GA-EP35-DS3L Processor Voltage Problem

[Mek]

First off i couldn't get this board to raise the voltage on the processor unless i reset the cmos, you could set whatever voltage you wanted but the bios wouldn't raise it, to make sure i just wasn't seeing vdroop i upped it a pretty good amount and checked it with cpu-z to confirm not changing, resetting the cmos fixed it.

BUT now whenever my system is shutdown for an extended period of time (like overnight) the bios sets the voltage back to default for the processor installed, which in my case means the system will reboot and lower my overclock. If i reset the cmos again i can then set the bios back up and reboot to my hearts content and even shut the system off for like 2 hours and it remembers, but if it's a long period of time then it gets set back to default.

Current BIOS F4
C1E and EIST are disabled.
I didn't install the DES software.
Processor is E2200
Super Talent 2x1gig 800mhz
FSP Group 450w Dual Rail PSU

PS: Newegg reviews on this mobo show the same problem, so maybe there's a bug in the bios...

[Lsdmeasap]

Re: GA-EP35-DS3L Processor Voltage Problem

Check In Integrated Peripherals And see if you have Legacy USB Storage Detect Disabled, if not disable it. This may help you there

You Should also Disable TM2 and C.I.A.2 to do any overclocking.

Also, whenever you update or clear CMOS and reflash the bios you HAVE TO choose load optimized defaults, then save and apply and reboot. Then go in bios and make your changes. If you do not do this then that could leave parts of the older BIOS code in the eprom, so if you did not do this please reflash to F4 in Qflash NOT @BIOS and do it that way it is a MUST

If no luck let me know and I will post a template to get you to post back all you MIT settings for me

[Mek]

Re: GA-EP35-DS3L Processor Voltage Problem

Check In Integrated Peripherals And see if you have Legacy USB Storage Detect Disabled, if not disable it. This may help you there

Already had it disabled.

You Should also Disable TM2 and C.I.A.2 to do any overclocking.

Already had them disabled.

Also, whenever you update or clear CMOS and reflash the bios you HAVE TO choose load optimized defaults, then save and apply and reboot. Then go in bios and make your changes. If you do not do this then that could leave parts of the older BIOS code in the eprom, so if you did not do this please reflash to F4 in Qflash NOT @BIOS and do it that way it is a MUST

Over the past week i've reflashed all the way back to F1 (using Qflash) and then forward hoping to find one that didn't have this problem, unfortunately they all do; and yes i always load optimized after clearing an saving an exiting then going back in and setting up my config.

If no luck let me know and I will post a template to get you to post back all you MIT settings for me

Like i said it does retain the change until system is off for an extended period of time, CPU multi x9, 333 buss, PCIE 100, CIA2 Disabled, Perf. Enhancer Standard, memory x2.4, mem timings 4-4-4-12, mem advanced on auto, system voltage on manual, DDR2 v +0.3v, cpu voltage 1.45 with vdroop to 1.42.

I'm not gonna mess with it anymore, this is clearly a bios issue, many others are having the exact same problem getting it to retain this one setting on a cold boot.

I've been building systems since they started letting you purchase your own mobo's off of egghead, this is nothing new to me, only reason i posted here was because someone from Giga reads the posts here and that it might speed up a fixed bios. Didn't mean to imply that i needed help - sorry.

[Lsdmeasap]

Re: GA-EP35-DS3L Processor Voltage Problem

Ahh I got ya! Just trying to offer some suggestions. Yes there is some BIOS issues for sure

Good luck

[deVries]

Re: GA-EP35-DS3L Processor Voltage Problem

Am I frying my core duo with a GA-EP35-DS3L? Bought this new board 5-14-08 & manually set the CPU voltage to 1.3 volts @ 400Mhz x 9.5 = 3.8Ghz on an e7200. Wow!

Next, I installed SpeedFan (system utility software - google it) and freaked out to see the core voltage on the other 2nd CPU core was elevated to 1.9 volts vs 1.28v on the 1st core!!!! The temp was up 5-7 C on this 2nd cpu core too!!!
Isn't this 1.9 volts frying my second core and damaging the CPU???
Overclocking with Auto settings is even worse, because it uses 1.4 to 1.5 volts on the 1st core!!! It had the voltage up to 2 volts on the second core.

Help!!! Is this BIOS voltage problem destroying my CPU?

Also, I bought three of these Mboards, so should I try another one? Is this first system build possibly a defective MB or is this an BIOS issue with this MB or is this something else???

Thanks for your help.

The system is Vista 64bit with 8gigs of G.Skill 1000Mhz and this PS Rosewill - Price, Quality, Services

Air cooling with giant CPU heat sink and plenty of fan cooling support.

Edit: See post 7 just below. I was misinformed about what VCore2 was reading.

[Lsdmeasap]

Re: GA-EP35-DS3L Processor Voltage Problem

Use RealTemp to see your 45nm cpu temps, everything else just ahs not caught up yet, And I would assume you can disregard that voltage as well. I doubt it is correct. What does CPU-z Show for voltage (I know you say one core, but just asking)

If it was 1.9 your CPU would shut down instantly so that is just a misreading of a sensor

You could try another board, but likely will see similar readings, most apps are rarely spot on, and again most of the reporting apps have just not caught up with 45nm processes yet to get them any closer to being correct

[deVries]

Re: GA-EP35-DS3L Processor Voltage Problem

ATTN: SpeedFan Info about VCore2...

Use RealTemp to see your 45nm cpu temps, everything else just ahs not caught up yet, And I would assume you can disregard that voltage as well. I doubt it is correct. What does CPU-z Show for voltage (I know you say one core, but just asking)

If it was 1.9 your CPU would shut down instantly so that is just a misreading of a sensor

I found out that VCore2 in SpeedFan, which is an excellent freeware/donate program btw, is reading the MEMORY VOLTAGE. So everything was/is fine.

The FAQ and info at the SpeedFan website was not informative enough about VCore2... and I'm not knowledgeable about the ins-n-outs with overclocking... my mistake.

[Lsdmeasap]

Re: GA-EP35-DS3L Processor Voltage Problem

Ahh, glad you figured it out, RealTemp is also free. Did you need a link to it? Just ask because the way you worded that sounded like maybe you thought you had to pay for it.

Here is link and info/calibration page
Real Temp - CPU temperature monitoring

Here is the calibration info and calibration page as well
Real Temp - Documentation

I had not used speedfan in so long sorry about not knowing that vcore2 was your ram. I do know you usually have to configure them all though, I thought you had and was seeing that issue.

Either way, good to see you got it squared away

[ahg747]

Re: GA-EP35-DS3L Processor Voltage Problem

Hi I have am also experiencing the same problem with the GA-EP35-DS3L - you can set the CPU voltage and it will stick for a while, and then after a few days it will revert back to the default voltge, even though the bios settings show that it should be at a higher voltage.

It's very annoying, I hope GIGABYTE are working on a solution!!???

[Mek]

Re: GA-EP35-DS3L Processor Voltage Problem

Go to gigabytes website http://www.gigabyte.us/ and at the very bottom click contact, then scroll down again and click technical (it's in blue) and send them a notice about it.

I contacted them but it fell on deaf ears, they refuse to admit anything is wrong with the bios, they gave me every excuse they could think of then they ended it by stating overclocking results are not guarenteed, but the more people that let them know about it maybe they will atleaste investigate it, it's very easy to reproduce this issue.

[ahg747]

Re: GA-EP35-DS3L Processor Voltage Problem

Hi thanks for the tip I sent a complaint to Gigabyte as you suggested, hope it does something!

[Mek]

Re: GA-EP35-DS3L Processor Voltage Problem

You can go back after a day or 2 (weekends not included) and type in the e-mail you used in the lower block and it will check the status as to if they replied yet.

[deVries]

Re: GA-EP35-DS3L Processor Voltage Problem

First off i couldn't get this board to raise the voltage on the processor unless i reset the cmos, you could set whatever voltage you wanted but the bios wouldn't raise it, to make sure i just wasn't seeing vdroop i upped it a pretty good amount and checked it with cpu-z to confirm not changing, resetting the cmos fixed it.

BUT now whenever my system is shutdown for an extended period of time (like overnight) the bios sets the voltage back to default for the processor installed, which in my case means the system will reboot and lower my overclock. If i reset the cmos again i can then set the bios back up and reboot to my hearts content and even shut the system off for like 2 hours and it remembers, but if it's a long period of time then it gets set back to default.

NOTE your words: ...the system will reboot and lower my overclock... IMO, this is the problem... your OVERCLOCK is UNstable from a cold boot. I found this MB will automatically reset my bios changes as long as I used one single overclock UNstable setting. At first, I was very frustrated having this reboot & reset the bios automatically. Once I realized it would keep doing this UNTIL I creeped-up the overclock slowly I was able to get a good overclock that "holds" the bios settings. This board is very sensitive to this issue, so you can only overclock it by this method. ...or it will keep resetting the bios automatically. I have an e7200 CPU at 1.325 volts with 8gigs of memory at default voltage 1.9 volts at PC1000 and 3.8Ghz overclock 400 x 9.5. This MB rocks if you can creep-up to the correct settings, but if you want the ultimate tweak ability I would suggest a more expensive MB board like a DFI P35 Lanparty -not Blood Iron. I'm going to use the DFI Lanparty P35 for my Q9450 CPU... because I want to tweak that baby perfectly into its perfect overclock zone with more precision. You get what you pay for... that DFI is $50-60 bucks more to do that, but that higher end CPU needs better tweaking than this board offers, IMO.

[Mek]

Re: GA-EP35-DS3L Processor Voltage Problem

What that line means as it says in entirety is that because the bios doesn't retain the higher voltage on the processor the bios then must lower the fsb so the system can boot.

This problem is not related to overclocking in any way, i have 2 of these boards purchased the first week in may off of newegg and did a test several days ago on both, NOT overclocking them at all, just raised the voltage up on each then verified in windows using cpu-z and shutem off for the night, in the morning booted them up, they went right into windows with no problems where i checked the voltage using cpu-z, which confirmed on both systems the voltage was not retained.

On one overclocked system it did retain the voltage for 3 days (may 7, 8, 9) which made me think it was solved, then it reset on the 4rth an i was @#$%, just like the other gentlemen that posted here, for some it lasts longer but eventually it WILL reset on you again, guaranteed.

I'm beginning to think it's related to ambient temperture and the raw power needed during a cold boot as to why it remembered those 3 days as it was warmer.

And you don't need to go threw all that just to overclock, it's pretty straight forward, i've been overclocking for 2 decades-only one i couldn't overclock was the P90, i usually prefer MSI or ECS but saw the giga with 45nm for much cheaper, like you said u get what u pay for (oh an no nasty vdroop on their boards), but with 3 bios revisions this issue should have been caught much sooner and is inexcusable.

And yes this is a great board, only one issue for them to solve, which i may add their original P35-ds3l had in revision F5 (google is your friend).

[deVries]

Re: GA-EP35-DS3L Processor Voltage Problem

This problem is not related to overclocking in any way, i have 2 of these boards purchased the first week in may off of newegg and did a test several days ago on both, NOT overclocking them at all, just raised the voltage up on each then verified in windows using cpu-z and shutem off for the night, in the morning booted them up, they went right into windows with no problems where i checked the voltage using cpu-z, which confirmed on both systems the voltage was not retained.

On one overclocked system it did retain the voltage for 3 days (may 7, 8, 9) which made me think it was solved, then it reset on the 4rth an i was @#$%, just like the other gentlemen that posted here, for some it lasts longer but eventually it WILL reset on you again, guaranteed.

Check my post today here:

• GA-EP35-DS3L Not Holding CPU Clock Settings in BIOS ???

• This may be a related problem???
• Did you write/mean that there was a similar problem in the previous version MB???
• If so, then you are certainly entitled to be miffed for this issue not being resolved yet!
• I may rma the board if I see more issues, unless there is a BIOS fix in the works??? Do you think this is just happening with some of these boards, or is this a design defect in every board?
• Thanks for your updates!