how to "torture test" computer stability? ie prime95...

turtle219

Senior member
Jan 28, 2000
376
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i got prime95 to test the stability of my computer but i can't figure out how to make it "torture" my cpu...
how do i set the options? or is there a different program i should get that is easier to set up?
thanks

edit: opps thanks, RC5? thanks
 

Monel Funkawitz

Diamond Member
Oct 12, 1999
5,105
0
0
Crack RC5. Test your stability and put the cycles to good use.

Either that or run a few spell checkers... "turtore" :D
 

Hawkeye_(BEL)

Banned
Dec 24, 1999
364
0
0
turtle219,

there is an option in one of the menus to let it do a torture test. Read the doc files if you want more specific info. You should stop the crunching of the data, then the menu options will be avalable to you.

Prime95 is one of the best torturing programs, 'cause it stresses FPU, ALU and the memory subsystem.

RC5 only stresses the ALU units, and can reside in even the smallests of L1 caches.

Seti@Home is also a nice torturing program, since it's makes your CPU temperature rise very quick and also stresses your memory subsystem.

Hope this helps you.
 

PlunX

Golden Member
May 26, 2000
1,001
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The CPU Stability Test is the one I use most often, but I don't think it tortures the CPU enough. I'm not sure, though.. I usually run it whenever I have to go somewhere for at least two hours or when I'm sleeping at night, and everything's okay when I get back.. I stop the testing and close the program, and the systems locks about three minutes later.. I press CTRL, ALT, DEL two times and wait for about thirty seconds.. And everything unfreezes. I don't know what the problem is, but I have to do this each and every time I run it. Afterwards, however, I have no problems.
 

BFG10K

Lifer
Aug 14, 2000
22,709
3,007
126
Compiling the Linux kernel is the ultimate test of your computer's stability.
 

barryng

Member
Jan 7, 2000
150
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I use 3DMark2K and Seti@Home. Collectively they appear to test not only the CPU but also the vid card and memory. I found if I can run these without problems, I have zero stability problems with all other applications.
 

turtle219

Senior member
Jan 28, 2000
376
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thanks for the suggestions, i will have to try these out
thanks again, this board is the best!
 

xtreme2k

Diamond Member
Jun 3, 2000
3,078
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I am sick of this crap when people ask for a comp stability test, and people here recommend RC5

this just shows they dont know sh!t
 

Hawkeye_(BEL)

Banned
Dec 24, 1999
364
0
0
xtreme2k,

Can you share you knowledge then and tell us what a good computer stability test really is ? I agree that RC5 isn't the best stability test, but what do you really recommend then ?
 

RoadRuner

Banned
Oct 4, 2000
765
0
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initial install of prime95 requires 24 hours of burn in, run that in background,then put quake 3 arena (stresses graphics card/io subsystem), and open up about 3 looping batch files that do a "dir /s " across your whole hard drive (this stresses the disk/io subsystem very heavily if you have a decent bit of files on your box).. IF your machine can pass that for 24 hours, its pretty damn stable..


thats what i do. Once a box can make that for 24 hours, i've never had them come back..

i've had a lot of boxes come from the manufacturer that don't pass the test. They go back DOA.
 

Abomination

Senior member
Aug 1, 2000
201
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0
I know this sounds stupid but can someone please give me a link where I can Download RC5. I want it and all I can find are sites that have "their team scores" or a team for the quest of cracking the rc5 code or whatever. Can anyone please tell me where I can download rc5?
 

Sporko

Senior member
Sep 5, 2000
250
0
0
Does the "burn-in" module in Sandra 2001 work as a stability test?
 

RoadRuner

Banned
Oct 4, 2000
765
0
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not really..

seriously

run prime95 first install for 24 hours, and say 3dmark 2000 (demo, looping) at the same time.

good test. if anything fraps, locks, or the prime95 fails, dump the processor.
 

turtle219

Senior member
Jan 28, 2000
376
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0
seems like there are many ways for testing stability, but i would have thought that something like this would be pretty standard..., but i guess different expectations(standards) lead to different testing, seems like using prime95 is unanimous though...
i tried the CPU Stability Test and it seemed to slow down my computer a lot where as prime95 doesn't effect it much even after 3-4 hours...
 

Peter

Elite Member
Oct 15, 1999
9,640
1
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Linux kernel compiles, ideally with gcc running in threaded mode. That'll use all your RAM, have the CPU running at 100 percent load almost all the time, and generate lots traffic on the disk interface as well.

If it survives that for a few hours, then it's fine.

If it doesn't, it's not. Mine "detected" a dying CPU fan one week before you could hear it get loud, and also a 128-MByte DIMM with one single broken bit cell didn't go unnoticed.

Regards, Peter
 

Looney

Lifer
Jun 13, 2000
21,938
5
0
I personally use SETI@home... leave it on all night, and if it's still there in the morning, i know i have something stable.
 

Maniac9127

Senior member
Aug 28, 2000
417
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Just a note about Prime95: I'm running my CPU at 900MHz with 1.6 volts, and Prime95 buggers out after the first or second part of the test, yet I have no problems what-so-ever. I can run at 1.7 volts and it'll run fine, but my temps also go up considerably. So I just leave it at 1.6 since it works fine and I don't use Prime95 anyway.

I just use my computer to test stability. If it crashes on anything I do normaly that I won't do at a safer level then I know my system can't handle the higher speed.