Upgrade from P8600 to QX9200

Hi, I have a Asus N81Vg-x1 that came with a p8600. I ordered a qx9200 off of ebay. I have the latest BIOS update in my notebook. BIOS detects the cpu, and I am able to get to grub. However no matter what operating system I try to run. Windows7, Debian Linux x64, gentoo x64, OSX86 boot disc, every single one of them locks up at the exact same time. The machine is able to run MEMTEST86 perfectly fine.

Core 2 Duo P8600 2400 MHz 3 MB 1066 MT/s 9x 1.00V - 1.250V 25 W Socket P

Core 2 Extreme QX9200 2400 MHz 12MB 1066 MT/s 9x 1.050 - 1.175 V 45 W Socket P

Is there anyone out there that has any ideas on what's going on here?

 

Can you be more specific? And is there an error message or anything of the sort?

 

There is no error message. It just halts.

For example. after I leave grub and boot to my linux kernel. It halts at the same point. It's just a message like "loading linux kernel" No out-of-the-ordinary messages.

At windows it halts at the same time. Safe mode doesn't work as well.

I've tried to disable the cores when booting to linux, (maxcpus=1, maxcpus=2)

I have tried osx86 boot discs, winxp x32 boot disc, gentoo 2008.0 AMD64, debian amd64, ubuntu x86, ubuntu x64, vista x64. Every single one of them halts at the same point.

I have a ubcd (ultimate boot cd), and it boots and runs the cpu stress test fine. When I select memtest86 on the linux boot cds, it runs completely fine.

It appears as if it is capable of running legacy code. I recall when I used gentoo and selecting my gcc flags to optimize it for my cpu. It's like it's capable of running generic code, but nothing that's "optimized"

 

Just to clarify, this isn't any sort of ES is it? Have you tried vista 32 or 7 32?

 

Yes, it is an ES :| But it is the QAVS model, which is E0 stepping.

 

Are you sure that the BIOS itself supports the Core 2 Quad?? The Asus N81 is a 14" laptop. I have yet to see ANY 14" notebook that uses a Quad core CPU. Some people were trying to get a Core 2 Quad working in the high end Asus G50. Didn't work.

Frankly, I'm surprised that it gets as far as it does.

 

But what I'm wanting to know here is, what is it specifically that's limiting this cpu from functioning fully. I'm not going to just write this thing off as "oh, I guess it's just cause my notebook is 14."

Some people are suspecting TDP. There's the n81vp that uses a T9550 with a 35W TDP. So I don't think that just jumping up to 44W is going to make that much of a difference, even if that was the case, that's something that I haven't yet been able to get to, as this thing will not do much.

I know for a fact the chipset supports the cpu:
http://ark.intel.com/chipset.aspx?familyID=35515

I'm just wanting to know what the actual problem is here. The seller told me that I can send it back and that he'd send me an x9100, but I'm not giving up yet!

 

Some motherboards, even with this chipset, do not support quad cpus. For example, all of HP's 15" and less notebooks, with the PM45, do not support quad cores. I am sorry, but it seems you are out of luck

 

14.1" does it actually have thermal problems? thats a brave decision of putting a quad into a 14" chassis...

 

Can't boot into any operating system so probably can't check.

That's my plan after my warranty is up in ~1.5 years.

 

could that be a limitation that is declared in the BIOS?

 

No, you have to do some research on your particular laptop. Sometimes you have to just try and see
If it doesn't support the quad, then the highest cpu you will be able to use is the t9900.

 

But in this case it seems that the bios does support it, or otherwise why would the notebook turn on?

Maybe you bought a bad CPU?

If you could try a different quad in your notebook and check.
Do you have a freind that would be willing to lend you their quad?

 

http://www.techarp.com/showfreebog.aspx?lang=0&bogno=362

Read that, it probably doesn't apply, however when I built my Asus Z84J and used a T7200, the operating system would lock up as soon as it loaded with that setting in the bios ENABLED, if you do have that setting in the bios try it both enabled and disabled.

Congrats on putting a quad in a laptop that isn't "supposed" to have it, i've been planning on doing that for a while now, you beat me to it.

 

dude i dont think ur laptop supports quad processors ...

 

but why am i able to run other code? If the laptop does not support the cpu, how am I able to run memtest86?

Btw, that cpuid may be onto something. I have noticed that in some instances it reports as a pentium III

 

yay, i do find that kind of strange. I hope you figure it out. It would be a shame if you can't get it to work.

 

Maybe that program you are running is old and it doesn't know your processor by number. The "Brand string" is just a stored string in the CPU and not normally used to identify the CPU type.

Maybe your having power problems when all cores are fired up.

If you want to try just one core then if there is an option in BIOS to disable cores this would be your best chance of starting on one core. Not sure if this will work but have you tried maxcpus=0 noapic acpi=off and get rid of quiet

 

Nice thread, it would be good to try a quad on my lappy, best of luck!.

 

There are alot of reasons as to why a <17" notebook is not supposed to support quad-cores, and to prevent this ODMs usually have the BIOS limited to recognise the CPU and prevent the OS from booting, or the CPU not being recognised at all.

I doubt ASUS would help you know the cause of the lockup. Usually BIOS details and update histories include such info about what the notebook or BIOS is supposed to do when an incompatible CPU is installed. These are usually available in txt files on the ODM's FTP site.

 

I thought I was slick and was tinkering with my BIOS... I found some authoring tools for the AMI BIOS, so I was picking apart a G71 BIOS and adding the CPU modules to my n81 BIOS.

The only reason I considered doing this was because I had read about how AMIBIOS had a recovery option, and I figured that if worst came to worst I would just have to follow the procedure and use a usb floppy drive (which I had near by)

Well now the system will not do anything LOL. I feel like an idiot. Oh well. Anybody got any suggestions? MAN. I just got done telling my father that I could give him my sony notebook, and that nothing would every happen to my ASUS. He said "just keep it for a while incase something happens to your other one"

 

lol, usually messing around with the BIOS isn't a very good idea...

 

Is the bios chip removable?
can you find somewhere to buy a new chip?

 

You could "hot flash" the chip.

here is a guide:
http://www.overclock.net/faqs/102206-how-hotflash-your-bios-chip.html

Edit: another guide:
http://www.techarp.com/showarticle.aspx?artno=62&pgno=1

there are plenty on the net.

 

Well if worse comes to worse then I offer to buy your processor for $200.

 

I'm sure if worse comes to worse then bense can buy a new motherboard.
Or take it to a repair shop, they may be able to flash the bios chip.

 

I'm trying to fix my BIOS, not understand menopause

 

lol 10 char

 

RMA'd the notebook back to ASUS.

Unfortunately, it looks like this story has come to an end. I am returning the QX9200 to the seller.

I am planning on picking up a T9400.
t9400, 2.533 GHz, 6MB L2 Cache, 1066MHz FSB, 9.5 multiplier, 35 W TDP

the t9900 is identical except that it's got a 11.5x multiplier, so 3.066 GHz.

the money spent / power gained just isn't worth it for the t9900. I wish that I could have gotten the qx9200 working, I could have really knocked out some work units then

 

can you elaborate on this some more?