BIOS and OS do not correctly identify processor clock speed. 1

[stabor23]

The system in question:
Dell Precision 620
2x 866Mhz Intel PIII Xeon Processors
OS: Fedora Core 4

When I boot my system and enter BOIS it identifies the both processors as:
266Mhz Intell PIII 133Mhz FSB 256K Cache

Here is the information i found on the processors from intel by checking the sSpec Number printed on the processors:

--------------------------
Results

sSpec Number
SL4HA

Processor Frequency
866.00 MHz

CPUID String
0686

Package Type
S.E.C.C.

Core Voltage
2.8V

Bus Speed
133 MHz

Thermal Guideline
26.8W

Core Stepping
C0

Thermal Spec
55°C

L2 Cache Size
256 KB

Manufacturing Technology
0.18 micron

L2 Cache Speed
866 MHz

Bus/Core Ratio
6.5
--------------------------

To make things more odd fedora has another (also incorect take on what my processors can do):

--------------------------
cat /proc/cpuinfo
processor : 0
vendor_id : GenuineIntel
cpu family : 6
model : 8
model name : Pentium III (Coppermine)
stepping : 6
cpu MHz : 532.021
cache size : 256 KB
fdiv_bug : no
hlt_bug : no
f00f_bug : no
coma_bug : no
fpu : yes
fpu_exception : yes
cpuid level : 2
wp : yes
flags : fpu vme de pse tsc msr pae mce cx8 apic mtrr pge mca cmov pat pse36 mmx fxsr sse
bogomips : 1052.67

processor : 1
vendor_id : GenuineIntel
cpu family : 6
model : 8
model name : Pentium III (Coppermine)
stepping : 6
cpu MHz : 532.021
cache size : 256 KB
fdiv_bug : no
hlt_bug : no
f00f_bug : no
coma_bug : no
fpu : yes
fpu_exception : yes
cpuid level : 2
wp : yes
flags : fpu vme de pse tsc msr pae mce cx8 apic mtrr pge mca cmov pat pse36 mmx fxsr sse
bogomips : 1060.86
--------------------------

The thing that bothers me the most, and had me looking into it, is how much slower this system is than another system I have running FC4. They both have the same basic setup. The one with the problem is the Precision 620 the other (that I am working on now) is a Dimension XPS T700r. Now, the reason I do not think that this is merely an aesthetic problem is that the Dimension runs so much faster despite the fact that the Precision has 2 faster better processors, 2x the RAM, a much better graphics card, faster HDD, and is actually running less services. As a final note about the speed disparity, I run Seti@Home through BOINC and it benchmarks the PCs you install it on, it also benches the Precision much lower than other systems I have that run regular(not Xeon) and slower (in the 700Mhz range) PIIIs.

Please let me know if you have any idea how to fix this problem, know a better place to post and find a solution, or need any addtional information.


Thank you for your time,
ST

 

[Amos43]

Hmm although it looks like your system is a little too new for that, but still -

Are there any pins/jumpers for clock-multiplyer on your motherboard (like the type that determine your CPU speed as a multiple of your FSB speed)?

In BIOS, are there any similar settings that govern CPU speed?

I know on older mobos, you could find these and manipulate CPU speed this way.

 

[stabor23]

Thank you for your reply. That crossed my mind as well, but I can not find any applicable jumpers. You can check here for info about my motherboard: [URL unfurl="true"]http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/ws620/en/ug/boards.htm[/url]
Perhaps I missed something.

As far as the BOIS is concerned, it is very limited and I can not find anything that I can change that will affect the processor.

Thanks again for your time,
ST

 

[cdogg]

What BIOS version are you running?

The latest revision is A11 for the Precision 620.

~cdogg
"Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." - Albert Einstein
[tab][navy]For general rules and guidelines to get better answers, click here:[/navy] faq219-2884

 

[BadBigBen]

@stabor23 - you basically answered your own question there, with that link...

see this excerpt from the SuprFreq Utility Program Section:

When the SuprFreq Utility Program is Required

Run the SuperFreq utility program if your system's processor(s) core frequency is set incorrectly (see Determine System Processing Speed). Incorrect settings can occur when you do one of the following:

    * Upgrade your Dell system processor(s).

    * Replace the system board.

    * Lose the system CMOS nonvolatile random-access memory (NVRAM) settings because of a bad coin-cell system battery.

Ben

"If it works don't fix it! If it doesn't use a sledgehammer..."

 

[stabor23]

Thank you Ben. I guess it never crossed my mind to look at the SuprFreq Utility. That sounds like it will do the trick. I will try it shortly.

Thank you to everyone that has helped.
ST

 

[stabor23]

Yes that did the trick everything is humming along as it should.

Thanks to everyone for their time,
ST

 

[BadBigBen]

You are Welcome... Glad to have helped...

Ben

"If it works don't fix it! If it doesn't use a sledgehammer..."