Motherboard issue, screen freezing, advice on new replacement

[dnorin]

Hello all, recently joined the forum, and have a few problems with my GIGABYTE GA-Z68X-UD3H-B3 motherboard (mobo in future reference). Any help would be greatly appreciated in advance.

Two years ago, I built my first custom PC.
OS: Windows 7 64-bit Professional
Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-Z68X-UD3H-B3
PSU: Antec HCG-750 750W
Processor: Intel Core i7 2600K
RAM: Patriot 8GB (4x2) 1600 MHz
GFX: Nvidia GeForce GTX 560 Ti
HDD: Western Digital Caviar Black 1 TB 7200 RPM
Extras: LG Blu-ray Burner
External Sound Card: Focusrite Scarlett 2i2
Monitors: RP6G2 KRK Rokit 6 @ 140W each.
Auxiliary-connected Audio: Bose Companion 3

Originally a gaming build for Battlefield 3 in 2011, I've recently decided to take music production seriously, and invested in an external soundcard (Focusrite Scarlett 2i2) connected to the mobo via USB 2.0 and two RP6G2 Rokit 6 Sound Monitors.

Prior to owning the sound monitors, I had 0 problems with my computer.

While producing music, I had a humming sound that would change in volume according to my actions on the PC. If I were to move my mouse or open a graphics-based application, the sound would increase or decrease. I was told that this was the common case of a ground looping issue; I did what I could to resolve such an issue, but to no avail. I even purchased a rack-mountable power surge protector and ground-loop eliminator, but that did nothing. Due to the annoyance of the humming when running programs with higher processing power, I stopped using the monitors.

After disconnecting the soundcard and monitors to my PC, I have frequent screen freezing. Currently, I'm using a Bose Companion 3 sound system via an auxiliary cable connected to the mobo, and my PC crashes/screen freezes while using applications with sound. This may be iTunes, Ableton (sound editing software), or even Netflix in Google Chrome.

After checking for any loose cables, I tried to isolate my PC parts. I checked for my HDD's health, using a Western Digital application, and it passed. Also did a Chkdsk, and I have no corrupted files. I disconnected my graphics card and used the i7's Intel HD 3000 graphics to boot to Windows, and my PC would still freeze/crash.

Tl;dr, I'm convinced that my Gigabyte motherboard needs to be replaced after being unable to handle two 140W sound monitors. I'm still within warranty. I'm undecided whether to use this as an excuse to purchase a new motherboard that would be able to handle the high current of producing audio to an external sound card to sound monitors, or file for RMA.

Filing for RMA would leave me without my desktop of course, which I'm unable to go daily without.

Since I've had this complication with Gigabyte, I'd prefer to not do business with them again.

After searching Newegg for Intel Z68 for LGA 1155 motherboards, I see that the majority of the good ones are discontinued, so I looked into Intel Z77's.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...0x%20USB%203.0

I'm forced to decide between these four motherboards. Despite being the most popular, I'm convinced that AsRock has terrible customer service by the reviews for the AsRock Z77 Extreme4.

I'm split between the high-priced Asus Sabertooth Z77 for $240, and the Asus P8Z77-V Pro, for $180.

Can anyone recommend the purchase of either board, or have any input or suggestions with the freezing issue?

Thanks in advance.

 

[denis280]

Welcome to the forums dnorin. is you system dust free.also the psu

 

[dnorin]

Welcome to the forums dnorin. is you system dust free.also the psu

Yes! I thoroughly clean the system routinely, as well as the front fans of my Antec DF-85 case.

 

[denis280]

I don't suspect the motherboard.i would say the psu is the one starting to go.just try the psu calculator from asus or the one you want.and see the result

 

[dnorin]

I don't suspect the motherboard.i would say the psu is the one starting to go.just try the psu calculator from asus or the one you want.and see the result

http://support.asus.com/powersupply.aspx
Went there, tried it. Says I need a minimum of 600W, but of course I wouldn't expect them to ask anything about devices connected via USB. I have a 750W PSU, so I'm fine in that department.

The external soundcard is USB powered, and connected to the two audio monitors which are each 140W powered via their own cords/outlet. Is it possible that the combined 280W of power being connected via USB to the motherboard might have damaged something?

 

[John Connor]

You have more than enough wattage and that Asus calculator is a 100 watts over. I just did my system and it said 600 watts, but I have an Antec 520 and even overclocked.

I suspect the Motherboard. Antec is a good PSU. I personally like Gigabyte and so does my bro and we haven't had any problems, but things can happen. I suspect you did something to the board. Have you tried a powerd USB hub? Gat one with at least 1000 mA.

Here's a better PSU calculator. http://www.extreme.outervision.com/PSUEngine

 

[dnorin]

You have more than enough wattage and that Asus calculator is a 100 watts over. I just did my system and it said 600 watts, but I have an Antec 520 and even overclocked.

I suspect the Motherboard. Antec is a good PSU. I personally like Gigabyte and so does my bro and we haven't had any problems, but things can happen. I suspect you did something to the board. Have you tried a powerd USB hub? Gat one with at least 1000 mA.

Here's a better PSU calculator. http://www.extreme.outervision.com/PSUEngine

I haven't tried a powered USB hub yet, but I'm definitely considering the purchase now. I'm suspecting that since the soundcard is USB powered, that the monitors gave my motherboard a surge of electricity. This is all guesstimations though.

Can anyone recommend the Asus Sabertooth Z77 or the Asus P8Z77-V Pro? Although they're both four stars on Newegg, the reviews of reliability and apparently poor customer service/RMA experience suggest staying away from them.

 

[bononos]

dnorin, I don't see how the speakers could have damaged your mb, the speakers get their own power through their own power cords.
Maybe its the new soundcard drivers messing up your pc which is why you have problems with certain apps which use the audio subsystem.

You have more than enough wattage and that Asus calculator is a 100 watts over. I just did my system and it said 600 watts, but I have an Antec 520 and even overclocked.
.....
Here's a better PSU calculator. http://www.extreme.outervision.com/PSUEngine

Online psu calculators are terrible, they tend to overestimate power consumption by alot. Newer pc's don't draw alot of power.

 

[dnorin]

dnorin, I don't see how the speakers could have damaged your mb, the speakers get their own power through their own power cords.
Maybe its the new soundcard drivers messing up your pc which is why you have problems with certain apps which use the audio subsystem.

I deleted the soundcard drivers and have stopped using the external soundcard, and went back to relying on the mobo's realtek drivers and auxiliary output (green-ringed front-speaker out). The PC freezes on its own, randomly. It could freeze either under heavy load or being complete idle, sometimes right after boot, other times after days of being on.

-
The PC -JUST- crashed again. Seconds prior to freezing, there is this mouse discoloration:

Any known reason for this?

Second edit: Also, I have just noticed that my volume control is missing. If I click on the customize option on the bottom right arrow of my taskbar, it says the volume is being shown...this is too strange.

 

[bononos]

I would check the pc for corrupt windows files (use sfc or something else), reinstall windows before changing the mb. The soundcard isn't plugged in now right?

 

[dnorin]

I would check the pc for corrupt windows files (use sfc or something else), reinstall windows before changing the mb. The soundcard isn't plugged in now right?

Just did an sfc, "Windows Resource Protection did not find any integrity violations."

External Focusrite Scarlettt 2i2 soundcard is not in use. But the onboard mobo realtek driver is in use.

I just purchased the Asus Sabertooth Z77 though, so hopefully the new mobo will fix this. I'll also get a powered usb hub so that the external soundcard won't rely on power from the psu/motherboard, and rather get it from the hub.

 

[BarkingGhostar]

Boy, this sounds like my decommissioned GA-H55-USB3 motherboard. I replaced but the CPU and even reinstalled W7pro (64-bit) and the problem continued. In my case, it is definitely the motherboard and or CPU.

I simply gave up with the three year old issues and built a new PC and now dual-boot W7pro (64-bit) and OS X Mavericks. Stable so far.

 

[dnorin]

Boy, this sounds like my decommissioned GA-H55-USB3 motherboard. I replaced but the CPU and even reinstalled W7pro (64-bit) and the problem continued. In my case, it is definitely the motherboard and or CPU.

I simply gave up with the three year old issues and built a new PC and now dual-boot W7pro (64-bit) and OS X Mavericks. Stable so far.

do you have any idea what caused your problem? and what do you mean by "but the cpu"?

sabertooth z77 came in today. will rebuild cpu tomorrow, and will update if it fixes!

 

[dnorin]

Cursor Discoloration/PC hanging issue continues with new motherboard. Only options left is to wipe the hard drive and/or purchase a new one. Will continue to update.

 

[John Connor]

Could be the GPU.

 

[dnorin]

Could be the GPU.

How is that possible if I have more trouble in Google Chrome than running a game? I run Final Fantasy XIV for hours, 60FPS 1080P, Highest settings, but Chrome, or other web browsers such as Firefox will cause the freezing and cursor discoloration.

 

[John Connor]

Okay... Flash???

 

[dnorin]

Okay... Flash???

Flash may have something to do with it, but considering the amount of load it undertakes for a game, it'd be hard to believe :\. I'm going to backup and wipe the hard drive, do a fresh install. I pray it helps.

 

[John Connor]

Did you use the same OS on a new motherboard?

 

[dnorin]

Did you use the same OS on a new motherboard?

Yeah. I didn't do a clean install for the new motherboard. I just screwed the motherboard into my tower, plugged it in, installed the drivers and it works fine. Only problem is the lingering issue of the cursor discoloration and freezing that occurs afterwards.

 

[John Connor]

You need to do a fresh install with new hardware.

 

[dnorin]

You need to do a fresh install with new hardware.

what's the difference if you delete the old drivers and then install the new ones? In other forums, I read that as long as you install in the order of chipset, then motherboard drivers, then audio, video etc, you should have no problems.

 

[Ketchup]

what's the difference if you delete the old drivers and then install the new ones? In other forums, I read that as long as you install in the order of chipset, then motherboard drivers, then audio, video etc, you should have no problems.

Depends on how close the chipsets are. At this point, I would recommend a fresh install to rule out issues related to those differences.

 

[dnorin]

Depends on how close the chipsets are. At this point, I would recommend a fresh install to rule out issues related to those differences.

As of today, I did a "clean install" on my Nvidia drivers to 331.65, and the computer has not frozen yet today.

I've been told that the Z68 and the Z77 Intel chipsets are nearly identical, not much improvement.

I'm crossing my fingers the entire day that this fixes the issue; I'm extremely reluctant to doing a fresh install, considering that I have a complex/nontraditional save locations for my music production files.

ketchup79, how's your coolermaster 212 evo? after rebuilding my pc with the new motherboard, i need to replace the paste; considering using this as an excuse to purchase that heatsink.

 

[Ketchup]

As of today, I did a "clean install" on my Nvidia drivers to 331.65, and the computer has not frozen yet today.

I've been told that the Z68 and the Z77 Intel chipsets are nearly identical, not much improvement.

I'm crossing my fingers the entire day that this fixes the issue; I'm extremely reluctant to doing a fresh install, considering that I have a complex/nontraditional save locations for my music production files.

ketchup79, how's your coolermaster 212 evo? after rebuilding my pc with the new motherboard, i need to replace the paste; considering using this as an excuse to purchase that heatsink.

Fingers crossed. It had been a while since buying a new heatsink, and the evo was really amazing for me. In the past, I spent almost twice as much for something twice as heavy, and they didn't give me the performance of the evo. I almost wanted to put the evo on my Q6600 to see what the improvements would have been (going from a thermalright xp90), but in the end I decided that it really didn't matter enough to take the time. I don't think you can beat this thing for the money (at least as of a year ago).