JoLLyRoGer
Diamond Member
Just built a new rig and am having several issues with getting the Gigabyte EP-45 DS3L. Problems started with failing Prime 95 blended test at stock speeds. OK, popped in Memtest and verified RAM. Caught an error in slot 2 durring first test at about 16% through so I repeated with one stick at a time. No errors.
Rebooted back into Windblowz, repeated Prime 95 and ran Small FFT test and caught errors after only 5 minutes! Core temps in Speed fan show a cool 42C throughout. Cleared CMOS just incase (w/ battery removal) and rebooted. This time MoBo won't even boot up. PC gets to Windows "Startup" screen, hangs and reboots (gets stuck in this loop). Suspected HDD maybe so I ran chkdisk - no errors reported...
Decided to try using an old Asus P5B Deluxe (965) instead but quickly realized it won't support Wolfdale (45nm) w/o BIOS flash. Can't get anything to post (and thereby flash) without a compatable CPU in place to start with and am not interested in ripping apart my other PC just to "borrow" a compatable CPU to Flash the board.
Read at Tom's that the memory voltages on this Gigabyte board are "less than perfectly stable". Could be the problem? I'm using Corsair XMS 8500 memory. Also read around the Intarwebz that Corsair memory has some hit-n-miss issues with Gigabyte EP45 boards.
Decided I'm RMA-ing this POS and am going to go high end. ($200-300 range if need be) I tried to save a buck or two on a mobo that I thought would be good based on the track history of the older P35 boards but I guess that's what I get for ASS-uming.,
Recommendations for a top-eschelon board that supports the 45nm Intels with good overclocking ability but more importantly, is solid like a tank!
TYIA,
-JR
Rebooted back into Windblowz, repeated Prime 95 and ran Small FFT test and caught errors after only 5 minutes! Core temps in Speed fan show a cool 42C throughout. Cleared CMOS just incase (w/ battery removal) and rebooted. This time MoBo won't even boot up. PC gets to Windows "Startup" screen, hangs and reboots (gets stuck in this loop). Suspected HDD maybe so I ran chkdisk - no errors reported...
Decided to try using an old Asus P5B Deluxe (965) instead but quickly realized it won't support Wolfdale (45nm) w/o BIOS flash. Can't get anything to post (and thereby flash) without a compatable CPU in place to start with and am not interested in ripping apart my other PC just to "borrow" a compatable CPU to Flash the board.
Read at Tom's that the memory voltages on this Gigabyte board are "less than perfectly stable". Could be the problem? I'm using Corsair XMS 8500 memory. Also read around the Intarwebz that Corsair memory has some hit-n-miss issues with Gigabyte EP45 boards.
Decided I'm RMA-ing this POS and am going to go high end. ($200-300 range if need be) I tried to save a buck or two on a mobo that I thought would be good based on the track history of the older P35 boards but I guess that's what I get for ASS-uming.,
Recommendations for a top-eschelon board that supports the 45nm Intels with good overclocking ability but more importantly, is solid like a tank!
TYIA,
-JR
