Help Troubleshooting

Discussion in 'General Hardware' started by r3g, Dec 15, 2009.

  1. r3g

    r3g Maha Guru

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    GPU:
    AMD R9 270x
    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.
     
    Last edited: Dec 15, 2009
  2. Goliath182

    Goliath182 Master Guru

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    GPU:
    Sapphire 5970 Redline
    Sounds like a PSU/mobo problem. I am leaning more towards the mobo since its a 680.
     
  3. inklimited

    inklimited Ancient Guru

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    GPU:
    Gigabyte 6850 900MHz
    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. :p

    What is your stock CPU voltage? Minimum stock? Maximum stock?
     
  4. r3g

    r3g Maha Guru

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    GPU:
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    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!
     
    Last edited: Dec 16, 2009

  5. r3g

    r3g Maha Guru

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    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.
     
  6. SlayVus

    SlayVus Guest

    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.
     
  7. r3g

    r3g Maha Guru

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    I bought it in Dec 06 so its 3 years old. The only other I have is a 6 year old generic 300w.
     
  8. SlayVus

    SlayVus Guest

    Have you ran any SMART checks on the HDDs or ran any chkdsk or the like?
     
  9. r3g

    r3g Maha Guru

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    Ran chkdsk on all drives multiple times.
     
  10. r3g

    r3g Maha Guru

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    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.
     

  11. SlayVus

    SlayVus Guest

  12. r3g

    r3g Maha Guru

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    Ya I tried that link it didnt seem to work.
     
  13. SlayVus

    SlayVus Guest

    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.
     
  14. r3g

    r3g Maha Guru

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    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.
     
  15. Goliath182

    Goliath182 Master Guru

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    P45 if you dont plan on running SLI/Crossfire.
     

  16. r3g

    r3g Maha Guru

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    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.
     
    Last edited: Dec 16, 2009
  17. deltatux

    deltatux Guest

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    Sounds like a PSU going bad with voltage/current issues. May look into either a replacement or RMA.

    deltatux
     
  18. mrmonsoon

    mrmonsoon Master Guru

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    GPU:
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    I believe it is one of two things.

    1) Overheating, download and use cpuid hardware.

    2) Failing cpu.
     
  19. r3g

    r3g Maha Guru

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    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.
     
  20. Goliath182

    Goliath182 Master Guru

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    Hu? Not seeing your logic at all behind this one.
     

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