GA-990FXA-UD3 + 8120 Bulldozer = freezing

[jphoto801]

Wondering if others have had this combo and issue previously.

GA-990FXA-UD3 is revision 1.0, with bios F8. This CPU is supported by bios F3 and higher.

It works fine as a quad-core, the CPU is running very cool as either quad or eight-core, as I'm not placing any load on this machine at all. It's just sitting there running Windows 7 x64.

When in eight-core mode, the GUI (minutes after booting) begins hitching and freezing, eventually the machine freezes (10 minutes or less). This feels like an overheating issue, but nothing seems to be overheating.

The Northbridge of motherboard is very hot, but equally so in quad and eight-core mode, and from what I read, that is normal of the 990FX (running hot, that is).

 

[NXIL]

Have you run Memtest?

How are you checking CPU temps? BIOS? Or some program? I recall reading that some temp reading software is unreliable.

If hot northbridge suspect: try running it with case open and fan blowing on NB

Machine freezes: no blue screen?

If you don't have memtest--maybe download a live cd/usb linux, and run that....see if there is something in your windows install that is an issue.

Power supply good? Voltages on power supply looking OK?

 

[jphoto801]

I apologize for not returning earlier, I did solve the issue. It's rather nonsensical. The highest non-beta BIOS for this board was F8 (more on that in a minute), and as I stated this CPU is supported as of F3 and later.

I had exhausted every possible way of troubleshooting this thing:

Power supply was very good. An Antec Quattro 850 that I've used in other, more demanding systems without a hitch. Northbridge hot = normal for this chipset. Running an older Phenom CPU I borrowed = worked great.

I finally said "what the hell" and flashed with the only newer BIOS available. The beta F9 (I see it has since left beta, as of the 22ed, so annoyingly I missed this by only a few days, as the build and flash to F8 was done on the 20th). Suddenly I have eight-cores running just perfectly for many hours and surviving any stress test I can toss at it.

I can't really explain it.