base clock only 96.6 MHz

I was given a dead PC: if you pressed the on button, the fans just flicked
half a turn then stopped. The mainboard does not have a standby power LED.
I changed the power supply - same thing. So then I removed CMOS battery.
It only showed 0.2 volts. I hope it is not one of those faults that drains
the battery in a few weeks.
So then I run memtest to see if it is sick.
It reports base clock 96 MHz. Also the RAM speed is 1288 MHz, which is
96.66% of nominal speed. And the CPU is 3093 MHz, which is almost right
for an i5-2400.
But then that =32x96.65 MHz
Seems strange to me that BIOS has set base clock too slow, then notched
up multiplier to set CPU frequency.
It is a GA-H67MA-D2H with old school BIOS, not UEFI.

wrote:

I was given a dead PC: if you pressed the on button, the
fans just flicked half a turn then stopped. The mainboard
does not have a standby power LED. I changed the power
supply - same thing. So then I removed CMOS battery. It
only showed 0.2 volts. I hope it is not one of those faults
that drains the battery in a few weeks.

More likely one of those faults that causes a dead PC.

In other words... You found the culprit.

wrote:
I was given a dead PC: if you pressed the on button, the fans just flicked
half a turn then stopped. The mainboard does not have a standby power LED.
I changed the power supply - same thing. So then I removed CMOS battery.
It only showed 0.2 volts. I hope it is not one of those faults that drains
the battery in a few weeks.
So then I run memtest to see if it is sick.
It reports base clock 96 MHz. Also the RAM speed is 1288 MHz, which is
96.66% of nominal speed. And the CPU is 3093 MHz, which is almost right
for an i5-2400.
But then that =32x96.65 MHz
Seems strange to me that BIOS has set base clock too slow, then notched
up multiplier to set CPU frequency.
It is a GA-H67MA-D2H with old school BIOS, not UEFI.

The processor would have base and turbo (two different multipliers).

https://ark.intel.com/products/52207...up-to-3_40-GHz

I think I'd retest in Windows running CPUZ and check
out the numbers there.

You'd have to pull the source code for memtest86+ and
see how they're doing the clock value display, to get
some idea how this could happen. Whether BCLK is off,
or the RTC timebase crystal is wonky.

Paul

On Sat, 30 Sep 2017 04:07:52 -0700 (PDT), wrote:


It reports base clock 96 MHz. Also the RAM speed is 1288 MHz, which is
96.66% of nominal speed. And the CPU is 3093 MHz, which is almost right
for an i5-2400.
But then that =32x96.65 MHz
Seems strange to me that BIOS has set base clock too slow, then notched
up multiplier to set CPU frequency.
It is a GA-H67MA-D2H with old school BIOS, not UEFI.

RAM has its own reporting routine for providing the BIOS information
used to determine the clock rate. Probably a balance between
detection. To stick in RAM modules could provide further analysis of
any favoring if at all going on with the base. You can always
override and go with a high base clock;- generally preferred by those
with the individual per cents in mind as an optimal to a stable
benchmark.

I can't believe a GA-H67MA-D2H would be manufactured faulty. A board
of that caliber I'd suspect at only 5 to 10% usage of a residual
lifespan remaining. Check with a magnifier that CMOS issue isn't one
of prior user's inconclusive testing for a faulty battery holder with
an icepick. Look for possible gouged-out chunks and bits of epoxy
nearby a field surrounding the battery.

On Sat, 30 Sep 2017 13:50:47 -0400, Flasherly
wrote:

Look for possible gouged-out chunks and bits of epoxy
nearby a field surrounding the battery.

Or buy a bulk package of 10 from Fleabay, and solder a ribbon of them
together in parallel with wire from a nickel-dime earphone cable.
Insert either end ribbon battery, but not both, into compartment;
Should be good at least for the next millennium.

On Sat, 30 Sep 2017 04:07:52 -0700 (PDT), wrote:

I was given a dead PC: if you pressed the on button, the fans just flicked
half a turn then stopped. The mainboard does not have a standby power LED.
I changed the power supply - same thing. So then I removed CMOS battery.
It only showed 0.2 volts. I hope it is not one of those faults that drains
the battery in a few weeks.
So then I run memtest to see if it is sick.
It reports base clock 96 MHz. Also the RAM speed is 1288 MHz, which is
96.66% of nominal speed. And the CPU is 3093 MHz, which is almost right
for an i5-2400.
But then that =32x96.65 MHz
Seems strange to me that BIOS has set base clock too slow, then notched
up multiplier to set CPU frequency.
It is a GA-H67MA-D2H with old school BIOS, not UEFI.

You've lost the CMOS data, did you put sane values back in? Some
machines default to the lowest possible performance aftera CMOS wipe.