Processor or Windows problem?

I built a computer last year with an AMD Barton 3000+ CPU running at 2.3 GHz. I noticed recently that a few things have been running slower including Fable. I checked tonight, both in Fable's error reporting and with Emsa FlexInfo Pro, and it's reporting that I am running at only 1.3 GHz and with an AMD Athlon(tm) 1800+.

Anyone familiar of a virus or something that might have caused this? I only have the one computer and nobody with any mentionable hardware knowledge has had access to it so the possibility of the processor being physically changed is not a possibility.

 

Seems some FSB setting problem. Check with AMD utilities and check your motherboard FSB.

 

Both AMD CPUID and AMD Clock Version 2.0.0 reported 1.3 GHz and CPUID reported the Athlon 1800+. Hardware is my weak point so I have to ask, how would I go about checking out the FSB?

Motherboard: Asus A7V880

 

FSB = Front Side Bus. It is usually displayed by the utils. Common values are 100 MHz and 133 MHz. These values can be adjusted either by jumper on the motherboard or in rare cases thru BIOS.

 

I think I'm going to do what I should have done and take this over to the AMD Forums. However, I will post a link to the thread and, if I remember, I'll post the resolution when I find it. Thanks guys!

EDIT: I haven't fixed it yet but I found a sticky at http://forums.amd.com/index.php?showtopic=965

I'll copy it here for searching purposes:
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An AMD Athlon™ XP processor that is being recognized as a lower model by the system's BIOS is likely running at a slower frequency than it should be running at, due to the front side bus (FSB) setting of the motherboard. The FSB of an AMD Athlon XP processor typically runs at an effective frequency of 266, 333, or 400MHz (depending on model). The corresponding motherboard FSB physical frequency should be set to 133, 166, or 200MHz, respectively.

Motherboards that support multiple FSB frequencies will typically have the FSB set at the lowest frequency by default (typically 100MHz) to protect lower FSB processors from accidentally being overclocked. Consequently, if a processor that requires a higher FSB frequency is installed on a motherboard that is set to a lower FSB frequency, the processor will be operating at a lower frequency than it is capable of, causing it to be recognized as a lower model processor. This is a result of the processor's multiplier. The function of the multiplier is to multiply the bus frequency to derive the processor’s operating frequency.

For example, an AMD Athlon XP 3000+ processor (333MHz FSB) has an internal 13x clock multiplier and requires a 166MHz motherboard bus frequency. This results in a processor frequency of 2167MHz (“bus frequency” x “multiplier” = “processor frequency”). However, if the motherboard's bus frequency is set to 100MHz, the processor will only operate at 1300MHz (100MHz bus frequency x 13 multiplier = 1300MHz CPU speed).

The FSB is usually configured by a setting in the BIOS or a hardware jumper on the motherboard. Please consult your motherboard manufacturer to determine how to correctly set the FSB for your motherboard.

CAUTION: Setting the FSB higher than the processor's specification may result in permanent thermal damage to the processor.

To determine your processor's specifications, please refer to the processor's OPN (Ordering Part Number) and the Processor datasheet on our website or search our Ask AMD Knowledgebase for XP Specs to find a table with complete specifications for our Athlon XP processors.


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Respectfully,
Support 1

 

Eureka! I was able to solve the problem by manually setting my FSB to the correct frequency for my processor. It appears that ASUS sets their motherboards to default to the lowest frequency FSB so they don't damage the slower processors.

I will not list the exact details on how I fixed this since you need to check with your Processor manufacturer to determine the correct FSB setting and check with your motherboard manufacturer to find out how to set that.

Thanks for the assistance