Help! BIOS is confusing me...

[PizzatheHut06]

I just got a new system and put it together today, but I checked the BIOS screen and it doesn't look like the system is running at full capacity. I have an Athlon XP 2500+, Asus A7N8X-X mobo, and 1 stick of 512 MB Corsair XMS PC3200 RAM. BIOS looks like this:

Advanced Chipset Features

CPU External Freq. (MHz) [100 MHz]
Memory Frequency [ By SPD]
Resulting Frequency [200 MHz]
Memory Timings [Optimal]
SD RAM Active Precharge Delay [8]
SD RAM RAS to CAS Delay [3]
SD RAM RAS Precharge Delay [3]
SD CAS Latency [3T]
FSB Spread Spectrum [0.50%]
Graphics Aperture Size [64 MB]

There are of course other readins, but these struck me as odd. Here's what is confusing me:

The FSB on the processor is 333 MHz, but here the CPU External Freq. comes out to 200 MHz (100 MHz x 2). Why so low?

Also, the Resulting Frequency on the memory is 200 MHz, where my RAM supports up to 400 MHz. The timings on the RAM are also much lower than advertised. Again, why so low?

Finally, the Graphics Aperture Size is 64 MB, and I have a 128 MB PNY GeForce FX 5200 card. Could I change the Graphics Aperture Size up to 128 MB, or is that something entirely different?

Am I missing something, or is my computer not operating at full capacity. I'm not trying to overclock or anything like that, I just want all of the parts to work as expected. Can anyone help me not be overclock or underclocked, just "clocked"?

 

[Blind_Arrow]

keep it on ENABLED

where its written, by SPD

this will make it on auto,

and this isnt urmCPU, this is ur Memory frequency

 

[PizzatheHut06]

Thanks for the help guys. I tried once to change the CPU External Frequency to [166 MHz], and it helped immensely, but the Resulting Frequeny still said [200 MHz] , instead of what I thought should be 400 MHz since it's PC3200. Any thoughts on that?

 

[Blind_Arrow]

well, is it is saying 200Mhz it is absolutely right, WHY? you are on DDR, remembe, Double Data Rate, so 200 X 2 = 400, it is showing actual frequency.


NOT TO WORRY.

 

[BxSlipSk8718]

:-D

 

[PizzatheHut06]

Sorry to revive this old thread, but I'm still confused, and just looked at it again today. When I set BIOS to [Optimal], the memory frequency runs at 200 MHz, and the RAM timings are:

SD RAM Active Precharge Delay [8]
SD RAM RAS to CAS Delay [3]
SD RAM RAS Precharge Delay [3]
SD CAS Latency [3T]

but the RAM is advertised to run at 2.5-3-3-6 1T on AMD systems. First of all, why does BIOS only have 4 numbers (3-3-8 3T)when the advertised speed has 5 numbers(2.5-3-3-6 1T)?, Why is it running considerably slowering that advertised? Also, when I manually set the timings lower, the memory frequency lowers itself to 166 MHz from 200. Can anyone help with this? I'm freaking confused.

 

[BxSlipSk8718]

I think if you up the woltage on your ram the cas should go down and yes thats natural you can get the cas lower but the result is lower FSB speed kindda dumb woulda though it would go up

 

[Nubius]

Currently I have an AMD Athlon XP 2400+ and just like Microbell posted up there it runs at 133MHzx15. Does that mean when I go to purchase an AMD Athlon XP 3200+ that the first thing I need to do is go into the BIOS and make sure the multiplier and frequency is changed or should it do that automatically? Even if it supposedly does it automatically, guess it couldn't hurt to first check the BIOS and make sure huh? So in the case of the 3200 I want the frequency set at 200 whereas mines set at 133 right now and the multiplier to 11 right and I should be all set?

 

[PizzatheHut06]

So would it be more beneficial to have higher FSB with higher RAM timings, or lower FSB with lower RAM timings? Which would make the overall computer run faster?

 

[BxSlipSk8718]

I would jump my bios and make sure the jumper is a 400MHz