Biostar TForce 6100-939 motherboard keeps randomly powering down...

[misterv]

Sorry this is a bit of a long detailed description but here goes from the top:

I've really had bad problems with Biostar's BIOS support. My computer is randomly powering off. I'll be working one minute and then all of a sudden it just turns-off. It doesn't shutdown. In XP I turned off automatically reboot after failure but I'm not getting a "blue screen of death", the computer simply turns off. I thought maybe it was XP still so I switched to a linux OS, Ubuntu 6.06, but the problem still happens which indicates that it isn't the OS's fault.

Now here's where things get strange. I've been running my computer with 2 sticks of 512 corsair ram using the initial BIOS on the motherboard (both ram sticks were in the A slots because that's what the manual said to do). It recognized 1 gig of ram and everything was fine.

Then I did a BIOS update a bit ago using the live-bios program in XP. At some point I was fiddling around and noticed that my RAM was only 512MB. So I did a live bios update gives you date 2006/03/07 as the website bios date. When you install it actually installs the 02/07/2006 bios. (Sidenote: biostar guys have changed the date system from 2006 first to last which totally screws up what version it thinks is the newest so I think it's stuck on 2006/3/07 rather than the newer bioses since then.)

However, this BIOS (the 2006/03/07 which actually installs 02/07/2006) made it so that both ram sticks in the A slots gave me 1024MB of total ram in SINGLE CHANNEL configuration at DDR266 (even though my ram is 400). So then I read on a website that you have to put the ram in the same colored slots in the different banks (one in bank A, and one in bank B). So I did that (both in the green slots) and the motherboard began beeping and wouldn't POST. Then I tried both in the orange slots and the same problem happened. So I pulled one stick of ram out and it would post again and both in the same bank again and got 1024mb in single channel low-speed configuration. So it's all weird. Then I went to the website and noticed that it had an entirely new BIOS date (06/07/2006) CU51M607.BST. So I flash this one and things seem good. I put in my other stick of ram into the same colored slot on the different side (slot 1 bank A) and (slot 1 bank B) and wammo! IT WORKED (so I thought). It immediately recognized the RAM as DDR400 in DUAL-CHANNEL mode. SO things were working fine for a while but now it randomly turns off regardless of what I do every hour to two hours or so (but like I said, it's random). It clearly happens in different OSs which means it isn't microsoft xp specific. I tested the RAM using memtest86+ (for ~3hours) and had no errors whatsoever.

I reverted back to the 03/07/2006 using the live bios update (which again is actually 02/07/2006 and grossly outdated) and I haven't had this shutdown problem. But my memory isn't operating at what it should be and it isn't in dual-channel mode. What is the problem with this thing? It really seems to be a BIOS/memory configuration specific problem. Thanks for your time.

Just FYI my system specs are:
Motherboard: Biostar TForce 6100-939 Version 1.0
Processor: AMD 64 3000+ (1.8GHz)
RAM: 2x512MB corsair value select PC3200 (DDR400) sticks:frown:
vidcard: onboard nvidia 6100
sound: onboard sound
harddrive: western digital SATA hard-drive
power supply: allied 300W AL-C300ATX
dvdr: liteon

 

[ashishmishra]

I have the same board but didn't have the problems you are having even when I was on the same RAM as yours. Try reading throught the following thread and try out the BIOS's linked (Couple of links in beginning don't work)

[H

Hopefully things work out for you.

 

[misterv]

thanks for the reply!

So I emailed biostar and they got right back to me. They said to upgrade my power supply. So I'll get a antec true power II 480 watt or something of that caliber.

I just dont get how going from 1024 in single channel mode to 1024 megs of ram in dual-channel mode is enough of a power draw to cause this kind of behavior. I'd have to be at the very limit of the power my PSU can supply, but I'm willing to give it a shot to restabilize my system. There is nothing worse than the computer just shutting off randomly, because anything you're doing gets immediately erased.

Anyway, again thanks. I'll keep this thread posted when I get the new PSU to see if it fixes thigns. For now I went back to the 2/7/06 bios, switched the ram back to singe channel configuration, and haven't had a problem since.

 

[Edzard]

If the shutdowns have raised their ugly heads again, perhaps they are heat related. I believe modern AMD processors will shut down when they sense a temperature interpreted to be dangerously high. So I suggest that if abrupt shutdowns are still an issue you (1) check to see if your heatsink is making proper contact with the processor; (2) make sure the fan on your CPU's heatsink is alive and and spinning at its rated RPM, (3) check ALL your heatsinks for dust accumulation since that impairs their cooling capability, and (4) consider installing Motherboard monitor or similar software that enables you to monitor your CPU temperatures.

With regard to memory, do the part numbers on your Corsair memory dimms exactly match? Have you tried all combinations of dimm slots (for example, using dimm slots 2 and 3). And have you checked the memory timings in the BIOS against the rated timings for your Corsair memory? My experience is that the 02/07/2006 BIOS isn't very good with regard to automatically sensing the correct timings - had to set mine manually in the BIOS setup.

Regardless of what solves the problem, the BIOSTAR tech's suggestion that you replace your allied 300W AL-C300ATX power supply is very likely a good one. I daresay that power supply provides less than 15A - probably considerably less than that - on the critical 12V rail. But if it does supply adequate 12V amperage/wattage it may do so at the expense of the amperage available on the 3.3 and 5V rails. In any event, it is a cheap power supply and they shutdown may be caused by it getting overloaded. Also it might be in the processof dying - suggest you use it as little as possible. When you get the Antec PS, compare its weight to that of the Allied - it will be like night and day.

Good luck.

 

[misterv]

Hey Edzard--

Thanks for the reply. The local computer shop didn't have an antec true-power and I didn't want to wait for the internet order, so I took a gamble and got an allied 500 watt that was on sale. It worked. I haven't had a reboot since even with the newer BIOS in dual channel mode that detected that it was PC3200. So far everything's great even though a few people on Newegg blasted the power supply. I guess I'll keep it.

I'm still in shock that the bump up from single to dual-channel full speed was enough to put the power supply over the top. I must have been operating just under it's capacity. The last computer I built, the stock power supply was perfectly fine. I never had a problem. I guess I've finally reached the new era. I'll never buy a cheap power supply again (errr...that is after this last one =)