Intel Core 2 Temperature Issues

[Gerry_uk]

Hi Barry,

In the case of this board, it clearly states it supports "Intel Core 2
Extreme" out of the box, even with the original BIOS. I am, however,
running the later 0307 BIOS.

 

[Gerry_uk]

Hi,

You might try redoing your heatsink install.

I've done a few more installs of coolers, I hope to have notes on-line soon.

I decided to go back to the original article on tomshardware. This was
the article that convinced me to buy the E6800 in the first place

<http://tomshardware.co.uk/2006/07/14/core2_duo_knocks_out_athlon_64_uk/page8.html>

(if forced me to the .co.uk version, hoe this works ok for others)

On page 8 it gives the temps and they are low! BUT, mine were also "low"
with the original BIOS and ASUS Probe (fake reporting).

I don't see any independent temp measuring system mentioned in that
article? Did they just take the figure from ASUS Probe? We now know this
figure is WRONG. Did they double check with "Core Temp" or "TAT" or a
proper thermometer?

 

[Barry Watzman]

I understand, but all of this stuff ... the processors and the
motherboards that support them ... are VERY new, and there was not (and
probably still is not) full support from day 1. I have a gigabyte
motherboard, and they are on the 6th bios since June ... the last one
just improved the support for the two LOW-END Core 2 Duo's (the ones
that only have 2MB of cache instead of 4MB, the 1.86 and 2.13 GHz clock
speed versions). It's coming together, but there are lots of people who
don't EVER update their BIOS', and the boards that people are getting
today were manufactured probalby 60 days ago. So if you are having ANY
kind of problems or issues with anyone's Core 2 Duo motherboards or
systems, one thing you want to do is update to the latest bios. Things
will settle down, but they are not there yet (or perhaps they are just
getting there). The wording on the box can't be taken too literally, or
taken to imply that boards from the first 60 days' production are
"perfect" and bug-free.

 

[Ron Krebs]

I understand, but all of this stuff ... the processors and the
motherboards that support them ... are VERY new, and there was not (and
probably still is not) full support from day 1. I have a gigabyte
motherboard, and they are on the 6th bios since June ... the last one
just improved the support for the two LOW-END Core 2 Duo's (the ones
that only have 2MB of cache instead of 4MB, the 1.86 and 2.13 GHz clock
speed versions). It's coming together, but there are lots of people who
don't EVER update their BIOS', and the boards that people are getting
today were manufactured probalby 60 days ago. So if you are having ANY
kind of problems or issues with anyone's Core 2 Duo motherboards or
systems, one thing you want to do is update to the latest bios. Things
will settle down, but they are not there yet (or perhaps they are just
getting there). The wording on the box can't be taken too literally, or
taken to imply that boards from the first 60 days' production are
"perfect" and bug-free.

Agreed. On a side note, I was concerned that my P5WDH that just arrived
would not be ready for the E6600 and I'd have to install a floppy just for
the BIOS flash update to 1305( I wish they'd put a sticker somewhere on the
box as to which BIOS is loaded). But from what I've read in the mobo manual,
the ASUS P5WDH has a BIOS recovery/flash program built right into it and can
read ROMs from even a USB flash key and will automatically upgrade with that
BIOS all without being in DOS. It also can rewrite a corrupted BIOS so
apparently no need for a BIOS Savior. Very happy with this.

Ron

 

[Phil]

Actually, there is no way to flash the BIOS unless the machine can POST. As
far as the P5WDH is concerned, you need BIOS 0701 or later to POST with a
the E6300 to E6700 chips, and BIOS 0901 to POST with a X6800. Chances are,
if you buy a P5WDH now, you will be getting a conroe compatible BIOS.

-phil

 

[Phil]

Actually, it's not wrong. The temp in the BIOS is read from a thermal diode
in the CPU package. This temp corresponds to what is called the case
temperature. This temp will be lower than the temps read from the two
digital thermal sensors, which are located near the cores. The temp from the
thermal diode should not exceed 60C, while the core temps should not exceed
~70C.

-phil

 

[Mitch Crane]

Agreed. On a side note, I was concerned that my P5WDH that just
arrived would not be ready for the E6600 and I'd have to install a
floppy just for the BIOS flash update to 1305( I wish they'd put a
sticker somewhere on the box as to which BIOS is loaded). But from
what I've read in the mobo manual, the ASUS P5WDH has a BIOS
recovery/flash program built right into it and can read ROMs from even
a USB flash key and will automatically upgrade with that BIOS all
without being in DOS. It also can rewrite a corrupted BIOS so
apparently no need for a BIOS Savior. Very happy with this.

Yes that's a nice feature. I don't have a regular USB memory stick, so I
put my mp3 player into UMS mode, copied the 1305 BIOS file to the MP3
player, rebooted and updated my BIOS with the file stored on the MP3
player. Pretty slick.

 

[Ron Krebs]

Actually, there is no way to flash the BIOS unless the machine can POST. As
far as the P5WDH is concerned, you need BIOS 0701 or later to POST with a
the E6300 to E6700 chips, and BIOS 0901 to POST with a X6800. Chances are,
if you buy a P5WDH now, you will be getting a conroe compatible BIOS.

-phil

Yeah, I thought so as well. BUT, according to page 4-9 in the P5WDH User's
manual I quote:

"The ASUS CrashFree BIOS 3 is an auto recovery tool that allows you to
restore the BIOS file when it fails or gets corrupted during the updating
process. You can update a corrupted BIOS file using the motherboard support
CD, the floppy disk, or the USB flash disk that contains the updated BIOS
file."

Then it goes on to list instructions for each method and all of them mention
turning on the system after the source with the BIOS ROM has been loaded.
What this means is, that from a power off state to a power on state, the ROM
can be read without POSTing. Because let's face it, if the BIOS is
corrupted, it won't POST anyway.

Ron

 

[Ron Krebs]

Yes that's a nice feature. I don't have a regular USB memory stick, so I
put my mp3 player into UMS mode, copied the 1305 BIOS file to the MP3
player, rebooted and updated my BIOS with the file stored on the MP3
player. Pretty slick.

Yes, very clever, Mitch. Kudos. I have an iRiver that has been flashed as a
UMS so I'll have to remember that in a pinch.

Ron

 

[Phil]

That's an interesting claim on ASUS's part, because that was certainly not
the case for those who had initially received boards with
conroe-incompatible BIOS versions. There was absolutely no way to flash the
BIOS using any of the available methods. You would hit the power switch and
nada. Fans would initially spin-up, and then shutdown after a few seconds.

-phil

 

[Ron Krebs]

That's an interesting claim on ASUS's part, because that was certainly not
the case for those who had initially received boards with
conroe-incompatible BIOS versions. There was absolutely no way to flash the
BIOS using any of the available methods. You would hit the power switch and
nada. Fans would initially spin-up, and then shutdown after a few seconds.

-phil

Yeah, I'm still puzzled by this as well. Where is this program stored? If
it's in the BIOS itself and that gets corrupted, then wouldn't the program
also not work? Perhaps some non-volatile memory location on the motherboard.
During POST, what is detected first in order, the HDDs or the CPU? If the
former then perhaps that's when the CrashFree program kicks in. The manual
states that any storage device that contains a file called P5WDH.rom will
automatically be read and written to the BIOS chip. They tell you to rename
the latest BIOS as such before copying it to the floppy or whatever.
Strange.

Ron

 

[Phil]

It sounds like what you're talking about is not the Crashfree feature, but
EzFlash. If I'm not mistaken, Crashfree is what allows you to boot into BIOS
after a failed overclock, without having to reset the CMOS. Crashfree
automatically restores factory settings just to get you back into the BIOS.
As far as I know, the machine must be able to POST in order to use the
EzFlash feature. At least that's what I have observed from other users. I
can't speak from any experience on this matter. I had a P4 630 ready to go
when I got my P5WDH with early BIOS. Actually, I kinda kick myself for not
experimenting with my conroe, prior to flashing the BIOS.

-phil

 

[Ron Krebs]

It sounds like what you're talking about is not the Crashfree feature, but
EzFlash. If I'm not mistaken, Crashfree is what allows you to boot into BIOS
after a failed overclock, without having to reset the CMOS. Crashfree
automatically restores factory settings just to get you back into the BIOS.
As far as I know, the machine must be able to POST in order to use the
EzFlash feature. At least that's what I have observed from other users. I
can't speak from any experience on this matter. I had a P4 630 ready to go
when I got my P5WDH with early BIOS. Actually, I kinda kick myself for not
experimenting with my conroe, prior to flashing the BIOS.

-phil

No, the EZ Flash 2 Utility is described on another page and distinguished
from this one. This is called the CrashFree BIOS 3 utility and only has to
do with corrupted BIOS' and not overclock crashes. The EZ Flash is invoked
by ALT F2 during POST. The CrashFree is automatic and scans the disk drives
for a BIOS rom. Under "Managing and Updating Your BIOS" they list four
methods of doing this: 1) ASUS Update (Windows based), 2) ASUS EZ Flash, 3)
AFUDOS, and 4) CrashFree BIOS 3. Perhaps they recently added this.

Ron

 

[Phil]

I guess I should crack the spine on my manual. Hehe. Well, I really do hope
this Crashfree feature actually works as advertised. I flash every new BIOS
version that comes out (and there have been many with the P5WDH, already),
and it's just a matter of time before it fails, leaving me with a corrupt
BIOS.

-phil

 

[CBFalconer]

It sounds like what you're talking about is not the Crashfree
feature, but EzFlash. If I'm not mistaken, Crashfree is what
allows you to boot into BIOS after a failed overclock, without
having to reset the CMOS. Crashfree automatically restores factory
settings just to get you back into the BIOS. As far as I know, the
machine must be able to POST in order to use the EzFlash feature.
At least that's what I have observed from other users. I can't
speak from any experience on this matter. I had a P4 630 ready to
go when I got my P5WDH with early BIOS. Actually, I kinda kick
myself for not experimenting with my conroe, prior to flashing the
BIOS.

Please replace your newsreader. Outhouse Excess is encouraging you
to toppost, which is not good. In addition, it is fouling the
references linkage by exceeding the specified maximum of 20
references. This results in mislinking threads and other
anomalies. Thunderbird is a free compliant system, available from
mozilla.com.

--
Some informative links:
<<http://www.geocities.com/nnqweb/>
<http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html>
<http://www.caliburn.nl/topposting.html>
<http://www.netmeister.org/news/learn2quote.html>
<http://cfaj.freeshell.org/google/>

 

[Rod Speed]

Yeah, I'm still puzzled by this as well. Where is this program stored?

In the bios.

If it's in the BIOS itself and that gets corrupted,

There can be more than one bios.

then wouldn't the program also not work?

It will if there is more than one bios.

Perhaps some non-volatile memory location on the motherboard.

That is what the bios is.

During POST, what is detected first in order, the HDDs or the CPU?

The cpu.

If the former then perhaps that's when the CrashFree program kicks in.

Its obviously possible to have the most basic part of the bios
which doesnt get overwritten by a bios flash to check whether
the part of the bios which does get overwritten is viable and if
it isnt, it just loads the flash from whatever it can find it on.

The manual states that any storage device that
contains a file called P5WDH.rom will automatically
be read and written to the BIOS chip.

And not a shred of rocket science is required to implement
that if the most basic part of the bios decides that the part
of the bios that can be flashed is corrupt etc.

They tell you to rename the latest BIOS as such
before copying it to the floppy or whatever. Strange.

Nothing strange about it what so ever.

 

[Sam Jones]

Go and **** yourself. No please, that's an order.

 

[Ron Krebs]

In the bios.


There can be more than one bios.


It will if there is more than one bios.


That is what the bios is.


The cpu.


Its obviously possible to have the most basic part of the bios
which doesnt get overwritten by a bios flash to check whether
the part of the bios which does get overwritten is viable and if
it isnt, it just loads the flash from whatever it can find it on.


And not a shred of rocket science is required to implement
that if the most basic part of the bios decides that the part
of the bios that can be flashed is corrupt etc.


Nothing strange about it what so ever.

Rod!! Damn nice to see you're still alive and as gracious as ever. Hehe. I
haven't seen you since the P2B-S days. Please don't chide me for being off
topic, but how's it going? How's your grandchildren? You must have some by
now, right? Anyway, so you know for sure that the board has a second BIOS?
Please don't get impatient with me, but would it be ok if I asked for some
documentation on that? Is it in the manual somewhere? So, in your opinion,
do you think then that this CrashFree BIOS utility could have helped those
that had a pre- 0801 BIOS if they would have just put the updated rom file
on a USB FD or Floppy? Rather then having to hotflash the chip or using
another CPU to boot from and then updating the BIOS. Man, this is really
great having you here. Thanks for chiming in.

Ron

 

[Rod Speed]

Rod!! Damn nice to see you're still alive and as gracious
as ever. Hehe. I haven't seen you since the P2B-S days.
Please don't chide me for being off topic, but how's it going?

Pretty decent.

How's your grandchildren? You must have some by now, right?
Nope.

Anyway, so you know for sure that the board has a second BIOS?

Yes, there isnt any other way to implement what they say it can do.

Please don't get impatient with me, but would it be ok if I asked
for some documentation on that? Is it in the manual somewhere?

Havent noticed it, but that doesnt mean anything.

So, in your opinion, do you think then that this CrashFree BIOS
utility could have helped those that had a pre- 0801 BIOS if they
would have just put the updated rom file on a USB FD or Floppy?

Not necessarily, that part of the bios still needs to be
executed so if the earlier bios setup the detail so the
cpu doesnt run with a particular cpu, it wont help with
updating the part of the bios that can be updated.

Rather then having to hotflash the chip or using another
CPU to boot from and then updating the BIOS.

You're still going to need to do that if the part of the bios that
cant be updated that way cant run the cpu for whatever reason.

 

[Barry Watzman]

The machine still has to POST. POST is the very first thing that a
machine does. THEN it will look for a bios update issue. The POST code
is mostly a test of the CPU itself and very basic functionality that the
CPU needs to do ANYTHING. The CPU must be able to execute instructions,
read and write memory (and establish a stack) or nothing is going to
happen, nothing, period. The POST code may be broken up into segments,
and the attempt to reflash the bios might be between the segments
(segment 1 ... test the CPU and memory read/write with interrupts
disabled; segment 2 (perhaps after an attempt to reflash) ... test the
motherboard and advanced chipset functions).