FX 4300 Only 3 cores used (?)

[Sagu]

So I have weird problem. My Quad-core amd fx 4300 is only using its 3 cores...even in task manager and CPU-Z its showing only 3 cores being active? What the hell is going on?
Ps I installed it just today.

 

[TripleHeinz]

Hello guys, I've been watching your troubleshooting and must say to the OP to not mess with a BIOS update. Motherboard version 6.0 F2 BIOS is the latest one and has nothing to do with F2 nor any Fn BIOS from previous versions.

The FX-4300 processor in v6 has been supported since F1 BIOS: http://www.gigabyte.com/support-downloads/cpu-support-popup.aspx?pid=5195

 

[Sagu]

Okay, so do you have any idea, why it only uses 3 cores instead of 4? We tried everything. :C

 

[TripleHeinz]

Okay, so do you have any idea, why it only uses 3 cores instead of 4? We tried everything. :C

It could be a setting in the BIOS. Try setting your BIOS to CMOS factory default, reboot and if it doesn't work then mess with core options in the BIOS. Check if your BIOS has an option called Active CPU Cores or ACC. Try disabling cores 5-6 in BIOS leaving 1-2 and 3-4 enabled.
What version of Windows do you have? Does it have the latest patches from Windows Update? If I recall correctly, Windows 7 and 8 needed an update or processor driver to recognize Bulldozer (and up) architecture features.

This issue doesn't make much sense to me. The FX-4300 has 2 modules and should recognize a 2/2 or 4/4 setup, but a 3/3 smells fishy. There are thousands of users in this forum with an AMD FX processor, I wonder what they get in CPU-Z.

 

[mjslakeridge]

Triple: I think you are right about the F2 Bios being the correct one for ver 6. I was on the wrong motherboard version page of Gigabytes CPU compatibility guide, which would explain why the OP was unable to update the BIOS using @Bios.

With the FX6300 in CPU-Z I get 6 cores, 6 threads.

Do you also suspect a defective CPU or is it too early to tell?

 

[1991ATServerTower]

Try disabling cores 5-6 in BIOS leaving 1-2 and 3-4 enabled.

That's what I was going to suggest also. With a 4 core (two module) CPU installed, you shouldn't have the option to enable cores 5 & 6. You clearly don't have the option to enable cores 7 & 8, as you would when using an 8 core (4 module) CPU. The issue could well be that the BIOS has an bug and it's trying to make sense of the third module that isn't actually there.

Ps. There aren't any "logical cores" on AMD FX processors. They're all real hardware ALUs (unlike Intel's Hyperthreading, where 1 physical ALU does two things at once).

 

[Sagu]

Well I dont have that option to enable Core 5 or 6. That was just an example screenshot I took from internet, sorry I forgot to mention that.
BTW, I have a windows 10 Pro 64-bit.

I wrote to Gigabyte about the possible bug in BIOS software, but they didn't replied yet.

 

[mjslakeridge]

Thanks guys for jumping in on this one. I was barking up the wrong tree with the BIOS versions. So I take it that with each motherboard revision, they will start out with a new series of BIOS versions, F1, F2, etc.? If that is the case, for the "average" person, it would make it harder to determine the correct BIOS to use with a given CPU, as I would guess that a good majority of users (not the experts on Toms) don't pay much attention to motherboard revisions.

And ya, I knew that AMD really doesn't have "logical" cores, it is just easier to use that terminology than to describe the actual architecture.

Sagu: Did you buy the Motherboard and CPU online or from a retail store? My guess continues to be that you got a defective CPU (hope I'm wrong), and if you bought locally perhaps you could bring it back and have them test it in one of their rigs.

 

[TripleHeinz]

Do you also suspect a defective CPU or is it too early to tell?

I'm counting on a faulty motherboard. The only case I could think of a half working CPU is when the user bends a pin on installation.

The only way to tell is testing the CPU in another motherboard from a different brand and when doing so check the CPU for a missing or bend pin.

 

[Sagu]

Sorry to kept you waiting guys. I tried few different thing and one of them was re-installing Windows 10 compleatly. After the fresh install the 4th core "magically" appeared and its all working fine now. Thank you very much for everyone for help, Solved.

 

[mjslakeridge]

Good for you! I wouldn't have suspected a Windows issue.