Random restarts when gaming, could it NOT be the video card?

[Anoobis]

This appears to be a new build, correct? Is this also a clean install of Windows?

BTW, I hope you did a thorough job of removing the old ATI drivers before installing the nVidia drivers. ATI has a tool you can download from their site that helps you do this. Not following through on this can lead to issues.

Also, what games, or game, are you playing that causes the restart? There could be issues with the game itself and certain (or all) drivers and a patch may have been released for it.

Also, were you controlling AA from the ATI driver, or from the game?

 

[holcar]

Yep this is a new build. 7900GT is still crashing when I'm gaming, played about 20 minutes of oblivion with 4xAA and was all good, then after about 25 minutes of BF2 it restarted. The sound kind of stopped and then did that thing where it loops the last like 0.01 seconds of audio so you just get a buzzing sound, that lasted for about 1 second along with a frozen screen then the system restarted itself.

Ok I ran memtest earlier, but to be perfectly honest I have NO idea how the error reporting works. I got a bunch of errors that I simply couldnt understand. Is there any errors in particular I should be looking out for? If my memory timings and frequencies were set wrong could this be a possibility? The BIOS showed it earlier as PC-3200, but sometimes it's PC-5300 or 5400 I can't remember. Here is a CPU-Z screenshot. It's marked as PC-6400 RAM. Could someone tell me EXACTLY what should be enetered into the BIOS so that this memory should run like it's suposed to?!

Slot 1 and 3 have the exact same for SPD.

ALSO for the record I can't seem to cofigure any optical IDE drives correctly, my current lite-on DVD-RW (noisiest p.o.s ever) does not show up in system information in the BIOS and I get a small error about it something about Jmicron. HOWEVER it DOES appear in the boot priority list and it DOES appear in windows. It can read CDs, and DVD's, but not blank discs or write to a blank disc. I get the same with other optical drives I have tested. Any suggestions?

The thing got through 3Dmark 06 flawlessly, apart from the CPU test seemed to be SO slow. I was averaging below one frame per second?! And it got 1600 or so 3D marks which seems pretty crap if I remember. I think that could be related to the memory? I have OC'd the E6300 to 2.48GHz using Asus's easy overclock utility, its set at 30% OC.


Thanks guys so far


edit: MS PAINT FTW!!!

 

[edelkin]

Actually, I did read his posts before posting, and he said he was GOING to run mem test overnight AFTER he received the card. So, i RE-READ his posts at YOUR request and i discovered that nowhere before my post had he said he TESTED the RAM and it was good. SO, go climb up someone else's rectum and sniff around.

And thanks for the spelling correction too. Too bad i typed exactly what i meant to SAY. I commonly say VIOLA instead of VOILA as in Franky "sweet music" Viola (who used to pitch for the Minnesota Twins back in their world series days). But i really do appreciate the corrections, especially when you are WRONG!

 

[Anoobis]

No offense verndewd, but did you read holcar's posts? You just tanked Edelkin the same way. The OP had not tested his memory and posted the results by the time Edelkin had suggested it. I'm sorry if my post offended you as offense was not it's intent. I just wanted to point out any other possible issues.

Sorry holcar I do not think your completely new at this, but some of your posts do sound a bit noobish. Please take no offense.

Any errors in memtest are usually unacceptable but in some cases some will happen depending on the hardware. When running memtest, check out which test is giving you errors. You might have to do a little googling on the specific test the errors occuring to see what they are related to and how to deal with them.

I would suggest that you return all your settings to stock, i.e. no overclocking yet and run your tests again. Your RAM may be ok, you just have to toy around with it's settings (voltage, speed, timings, etc) to get it to pass. Especially if you're going to OC it.

Regarding your optical drives, I'm not familiar with the 975X chipset, but some of the newer Intel chipsets have no legacy support for IDE and some manufacturers added the support in themselves. I'm not sure if this is the case with the 975X, actually I doubt it, but it is a place to start on your research.

 

[Slava]

VIOLA, that would be a stringed instrument

:lol: Or that tasty soft cheese in a box....

Ok I ran memtest earlier, but to be perfectly honest I have NO idea how the error reporting works. I got a bunch of errors that I simply couldnt understand. Is there any errors in particular I should be looking out for?

You do not need to understand what the errors mean but if MemTest displays any errors at all it is very likely that one or more of your memory modules are faulty. However, in your situation it is likely not the case. (See below.)

If my memory timings and frequencies were set wrong could this be a possibility? The BIOS showed it earlier as PC-3200, but sometimes it's PC-5300 or 5400 I can't remember. Here is a CPU-Z screenshot. It's marked as PC-6400 RAM.

Oh, man :!: :?: :idea: It looks like you have a messed up motherboard. The motherboard should detect the memory correctly (and consistently so) at all times. If it does not either something is completely messed up or you need to flash your BIOS with a newer version as the BIOS you have at the moment seems to be buggy.

Could someone tell me EXACTLY what should be enetered into the BIOS so that this memory should run like it's suposed to?!

You should not enter anything in the BIOS manually unless you are overclocking and you know exactly what you are doing. You should set everything to AUTO and memory timings by SPD.

ALSO for the record I can't seem to cofigure any optical IDE drives correctly, my current lite-on DVD-RW (noisiest p.o.s ever) does not show up in system information in the BIOS and I get a small error about it something about Jmicron.

Man, I am willing to bet that at this stage we can pretty much narrow your problem down to your motherboard. Either you have defective hardware or you need to get an updated BIOS + Flash utility from your mobo manufacturer's web site.

HOWEVER it DOES appear in the boot priority list and it DOES appear in windows. It can read CDs, and DVD's, but not blank discs or write to a blank disc. I get the same with other optical drives I have tested. Any suggestions?

See above.

The thing got through 3Dmark 06 flawlessly, apart from the CPU test seemed to be SO slow. I was averaging below one frame per second?!

CPU test will always be slow since during the CPU test your video card's graphics processing power is basically ignored and everything is rendered by the CPU alone. CPUs are not very good at this on their own.

I have OC'd the E6300 to 2.48GHz using Asus's easy overclock utility, its set at 30% OC.

When you OC the CPU you should also OC your memory, change timings and voltages as well as take care of other settings and ensure adequate cooling as well. It is not as simple as increasing the CPU clock by 30%.

Go into your BIOS and load Defaults immediately. If you have an option to load Fail-Safe or Optimized Defaults load Optimized.

VERDICT:

Your system specs are very good. It is plenty fast. You may feel (a justified) need to OC in a couple of years. For now just use all defaults for everything, including your video card clocks. If the problem still persists try flashing your BIOS with the latest version. If this does not help either, replace your motherboard and for God's sake do not overclock anything unless your system is stable and trouble-free and you have learned everything there is to know about proper overclocking procedures and cooling.

EDIT:
P.S. I am kind of stunned that someone would mess with overclocking any part of their PC when it is not stable and keeps crashing/rebooting. Could the OP honestly believe that OCing a malfunctioning machine could solve any of its problems? :roll: :roll: :roll:

 

[holcar]

ok everything is now at default, can't get my head around what it going on with my IDE optical drives... or whats going on with the memory.

It is all at default now and the BIOS (latest rev. 1101) is showing 5300 at post screen BIOS. Everest home edition and CPU-Z detect the modules as 6400 now, but the memory is running at 333.9Mhz and a 4:5 ratio. The timings are 5-5-5-15, but it should be 5-5-5-12... should I just leave it alone and try run memtest again?

I just played an hour of oblivion and no crashes... Really want the IDE optical drvies sorted though =/

And yes no offence taken, I am a bit of a noob, but I believe for my first build I'm learning A LOT which is always good

Thanks for the help so far.

 

[Anoobis]

Great, I'm glad you were able to clear up the crashing issue.

Yes, definately run memtest again to see if it posts errors. I'm not familiar with overclocking and adjusting the memory settings for recent Intel solutions, but I'm sure others here can shed light on the subject. A rule of thumb is to make small adjustments whether your upping memory voltage, upping the FSB, loosening the timings, etc...small adjustments and patience are key.

But before you OC, run your tests. Get everything stable first, then start tweaking. And don't OC using a Windows program. Go through the BIOS. Read your manual browse the overclocking forums.

As for the optical drive issue check the Optical Storage forums here as well as browse the forums at Asus to see if others have had the same issue and if they resolved it.

Good luck and keep learning.

 

[ches111]

Have you tested your optical drive since returning your system to defaults?

There is an option to lock the PCI in alot of Bios that are designed to OC. Had that not been locked and you attempted to OC (on purpose or not) then you could have taken it out of the acceptable range.. Most who OC will lock the PCI at a certain freq or you can find the same issue you are having now with the optical drive.

Glad to see you are back up and running.

 

[holcar]

had the optical drive problem since I got the system, ran 60% of memtest and no errors unlike before.

Will run FULL memtest tonight, time to go gaming and see if I can crash it

 

[phreejak]

For the memory issue...

Check your factory specs for voltages and timing. Then, go into your bios and see if you are being undervolted. If so, raise the voltage to just under factory specs and manually set the timings. You may have to overclock some to get the FSB to coordinate with this but this very issue happens with some Abit boards (AW8D) so it is possible that other manufacturers boards default to less than perfect timings.

 

[holcar]

I really don't know how to co-ordinate my FSB with memory frequency...

If it passes memtest then gg, I can deal with any performance slow downs for the time being. As long as it fixes the random crashing issue or if it dosen't then it couldn't be the memory.

If it passes memtest I should assume its either the PSU or the motherboard?

 

[phreejak]

I'd look at heat as an issue first - just trying to avoid you having to deal with RMAs and returns as much as possible. You could check the HSF of the GPU or the CPU and reseat with something like arctic 5. Since the northbridge coordinates communication between the cpu and the pcie slots you could check it as well.

 

[holcar]

Already recored all my temps:

CPU after load recahes around 24C max with full fan speed. Idles at 17C

GPU idles at 40C, max is around 55C

Northbridge idles at 38C, havnt checked it under load yet.

Temps in the system seem very good, and plus I would imagine before the system shuts down there would be throttle off and slowdown, which isnt happening.

 

[Slava]

And yes no offence taken, I am a bit of a noob, but I believe for my first build I'm learning A LOT which is always good

You are okay, man. No worries. You are nothing like those "annoying n00bs" if you know what I mean.

I just played an hour of oblivion and no crashes... Really want the IDE optical drvies sorted though

I mean no disrespect to other posters who posted after I suggested you reset everything to defaults, but at this point you can pretty much ignore everything they said. Here's why:

1. Your system is now stable;
2. MemTest gives you no errors (it is usually enough for it to run for about an hour to find problems if any);

So leave your BIOS settings at defaults and forget about it.

As for the optical drives I suspect you did not hook them up correctly. Here's what I mean:

1. In the back of each drive next to the power connector there are so-called Jumpers. If you don't know exactly what they are, google it. The position of a jumper dictates how a drive introduces itself to your PC.

The possibilities are:

Master (main drive in a chain)
Slave (secondary drive)
CS (Cable Select) - the role of the drive is assigned automatically depending on its position on the IDE cable.

If you have two IDE channels and, consequently 2 IDE cables each of which usually supports two drives then your motherboard will also designate drives on the first channel as Primary Master/Primary Slave and on the second channel it will be Secondary Master/Secondary Slave.

It is important that in both cases the jumper position is correct on all drives. CS (Cable select) is usually sufficient. Try that first and if it does not help, post back we will try something else.

If your hard drives are working fine, do not touch their jumpers. Check jumpers and cables only on the optical drives.

Finally, BOTH of your optical drives should be on the same cable. If you have one of the optical drives on the same cable as your hard drive then move it but make sure that jumpers are set correctly.

Post back with results.

 

[ches111]

Holcar,

I would not assume anything is broken.... If you game for long periods now and the restart is not happening then be fine with what you have...

It seems that some of the modifications to the Bios configurations may have been your culprit NOT the hardware...

I can make my machine with KNOWN GOOD hardware do very similar if not identical things to what you were seeing.

I would just have to play around until I got my system MOSTLY stable at idle and NOT STABLE at full load. Alot of folks here could do the same thing.

Enjoy your factory default setup until you are in need of an OC. At that point make very small incremental changes and detail what you have done. Test for stability after every change. When you find that instability back it off a few points and be happy with the near limits of your machine.

 

[pauldh]

I told ya it was not the X1800XT.

Anyway, if a new build is not stable at stock speeds, first thing I do is up the memory voltages a bit. Example, PC3200 I'd take from 2.6v and set it at 2.7v, retesting for stability. In your case, it's probably 1.8v, so I'd bump it to 1.9v. This has totally been the cure for me a handful of times through the years. Some memory on some mobos just needs a bit more juice than what is being supplied by SPD.

 

[Slava]

Anyway, if a new build is not stable at stock speeds, first thing I do is up the memory voltages a bit. Example, PC3200 I'd take from 2.6v and set it at 2.7v, retesting for stability. In your case, it's probably 1.8v, so I'd bump it to 1.9v. This has totally been the cure for me a handful of times through the years. Some memory on some mobos just needs a bit more juice than what is being supplied by SPD.

C'mon Pauldh, take it back, man. His PC is now stable. Let us not have him messing with voltages. He is not a very experienced user. Just let him enjoy some stability for a while and read up on tech in the mean time.

 

[pauldh]

If it's stable at stock speeds while running his mem sync 1:1, I agree with ya. But Last I saw he only had stability when he was running async memory speeds. Isn't this the case or did I skim too fast? COuld be I missed something. Anyway, assuming what I think to be the case, he is stable without OC'in by slowing the mem down, I don't call that (async at 4:5) really being a goal for a new machine. I'd still try spd timings and speeds, with a slight mem voltage boost. I'm only talking one notch, a 0.1v boost. Anyway, to make you feel better I'll add: Warning, increase voltages at your own risk.

 

[Slava]

If it's stable at stock speeds while running his mem sync 1:1, I agree with ya. But Last I saw he only had stability when he was running async memory speeds.

Oops. You are right. I told him to load BIOS defaults but his mem is still at 4:5... Hmmmm... Well. Whatever.

 

[Slava]

but the memory is running at 333.9Mhz and a 4:5 ratio

Why would you want to do that? And how can your RAM be at those values if you loaded BIOS defaults? Or you did not? Or is there something I need to know about your motherboard? :?

Keep in mind that running your RAM out of specification without overclocking the rest of the system will not give you any meaningful increase in performance while at the same time this is likely to cause stability problems under various scenarios. Say you can get a 2-4% performance boost (and I am being generous with 4%). Is it worth it to you?

One last time, load all defaults everywhere and have fun gaming. I withdraw from this thread.

 

[holcar]

COMPLETE defaults, the memory is at 4:5 and is being detected and PC-5300 interleaved on the BIOS post.

This was a common issue on a lot of Corsair memory I believe? But most users had the expertise to change it corectly.

I ran memtest and it passed 15 times while I was away with no errors. Will do some more gaming, but the system seems stable...

EXCEPT: I just opened an email there with a enbedded video. May have been flash I'm not sure... anyway it crashed my system TWICE when I tried to view it. The whole systems just freezes and I can move the mouse... I suspect it is a software issue and me not having the latest version of flash or whatever it was...

 

[Slava]

Okay. I did some quick "googling" and I found a problem similar to yours. It occurs on an ASUS motherboard where Patriot PC6400 is detected by the motherboard as PC5300. Read THIS for your reference only since your motherboard is slightly different and you have a different brand of RAM.

It seems that it is a motherboard/BIOS problem after all. I have no time to do this for you, so you will have to do some serious googling to find the exact resolution and BIOS settings for your RAM so that it is detected properly during POST.

However, also keep in mind that Windows is able to override the initial BIOS instructions. Even though the BIOS may not detect your RAM correctly it may have no effect on your PC's performance as long as Windows detects the RAM correctly.

 

[Anoobis]

No prob verndewd. It seems we just had a misunderstanding. I too have found your posts very beneficial, especially in the CPU section.

To the OP. READ YOUR MANUAL. It sounds to me like the mother board isn't reading the memory SPD correctly. It seems to me that some memory manufacturers (cough..Corsair) like to post specs on what their memory is capable of, but then program the SPD beneath what the memory is capable of, especially when dealing with memory timings. You'll probably have to specify your memory settings manually. Which means you're going to need to look up the correct specs for your memory (which you can get from Corsair's website) and enter them in the BIOS. If you read your manual, it will help you get an idea of how, what and where to change your memory settings.

I'm also going to with Pauldh on this and say that you bump your memory voltage up very slightly. You won't harm anything if you follow his guidelines.

Also, if you plan on overclocking I would seriously read up in your manual on how to reset the CMOS. Usually its with a jumper on the motherboard somewhere but some newer boards have a button you can press.

I think you're right about the Flash issue. You may just need to update the software. However, I sure hope that e-mail with the embedded video was from a trusted source because you just described events that could also mean you infected your system with some sort of malware. Which is badong.

 

[holcar]

ok I checked the voltages and I'm no expert but whats up with the -5V and -12V???

 

[holcar]

ok... so I switched my PC off for the night after playing some oblivion. wake up in the morning to find it wont boot up... just spins some fans.

Got back from school and did some troubleshooting... turns out after running a full 15 passes of memtest that one of my sticks has died. Tried changing modules, still won't boot up... Tested the working one in both modules and it booted both times. Recently before that I had changed the cable jumper on the cd drive but didnt boot it up before that and the nights sleep. Think I killed it with static 8O ? I touched the case before I ventured in and my hand never touched the memory module I dont think =/...

So I'm running single channel until my memory gets rma'd... bummer eh?

Think any other faulting hardware could have zapped it? I'm really worried about getting two fresh modules and zapping them due to a faulty mobo...

Starting to doubt my mobo....