My comp is has been having some strange behavior the last few months and I think I know what the problem is but am not sure. This is gonna be a long one and I apologize in advance for that. First off I'm running: C2D e6550 @ 2.9Ghz stock voltage eVGA 680i SLI mobo 6GB of Corsair XMS2 DDR2 800 GTX 260 core 216 (previously PNY 8800GT SLI) Creative X-Fi XtremeGamer Seasonic S12 e+ 650w PSU 1x Western Digital Caviar 200GB SataII(OS) 1x Maxtor 160gb SataII 1x Maxtor 500GB SataII 2x Western Digital Caviar Black 640gb SataII 1x Seagate 1TB SataII 2x 16x DVD-RW IDE Drives Windows 7 Ultimate 64bit (previously Vista Ultimate 32 bit) The problem is at totally random times (not even in game) the comp will: 1) freeze for 3-4 minutes then come back 2) freeze for 3-4 minutes at a time then come back for a split second and repeat endlessly until rebooted 3) Windows Explorer stops responding either for a few minutes or until reboot and sometimes that freeze will result in a BSOD. Also, sometimes during reboot the comp will be stuck on the bios screen due to the hard drives not detecting. And the only way to fix that is to physically go into the case, unplug then replug the SATA cables from either the mobo or the drive. (HIGHLY ANNOYING) These problems were present on my last copy of Vista 32 bit also so I'm pretty sure Windows isnt the problem. In my attempt to solve the problem: I've reinstalled windows a few times both with Vista and Seven. Purchased a new WD 200gb thinking it may have been a bad OS drive. Returned all bios, CPU and memory clocks back to stock. I thought it could have been my CPU and memory drawing too much power from being overclocked but even on stock clocks the problem exists. I also reseated the CPU 2-3 times. I thought maybe the 8800GT SLI was using too much power but I picked up a GTX 260 3 days ago and the problem still exists and from what I've read in reviews the 260 uses less power than 2 8800GTs. System temps are all very stable. So I believe the problem stems from my PSU being insufficient. When I bought it in 2006 it was listed as SLI Certified for my (then) 7900GT SLI. But of course those draw less power. The only thing about the problem potentially being the PSU is these problems arent happening under load, they happen when just browsing the net and folders on drive. However if it is the PSU I am more than willing to return the 260 and put the money towards a new PSU. A second/third/fourth opinion would be greatly appreciate.
We could try a few tests to check the system stability, not for temps, just to see if the CPU or RAM is on the point of failing. Give your RAM a memtest86 run. It will tell you if your RAM is faulty. www.memtest86.com Also, try a good, long pass at Prime95. http://files.extremeoverclocking.com/file.php?f=103 Goliath has a good point, however biased. What is your stock CPU voltage? Minimum stock? Maximum stock?
Intel lists the voltage range to be 0.85-1.5 volts. My mobo is set to automatically regulate voltage but whenever I boot into bois its at 1.34v and CPU-Z shows idle voltage as being 1.424. Ill run those progs and report back!
So I ran Prime95 for 20 minutes with no errors or warnings. Ran Memtest with 0 errors. So it looks like its not the memory, cpu, videocard, or hard drives. That just leaves the mobo and PSU. How should I go about figuring out which it is? I'm thinking about returning the GTX 260, putting the 8800GT SLI back in and putting that money towards a 950w-1kw. Then if the problem persists that pretty much means its the mobo and I can just replace that.
How old is the PSU and do you have another that you can test with? Ideally you should run Prime95 for a few hours, but thats only for system stability checks.
I thought maybe updating the bios might help only problem with that is I cant find them anywhere. They are no longer hosted on eVGA's website and I've been on google for the last 10 minutes trying to find a legit source.
It looks like their whole FTP server is down. Not even the X58 Sli Classified BIOS is downloadable. Check their forums and see if there is anything about that there.
Well in the mean time... Say it is the mobo. What would you guys recommend replacing it with? Doesnt have to be an SLI board because Im not fond of SLI.
Well I just got the bios flashed. I'll know by the end of tomorrow if the problem still exists. The GIGABYTE GA-EP45-UD3R is one of the highest rated P45 boards on Newegg so if I have to I'll pick up one of those. I'm hating myself for not paying more attention to the boards that were current back then. I got the 680i hot off the shelves and never looked back.
Sounds like a PSU going bad with voltage/current issues. May look into either a replacement or RMA. deltatux
I've always closely monitored system temp and it overheats. If it was a failing CPU dont you think the problem would exist more while the CPU is under load? This only happens when just browsing, never when doing anything CPU intensive.