G31M-ES2L refuses to run anything but a 6x multiplier

[xf86config]

Running board with an E5300 ( x13 multiplier ), Bios rev F9,  no matter what i do, change, set etc, system will not come up at anything but a 6x multiplier. Now, this being my first Intel Build in a loooong time ( burnt by cc820, p4 + rimm and swore off em ). Perhaps there is something i am missing. Any idea's folks ?

Spec:
e5300 SLB9U
G31M-ES2:
Gigabyte 9800gt 1G UDV
2GB Giel DDR2-6400 200mhz 4.4.4.13 ( though being run at more relaxed timeings )
600w psu

[oggmonster]

Are you overclocking or just using it at stock? Speedstep will automatically downclock the CPU when not being used. If you download CPU-Z and prime95. Open up CPU-Z then run prime 95 (small fft) you should see the multi listed in CPU-Z jump from 6 to the full 13

[xf86config]

Thanks Oggmonster.

Problem is i am neither overclocking or running at standard clock, achieving standard clock is what i am attempting to do. So far with no success.

How I set the BIOS MIT section



CPUZ taken whilst Prime95 is running two worker threads.



On reboot the system cpu multiplier shows... 6x  

[oggmonster]

Strange what happens if you set the multi at 13x then disable speedstep and all other energy saving devices.. then press F10 to save bios settings and exit?

[xf86config]

Will give that a try Oggmonster and get back to you shortly,

something else i noticed a little strange, though possibly just unrelated. On starting eazytune and before adjusting anything i get this:

[oggmonster]

Have you been using easytune all along or have you just installed it? If you have been using it all along then try uninstalling it and clearing the CMOS

[xf86config]

Oggmonster, until now i had not touched eazytune, however  it looks like my issue was caused by a strange interaction of eazytune overiding my chosen bios settings.

After hitting the  Easytune set button on the above screenshot, the system requested a reboot. After reboot the 13x multiplier now sticks and the cpu is running @2.6ghz.

Looks like this has been a cognative disfuntction on my part not realising that easytune would take precedance over bios settings   thanks for the time spent helping me with this !



XF

[oggmonster]

No problem, glad you got it sorted Maybe you would like to consider trying a bit of overclocking now

[Elemental_Dragon]

You have step down enabled, when your PC isn't under load it'll go into energy saving which reduces your clocks etc, bet if you get CPUZ open and ran Prime95 it would shoot back up

~Bex

[Badbonji]

Most programmes display the real clock speed of a processor. But CPU-z shows real time as the processor changes due to workload.
Speedstep is a power saving feature which, when the processor is idle, will reduce the multiplier to 6 so that less current is drawn. When a load is applied onto the processor it will be raised up to full clock speed until it is next idle.

[oggmonster]

He did that guys

CPUZ taken whilst Prime95 is running two worker threads.

After hitting the  Easytune set button on the above screenshot, the system requested a reboot. After reboot the 13x multiplier now sticks and the cpu is running @2.6ghz.

Looks like this has been a cognative disfuntction on my part not realising that easytune would take precedance over bios settings  thanks for the time spent helping me with this !





XF

 

[Badbonji]

Is speedstep disabled or enabled?
I thought you made him disable it which would waste power in idle or low cpu usage as it would always run full clockspeed instead of clocking down.

[xf86config]

Thanks for the interest BadBonji,
my problems were entierly caused by my not understanding the precedence eazytune has over bios settings, the flow went like this>

Set 13xmultiplier in bios and reboot.
Boots into windows and Easytune silently resets multiplier and bios to 6x
Diagnostics show CPU multiplier @ 6X

I go 

System now retains 13x multiplier and autoclocks if speedstep is enabled.

Oggmonster, overclocking.. heh ... sounds like a plan ...last overclocking I did involved a 333A celeron 

[oggmonster]

You should be able to get some nice clocks out of that cpu What cooling do you have?

[xf86config]

I didnt like the look of the stock intel cooler that came with the chip, instead using another intel cooler i had kicking about ( from a presler 930 )double the fin surface and a big copper slug over the stock job. If heat turns out to be an issue I have a thermaltake heatpipe cooler in my media center cooling an underclocked and undervolted presler 930 i could press into use, the missus informes me that the thing makes too much racket anyway