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Fix for AMD processors.

Posted: Wed Oct 13, 2004 8:59 am
by amitst
AMD processors run at the border of thermal instability.

That is they are built and sold such that under constant use like Ryzom they end up running too hot.

This makes two things happen:

1) The motherboard could make the system reset.
2) Poorly processed instruction sets without Ryzom catching the exceptions can cause the game to crash.

Cheap way to fix it:

Go into your bios.....F2 or delete or something when your computer boots up....then go to the advanced, or processor tab. Change motherboard speed, which should be set at 133 MHz to something between 120-130. This will slow down the motherboard speed in general, but you will no longer crash or randomly reboot.

My XP2400+ gives me access violations at FSB 133 MHZ. I run it at 120 MHZ and I never crash. I have told many people to try this and it has worked for every single person. Maybe I am just lucky and talked to the right people.

Good luck, and ask tech support if you dont know what a Bios is.

Re: Fix for AMD processors.

Posted: Wed Oct 13, 2004 9:41 am
by aostos
amitst wrote:AMD processors run at the border of thermal instability.

That is they are built and sold such that under constant use like Ryzom they end up running too hot.

This makes two things happen:

1) The motherboard could make the system reset.
2) Poorly processed instruction sets without Ryzom catching the exceptions can cause the game to crash.

Cheap way to fix it:

Go into your bios.....F2 or delete or something when your computer boots up....then go to the advanced, or processor tab. Change motherboard speed, which should be set at 133 MHz to something between 120-130. This will slow down the motherboard speed in general, but you will no longer crash or randomly reboot.

My XP2400+ gives me access violations at FSB 133 MHZ. I run it at 120 MHZ and I never crash. I have told many people to try this and it has worked for every single person. Maybe I am just lucky and talked to the right people.

Good luck, and ask tech support if you dont know what a Bios is.
I had multiple Crashes with SoR, but since i added another chassis fan, SoR runs fine. :)

Re: Fix for AMD processors.

Posted: Wed Oct 13, 2004 9:57 am
by dandra8
first off, this may or may not be a heat related issue. secondly is your 2400+ a mobile barton, barton, or thoroughbredB core?. Unless it's a mobile it is a 166mhz part and in no way should you be running your fsb at 133mhz.

Re: Fix for AMD processors.

Posted: Wed Oct 13, 2004 12:45 pm
by rakeesh
amitst wrote:AMD processors run at the border of thermal instability.
That isn't quite true. Or, it could be considered true, of all CPUs.

All modern processors, Intel and AMD, run WELL PAST the border of thermal instability. No modern CPU is meant to deal with inadequate cooling.

Your statement would be better phrased as "the stock AMD cooling isn't quite adequate".

Now, underclocking your CPU may fix the problem, but it kind of sucks to make your expensive processor perform like a matching processor of half the value. If your machine is running that close to redline, I would say that the better solution is to visit a computer store and get a better heatsink/fan. That shouldn't cost more than $30, with maybe another $20 for installation if you don't feel comfortable putting it on yourself (I wouldn't - those heatsinks go on TIGHT! I'd be scared of breaking the board if I tried to take mine off).

Or, just pop the side panels off your computer and aim a small fan into the innards. That's easy and free, even more so than underclocking the machine.

Oh, and just in case it needs to be said, never even think about firing up your computer with the heat sink removed. With AMDs in particular, the CPU will melt within seconds and possibly take the motherboard with it. I had a friend do that once... he was worried he'd damaged the old CPU when he was removing the heatsink/fan, so powered it up to test. Poof! All the magic smoke got out. :( :)

Re: Fix for AMD processors.

Posted: Wed Oct 13, 2004 8:17 pm
by ciara00
As the above poster said, really, if you're having instability problems with your AMD CPU then you need better cooling for your system. I run an overclocked 2500+ (Bartons just rock.) and have nary an instability problem from Ryzom nor anything else I use which tends to keep my CPU pegged at a constant 100% usage.

Heck - my Ti4600 causes tons more instability than my CPU ever has.

Re: Fix for AMD processors.

Posted: Wed Oct 13, 2004 8:26 pm
by zumwalt
Change your cooling system to a liquid cooled one and make sure your pumps are full throttled open, then if that doesn't do the trick, have the liquid pump out into an external mini-fridge, works every time.

forgot to mention, if you go the mini-fridge route, over clock the bajeevers out of your processer, make it work 3x its normal speed.

Re: Fix for AMD processors.

Posted: Wed Oct 13, 2004 8:34 pm
by lupine04
Hmm..

I've got an XP2400+ with the FSB at 133.. and I have no trouble. Then again, I have 9 fans blowing in my case, including a good after-market CPU fan.. my system actually runs very cool...


I'm gonna keep that in mind for a friend of mine, though, whose system, I swear, seems to blow some *real* hot air out of it...

Re: Fix for AMD processors.

Posted: Wed Oct 13, 2004 8:47 pm
by stygeon
Lupine ... are you sure that is the system and not just your friend?



Meant in the best of humor :)

Re: Fix for AMD processors.

Posted: Fri Oct 15, 2004 6:03 am
by talios
my a64 3200+ which is overclocked to 2.2 ghz on stock cooling still runs cooler than my p4 3.0e o.O

Re: Fix for AMD processors.

Posted: Fri Oct 15, 2004 6:24 pm
by amitst
All these comments still don't change the fact that a simple bios tweak is fixing most peopels problems. Yes you can add a fan or do additional cooling, but those few MHz are not important to many people.