghz for about a month and a half now. I have a AMD phenom II 965 black edition on a asus m4a89gtb-pro. i've never had any problems at that speed. Yesterday i woke the computer up to find a screen that stated that the overclocking failed and i rebooted the machine with no problems. since i re-booted and from now on, it does not recognize a fourth core on the computer. On my bios screen it even only says "3 cores are activated". I am at a loss on how to get it back to detecting the fourth core? I ran my overdrive utility and it wont detect it there either.

 

Does anyone know what i need to do to get it back to normal?

[N3C14R]

Reset cmos and reconfigure bios? Increase vcore? Decrease overclock? Make sure all cores are enabled in bios? Possible cpu damage/degradation from high vcore?

 

That's all I could think of. :(

[PowderdToastMan]

yea, its not giving me the option to activate the fourth core in bios. Its acting as if it does not exist

[DarkWarrior45]

Reset your CMOS and turn your overclock off. If it still does not detect the fourth core then your CPU and/or motherboard is permanently damaged. Looking that chip up, I've found that it's a 140 watt cpu, which is pretty dang hot (also the reason why I don't like AMD cpus right now, they run too blasted hot for not enough performance). If your cooling was not top notch, then it is very likely that the fourth core on the chip burnt itself out.

[PowderdToastMan]

Reset your CMOS and turn your overclock off. If it still does not detect the fourth core then your CPU and/or motherboard is permanently damaged. Looking that chip up, I've found that it's a 140 watt cpu, which is pretty dang hot (also the reason why I don't like AMD cpus right now, they run too blasted hot for not enough performance). If your cooling was not top notch, then it is very likely that the fourth core on the chip burnt itself out.

 

Thanks, i'll have to look up how to reset CMOS unless you happen to be willing to coach me. i am a novice when it comes to bios. I have a four fan box plus a fan for my power supply and gpu, plus aftermarket cooler for processor. Baby stays cold. I shut the door to my room and it raises the room temp three degrees just cuz how much heat gets pumped out of the box.

[Dan3345]

I think you can reset it simply by unplugging the computer while it is off and removing the button cell battery from the mobo for 30 seconds. If that doesn't do it, or if it is indeed the wrong method then go into the bios and reset all things to default. If no option is exists because everything is default then it sounds like you fried your CPU. This is why I don't overclock. Too much risk, too many things to worry about, too many things can go very wrong very easily. Not to sound rude but let this be a lesson. You should never Overclock unless you absolutely know what you are doing and you know what every thing you change will do and how the computer will degrade over time. Because that is what you are doing. If a Stock CPU at 3.2ghz will last for say 10 years, the OC CPU at 4.5ghz at the correct settings will last two years. It burns the chip to hell and back, and generally is not good. I would rather spend more for a factory stable clock that is powerful then overclock something to get more power; which lets be honest, unless you are doing huge amounts of graphic design, is 4.5ghz necessary? Or even 3.9? Did you even notice a change in performance in your games? Most games only take advantage of two cores anyway..

[PowderdToastMan]

Thanks. I dont think its anything permanent, i just need to follow ya'lls instructions and reset it. when testing it three months ago i was able to get it to 4.4 before it would start acting screwy. it default set around 3.6 and it actually ran more stable at 3.9. weird right?

 

I appriciate the feedback as i said i am a novice at bios.

[N3C14R]

I think you can reset it simply by unplugging the computer while it is off and removing the button cell battery from the mobo for 30 seconds. If that doesn't do it, or if it is indeed the wrong method then go into the bios and reset all things to default. If no option is exists because everything is default then it sounds like you fried your CPU. This is why I don't overclock. Too much risk, too many things to worry about, too many things can go very wrong very easily. Not to sound rude but let this be a lesson. You should never Overclock unless you absolutely know what you are doing and you know what every thing you change will do and how the computer will degrade over time. Because that is what you are doing. If a Stock CPU at 3.2ghz will last for say 10 years, the OC CPU at 4.5ghz at the correct settings will last two years. It burns the chip to hell and back, and generally is not good. I would rather spend more for a factory stable clock that is powerful then overclock something to get more power; which lets be honest, unless you are doing huge amounts of graphic design, is 4.5ghz necessary? Or even 3.9? Did you even notice a change in performance in your games? Most games only take advantage of two cores anyway..

OC'ing is like a hobby. Just like vehicle tuning, what's the point of dumping 600+ bhp into a car while you're limited to about 100km/h on the highway? Because you can. :thumbsup:

 

Plus it's kinda fun trying to out do other oc'er with the most points on 3D Mark.

Edited September 1, 2011 by N3C14R

[Dan3345]

I know, I'm just saying that "noobs" (for lack of a better word) to overclocking shouldn't be doing it without supervision.. Sort of like how I wouldn't let some amateur mechanic replace the engine of my car. They don't have the experience or the knowledge to diagnose a problem, or avoid one.

[DarkWarrior45]

I think you can reset it simply by unplugging the computer while it is off and removing the button cell battery from the mobo for 30 seconds. If that doesn't do it, or if it is indeed the wrong method then go into the bios and reset all things to default. If no option is exists because everything is default then it sounds like you fried your CPU. This is why I don't overclock. Too much risk, too many things to worry about, too many things can go very wrong very easily. Not to sound rude but let this be a lesson. You should never Overclock unless you absolutely know what you are doing and you know what every thing you change will do and how the computer will degrade over time. Because that is what you are doing. If a Stock CPU at 3.2ghz will last for say 10 years, the OC CPU at 4.5ghz at the correct settings will last two years. It burns the chip to hell and back, and generally is not good. I would rather spend more for a factory stable clock that is powerful then overclock something to get more power; which lets be honest, unless you are doing huge amounts of graphic design, is 4.5ghz necessary? Or even 3.9? Did you even notice a change in performance in your games? Most games only take advantage of two cores anyway..

 

Removing the CMOS battery is exactly how you reset the CMOS. Some motherboards, such as HP business class workstations and some older Dell XPS systems, have a yellow button on the motherboard that does the exact same thing.