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i7 860 question

S

stillxillmatic

n00b
Joined
Jan 24, 2010
Messages
8
Hey guys,

I just got my new i7 computer a couple of days ago, and it's just awesome, considering i came from an old P4.

There is something that is bugging me though. I use cpu-z/everest to see the speeds of the cpu under idle/stress. Everything was cool..the idle speeds were around 1100mhz, and when the cpu was stressed, the turbo boost came into play and the speed went up to around 3200mhz.

Today, i was checking the usual when i noticed that the cpu speed now just sits at around 2900mhz. I tired stressing it like usual, and it just stay the same. Even when im idle, the speed doesn't conserve itself anymore to 1100mhz, and it just stays at 2900mhz.

Would anyone know why it's doing that? i haven't overclocked anything, or changed anything in the bios.

Thanks.
 
Go into Advanced CPU Settings in your motherboard BIOS and check to see if SpeedStep / C1E are enabled.
 
I went into the bios, and i didn't see a speedstep option, but C1E is set to auto.

This was always the setting since i got it, and it was working fine before..
 
Speedstep is also called EIST in some bios versions. Enable that and then go into Windows and try to find the Control Panel -> Power Options -> Minimum processor state and set that to a low percentage like 5%. This will help get your MHz low at idle if that's what you're looking for.

CPU-Z isn't very accurate at idle. Check out a program called i7 Turbo which does a better job tracking the average multiplier of each core. It will show you if your power settings are out of whack.

http://www.fileden.com/files/2008/3/3/1794507/Turbo.zip
 
Are you using a Gigabyte P55 motherboard? Mine did that when I set my RAM to 1600Mhz and the stupid motherboard would run my 860 at 2.9Ghz all the time and it was annoying.

How I fixed it:

Go to Advanced CPU Features or whatever it was called and enable Speedstep and Turbo Boost, and set your CPU multiplier to the highest level. Save your settings and it should work. If not, clear your CMOS.
 
Is the OP wanting max speed available all the time, or does he like the speedstep crap?

Might also want to mention what your system specs are exactly, model/brand mobo, etc
 
I do have a gigabyte motherboard:
GIGABYTE GA-P55M-UD2 (Intel P55 mATX motherboard)

Here are the rest of my specs:
i7 860 @2.8
4GB Super Talent DDR3 1600 (runs at 1333 default)
Seagate 1.5 TB HD
Windows 7 Ultimate 64bit

I went into bios, and enabled EIST (it was not labeled speedstep), enabled turbo boost, and i put the multiplier to 22x. Cpu-z still shows it at 2.9 constant. I then upgraded my bios from the F3 version to the most recent F7...enabled the settings, and it still stays at 2.9.

INFRNL, i just want the cpu to be the way it was when i first started it up..the cpu would go down to around 1100mhz when idle, and be pushed to around 3400mhz when stressed, if need be. All my bios settings were at default in the beginning, and it wasn't a problem..all of a sudden, without changing anything, the cpu is stuck at 2.9 constant. This is really frustrating, as i got the i7 860 just for this reason, and how its turbo boost would go up to 3.4 if need be without manually overclocking.
 
You have to enable C3/C6 in the bios which lets some cores go to sleep automatically so the core or cores that are awake can run at a higher multiplier and get you some more MHz. This might be called C-States in your bios.

EIST stands for Enhanced Intel SpeedStop.

Once again, CPU-Z is not the most accurate tool to determine the multiplier of your CPU at idle or at full load on these new CPUs that use multiple bins of turbo boost. Check out i7 Turbo in post #4 or do a Google search for it if you don't trust my link.
 
Unclewebb,

I used the i7 program, and on idle, it averages around x11~x13, but when running prime95, the max turbo stays at x22...so stays at 2.9. I also used RealTemp and had the exact same results. Cpu-z also stayed at 2.9. I have enabled all the settings in the advanced cpu options, and turbo mode is on.
 
Wrod of caution: I had the P55M-UD2 and it fried because it does not have the mosfet heatsinks. I was only running 1.2v and I believe around 3.4ghz. Might want to find some heatsinks for those if you want to keep that board. Mine only lasted a week. I upgraded to a P55M-UD4P, rma'd my ud2 and sold it.

for me its really hard to help without looking at your system or playing with it.

I take it when you updated the bios, you cleared the cmos, so it should be at default settings. for grins you could try loadung optimized defaults.

I believ stock multi on a 260 is 20x and turbo should put it to 21x. How many cores/threads does CPU-z show when its at 2.9ghz?

This is also difficult for me since I disable all that stuff and run full throttle 24/7. You have hyperthreading enables, correct? I know this messes with turbo as well. I believe on P55 that only 1 core can run at 22x, cannot recall.

Can you provide any screenshots to possible allow for additional help?
 
The maximum multiplier on a Core i7-860 when all 4 cores are in the active state is 22 so if your BCLK is 133.3 MHz then your computer will be running at a maximum of 2933 MHz. (2.9 GHz).

If you are only running a single thread of Prime95 then your multiplier should go higher. Have you checked to make sure C3/C6 are enabled in the bios? That's the only way you can get more than 22 and only when the CPU is lightly loaded.

If C3/C6 are enabled and you are running a single thread of Prime95 and your maximum multiplier is stuck at 22 then there is a problem with your updated bios.
 
Well, i've tried switching between my default bios(F3) and the F5 and F7 Bios, enabling all the necessary options, and it still stays at x22 max. I ran prime95 with 1 thread instead of 2, and it still shows as x22. I don't understand how it just refuses to go to 3.4 as it did the first couple of days powering the computer..all i did was enable turbo boost, and left everything else on auto with the default bios. I tried going back to the default bios and just enabling the turbo again, and its still stuck. I give up :confused:
 
INFRNL said:
Is the OP wanting max speed available all the time, or does he like the speedstep crap?
Click to expand...

I suggest that you at least make an attempt to learn something before making a fool of yourself.
 
*solved this problem, but still have the turbo stuck at x22 for single core boost
 
Last edited:
Another thing you can look at, as my AMD 940 did what your task manager is showing... is a HAL debug within msconfig. That should bring all cores back.
 
I finally fixed it! Turns out that under msconfig advanced options, the core/boot setting was set on 2, so i unchecked the box and then enabled c-step. Now all 4 cores are showing, and the turbo is finally unstuck.

Thanks for all the help!
 
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