GA-Ma78Gm-S2h rev 1.1 system crashes

[hektor308]

I built this system a few months back and heres the problem. The system has never been stable.
Random system crashes. Just blank screen, then reboots.
Now, this machine is not meant to be high spec'd, its not for games. I only want if to write DVDs, hold and edit my music and photos and support my toys(mp3 player, gps). Someone might say it’s a conflict with some anti-virus software or my MP3 player driver but its had crashes before i installed these things.

I have run a driver scanner and all are OK and up to date.

I did get a lot of errors around the video driver but I've since installed the PCIe HIS HD4650 card and disabled the onboard video. Tried the latest video driver and it crashes worse than the drive than came with the box.

I've even changed the RAM.

What's left, the motherboard, the cpu and the PSU? I don’t want to throw $ away, but I need a strategy to trouble shoot and get some stability.

I may install WinXp and see how stable that is...

Any help Much appreciated!

Cheers,

Vic.

Gigabyte GA-Ma78Gm-S2h rev 1.1 Chipset AMD 780
CPU AMD Athlon 64 X2 6000+ @ 3000Mhz
Corsair Twin2X4096 6400C5 CL5-5-5-18, 2 by 2GB modules = 4GB.
Video HIS ATI Radeon HD 4650 512MB
HD Western Digital SATA II 640Gb
Network Realtek RTL8168/8111
Win Vista 64 Home Premium SP1
PSU Thermal Master 420W

 

[Twoboxer]

First thing I'd do is re-enable the onboard graphics and pull the vid card out. Your usage seems to indicate you can work without it.

If the system stabilizes, the issue is likely the graphics card/drivers or psu.

You could try running memtest to see if there's a memory error. Still possible after replacing memory, but often failures like this are not detected by memtest.

You could try running with one stick of memory and your graphics card. See if the system stabilizes.

You could also try boosting memory voltage levels just a tad. Often that is enough to stabilize memory and avoid the failure. If you need help there, someone else can chime in - I don't do AMD.

Keep track, work methodically, and let us know how you make out.

 

[bilbat]

I'm handicapped here, too, as neither do I 'do AMD', but a quick look at the manual raised a few questions for me:
I'm assuming that you have Internal Graphics Mode at 'disabled', but I wonder if the UMA Frame Buffer Size has to also be set back to "Auto' to let the on-board GPU quit referencing board memory? Might be something to try... Second is, did you remember to set the Init Display to reflect the location of your 4650?

If you're really thinking of swapping OSs to fix, I can't recommend Win7 enough - I can boot seven OSs, and I truthfully can't remember the last time I ran anything but 7/64; it's quick, it's stable as a rock, and even programs that refused to run under Vista64, displaying a '32-bit only' message, run under the compatibility manager in Win7; in addition, the 'install' drivers find all my hardware, and support it better than I've ever seen...

 

[hektor308]

I purchased the 4650 video card originally to see if that would solve the stability issue. Disabling the onboard graphics, or just setting the PCI card as primary and setting the UMA to auto??

OK, i've updated to the latest BIOS and cleared the CMOS as advised by gigabyte. No help.
I've tried running with just one RAM module, 2GB, still crashes. Tired increasing the voltage to the Ram, one step. No help.

I've also tried installing Win 7 RC. which has shown the same problems.

I have run a stress test on the system and it doesnt tend to fail under stress. Usually when i doing something simple.,Open an app, play a video, just checking thru folders and settings...


Next step, a total clean reinstall of Vista?

 

[Twoboxer]

Ah! You're saying the system was also unstable before you installed a vid card. So its likely not the vid card. Different memory, more voltage and still crashing says not likely the memory.

Leaves psu, mobo. Do you have another psu? That's the next most likely suspect.

(Even if all you have is a smaller psu available, this system crashed without the vid card, so you could pull the vid card if necessary to make a smaller psu work.)

 

[bilbat]

Um - I'm thinking hardware, if you're having similar problems under a couple different OSs. I believe we should start out by trying to 'base-line' the board, get a good starting point, and disable a few known troublesome features...

OK, i've updated to the latest BIOS and cleared the CMOS as advised by gigabyte.

As far as it goes, this should've been good advice, but they forgot a step - every time you load a new BIOS, you want to do a hardware 'clear CMOS' , but you want to follow it up by an "<F7> Load the Optimized BIOS default settings for the current submenus" (manual page 54, bottom) while on the main BIOS screen, and then an "<F10> Save all the changes and exit the BIOS Setup program". On reboot, re-enter the BIOS, and try the following:
on "Advanced BIOS Features" page:
"Surround View" to "Disabled",
"AMD K8 Cool&Quiet control" to "Disabled",
"Away Mode" to "Disabled";

on "Integrated Peripherals" page:
"Legacy USB storage detect" to "Disabled"; this item is problematic on all GB MOBOs, and yours sets it to "Enabled" by default; enabling it serves two functions: it allows a boot to a bootable USB device, and it allows the BIOS to 'see' USB devices, before the OS' USB drivers are loaded, if you want to, say, flash from a keydrive, or store parameter sets to a key (if your BIOS allows saves to an external device...); the problem is that it is notoriously buggy - it's the first thing I ask when people have 'reboot loop' problems - if it's left enabled, some USB devices (often older ones, but not predictably so) will cause it to cough and die, often unpredictably - therefore, I tell people to keep it disabled unless, that specific boot, they have a use for it...

on "Power Management Setup" page:
"ACPI Suspend Type" to "S1(POS)"


Ack - just got a phone call, gotta deal with something immediately - will be back, either tonight yet, or in the AM

Sorry...

Bill

 

[bilbat]

Sorry for the hiatus here -

Back to the matter at hand. Now we come to the basic questions about the video subsytem. We have, as I see it, to make a choice among three alternatives. First off, I assume you're only using one monitor, so on the "Advanced BIOS Features" page, we leave "Surround View" at its default - "Disabled", eliminating one source of problems. Our three remaining choices are: enable the on-board graphics and pull the PCIe card; disable the on-board graphics and use only the PCIe card; or, use 'em both, and try to get the Hybrid XfireX to work. My thinking is to get either one if the first two options to work well; then, if it seems provident to real-world performance needs, try to fiddle around with the third... All three of these options should work; unfortunately, half of the time we expend on tweaking home-builds is to seperate 'should' from 'doesn't!'

My guesses for the first option:
on the "Advanced BIOS Features" page:
"Onboard VGA output connect" to whichever means of connection you intend;
"UMA Frame Buffer Size" to "Auto" to start - can always tweak & measure performance effects later;
"Init Display First" to "Onboard"

Now, we get to where I'm confused: I could have sworn that I found the usual BIOS toggle for the actual operation of the on-board subsystem, and I must have been in the wrong manual (MA78GM-US2H vs. S2H...), but I can't see how the BIOS could omit this...
Which one are you seeing (first item is the important one...)?
A (US2H):

or B (S2H):

I can't fathom how the BIOS can function without this 'toggle' - perhaps the later versions of the BIOS correct this?

Anyway - if you have this item, for the first try - to use the on-board - set this item to "UMA"

Now, if this fails, and you want to try the PCIe card,
on the "Advanced BIOS Features" page:
"Onboard VGA output connect" shouldn't matter;
"UMA Frame Buffer Size" to "Auto" to start - again, this may enable the onboard to quit grabbing a frame buffer from main memory (or not - who knows!);
"Init Display First" to "PEG"
and again, if you have the "Internal Graphics Mode" item, for this try - to use the PCIe - set this item to "Disabled"

That should (again, that dubious word) do it - one or the other of these configs should at least run without bluescreens or unceremonious reboots!

 

[hektor308]

Hi Bilbat,
Thanks for this information, these are things i'd never have known about. I did all the first part of these bios settings last night and will complete these others after work.
Then its a matter of seeing if it still crashes.
I also ran WD hard drive test util which gave no errors, and memtest+ and windows memory test with no errors.
so i'll be hoping these bios tweaks help!

 

[hektor308]

Ah! You're saying the system was also unstable before you installed a vid card. So its likely not the vid card. Different memory, more voltage and still crashing says not likely the memory.

Leaves psu, mobo. Do you have another psu? That's the next most likely suspect.

(Even if all you have is a smaller psu available, this system crashed without the vid card, so you could pull the vid card if necessary to make a smaller psu work.)

Hi Twoboxer,

I guess i could spend some $ and get a psu more 'rated' but will hold off for now...

Unfortunately the only other PSU i have are in other machines. I'd rather not pull them apart... But i guess i will if nothing else helps.

Cheers,
Vic.

 

[gigabuser]

I have the same mobo and was recently trying to update to Win 7 64 bit with the same issues. Did you ever get a resolution for this?

 

[rainman_22]

@hectar
i also own d same config wt GA-MA78GM-S2H REV1.1 and amd athlon 5200 with onboard graphic chip from ati radeon
Cross checked my mobo from gigabyte centre with chip level verification changed processor too (previous processor got faulty. only god knows y)
i doubt its problem may be wt processor socket being am2 nd mobo is am2+
ny way if u solved d prob den pls let me know the solution

 

[rainman_22]

@hectar
i also own d same config wt GA-MA78GM-S2H REV1.1 and amd athlon 5200 with onboard graphic chip from ati radeon
Cross checked my mobo from gigabyte centre with chip level verification changed processor too (previous processor got faulty. only god knows y)
i doubt its problem may be wt processor socket being am2 nd mobo is am2+
ny way if u solved d prob den pls let me know the solution