Possible issue with Samsung 830 128GB SSD

[Dragoth]

I could use the communities help with an issue. I recently upgraded my wife's computer with a new MoBo, CPU, Memory, and SSD Hard drive. (It is screamin' fast....when it's working right).

Here are the components I used:

MoBo: GIGABYTE GA-Z68XP-UD3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

CPU: Intel i5 2500k

Memory: G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-8GBXL

SSD Hard Drive: Samsung 830 128GB

I followed all relevant instructions for installing the SSD and have checked to make sure it was formatted correctly multiple times (I used windows install to format and install it).

Now I'm not sure if the issue is caused by the SSD or one of the other components in the system, but it will on occasion (usually once a week) simply crash, than upon reboot, it requires a start-up repair and/or system restore. It will run great for a week or so, than do it again. It will also occasionally have the screens go completely black and the system must be rebooted to get video back (I wonder if that one is caused by the computer somehow switching over to onboard video instead of the add on card).

I have ran the diagnostics included with the drive, and have checked the memory modules, all with no avail. I suspect hard drive due to the constant windows repair, but I am not sure how to check it. Any advice at this point would be appreciated! Has anyone else encountered a similar issue after an upgrade? Anyone have some tips on diagnostics before I start trying to get stuff warrantied?

Thanks everyone!

 

[rolli59]

Presuming she has a HDD for storage as well you could make another win install on that disconnect the SSD and see if the symptoms go away.

 

[hefox]

Make sure:
1. you have the ssd connected to the intel controller (Sata3_0) and not the marvell one.
2. you are using AHCI and not IDE.
3. you have latest bios version and drivers.
4. update your windows.
After all of this, you can start testing your components using different programs for each component.

 

[Dragoth]

Make sure:
1. you have the ssd connected to the intel controller (Sata3_0) and not the marvell one.
2. you are using AHCI and not IDE.
3. you have latest bios version and drivers.
4. update your windows.
After all of this, you can start testing your components using different programs for each component.

I'm almost 100% positive that 1. & 2. have been done, but I will definitely double check. I try to keep windows fully updated as well. ONLY thing I'm not positive of is whether or not the MB has the latest bios (drivers should all be up to date). I will double check them all though.

Presuming she has a HDD for storage as well you could make another win install on that disconnect the SSD and see if the symptoms go away.

That is definitely a solid option....although I'm lazy and hope it doesn't come to that lol

 

[Dragoth]

Well, I JUST got around to messing with the computer, been super busy lately. I sat down, updated all the drivers and made sure windows was completely up to date. I than double checked I was connected to the right port on the motherboard, than checked bios settings to make sure I was in AHCI mode. I than double checked within windows to ensure I was running in AHCI mode.

After that I updated the bios with the most current version, than reset all the settings. This update seemed to fix the hang I was experiencing right after post just before the windows load screen. It still seems a bit slow loading into windows (getting past the windows logo), but at least it loads consistently now, it used to hang on the windows logo for upwards 5-10 minutes.

I than updated the firmware to the most current on the Samsung 830. (Didn't lose any data ! YAY! ) We will see if it is finally fixed. If not, back to testing individual components. I'll update when/if I find out more!