Greeting:
Hi. I think you guys are fantastic. I've been using these forums and the articles on Tom's Hardware for years to learn more and more about computer building. It has helped me fix a number of issues as well as helped me build two computers in the last 7 to 10 years. I still consider myself an intermediate though as my latest blunder with my motherboard proves. I apologize for this post length. I wanted to give all the details I could in one go.
These are the parts in my current broken computer:
Operating System: Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit
Case: Thermaltake Spedo Advance Package VI90001W2Z
Motherboard: EVGA X58 SLI 132-BL-E758-A1 (LGA 1366)
Processor: Intel Core i7 Processor i7-930 2.80GHz 8 MB LGA1366 CPU, Retail BX80601930
CPU Cooling: Cooler Master Seidon 120V RL-S12V-24PK-R1
RAM: Corsair TR3X6G1600C8D Dominator 6 GB 3 x 2 GB PC3-12800 1600MHz 240-Pin DDR3 Core i7 Memory Kit (I have two sets for a total of six memory sticks and 12 GB)
Video Card: Nvidia GeForce GTX 980
Sound Card: Creative Labs Fatality SB0880
Power Supply: Corsair HX1000W, Model: CMPSU-1000HX
Disc Player: Samsung BD-ROM/DVD Writer Model SH-B123
Hard Drives: 5 Hard Drives for 9 GB total.
C: Western Digital 1TB WD10EARS
Storage: 2xWestern Digital 2TB WD20EARX
2xHITACHI 2TB HDS5C3020ALA632 (0F12117)
Fan Controller: Thermaltake AC-010-B51NAN-A1
Case Fans: 4x120mm fans, 2x200mm fans
5.1 Speakers
What went wrong:
The main issue at the moment is that my motherboard automatically resets every five seconds, but even if this was fixed it would likely not resolve the original issue. The original issue is a memory problem. Recently I have begun to use Maya on this computer. Two days ago while working with UV texturing on a polygonal model, the computer all but locked up. It took me 5 minutes to open the resource monitor to find that Maya was using all of my available RAM while still trying to grab more. I then closed Maya to do some research on memory. As you might see from my computer parts, the majority of it is more than five years old, so I do feel a bit foolish to just now pay attention to this issue that I always have had. The issue is that while I have 12 GB of RAM, and Windows recognizes 12 GB, it would only allow 4 GB to be available. 8 GB was set as reserved. Yes, I was running 64 bit Windows. Yes I went into the advanced boot menu and made sure the Maximum memory was unchecked (checked at 12 GB / unchecked changed nothing). Reading in these forums and in others the most common suggestion was to update the BIOS. I did a search and arrived at this website http://www.evga.com/support/download/ where after entering in the information as correctly as I was able I found myself in front of what appeared to be the latest BIOS version, version 83, which was suspicious since I knew my current version was 6, yet I followed the installation instructions anyway by burning the iso image to disk, changing the disc player to be the primary boot device, and booting / installing the new BIOS version. After this installation my computer resets on its own every five seconds.
Solutions:
Since the computer does not stay on long enough to operate any devices, it seems to me the only way to fix the motherboard is to replace the BIOS chip, but since it appears the BIOS chip is not removable (not socketed), this fix is not possible. That leaves me to replace the motherboard itself. Based on the advice contained within a Tom's Hardware forum post, the general advice seems to be to not replace an LGA 1366 board with another one. Instead, get a new board and a new processor. Another consideration though is new RAM. I suppose I likely do not know enough about RAM installation, or at least have not had success with my pair of simultaneous kits. It seems to me the issue could have been configuration in Windows, the BIOS, the actual physical arrangement of the memory sticks as they pertain to their kit sets, compatibility between the EVGA motherboard and Corsair's RAM, or an error in the BIOS / Chipset firmware? These are all amateur guesses on my part most of which I never really got a chance to test out. In any case I must have much more than 4 GB to use. Also, I have not had too much experience overclocking, though I am not adverse to the experiment.
Computer use:
I want to use Maya on this computer frequently. I also use Photoshop, watch movies both from internet streaming as well has from a storage hard drive. I also listen to music from a storage hard drive. I always keep Firefox open and frequently use up to 30 tabs at once. I also play games such as the upcoming Doom or Overwatch. Generally I use my computer for many different things at once, but if I were to pick a priority over all of them, it would be Maya.
These are the replacement parts I would be considering:
Motherboard: ASRock EATX DDR4 Motherboard X99 OC FORMULA ($361)
Processor: Intel Core i7-5820K Haswell-E 6-Core 3.3GHz LGA 2011-v3 140W Desktop Processor BX80648I75820K ($400)
RAM: Patriot 16GB Viper 4 DDR4 3400 MHz UDIMM Memory Kit (2 x 8GB, Black/Red) ($125)
Why replace the RAM?:
I need the best guarantee it will work. I've read that two kits together may or may not work, so as far as I know that could have been a problem. I would feel better about buying a single kit already tested with hopefully more RAM than I would need. Also I've just read that a Haswell-E requires DDR4.
Questions:
The most important question is if I do replace the motherboard, processor, and RAM, will this work? Could there be compatibility issues? I'm not sure how to check this beforehand. On the RAM, I have only gravitated towards 16GB, though I would not be adverse towards 32GB. Am I right in choosing 16GB for my usage, or would I find more value in 32? Is there any advice I could get in general about improvements to my computer? I realize an obvious suggestion is SSD, but I'm not sure if the price difference is yet justified. If I am making any mistakes, please tell me before I spend money.
Hi. I think you guys are fantastic. I've been using these forums and the articles on Tom's Hardware for years to learn more and more about computer building. It has helped me fix a number of issues as well as helped me build two computers in the last 7 to 10 years. I still consider myself an intermediate though as my latest blunder with my motherboard proves. I apologize for this post length. I wanted to give all the details I could in one go.
These are the parts in my current broken computer:
Operating System: Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit
Case: Thermaltake Spedo Advance Package VI90001W2Z
Motherboard: EVGA X58 SLI 132-BL-E758-A1 (LGA 1366)
Processor: Intel Core i7 Processor i7-930 2.80GHz 8 MB LGA1366 CPU, Retail BX80601930
CPU Cooling: Cooler Master Seidon 120V RL-S12V-24PK-R1
RAM: Corsair TR3X6G1600C8D Dominator 6 GB 3 x 2 GB PC3-12800 1600MHz 240-Pin DDR3 Core i7 Memory Kit (I have two sets for a total of six memory sticks and 12 GB)
Video Card: Nvidia GeForce GTX 980
Sound Card: Creative Labs Fatality SB0880
Power Supply: Corsair HX1000W, Model: CMPSU-1000HX
Disc Player: Samsung BD-ROM/DVD Writer Model SH-B123
Hard Drives: 5 Hard Drives for 9 GB total.
C: Western Digital 1TB WD10EARS
Storage: 2xWestern Digital 2TB WD20EARX
2xHITACHI 2TB HDS5C3020ALA632 (0F12117)
Fan Controller: Thermaltake AC-010-B51NAN-A1
Case Fans: 4x120mm fans, 2x200mm fans
5.1 Speakers
What went wrong:
The main issue at the moment is that my motherboard automatically resets every five seconds, but even if this was fixed it would likely not resolve the original issue. The original issue is a memory problem. Recently I have begun to use Maya on this computer. Two days ago while working with UV texturing on a polygonal model, the computer all but locked up. It took me 5 minutes to open the resource monitor to find that Maya was using all of my available RAM while still trying to grab more. I then closed Maya to do some research on memory. As you might see from my computer parts, the majority of it is more than five years old, so I do feel a bit foolish to just now pay attention to this issue that I always have had. The issue is that while I have 12 GB of RAM, and Windows recognizes 12 GB, it would only allow 4 GB to be available. 8 GB was set as reserved. Yes, I was running 64 bit Windows. Yes I went into the advanced boot menu and made sure the Maximum memory was unchecked (checked at 12 GB / unchecked changed nothing). Reading in these forums and in others the most common suggestion was to update the BIOS. I did a search and arrived at this website http://www.evga.com/support/download/ where after entering in the information as correctly as I was able I found myself in front of what appeared to be the latest BIOS version, version 83, which was suspicious since I knew my current version was 6, yet I followed the installation instructions anyway by burning the iso image to disk, changing the disc player to be the primary boot device, and booting / installing the new BIOS version. After this installation my computer resets on its own every five seconds.
Solutions:
Since the computer does not stay on long enough to operate any devices, it seems to me the only way to fix the motherboard is to replace the BIOS chip, but since it appears the BIOS chip is not removable (not socketed), this fix is not possible. That leaves me to replace the motherboard itself. Based on the advice contained within a Tom's Hardware forum post, the general advice seems to be to not replace an LGA 1366 board with another one. Instead, get a new board and a new processor. Another consideration though is new RAM. I suppose I likely do not know enough about RAM installation, or at least have not had success with my pair of simultaneous kits. It seems to me the issue could have been configuration in Windows, the BIOS, the actual physical arrangement of the memory sticks as they pertain to their kit sets, compatibility between the EVGA motherboard and Corsair's RAM, or an error in the BIOS / Chipset firmware? These are all amateur guesses on my part most of which I never really got a chance to test out. In any case I must have much more than 4 GB to use. Also, I have not had too much experience overclocking, though I am not adverse to the experiment.
Computer use:
I want to use Maya on this computer frequently. I also use Photoshop, watch movies both from internet streaming as well has from a storage hard drive. I also listen to music from a storage hard drive. I always keep Firefox open and frequently use up to 30 tabs at once. I also play games such as the upcoming Doom or Overwatch. Generally I use my computer for many different things at once, but if I were to pick a priority over all of them, it would be Maya.
These are the replacement parts I would be considering:
Motherboard: ASRock EATX DDR4 Motherboard X99 OC FORMULA ($361)
Processor: Intel Core i7-5820K Haswell-E 6-Core 3.3GHz LGA 2011-v3 140W Desktop Processor BX80648I75820K ($400)
RAM: Patriot 16GB Viper 4 DDR4 3400 MHz UDIMM Memory Kit (2 x 8GB, Black/Red) ($125)
Why replace the RAM?:
I need the best guarantee it will work. I've read that two kits together may or may not work, so as far as I know that could have been a problem. I would feel better about buying a single kit already tested with hopefully more RAM than I would need. Also I've just read that a Haswell-E requires DDR4.
Questions:
The most important question is if I do replace the motherboard, processor, and RAM, will this work? Could there be compatibility issues? I'm not sure how to check this beforehand. On the RAM, I have only gravitated towards 16GB, though I would not be adverse towards 32GB. Am I right in choosing 16GB for my usage, or would I find more value in 32? Is there any advice I could get in general about improvements to my computer? I realize an obvious suggestion is SSD, but I'm not sure if the price difference is yet justified. If I am making any mistakes, please tell me before I spend money.
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