[reforrest]

AMD 6400+ 3.2 Duel Core
2 gigs G.Skill Ram PC800 (Checked GHz @ 1.85, duel channel)
Gigabyte DS5 (Bios F4)
BFG 8800 GTX (Driver 169.21)
OCZ 700W

Older Parts I used:

2x 10,000 RPM SATA WD Raptors 70 gigs each
Plextor CD/CDRW IDE
Plextor DVD/DVDRW SATA

Symptoms:

Happens While unzipping files, transfering files from a DVD (Havn't checked CD's), Defraging, deleteing files

What ever I'm doing seems to freeze by it's self, I can still open up new windows (most of the time) and Ctrl+Alt+Del to check CPU useage. I've not seen this CPU under a 100% load yet. I tried a CPU burn in program but I don't think it would work with a duel core, it peaked at 50% load.

Heat doesn't seem to be an issue one bit.

Ran a PCPitstop benchmark and it said my Graphics card was running "unusually slow". I'm not sure why though, other than that test everything else seems to be running fine, games included.

Any ideas?

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Heat doesn't seem to be an issue one bit.

Why do you not believe it's heat, the 6400+ chip is a fairly hot chip to begin with. Have you used any software to confirm this?

Can I have a link to your memory, all the G.Skill PC2-8000 and PC2-6400 require more then 1.85 voltages that I can see, except one set that can go up to 2.0V if needed.
James

[james_8970]

Heat doesn't seem to be an issue one bit.

Why do you not believe it's heat, the 6400+ chip is a fairly hot chip to begin with. Have you used any software to confirm this?

Can I have a link to your memory, all the G.Skill PC2-8000 and PC2-6400 require more then 1.85 voltages that I can see, except one set that can go up to 2.0V if needed.
James

[reforrest]

Appreciate the help

http://www.newegg.co...N82E16820231098

I saw were several guys mentioned that they had to up the GHz to 1.90 which I've just recently done. Runs stable but I'm not sure if it's made a difference. I could push it up to 2.0 I guess, then find a big rar file to unzip to test. I'll do that in a min here.

One of the things I'm starting to notice is that every time I get this behavior I'm using one of my 2 WD HDs. Unfortunately it's my C:\ drive. It could be a coincidence though.

For the heat, I've used several software programs and glanced at the temp in the bios, one is called I-Cool, the other one I use was from the Nvidia video card driver . I bought the Zelman 9500 which I've recently heard was one of the worst but it seems to run really well. My CPU temp doesn't seem to go beyond 35C while idle, and I've not seen it go past 43C+/- on heavy loads.

My GPU usually stays around 73F-75F, I've not been able to catch it at full load but I've checked this right after running a demanding game on full settings. Like I said, PC pit stop is telling me this thing isn't running as fast as it should but it's doing a great job as far as I can tell. The program I used to check the temp on this ran in Fahrenheit, so thats why I listed that way and not Celsius.

I guess it's possible that this is just the way the system runs but I guarantee you my older setup was much faster. I never saw rar files that took this long, or game installs for that matter. I tried to delete a file yesterday and I'm not kidding, it took near 15-20 min. It was big but I've never seen a file take that long to delete... insane.

I'm starting to wonder if it isn't something wrong with the mobo drivers, just the funky stuff that happens seems like it right up that alley. It hangs every now and agian on rediculous stuff. Like I said though, I'm still able to pull up other windows like normal while this is happening... strange.

Again, I appreciate you taking the time.

[james_8970]

I saw were several guys mentioned that they had to up the GHz to 1.90 which I've just recently done. Runs stable but I'm not sure if it's made a difference. I could push it up to 2.0 I guess, then find a big rar file to unzip to test. I'll do that in a min here.

Yes, up the voltage to 2.0V and see what happends. I suggest using Memtest to verify for errors on your sticks.

Click this for a guide to using Memtest
Click this to download Memtest
Run it overnight if possible.

I bought the Zelman 9500 which I've recently heard was one of the worst but it seems to run really well.

Nothing wrong with this heatsink, there are better out there, but it'll be sufficient to cool your CPU.
I want to see another programs opinion. Please download speedfan here
Please tell me what the load temperatures (this will be located beside Core0 and Core1) are after running at. If you don't have a stress testing program, I'd suggest running Orthos which can be found here.

This issue is indeed odd, we'll try to tackle it one issue at a time. At this point in time, I belive your CPU is trottling. This is a safety measure put in place to drop the clock speed in an attempt to reduce heat output if a CPU gets to a certain temperature.
James

Edited by james_8970, 08 March 2008 - 12:09 PM.

[reforrest]

OK, this is what I did and I'm not sure that I did it right.

Inside my bios I changed what I thought was the RAM voltage, and this is the step by step:

In bios

-chose "MB Intelligent Tweaker (M.I.T.) (inside there was this)
---Mem Clock
----DDR 800 (It always says this no matter how much voltage I put in it.)
---DDR2 Voltage Control
----+.15V (This is the setting I put it on)
----2.00V (This is what was next to that setting in blue)

Reboot fine, no problems. Actually seemed faster.

I checked CPU-Z and it listed the RAM as 1.8V, heres pics:
http://i5.photobucke...rest/CPUZ_1.jpg
http://i5.photobucke...rest/CPUZ_2.jpg

I then ran SpeedFan and this is a pic of that:
http://i5.photobucke...st/SpeedFan.jpg

Then ran Orthos and SpeedFan to do a quick test and it stopped the program at around 4.5 min into it. I was getting a steady beep (off, on) evenly spaced until I shut down Orthos. Heres a pic of SpeedFan and Orthose:
http://i5.photobucke...rest/Orthos.jpg

So it looks like there is a head issue after all, or I confused and don't know what the heck I'm doing.

Also, my case only has two fans, they're both running but it only lists one fan running. The mother board doesn't have fans on it, just copper tubes and plates to disperse the heat. So it registers two fans empty.

I've left this as it is, should I reset the Voltage on the RAM for now?

Edited by reforrest, 08 March 2008 - 01:05 PM.

[james_8970]

When you enter the BIOS, are you saving and exiting after making changes? It's extremely odd that your BIOS would show that +0.15V would equal 2V for your memory because that's incorrect if true
I don't think that test would stop because of a heat issue as it's not tied with the thermal probes on your hardware. The beep from your computer does sound like overheating and speed fan suggests it as well. The fact that that test stresses both your RAM and CPU would mean that the RAM could be causing it. I need you to do three things. The voltages you see in CPU-Z are not current voltages, rather they are SPD value. These are programmed into the chips for maximum compatibility with motherboards.

1. You're going to need to re-seat your CPU heatsink. How much thermal paste did you apply to your chip? Was it pre-applied? Are you sure that the heatsink is properly secured to the motherboard?
2. Can you give me a picture of your BIOS? I'm worried that you may be changing an improper voltage on your motherboard. Though, you may have just forgotten to change the settings while exiting the BIOS.
3. Run memtest to rule out a memory issue.
James

Edited by james_8970, 08 March 2008 - 08:37 PM.

[stettybet0]

1.85V+0.15V = 2V, no? (Assuming, as you did, that when the OP said the RAM was at 1.85ghz, he meant 1.85V, as DDR2-800 RAM can't possibly run at 1.85ghz)

Anyways, the steady beeps from Orthos indicate that it has failed the stress test. This is typically caused by instability, which could be due to incorrect voltages, faulty hardware, or overheating. What error message does Orthos display?

[james_8970]

1.85V+0.15V = 2V, no? (Assuming, as you did, that when the OP said the RAM was at 1.85ghz, he meant 1.85V, as DDR2-800 RAM can't possibly run at 1.85ghz)

Except that default DDR2 voltages are 1.8V not 1.85V.

This is typically caused by instability, which could be due to incorrect voltages, faulty hardware, or overheating. What error message does Orthos display?

The screen shots that the user provided show a hardware failure. Speed fan shows an overheating processor. Therefore there are two issues at play. Orthos will not stop due to a specified temperature, it has no been updated for a long time and does not know the thermal specification of newer chips if any at all.
James

[reforrest]

When you enter the BIOS, are you saving and exiting after making changes?

Yes. Could it be possible that the "F4f" bios is faulty?

It's extremely odd that your BIOS would show that +0.15V would equal 2V for your memory because that's incorrect if true

It steps up in ".5" segments. the options are [.5,.10,.15] so I put it on ".15" to give the blue number indicator beside that option the value of "2.00V"

I don't think that test would stop because of a heat issue as it's not tied with the thermal probes on your hardware. The beep from your computer does sound like overheating and speed fan suggests it as well.

The beeping continued until I shut down Orthos. The program itself stopped but didn't give any specific errors. You can see in the picture, I know it's hard but it's inside the red box. There is states:

1 errors- 0 warnings
exicution haulted

The fact that that test stresses both your RAM and CPU would mean that the RAM could be causing it. I need you to do three things. The voltages you see in CPU-Z are not current voltages, rather they are SPD value. These are programmed into the chips for maximum compatibility with motherboards.

So it is possible that they are @ 2.00 voltage and CPU-Z isn't correctly identifying them?

1. You're going to need to re-seat your CPU heatsink. How much thermal paste did you apply to your chip? Was it pre-applied? Are you sure that the heatsink is properly secured to the motherboard?

I put roughly a pea sized amount right in the center. I had one [bleep] of a time connecting that [bleep] fan. It was one of the toughest things I've ever installed. It did slide around a bit while I was attempting to secure the heatsync.

Do you think I should use the stock heat sync instead of the zelman?

2. Can you give me a picture of your BIOS? I'm worried that you may be changing an improper voltage on your motherboard. Though, you may have just forgotten to change the settings while exiting the BIOS.

How can I get you a pic? I don't have any digital cameras or anything, will "print screen" work?

3. Run memtest to rule out a memory issue

Should I step down the RAM back to default before I do this?

Edited by reforrest, 08 March 2008 - 11:37 PM.

[reforrest]

So I ran memtest for 4 hours just to get an idea of how it would run. It did just fine but some of the info seemed off. I wrote down all the info for you.

Memtest86+ v2.01
Atholon 64 X2 3215 MHz
L1 cache: 128K 26349 MB/s
L2 cache: 1024K 6547 MB/s
Memory: 2047m 3490 MB/s
Chipset: AMD8 (ECC: Disabled)

Settings: RAM: 401 MHz (DDR803) CAS: 5-5-5-15 /DDR-2 (128 bits)
6 pass, 4 hours, 0 errors

First thing I noticed is that the RAM is showing 401MHz, and the DDR803, just odd. I don't know what to make of this other than the OC voltage I changed. I left it at those settings I posted (+.15v, 2.00v)

About the heat, my old case is what I'm using and it doesn't get good air flow. I'm thinking I'll get another one. The old one is...
LIAN LI PC-V2000B Black Aluminum ATX Full Tower Computer Case - Retail

It turns the mobo upside down, puts the power supply at the bottom. It only has 2 fans, and there is a metal mesh in the front and rear that prevents this case from move air like it should.

Any suggestions on a full tower case?

[reforrest]

Just a little update. I've been zipping and unzipping files and they're running pretty quick. I think that issue is resolved from changing the RAM voltage. So good to go there.

Now I guess I'm onto the heat issue, is it possible that SpeedFan is not giving the correct info?

[reforrest]

Small update. I moved all these new parts into a smaller case and put the stock fan onto the CPU. Seems to be running alot better now.

I just ran Orthos for 11 min. I know it's not long but it didn't crap out within 5 min this time. I ended it myself so I think it would run all night if I let it. I'll try that tonight and see if it works.

I think this system is running much more stable now. Thanks for your help.

[james_8970]

Any suggestions on a full tower case?

Can you give me a budget and your future intended uses for this case (do you want to have space for 5+ hard drive, plans of SLI, etc.)?
Are you sure you don't want to try replace the case or improving the cable management of your case. While the case you currently have isn't eaxctly great for airflow, it's not bad.

Now I guess I'm onto the heat issue, is it possible that SpeedFan is not giving the correct info?

Yup, which is the next thing I was going to adress after we had gotten the RAM issue out of the way. Since memtest has passed without errors, your memory should no longer be an issue.

• Download and installEverest Ultimate Free trial
• Open Everest Ultimate Free trial
• In the left panel click Computer
• Click sensor

Now you should be able to use this program as a second opinion on the situation at hand. I recommend you use both speedfan and everest and see if they have similar results while running orthos for 1 hour minimum. If your temperatures exceed 65*C at any point, stop the test immediatly.
James

Edited by james_8970, 09 March 2008 - 10:29 PM.

[reforrest]

I tried to run Orthos agian last night and the thing set off the "bells and whistles". It only ran for 11 min this time. I did that last night before you posted.

I'm also getting graphicail glitches and crap from my video card. I'm thinking that this video card is defective or something. I only have 15 more days to RMA parts so I figure at some point I need to determine what's defective here within that time frame.

I have some interesting info for you from everest. It's showing my CPU idle at 82c... What the.... How is this even possible. What can I do about this? I put the stock fan back on it. The stock fan had CPU "tape" and there was CPU paste left from the other Zelman fan, on top of the CPU when I set it.



None of these programs seem to recognize my Mother board. I know it's still fairly new but it's a pain to not see some of the info.

Is it possible that by uping the Voltage in the ram that it also effected the CPU too? I'm thinking that could be the reason for the high heat.

Edited by reforrest, 10 March 2008 - 01:18 PM.

[reforrest]

SpeedFan and Everrest idle