XP 1800+ makes MB produce a tone

[Cliptin]

I can't tell where the tone is coming from on the MB (ECS KVVTA3). I can throw in a Duron 950 or a 1700+ and it works but no go with the 1800.

Am I right to think the 1800 is dead? If so what is the tone supposed to mean?

[Mercutio]

Is the 1800 fully supported by your board? I'd look into a BIOS update and then I'd say a few words for the dearly departed.

[timwhit]

Are you sure that the 1800 works? Maybe it is a bad chip. Try it in another board.

[Tea]

We have an AMD CPU in an ECS board, Tim, and you are wondering if the chip is bad?

[Mercutio]

Well, Cliptin says the 1700+ works just fine. I don't have any reason to doubt him.

A stopped clock is right twice a day. Compaq occasionally lets some decent hardware ship with their PCs, and maybe ECS can sometimes build a motherboard that works.

Anyway, I see classic hallmarks of bad CPU behavior.

[timwhit]

We have an AMD CPU in an ECS board, Tim, and you are wondering if the chip is bad?

If none of them worked then ECS would be out of business.

I would first try the 1800 in another board or try another 1800 in the same board. Whichever is easier.

[Cliptin]

That should be K7VTA3, a board Coug swears by, not at. This board should accept all XPs. I have only one other K7 board but the HSF is of the screw down type and I'm not going to take it off. The 1800 is a new purchase so it might be DOA.

[timwhit]

Tell your vendor that it is bad and RMA it. If you got it from somewhere reputable then you shouldn't have any problems.

[Buck]

The K7VTA3 should easily accept the XP 1800+ unless some with either component has malfuntioned. All XP CPUs use the same voltage. You aren't trying to run this CPU with 100 Mhz FSB and a Multiplier of 15, are you?

[Cliptin]

The K7VTA3 should easily accept the XP 1800+ unless some with either component has malfuntioned. All XP CPUs use the same voltage. You aren't trying to run this CPU with 100 Mhz FSB and a Multiplier of 15, are you?

I plug in the Duron with MB set to 100 and it works. I plug in the 1700 with MB set to 133 and it works. I leave MB and plug in 1800 and I get a tone. No bios screen or video of any kind.

[Buck]

Sounds like a bad CPU. So, you have JP3 set to pins 2-3? Also, have you used JP7 to Clear the CMOS?

[Buck]

Which K7VTA3 board are you using? 1.x, 2.x, or 3.x?

[NRG = mc²]

Seems like the processor to me.

[Cliptin]

Which K7VTA3 board are you using? 1.x, 2.x, or 3.x?

Yes I have JP3 set properly and I did clear CMOS. I have the 2.0 revision.
Also (since I just tried it again) when I hit the power button it will only stay powered on for a max of 5 sec. Usually only about 3. I just asked for an RMA number.

[Buck]

Good for you - get that thing replaced and then up and running so you can start crunching!

[jtr1962]

I'm probably a little late with this reply, but I would imagine a higher speed processor would draw more power, and the voltages for the processor are made directly on the MB by stepping down the 3.3V or 5V from the power supply. All MBs use switching rather than linear power supplies for this purpose for efficiency reasons. A switching power supply sends high frequency currents through an inductor, and the inductor can occasional produce an audible whine, especially at higher current levels. The inductor is usually a coil of wire wrapped around a ferrite core, so check to see if the sound is coming from something that looks like a donut with wire wrapped around it. It is entirely possible that nothing is wrong with the processor. If you already RMAed it and the new one does the same thing, then perhaps you have a defective motherboard, or perhaps there is nothing at all wrong, and this is just what happens with this particular MB/processor combination. I've had stranger things happen in 20 years of working with electronics. That being said, I understand most new switching power supplies operate at high enough frequencies to be inaudible to even my ears(I'm one of those people who hear television sawtooth generators), but you may be hearing low frequency harmonics from a poor board layout.

[i]

I'm one of those people who hear television sawtooth generators

Is that what that awful, really high-pitched whine is?

[blakerwry]

god I hate whiney TV's... my gf is even worse(or is that better?).. she can tell if her TV is on even when she's outside her house... and the TV is muted...


i can't hear hers, but i have a small TV that whines like crazy.

[The Grammar Police]

god I hate whiney TV's... my gf is even worse.

Quite right. Nothing worse than a whiney girlfriend.

[Mercutio]

I can think of something worse than a whiny girlfriend. But every time I do I have to go take a little blue pill.