New Abit NF7-S 2.0 - System Time Sync Problem - Hyperactive!
Just purchased an Abit NF7-S 2.0 to replace my trusty Abit KR7A-133R board. I kept the ram (1 stick Samsung 512MB PC2100 and 1 stick Samsung 512MB PC3200) and the CPU (AMD XP2000+).
The new board is up and running fine, and I was able to over-clock the CPU to 2GHz (15x133) which is running rock solid.
However, I just noticed that my system time is gaining time like crazy. Approximately 2 minutes for every real minute... I found this odd because I didn't clock the system bus higher, just used the 15 multiplier instead of the 12.5 the XP2000+ usually runs at.
Is the system time in hyperdrive because I clocked the CPU to a higher multiplier? I would think that the system time clock would be dependant on an internal clock sync, and not the CPU clock multiplier.
Has anyone run across this problem? Anyone have any suggestions? The board runs great other than this strange time-gaining issue... Could the board have a defective crystal for keeping time, or am I just suffering from CPU speed-up problems due to over-clocking the chip multiplier?
The new board is up and running fine, and I was able to over-clock the CPU to 2GHz (15x133) which is running rock solid.
However, I just noticed that my system time is gaining time like crazy. Approximately 2 minutes for every real minute... I found this odd because I didn't clock the system bus higher, just used the 15 multiplier instead of the 12.5 the XP2000+ usually runs at.
Is the system time in hyperdrive because I clocked the CPU to a higher multiplier? I would think that the system time clock would be dependant on an internal clock sync, and not the CPU clock multiplier.
Has anyone run across this problem? Anyone have any suggestions? The board runs great other than this strange time-gaining issue... Could the board have a defective crystal for keeping time, or am I just suffering from CPU speed-up problems due to over-clocking the chip multiplier?
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Good luck
Just curious as to why it would gain time, instead of losing time if it is a bad battery though... (it is currently 8am and my system clock now states 8:21 am) and this is after I ran Atomic Time Sync a couple times already this morning... If it keeps this up, I'll have put in a full day's work in just a matter of a couple hours..
What happens is this--
Clock works on fixed voltage and fixed amperage flow-- IE WATTS through clock circuit. It also works on timing.
The Di-Lithium Hydride and Nickel Manganese cells are like this-- the voltage and amperage can vary as battery gets used up. The batteries are nto all equal, perfectly. Shelf life (not in use, on shelf only) is 3-5 years. Use life was calculated to average 3 years. Resetting CMOs takes more WATTS out of battieries WATT pool than does runnig clock.
The batteries flow same amperage and same voltage for most of their life, but not perfectly so as you get to the last 1\4 of battery's life. Figure from date of mfr to time battery dies, average is 2.5 to 3 years, once you allow for things like clearing CMOS to fix mistakes with BIOS settings.
Some cells actually increase voltage and drop amps, and increase voltage more than they drop amperage, as they get into last 20-15% of usable life. If total watts goes UP, clock runs fast. If total watts goes down, clock slows-- actually this is watts per tick, or small time period. clock works by tossing signal high and low like a metronome (the metronome is a visible thing that illustrates how a clock in computer works internally, it is used for music timing and moves a visible arm back and forth at a fixed rate)-- changing wattage flow can change how metronome cycles.
If someone asks, will explain how watts can do this, and how increasing amps and voltage or either, or decreasing both or either, does this. OCing wrong CAN toss clock off also, but battery is more likely the first suspect. I have had boxes brought to me where battery is ground shorted, takes about 10-15 seconds to ground-drain a battery if pins on underside of motherboard that lead to the holder on top are grounded.
John D.
Thanks for the detailed description... Makes perfect sense. (and the metronome anology is a great idea...) I remember them well from my music theory classes way back in grade school...
Makes sense that if the timing is unbalanced in one direction or the other it will increase or decrease the system clock...
I'll stop out and pick up a brand new battery tonight after work and give it a go...
Thanks for the help and info!
...and remember, it's not the volts that'll kill you, it's the amps...
At the moment, I'm using a free utility which syncs the clock every hour to a government timeserver. If you're intrested in th app, let me know!
I set the time via the Atomic Time Sync utility and then let the machine run for 3 hours and then checked it again with the Time Sync utility. Time is right on the money and didn't need to be adjusted. Not even by a second...
So, I think I can safely say that the battery was just fine, but the extra voltage to the chip mussed up the time sync ability...
i have overclocked cpus for a while now, the default voltage on my cpu is 1.5 and i'm running it at 1.8 and my clock doesn't get messed up, i'm pretty it's not sure voltage.
I'm pretty sure it was the voltage that was causing the problem. I had used the Atomic Time Sync utility 5 or 6 times in a span of 30 minutes when the voltage was higher and it gained almost two hours in that time. Resetting the clock each time by at least 15 minutes.
Dropped the voltage, and it has been spot on since... Tried the Time Sync 3 or 4 times just to make sure, and it says that the time is correct and does not need adjusting.
When the voltage was higher, I even opened the Windows built-in time setting utility, and the second hand looked like a little fan blade spinning...
Normally, you would see the second hand going like 1....2....3....4....5....etc..
With the voltage higher, it was like 1.2.3.4.5.6.7.8.9...etc.
I can try an experiment and boost the voltage back up and try again to see what happens...
I know that on any of my previous boards, the voltage boost never caused the system clock to go into hyperdrive, not sure why this one would be different, unless it was just a fluke and something was wonky with the CMOS settings and the resetting and saving of the settings fixed it..
We'll give it a shot and see...
Very odd indeed... Anyone have any suggestions on why this would be?
My boards in the past have never done this, and I've been OC'ing my systems for years.. (I think I started messing with OC'ing back with my 486-66)
Do you think that this warrants me trying to replace the motherboard? Or do you think it might just be a quirk with the current processor that I have installed? (XP 2000+ Tbred)
I'll try to attach a couple pics of CPU-Z shots... One normal settings and one OC...
And since it is running stable at default voltages, I'll just leave it be... "If it isn't broken, don't fix it..."