Vcore issues with Asus P3B-F and new cpu

[Esper]

I am upgrading the cpu on my mobo and I just bought a 1.2ghz celeron from powerleap.com. It is reported as being compatible with my mobo but whenever I try to boot with the new processor in place, I get a siren-like series of beeping. Asus reports that this means that there is a problem with the Vcore.

This processor is supposed to over-ride the motherboard voltage settings so that it will work but it doesn't seem to be doing its job in that case. I tried booting up once before flashing the BIOS, then when it didn't work I went ahead and flashed it to version 1008 beta. But it still does the same exact thing when I turn the computer on, no video, just the siren beeps.

This tualatin processor requires a voltage between 1.4 and 1.5, and the lowest my motherboard will go is 2.0. I really can't figure out why the cpu is not over-riding this like it is supposed to.

Right now I have my mobo on jumperless mode, will manually attempting to set it up help in this case?

Anyone have any experience with this sort of a problem or have any advice? I'm stumped and powerleap.com has not been any help, they won't answer my emails.:confused:

[Esper]

Ok I changed the jumpers on the cpu from auto to 100 fsb and was able to get my comp started up, but only to the BIOS. The system was completely unstable -- lockups galore. I managed to change an option in the BIOS I hadn't seen before -- the option to ignore the cpu voltage. Then I was able to startup consistently every time, but I couldn't get it to successfully load with either Windows 2000 or 98, regular or safe mode. It would lock up every time.

I am also noticing that I am getting some sort of a BIOS error that the system is ignoring, I see it pop up when my comp starts up but it is continuing on past it. What I am going to do is flash back to the 1007 bios and see if that helps at all. This is the version that it reportedly works with.

Please help, if you can.

[Esper]

I flashed the BIOS back to version 1007. However, this hasn't helped any.

I almost got Windows 98 to start up, but then it froze with a blue screen, saying that my Windows configuration settings were incorrect and that I need to run Windows setup again to correct the problem. I decided that this wouldn't hurt to try so I went ahead and began the setup, only to have it lockup as I was saving the previous system files. I could not get it past this point again, it locked up two times during scan disk.

Windows 2000 won't start up wither, it almost starts up, and then all of a sudden the whole system will restart without warning.

I need help, I think there might be BIOS settings that I don't know about that will fix this problem! HELP!:eek:

[frank5]

What happens when you put your old cpu back in? Also, did you try setting all of your fsb and clock settings to auto if this is possible?

[Esper]

The old cpu works fine. I had to put it back to get back on the internet. Everything goes back to normal.

The BIOS is strange, there is no option to put the cpu on auto or auto fsb, it's only giving me 3 choices: manual, 233, or 450 for cpu speed, and then it will let me choose from a long list for fsb, where i put it on 100. It won't let me change the multiplier either, that stays stuck on 4.0, or 4.5? I can't remember.

Powerleap says to ignore what the BIOS says but I just can't get my system started!

[biglaker]

Esper,
I don't have an answer for you on this but I did see your earlier post and Frank5's response recommending the Powerleap. I also noted that he PM'd you. I am interested in this issue because I also have a P3B-F and a 450 Mhz processor in my son's machine. I note that Powerleap claimed success with the 1.007 bios and that you were going to now try that Bios.
Did Frank 5 or Powerleap provide multiplier settings for the Powerleap? My manual only provides multiplier settings for up to 5.5x @ 100 Mhz or 7x @ 66 Mhz. I also saw that the settings on the Web version of the manual allows up to 8x (on-on-off-off) in the first 4 jumper positions. So... the Powerleap appears to go way past 800 Mhz that I see as a limit identified in the manual.
So, I hope you find a solution to this- if I see one I'll try to help.
Biglaker

[frank5]

But, this new slotket and cpu should bypass your BIOS cpu multiplier and voltage settings . The only settings that your BIOS should still control would be your fsb\pci\agp bus. And as long as you have this set to 100\33 , you should be ok. Does the new card have any jumpers on it?

[Esper]

Like I said, I changed the jumpers on the cpu from auto to 100 fsb and this was how I was able to get my comp started up, but only to the BIOS. The system is completely unstable, though, once the os starts loading.

I've been reading about my mobo and it says that if you have the cpu set on manual in the BIOS, jumperless mode must be disabled. Should I try this? Set the BIOS to manual, then set my motherboard jumpers to some other cpu setting? How about something that might be compatible with 1.2, like maybe a 6.0 multiplier? Even if it doesn't run up to speed, just getting it working would be amazing!

I hate powerleap for not answering my emails! And their website says that it is completely compatible but offers no setup info, which sucks! I know a lot more about computers than the average person, and if I am having this much trouble, people that know even less than me are not going to want this upgrade. Powerleap offers no phone support, only email.

Yes the slotket does bypass the voltage issue too, but unless you change the hardware manager to ignore the voltage in the BIOS, the system locks up even before the BIOS can load up the memory sometimes.

I've tried disabling caching, shadowing, almost anything just to get this thing to work! It seems to be having major compatibility problems when it comes to the os configurations.

[frank5]

Biglaker, all I told him was not to risk flashing his BIOS unless it was recommended by Powerleap since the highest multiplier allowable with the newest version is 10. This chip requires a mult. of 12.

[frank5]

How about trying one stick of RAM? Try disableing jumperless mode.Don't worry about the mult. setting. This might work.

[Esper]

If I disable jumperless mode, then I have to set it to something manually on the mobo. I can't just leave it, so what do you think I should set it to? And about the one stick of ram, well, what if I ever want to put it back in? Then what? I really want to give this a try so let me know what you think is best.

[frank5]

If you disable jumperless mode, make sure u set your fsb manually to 100

[frank5]

The multiplier setting for the cpu shouldn,t matter since the new board will override this and any voltage settings.

[frank5]

Don't do the RAM thing yet. Try one thing at a time. The new board also controls the cpu bus but your agp and pci buses are controlled by your m\b so make sure you manually choose thes correctly.(100\33)

[Esper]

ok that sounds logical. i'll give it a try, i hope you are planning on sticking around for a while so i can get back on and let you know how it goes, see if you have any other ideas. thanks so much for your help!!!

[frank5]

I'm here, but any help from the peanut gallery would be greatly appreciated! :p

[Esper]

ok, I tried the jumper-mode on the mobo. As I thought, without any settings it wouldn't start up. So I changed the jumper settings to 100 fsb and the cpu jumper settings to a 4.0 multiplier. It booted up and the BIOS now changed to say that I was running a Pentium II 1200. whatever! It was stable loading the BIOS once I changed the voltage to IGNORE. When you enable the jumpers, you can't set fsb or multiplier in the BIOS any more, but the cpu was a bit closer so I thought I was on to something. Unfortunately, the same things happened while trying to load up the OS on both systems. I tried removing one stick of ram too but no change in performance. I haven't been able to get Windows successfully load with this thing in here. Hope someone can help. I just got an email from powerleap and they said it will be 3-4 days before someone can help me.:mad:

[frank5]

What if you now switch the cpu bus on the new card to auto? Try every possibility.

[biglaker]

Frank5,
Do you know what the jumper 1-4 settings should be for a multiplier of 12? As I said earlier, in both versions of the manual that I have seen, the settings for that high a multiplier are not provided. Maybe it's just some power of 2 but if you know, could you say? Thanks again. Biglaker

[frank5]

I don't know that Biglaker. I don't think you can get that high.This board was originally meant to take a max cpu of 800MHz which is a mult of 8. I don't think you can get much higher then that manually. Only flashing the newest BIOS will get you to 10 via jumperless mode.

[Esper]

biglaker, what frank5 was trying to say is that this cpu + slocket over-rides any multiplier settings. They're not necessary when using this cpu because of what powerleap rigged up. Yes, if you tried to use a straight 1.2ghz processor in here, it would not work, but this slocket is supposed to get around that by over-riding the mobo settings. That's why I was able to set the mobo to a multiplier of 4 and have the cpu still boot.

Frank5, the only reason I wouldn't try that is because powerleap reccomends that you change this jumper if you are experiencing problems, to what I already changed it to, the manual instead of auto setting. I don't think setting it back to the auto setting will help if powerleap thinks that it may cause problems in the first place. But it may come to that if I can't hink of anything else.

anyone got any other ideas?

[biglaker]

Esper,
This may be a wild shot but I think you said earlier that you went back to bios version 7 when you were trying the jumpered mode. Do you think that version 8 would help?
Biglaker

[frank5]

Geeeees, there was a guy, bragging about a month ago about how happy he was with this new upgrade on the same m\b in the overclocking forum. I can't remember who. :confused:

[frank5]

I found out who. A guy named Wyrethewolf. He belongs to sysopt. Look him up and email him.

[canada]

Here is a response I received from ASUS about a CPU upgrade after I updated my bios to 1008.04. I was hoping for more information but this is all I received.

"Please note that there is PCB version and BIOS
version limitation to support Coppermine CPU. Tualatin CPU is not
supported".

http://www.asus.com.tw/support/cpusupport/cpusupport.aspx


Hope this helps you !! If you find out more let me know !!!

:)

[deadkenny]

I know that the ASUS response doesn't appear very helpful, but from their point of view what they've said is correct. First, this board doesn't support Tualatin chips, only Powerleap is making that claim for their adapter. Secondly, for the P3B-F to properly support all Coppermine processors, not only do you need the correct BIOS revision, but the correct board revision as well (1.03 or later). The earlier version of this mobo couldn't produce the lower voltages required by the Coppermine processors. So, the P3B-F will support all Coppermine processors, with board revision 1.03 or later and BIOS revision 1008.004 (beta). However, it still doesn't support the Tualatin, hence the need for the Powerleap adapter. Having read about the problems encountered, I think you should go back to Powerleap for technical support. After all they're the ones claiming this will work. They should also be specifying what BIOS and board revision will work. If this setup is going to work, the BIOS has to be able to 'recognize' the processor, so it should work in jumperless. Again it should be Powerleap specifying the setting though.

[omega31]

This says you need board revision 1.04 for Coppermine, although Coppermine does work in 1.03 boards.
http://www.asus.com.tw/support/cpusupport/cpusupport.aspx?ModelName=P3B-F

There doesn't seem to be many differences between 1.03 (first released P3B-F) and 1.04. 1.03 came with bios 1003 and 1.04 came with 1004. Someone mentioned an improved chipset heatsink on 1.04, but I don't know if that's really the case. Printed manual seems to be updated with the 1.04 over the 1.03, but that now is really pushing it.

Ok, I found somewhere someone who bought 1.04 revision (new) with bios 1003A. Must be just hearsay.

[Picard]

Double check that the cpu is firmly pressed into the powerleap adaptor, and that the heatsink is seated properly. While you are at it, check the jumper setting on the powerleap, especially the voltage settings.

ignore the motherboard jumper settings, except as instructed in your powerleap manual or by powerleap.

[canada]

I have a Asus p3b-f mb with a celeron 433 mhz processor and I want to upgrade my cpu .. I have already updated my bios to 1008.004 and have 1.03 revision ... Asus knowledge base says I need rev 1.04 to put in a 1100 celeron (coppermine )... Has anyone tried to upgrade with h/w 1.03 revision .. what would happen if I put a 1.7 ghz ?:confused:

[omega31]

The Celeron 1.7ghz is P4 based, so it wouldn't even work on this motherboard. As I noted in my previous post, there really aren't many differences between 1.03 and 1.04, based on the many postings around message boards. As long as you have the latest bios update, the 1100 celeron coppermine should work.