Gigabyte GA-7ZXR mobo and Max CPU Speed

[Splitz300]

Hey all. I'm new to this forum.

I've got a second computer in the house with a Gigabyte GA-7ZXR Motherboard and an AMD 700 Mhz CPU. The book states this board can goto 1GHz. However, the Gigabyte website said with the new F6 BIOS that it can goto 1.5Ghz. Well, I tried putting in a 1.2Ghz and it wouldn't even POST. There isn't a frequency multiple (just a DSW) dip switches. How am I supposed to tell the computer to go 1.2?? Anybody else have any problems like this on a Gigabyte Board?

Splitz

[cyclone2]

What is the settings for the 1.2? 12x100?
The dip switchs are for FSB settings only, there are no multiplier settings on it unless you have the GA-7ZXR-2
Do you have it set for 100mhz in Dips?
100mhz = on/off/off/off The mobo should read the multiplier off the CPU

Hope you get it running as one day I will upgrade my 800 Duron to 1.4 or so

[Splitz300]

Yea, I had it set to 100FSB. I thought I did it right but what I don't understand is why didn't it even POST??? I know that a 750 works but it seems that the 1.2 didn't work. hmmmm... I don't have the 1.2 to test it. I've put the 1.2 back in my A7V from asus and it booted fine in jumper mode by manually setting the dip swithes for freq mulit and FSB. Does anything in the BIOS have to be set BEFORE I put in the 1.2 again?

[NDD]

It should recognize 1.2 GHz without any problems, but if it doesn't, like in your case, try clearing CMOS before installing new processor.

Best Regards ...

[Dudster]

I think that the jumper method of clearing the CMOS is to remove the jumper for a few seconds (or is that a few minutes) and that should be it.

[Splitz300]

Ok, the manual for this motherboard sucks. How do you correctly clear the CMOS? i'm used to just taking metal object and shorting two solder joints together. this one has a jumper....how do I do it?

[JayMan]

I have a GA-ZXR (rev.1) right here with a 1Ghz tbird in it. Works fine, have you updated your BIOS to the F6 revision? or still using the stock bios. Using the DIP switch to change FSB i have had this up to 1.12Ghz stable, but was getting alittle warmer than i would like (but still well within the limits of the chip).

Also another thing to consider is, does the 1.2Ghz u tried in it use the 133Mhz (266ddr) or 100Mhz (200ddr) fsb? I'm pretty sure even the rev2.2 of these boards can't handle any cpu's with 133Mhz FSB.

Also is the 1.2 multiplier locked or unlocked? Cuz the rev1 of these boards don't have anything to change multiplier, and if your chip is unlocked (i.e. no multiplier setting on chip), the mobo has nowhere to get the multiplier setting from, i'm not sure what this would do but perhaps this could also be the case?

Just thought i would toss up a few points.

It sucks that it has no multiplier or voltage choices on this mobo, but other than that i am happy with it (gotta love the promise raid ata100 controller built in)

JayMan

[Splitz300]

Well, RAID to me isn't all that special, all you get back is like 6 GB of HD space let. But with 2 40Gb HD's, that isn't much but a drop in the bucket. I'd much rather have VCore and Freq Multiplier than RAID anyday, but when I bought the system I didn't have much of a choice. Any way.

Yes, the bios is F6, and I'm not sure if the multiplier is locked onto the CPU or not. It was a 200FSB chip, that's fore sure.

Thanks for the input!

[JayMan]

Well u've ruled out acouple of my suggestions, perhaps it is that the chips is multiplier unlocked and the GA-ZXR hasn't got anywhere to get the multiplier from so it just doesn't post. Have ya hit a email to gigabyte? should be interesting to see what they would say about it.

JayMan

[Splitz300]

Well, if it is unlocked that's both good news AND bad new. That means I can overclock on my ASUS A7V board. Guess this means I can't use the same CPU on the Gigabyte board?? I thought unlocked processors was what you want?? Now I've got a mobo that requries it to be locked??? That confusing as hell. Gigabyte website tell me to goto my retailier where I bought the board from but that just isn't possible...lol. Weird eh?

Splitz