Archived from groups: alt.comp.periphs.mainboard.asus (
More info?)
Yes, it is too hot to touch via my finger for more than a couple of
seconds. Took the case off to see if that helps. Also, used a can of
compressed air upside down to cool it temporarily. Has been up 24hrs
now, but sometimes it will go 2-3 days, then crash 3-4 times in one
day.
I did have the RAM voltage up to about 2.65 - 2.75 to see if that was
the instability issue, so that may have caused a temperature problem.
I will probably swap out the MB just to make sure.
By the way, this is the error I am getting. Windows online support
indicates a driver issue. However, I have updated everything, and
removed the latest SW I installed right before the problem started.
Error code 1000008e, parameter1 c0000005, parameter2 bf851b3c,
parameter3 b7b289e0, parameter4 00000000.
I am using Mushkin memory, so I may swap that too.
Thanks to all
Greg
nospam@needed.com (Paul) wrote:
>In article <mea9f0dagfgsp7tahufbn3kv5g60qg964p@4ax.com>, Greg Wilder
><greg.wilder@gte.nospam.net> wrote:
>
>> I have a homebuilt P4C800-E PC, with a 3.2GHZ P4. Not doing any
>> overclocking.
>>
>> Worked fine for about 4-5 months, then started getting random reboots
>> and BSOD. Have unistalled, upgraded, new ram, etc.
>>
>> My CPU temp is running around 49c. However, my Northbridge heatsink is
>> too hot to touch. Do you think I have a problem with the MB, or should
>> I look at an active cooler for the Northbridge.
>>
>> THanks.
>
>If you look up the power dissipation specs for the Northbridge, the
>family runs in the 12W range. Temperature can depend on how aggressive
>the memory components are, that you are using (i.e. DDR500 will make
>it warmer). When you bump up the Vdimm for your memory, that also
>bumps the 2.5-2.6V that feeds the Northbridge, which makes it hotter.
>
>I suspect, however, that some supply tied to that chip is way out of
>wack. It may not be a voltage which registers in the hardware monitor
>(a shortcoming I don't appreciate - all supplies should show up in the
>monitor, as all it would take is an analog mux to add them). Take a
>look in the hardware monitor anyway, to see if anything there looks
>out of line.
>
>I would RMA the board, before it destroys some of your other hardware,
>like your DDR memory for example.
>
>My rule of "thumb" is, if you cannot hold a finger on a heatsink
>for more than 2 seconds, it is running at 50-55C. By your description,
>yours is a lot hotter than that.
>
>Here are the absolute max voltage values for the 875P Northbridge:
>http://developer.intel.com/design/chipsets/datashts/25252501.pdf
>
>Absolute Maximum Ratings
>Symbol Parameter Min Max Unit
>VCC 1.5 V Core Supply -0.3 to 1.75 V
>VCC_AGP 1.5 V AGP Supply -0.3 to 1.75 V
>VCCA_AGP 1.5 V Analog AGP Supply -0.3 to 1.75 V
>VCC_HI 1.5 V HI/CSA Supply -0.3 to 1.75 V
>VTT VTT Supply -0.3 to 1.75 V
>VCC_DDR 2.6 V DDR System Memory Interface Supply -0.5 to 3 V
>VCCA_DDR 1.5 V Analog Supply for System Memory PLLs -0.3 to 1.75 V
>VCC_33 3.3 V Supply -0.3 to 3.6 V
>VCCA_FSB 1.5 V Host PLL Analog Supply -0.3 to 1.75 V
>
>Based on that list, I would expect to see a 1.5V supply perhaps tied
>to the same supply as the AGP I/O, a 2.6V Vdimm supply shared by
>Northbridge and DIMMs, and a 3.3V supply (could come straight from the
>PSU). VTT is also a separate supply. So, if any of those is
>radically wrong, or if the clock frequency being fed to the
>Northbridge is wrong, that will make the chip hot.
>
>It doesn't take a lot of air movement through the Northbridge
>heatsink, to cool it down. I worked on a 865G board last year
>that had a heatsink running at over 75C. That is because the
>heatsink got zero air flow. (It was in a weird low profile
>enclosure.) Adding a 40mm fan to the top of the heatsink
>brought it down to 37C, as measured by a portable
>digital thermometer. Again, if you find that blowing a little
>air over it, is not bringing it into the "touchable"
>temperature zone, there must be something seriously wrong.
>Amazingly, there wasn't a hint of instability on that board,
>even though the silicon die was probably running at 100C.
>That means your Northbridge is probably hotter than that.
>
>To measure any of the voltages above, you would probably have
>to flip the board up on edge, and access connections on the
>back of the board. This is not too practical for hobbyist
>purposes - you would need a clamp or something, to hold it
>vertical while you work on it.
>
>Another test you might want to try, is feel all the MOSFETs.
>These are the devices with the three leads coming out of them,
>of which there are a large number on the board. I expect you
>are going to find some of those are hot as well. Knowing
>which one or one(s) are hot, can help narrow down which supply
>voltage has gone nuts. (I have a P4C800-E, and no, I haven't
>figured out what all the MOSFETs do...) A poster yesterday,
>reported hot MOSFETs on another member of that family of boards,
>so you might see something similar. MOSFETs soldered to the board,
>are only good for one or two watts of power dissipation, before
>they get good and hot. That is one reason I'm not too happy to
>see Asus using them as part of linear regulators - they are fine
>until something on the board starts drawing a bit too much current.
>
>HTH,
> Paul
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