Asus A8N-SLI Motherboard Memory Problem

[welfarebum]

I've been having a lot of "blue screen of death", spontaneous reboot, and application error problems with my setup. Some of those problems were attributed to the nForce chipset, which I eventually fixed by turning off the hardware firewall.

But here's my latest problem...

I'm using 4 x 512 MB OCZ EL Platinum Rev 2 PC3200 2-2-2-5 memory sticks, for a total of 2 GB. My system crashes anywhere from every few minutes to every 1/2 day when running Prime 95 stress test.

But when I removed 2 of the 4 memory sticks, resulting in a total memory of 1 GB, my system appears to be stable. If I swap the 2 memory sticks with my other 2 OCZ memory sticks, my system still doesn't crash.

So the memory appears to be good.

So what goes wrong when all 4 memory modules are in place? (In my Rev 007 BIOS, I've got the memory set to 400 MHz and 2-2-2-5 at 2.75 volts).

If anyone has any specific suggestions, please help!

Robert.

 

[Kyanzes]

Are your memory modules double sided? Because if you have four pieces of double sided RAM modules on that board then the RAM speed shouldn't be set higher than 333MHz.

 

[openwheelformula1]

First make sure all 4 sticks are using exactly the same ICs. Different revisions might contain different ICs. If they are different, you might be able to get away with relaxed timings.

If you have a Venice, San Diego or newer, then you could run 400mhz at 2T. If you have Winchester and older, then you must run 333hmz at 2T.

 

[welfarebum]

My CPU is a Manchester X2. The memory is DDR. Dropping the RAM speed down to 333 MHZ doesn't make a difference - I still get spontaneous reboots or Prime 95 errors after anywhere from several minutes to several hours. (To be specific, memory is set to 333 MHz, 2-2-2-5, 2.75 volts, 2T, CPU temp is 50 degrees max at full stress test).

I bought all 4 memory sticks at the same time, and they came out of the same box, so I assume that under the metal shield the memory chips are the same.

I've tried EVERYTHING to get this new machine running.. Fresh Windows installs. Different BIOS and drivers. All kinds of memory voltage settings (below the OCZ's 2.9 volt max), speed settings, timing parameters, etc. Sometimes this lemon runs for hours and sometimes for minutes. The crashing is so inconsistent. I feel like throwing the whole computer out the window.

It seems to me that it must be hardware. And also seems like it can only be one of 3 things... CPU, motherboard, or memory. When I used just 1 GB of the 2 GB memory, the computer was stable. It didn't matter which pair of 512 MB sticks I used. So it seems that the memory is okay. That leaves the CPU or motherboard. I'm getting close to taking the whole thing apart (what a nightmare after wiring up so many cables) and taking the motherboard back to the store.

Any better ideas?

Robert.

 

[welfarebum]

I believe I solved my problem (knock on wood)!! I read the excellent article on overclocking here:

http://www.dfi-street.com/forum/showthread.php?t=12960

I also read this specific Athlon X2 3800+ overclocking article here:

http://www.legitreviews.com/article.php?aid=229&pid=2

Even though my system was unstable at a 2.0 GHz CPU clock, I decided to follow the overclocking steps to see what would happen. While systematically testing the limits of my various resources, I took HTT muliplier off "auto". When I took it off "auto" in the BIOS and set it to anything below "x5" my system became stable - easily passing the Prime95 and OCCT tests overnight!

YEAH BABY!!!

So now my Athlon X2 3800+ core is running at 2.4 GHZ, making it the equivalent of an Athlon X2 4560+.

Robert.

 

[zorrt]

Originally posted by: Kyanzes
Are your memory modules double sided? Because if you have four pieces of double sided RAM modules on that board then the RAM speed shouldn't be set higher than 333MHz.

Ahh...is that why my mobo keeps defaultin its RAM to 333 with 4 sticks installed. Its stays on ddr400 with 2 sticks but with 4 it jumps to 333. Couldnt understand why so i manually set it to ddr400 eheheh.

 

[Old Nick]

My A8N-SLi motherboard with FX55 and 4 x 1Gb Corsair matched memory lasted 10 weeks before it completely corrupted the 2 x Raptors in a mirror array. After rebuilding the disks it has failed three times after about 10 days each. I have also tried without the arrays with the same result The mirrored data disks seemed to survive. Symantec Checkit reports memory allocation errors with 4 or 2 sticks installed but is happy with a single stick.

Is this likely to be a motherboard problem?

It takes me a couple of days to rebuild the disks and Microsoft makes such a song and dance over verification. Any advice?

 

[vinayb]

what are u using 4GB for?

 

[Old Nick]

I do a lot of graphics and want to be ready for Windows 64

 

[welfarebum]

I was wrong. Above, I wrote that I solved my problem. I didn't. This POS still crashes. I took the MOBO back to the store and swapped it. After 3 hours to reinstall the new one, it still crashes. I overclock, underclock, reinstall windows, change BIOS, play with every BIOS setting in the book, try different drivers... and the latest... I installed the AMD X2 drivers. But nothing fixes the problem. I get spontenous reboots, blue screens, or hanging every few hours.

I am so fed up with this thing. I can't believe what a nightmare this computer is. I exchanged the MOBO, so what else could it be?

Robert.

 

[wanderer27]

Hmmm, I thought we had solved this. Not sure what the current state is. Here's some thoughts.

If you're using four sticks, command rate needs to be 2T. You may also have to drop down to DDR333 with four sticks, I seem to recall seeing this somewhere.
Also, with four sticks you may need to loosen up your other timings as well. Have you run Memtest with all four sticks in ?

What BIOS version ? Chipset Driver version ? Which Chipset Drivers are installed ?

PSU size ?

These are just some random thoughts of things to look at, I sure others will have more ideas.

 

[welfarebum]

I'm using 4 x 512M OCZ Platinum 2.0 set at 2-2-2-5, 2T, and 2.75 volts. I've tried 007 BIOS, but right now I've got 009 Beta in there.

Even if I set FSB at 200 MHz, the CPU at 10x, the memory at 333 MHz, and HTT at 4x, the thing spontaneously crashes. From there, I dropped the CPU to 5x, the memory to 266, HTT to 3x - and it still crashes at random times.

I've tried FSB at 240 MHz, the CPU at 10x, the memory at 333 MHz, and HTT at 4x, and it is almost stable. It might crash after a few minutes, few hours, or 1/2 day. Actually, it performs better at higher speeds.

I've systematically tried to isolate overclocking the CPU, memory, and HTT bus. But no matter what speeds I try it still crashes unexpectedly every so often for no apparent reason.

I've tried not only slowing down memory but changing the timing to 2.5-3-3-8 - and it still crashes.

I've tried bumping up the CPU voltage and the HTT voltage - and it still crashes

I've tried 6.66 and 6.65 (currently installed). I've had the nForce stuff installed and enabled and (currently) uninstalled and disabled - and it still crashes.

I've tried running Prime 95 and OCCT after a fresh windows install and SP2 upgrade (from a file on HD) with no LAN installed and no board specific drivers installed - and it still crashes.

I've tried installing ALL current downloaded drivers, including 6.65, BIOS 007/008/009, AMD X2 drivers, etc. - and it still crashes.

As I said, I swapped out the motherboard with another A8N SLI Premium - and it still crashes.

I've tried swearing at the computer and threatening to tie it behind my car and drag it down the freeway at high speeds - and it still crashes.

I've tried many other things not listed, or that I can't even remember - and it still crashes. I've been fighting this computer from hell for almost a month now.

Sometimes, it seems to start working more reliably and I think that I've solved the problem. This happened after I first dropped the HTT to 4x and also when I installed the AMD x2 driver - but then after about 1/2 day the crashing returned.

The crashing is sometimes a blue screen, sometimes a mouse freeze, sometimes a spontaneous reboot.

I've tested memory with MEM86 from a floppy and it passed for days... But *once* I looked at the screen and saw 3 errors. But that was just once a couple weeks ago. I've never seen another MEM86 error since.

Could it be CPU? Power supply? Everything is brand new and supposedly good quality. I'm ready to sell the whole thing "as is" on Ebay and buy a completely different system - no Asus, no AMD, no OCZ memory, no OCZ power supply, etc. This whole experience is CRAZY.

Robert.


-----------------------

ASUS A8N-SLI Premium
WinXP Pro
6600 GT
4 x 512M OCZ Platinum 2.0
Samsung Spinpoint 160 GB SATA2 8 MB - System Drive
WD 250 GB SATA2 16 MB - Data Drive
AMD X2 3800+ with Zalman CNPS7700 heat sink
OCZ Powerstream 520 W supply
Antec P180 Case
Benq DW1640 DVD
Mitsumi FA404A Floppy with card reader
Hauppauge PVR500 2-tuner TV card

 

[wanderer27]

Good info !

Was/is it stable with just two sticks ? You may want to test them individually and even in pairs (different combos). It really sounds like a bad stick or power issue more than anything else.

BTW, weren't you looking at getting 2 x 1GB ?

 

[welfarebum]

Yes, I remember one day trying it with 2 sticks, then the other 2 sticks, and it seemed to be stable in both cases. (One problem with this instability, is that it can appear at any time after running fine for a day. So I can't be 100% sure that the system will be stable with 2 sticks unless I try running it longer term.)

The guys at the store where I bought all the components ran a MEM86 for a couple days with no errors, when I finally took it in last week. So they proclaimed, "Memory is good." The fact that I have instability even when the memory clock is turned way down or the timing is loosened up, pointed to a motherboard issue. So they swapped the motherboard. But the crashing remains.

I wish I had bought 2 x 1G instead of the 4 x 512M. The store won't take returns unless they are defective.

Has anyone ever come across a bad CPU? Or is that unlikely?

Robert.

-----------------------

ASUS A8N-SLI Premium
WinXP Pro
6600 GT
4 x 512M OCZ Platinum 2.0
Samsung Spinpoint 160 GB SATA2 8 MB - System Drive
WD 250 GB SATA2 16 MB - Data Drive
AMD X2 3800+ with Zalman CNPS7700 heat sink
OCZ Powerstream 520 W supply
Antec P180 Case
Benq DW1640 DVD
Mitsumi FA404A Floppy with card reader
Hauppauge PVR500 2-tuner TV card

 

[wanderer27]

I'm going to through out some ideas here to think about or try, in no particular order.

This one could take some time to solve. I'd suggest trying running just two sticks for a few days to see if that "fixes" it. I kind of suspect it will.

I've seen some people having problems with four sticks on various manufacturers MBs. Others manage to get four to work.

Another test might be to try running 4-4-4-8(or 9/10) 2T, and even DDR333 to see if that has any effect. This is not something you'd probably want to run with though. If that ran stable, you could start tightening up timings one at a time to find where issues arise.

I would ask if you've tried running two sticks in various slot combinations for awhile, but you've swapped MBs, so I doubt you'd get two with a bad Dimm slot.

You could see if things run with three sticks stable, but this will elimate Dual Channel.

Last thing that comes to mind is to try to Ebay your four sticks and grab those 2 x 1GBs, but there's no guarantee that fix things. If you try some of the tests above though, it may give a better indication of whether you'll have success with the 2 x 1GB.

I suspect that with two sticks (2x512 or 2x1GB) you'll be fine.

BTW - what are your temps like ?

 

[welfarebum]

Thanks, I'll try your suggestions. I just removed 2 of the memory sticks and will run tests overnight. It's amazing how much slower Prime95 runs on 1 GB compared to 2 GB!

If 4 sticks on the MOBO is an issue, I wonder if the retailer would even consider taking them back and allowing me to buy a 2 x 1G? I'll talk to them on Monday. They probably won't because they are a volume business and can't be bothered with my problems.

My case is in the mid 30s and my processor idles in the low 40s. When fully loaded, it usually sits at 51 oC, and maybe pops up to as high as 53 oC occassionally if the room is warm and I've turned up the core voltage to 1.375 volts or higher.

One other weird symptom... I came home this evening and the top my computer's case has grown two red horns. And my case fans are repeating a "ImSATAN ImSATAN ImSATAN..." noise... ;-)

I watched "Lost" on TV on Wednesday. One of the characters fixed a computer that had been SHOT and shorted out within five minutes. Maybe I should get that guy to fix this beast?

Robert.

 

[wanderer27]

:laugh:

I like that

Here's something else you may want to read:

http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview...atid=28&threadid=1708490&enterthread=y

And a similar problem on MSI MB:

http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview...atid=28&threadid=1708401&enterthread=y

 

[welfarebum]

Running 2 x 512M sticks, my computer has run Prime95 and OCCT (at the same time) for the last 12 hours without crashing or generating and error. I'd expect to have seen crashes by now.

I read through the link you provided. I conclude, 4 x 512M is bad but 2 x 1 G is good. Now that I have 4 x 512M of memory that cost me $400, what do I do? Even running the memory at DDR333 caused instabilty (although I plan to try this with 4-4-4-10 2T timing for 12 hours to see if I can get this going with the really lose timing).

The ideal, least painful option would be to return or sell the 512M sticks and buy 2 x 1G sticks.

Robert.

 

[wanderer27]

Well, it appears there have been some updates on that first thread. It seems that with the new Venice cores, some people are now having success with 4 x 512MB. I know the new Venice chips had some Memory controller updates, but I didn't know they'd improved things for 4 sticks.

You've got Dual Core. I'm not sure if the new changes are in your CPU or not. From your experiences, I'd say not.

It'll be interesting to see how the 4-4-4-10 2T test goes. Maybe there's hope of keeping your 4 x 512MB, but with just lower timings - might even get it to work at DDR400 with those if DDR333 is successful.

I'm glad the 2 stick test seems to be working. I pretty much expected it would, but there's always that chance that something else is going on.

$400 isn't a lot to some people, but it sure the heck is to me. I spent almost $200 on my 1GB, and 2 x 1GB is not going to be cheap. If you can get four sticks to run at a reasonable rate, then there's not a problem. If on the other hand, things stay as they are and you can't get four sticks working, you do have good quality Memory there. You can either just run with 1 GB, or try to sell them. Being that they are such good sticks, you should be able to get a decent price out of them if you go that route.

The temps you gave looked good, so that shouldn't be a problem.

Just had a thought after re-reading some of this thread. You're running your CPU at 1.375v ? I'm running mine in the 1.35 - 1.375 range, just because it works fine and produces less heat/stress (minor). The default is 1.4v on mine, and I'm thinking it probably is on yours too (I'll check in a bit). Since your Memory controller in ON your CPU, and you're running FOUR sticks (I'm doing two), you may not be getting enough voltage on your CPU & Memory controller. This may be something else for us to look at after you do your other tests.

Okay, I checked the AMD site. Your CPU voltage range is 1.35 - 1.40, same as mine. With your CPU having basically double the circuity that mine does, I would think you're probably going to want to use the 1.4v the board initial defaults to. Things may be looking up, the big question is if you have the updated Memory controller feature.

 

[welfarebum]

Okay, here's an interesting result!...

Previously, I slowed everything down - the FSB clock, CPU, memory, and HTT - and had crashing. But I've noticed the system is the most stable so far with the CPU at 2.4 GHz, the memory at 400 MHz, and HTT at 4x. With 4 sticks of memory, that results in a crash only every few hours. With 2 sticks, no crashes.

So yesterday I set the FSB clock to 240 MHz and the CPU multiplier to 10x, resulting in a 2.4 GHz CPU core. I left the core voltage at 1.375. I set HTT at 4x, for a resulting 1.92 GHz HTT bus.

Finally, I set the memory at 266. On this motherboard, the resulting memory clock is 240 MHz x 266/400 x 2 = 319.2 MHz (just shy of the 333 MHz if I had the FSB at 200 MHz and the divider set to 333). And I left the memory timing at 2-2-2-5 2T.

The result?... I've been running OCCT, Prime95, and my Beyond TV live TV concurrently for the last 12 hours without a problem. The CPU is running at 100% and the temperature has stabilized at 52 oC.

Actually, I did see one glitch... The TV display froze once, but I'm not 100% sure that's not due to a application setup issue.

So I've got what appears to be stability. Unfortunately, this little devil has a tendency to start crashing again just when I've concluded it's stable. I just don't trust it because it has been crashing spontenously since I bought it.

Given the kind of work I do, a crash can cost me a lot of time and effort. I can't afford to lose 2 hours of work with an unexpected blue-screen. So even though this appears stable, I see that my vendor has OCZ 2-3-2-5 Platinum 2 x 1GB sticks on sale for $255. I can probably sell my OCZ 2-2-2-5 Platinum 4 x 512 MB sticks for $200 net on ebay, judging from recent sales of slightly used memory. I think I'll do that.

If I understand you and various other contributors correctly, and learning from my own testing, the 2 x 1 GB sticks:

1. Are likely going to result in a more stable system than the 4 memory sticks.
2. Should be able to run at 400 MHz, not the current 319 MHz.

Correct? It's worth the extra $50 to achieve these goals.

Robert.

 

[Old Nick]

I've had my system running reliably with just one stick. I then tried putting it in the alternative slot and it wouldn't even boot. That sounded like a motherboard problem so I've bought a new motherboard - the Premium this time but that won't make a difference in itself. I'll report back whether it works.

AMD FX55 CPU
Asus A8N-SLI deluxe MB
OCZ Powerstream 600w PSU
4 x 1Gb Corsair Platinum matched pairs
PNY FX3400 driving
Apple 30? cinema screen 2560 x 1600
Lian Li 2100 with
Waterchill triple radiator with 6# 120mm fans (3# reserves)
Cooling CPU, chipset and HDs
2# 120mm and 2# 80mm in addition
(I?m neurotic about overheating)
PATA IG DVD
2# 74Gb Raptor SATA in Raid 1 mirror (Programs)
2# 300Gb Maxtor SATA ditto (Data)

 

[welfarebum]

I just got off the phone with OCZ support line... The support tech listened to my problem with the 4 sticks of memory and suggested a few timing modifications to try. Then he said, "If that doesn't work out we'll exchange for your 4x512M DDR400's 2-2-2-5 with 2x1G DDR500 3-3-2-8. We wouldn't want you to be unhappy. We recommend 2 sticks and not 4 sticks."

Wow, I'm impressed with OCZ! Good customer service makes me go out of my way to use a company's products.

By the way, I tried his timing suggestions and my system just blue screened.

Robert.

 

[wanderer27]

4x HTT x 240MHz should give you 960 Hypertransport, which is good. I would expect all kinds of weird things at 1920

Your Beyond TV live, a PCI card device ? If so you've locked your PCI Clock Syncronization Mode (not PCIex) to 33.33MHz, right ? Otherwise the PCI bus will track either the CPU or HTT (depending on selection), and since you're overclocking it would most likely cause some issues - like the TV live freezing as you mentioned.

Is that $255 for each 1GB stick, or for both ? If it's both, then that fantastic - you should probably by some extras and sell on Ebay for a tidy sum

I'm bit surprised that the 4 x 512MB are going for only $200. I'd expect almost that for 2 x 512MB . . . .

2.4 GHz on your CPU That's a nice 20% overclock there. If you can just get that memory to run faster you'll have a screamer.

I'm starting to get confused on that other thread myself. I'm sure if the final verdict is four sticks at DDR400 2T, or DDR333 @ 1T or 2T . . .

Yea, if you can get 2 x 1GB for just an additional $50, I think I'd go for it. From what we've seen two sticks shouldn't be a problem on your System.

 

[wanderer27]

Originally posted by: welfarebum

I just got off the phone with OCZ support line... The support tech listened to my problem with the 4 sticks of memory and suggested a few timing modifications to try. Then he said, "If that doesn't work out we'll exchange for your 4x512M DDR400's 2-2-2-5 with 2x1G DDR500 3-3-2-8. We wouldn't want you to be unhappy. We recommend 2 sticks and not 4 sticks."

Wow, I'm impressed with OCZ! Good customer service makes me go out of my way to use a company's products.

By the way, I tried his timing suggestions and my system just blue screened.

Robert.

Wow ! For just the price of shipping to get 2 x 1GB - you must be livin' right

 

[welfarebum]

Yes, I sync'd my PCI clock to 33.33 MHz.

That's Canadian$292.88, which equals around US$250 for 2x1GB. Here's the link (not that I'm promoting anything or anyone)...

http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?...ufacture=OCZ%20Technology&promoid=1001

I received my RMA number already from OCZ and will courier my sticks to them tomorrow. I hope this clears up these ongoing problems I've been having and I can finally move all my data over to the new PC and get on with my life! I'll know if my problems are solved when I get the new sticks in, what, a week? 4 weeks? 8 weeks????? (I recently broke my mountain bike frame, which was under warranty, and it took 8 weeks before I received a new one!)

Like I said previously, the difference between 1G and 2G of memory is amazing. And my old PC has only 512M ! Even with the memory slowed way down to DDR319 so my system is stable, my machine is incredibly fast. I have to run both Prime95 and OCCT at the same time to get it to break into a sweat.

I'll post my results when I get my new memory.

Robert.