Gigabyte FXA990 UD3 Unstable

[Mike Balod]

I recently purchased new parts for an upgrade to my current machine. I got everything setup and built last Friday and the computer ran like a dream over the weekend. I woke up on Monday morning to find that while the case light were on the computer itself was off (although the fans were running). I powered down the computer, waited and tried to turn it back on but it would not respond. After several attempts I managed to get the BIOS splash screen and it stated that the BIOS had become corrupted and was being fixed. That finished and the computer rebooted back to the BIOS splash and then booted windows. I got into windows for about ten minutes and the computer seemed to shutdown again ( no video, no keyboard/mouse) but the lights on the case and the fans are still running. I have tried clearing the CMOS by removing the mobo battery but the problem still persists. Now the machine will only POST if I let it sit there for about two hours and then cold boot. Then it will boot and load windows only to cut off again randomly, normally within 3-5 min. The only software that is loaded on this computer was the OS, MS Office 2K10, and DCS - A10C.

I have updated the Bios to the most current one for the mobo. I have tested the PSU and it checks out (as it should for being brand new), the RAM is also good.

I went through Toms troubleshooting guide and tried to boot with just the bare minimums (cpu, one stick of ram, etc) but the problem persists.

Please HELP!!!!

PS - Nothing is overclocked, everything is running at default settings.


Hardware: Everything listed below is brand new except for the RAM, CPU, and HDDs which worked fine in the last computer.

CPU (AMD FX4300 Vischera 3.8Ghz Black Edition w/ Antec KUHLER H2O 920 Liquid Cooling System)
RAM (OCZ Gold AMD Edition 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800)
Motherboard (GA-990FXA-UD3 Rev 3.0 FA)
Video Card (PNY GTX660 TI 2GB)
PSU (Corsair CX750 750 Watt)

Other Hardware Information :
Monitor - (ASUS 24in Wide LCD)
HDD/SSDs - (Samsung 128GB SSD x 1, WD 1 TB HHD x1, WD Raptor 180 GB HDD x1)
Other PCI/PCI-X Cards
Optical Drives - (DVD/RW Drive)

Software Information:
Operating System : Windows 7 Pro 64

 

[Xttony]

Go for a motherboard replacement as it is still in warranty, try different ram cards in different slots one card at a time.

 

[Wisecracker]

Verify that your backup BIOS is the same as your main BIOS.

 

[Mike Balod]

Verify that your backup BIOS is the same as your main BIOS.

Where/how do I check that?

 

[Calvin7]

Your BIOS version should be okay, it is your default settings that are the problem.

(OCZ Gold AMD Edition 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800)

The memory (DRAM voltage) may require 1.65 volts instead of the standard 1.5 volts. The memory clock and the DRAM timings should also be manually entered in the BIOS.

For example,
Model OCZ3G1600LVAM4GK
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227448

•DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800)
•Timing 8-8-8-24
•Cas Latency 8
•Voltage 1.65V

You can change the BIOS setting from Auto to Manual for the Memory Clock.
8X corresponds to 1600MHz

DRAM Voltage can also be changed.

DRAM Timings can also be changed from Auto to Manual. The first four number beginning with the Cas Latency are the Timings.

You should read the label on your memory sticks for more information.

 

[Mike Balod]

Your BIOS version should be okay, it is your default settings that are the problem.

(OCZ Gold AMD Edition 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800)

The memory (DRAM voltage) may require 1.65 volts instead of the standard 1.5 volts. The memory clock and the DRAM timings should also be manually entered in the BIOS.

For example,
Model OCZ3G1600LVAM4GK
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227448

•DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800)
•Timing 8-8-8-24
•Cas Latency 8
•Voltage 1.65V

You can change the BIOS setting from Auto to Manual for the Memory Clock.
8X corresponds to 1600MHz

DRAM Voltage can also be changed.

DRAM Timings can also be changed from Auto to Manual. The first four number beginning with the Cas Latency are the Timings.

You should read the label on your memory sticks for more information.

Will try this when I get home from work tonight. I have also got some spare RAM from another machine I could try. All I have is the serial/part number though (NT4GC64B8HG0NF-DI), I Googled this and it appears to be form the Nanya brand. I searched their site and found a PDF matching the serial/part number but its like 6 pages of technical gibberish that I really dont understand (http://www.nanya.com/PageEdition3.aspx?Menu_ID=110&def=210&lan=en-us). So how would I find the timings for this RAM so that I can test it out as well?

 

[Wisecracker]

Verify that your backup BIOS is the same as your main BIOS.

Where/how do I check that?

Updating Backup BIOS to same revision as Main BIOS

My GB 990FX -UD3 ran like a dog, was always crashing and over-volting, would not unlock cores, and would barely OC.

This fixed it 😀 hope it helps you ...

 

[Mike Balod]

Verify that your backup BIOS is the same as your main BIOS.

Where/how do I check that?

Updating Backup BIOS to same revision as Main BIOS

My GB 990FX -UD3 ran like a dog, was always crashing and over-volting, would not unlock cores, and would barely OC.

This fixed it 😀 hope it helps you ...

Thanks! Will try this as well when I get home.

 

[Mike Balod]

Well guys,

I tried all the recommendations posted here and nothing seemed to work. The computer only comes on now after I shut the PSU down, unplug it, and leave it for about an hour. I tried resetting the CMOS but that made no difference what so ever. When it does come on it works like a dream but that is very short lived as it randomly shuts off after about 10-15 min of being turned on and logging into windows.

If I cant find a solution in the next couple of days I may just have to RMA the Mobo. 🙁

 

[Wisecracker]

Here's the OCZ RAMs qualified for your motherboard

Have you run MemTest? How did switching your RAMs work out?

When you updated your BIOS, did you restore defaults prior to any tweaking ?

 

[Mike Balod]

I was not able to run Memtest as the computer does not stay "on" long enough to run it. I also tried running the machine with some other RAM with their specified settings as well but that did not seem to make any difference. I suspect the problem lies with either the Mobo or the PSU. And yes I reverted back to the default BIOS settings.

I did find this post this morning while searching for a solution: (See final post in the thread below)
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/267389-29-antec-error

Now I am not getting any CPU-Fan errors like this guy, but because the Antec KUHLER H2O 920 Liquid Cooling System connects to the CPU-Fan on the Mobo and I have not changed the BIOS settings for the CPU SMART Fan control (default is Auto) could this cause the PC to shut down as it does not recognize the Antec cooler as a normal CPU Fan?