I am not sure if motherboard or processor are just going. Computer has been running fine for a year since I built it. Soyo Dragon KT 400, XP 2400 Chip/ 2 Ghz. The problem started about a week ago when I noticed the fan in the power supply went (bearings shot) and the computer was very sluggish. I replaced the fan and then the computer ran great. Then the power went out a couple of times in the house while the computer was running and that was when Windows after checking my computer properties was reading 1Ghz. Bios is all fine even set it to default settings and nothing. I then cleared the CMOS and bingo Windows was reading processor right 2 Ghz. Today the power went out in the house again and I am back to 1 ghz again and it is killing me trying to figure out what it is. Any help would be greatly appreciated. I have reloaded Windows and it ran fine until power went. Also it will be running fine at 2 Ghz then I reboot and it is back to 1Ghz. Sorry for rambling
Could windows be stepping it back to prevent overheating of processor. I shut it down for about a half hour and upon reboot it was reading 2GHZ. What is the normal operating temp range for a processor.
Soyo Dragon Kt 400 Ultra
Athlon XP 2400
1Ghz memory
Windows XP Sp1
Ibm 80 Gig
Maxtor 40 Gig
LG 56x Cdrom
Buslink 48x24x48
Asylum Geforece 4 ti4200 128 MB video
It could definitely be overheating.
I'm not sure of what the operating range is for that chip, but I'd look into an aftermarket CPU cooler for the chip. Also, it could be an issue with your motherboard. I used to have an older Asus K7V-133C that, everytime the machine froze, it would reset itself back to the lowest multiplier and the lowest frequency available. It was some kind of "Safe Mode" or something, I dunno. It could be like you said: the CPU is overheating, the motherboard detects it, and it clocks back the chip.
...Or, it could be that the feature has gone awry. Try updating your board's BIOS to the most recent revision available.
Could windows be stepping it back to prevent overheating of processor. I shut it down for about a half hour and upon reboot it was reading 2GHZ. What is the normal operating temp range for a processor.
Try CPUCool from http://www.podien.de -- it's the Swiss Army knife of CPU tools (uncrippled shareware, and a bargain at $15). In this case, it's the thermal-monitor function we need. A CPU should run at 50 C or less; 55 is a problem and 60 is critical. The hotter a processor runs, the shorter its lifespan.
Motherboard Monitor from http://mbm.livewiredev.com would also work, but it might be overkill in this case as it requires more effort to set up.
Windows does not normally do throttling, but it's possible that it might be in the BIOS or a side effect of the heat -- if that's the problem.
Problem was solved with alittle Artic Silver 3. Must have been over heating and is now running perfect. Thank You
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