OCed TBird hangs once in a while... help!

[ambiguous]

Hi all

I have a problem. My computer hangs once in a while. It's quite rare, like 1 out of 10 times. It hangs on 2 occasions: When I exit/start UT, and when I shut down windows98. When I shut down Windows98, it shuts down like normal, except it doesn't power off.
My set up is below. I'm thinking it could be my RAM cos it's the generic type. But besides that, I can't think of anything else that could be the problem.
Any help is much appreciated, thanks

 

[Killgore]

I think it could be your RAM. Maybe try it out with some branded RAM such as Kingston.

 

[Link]

do you have an IDE cdrw, like a HP?

 

[pillage2001]

Try changing to Cas 3 in your Bios.

 

[ambiguous]

I don't have a cdrw, and I've already set my ram to CAS3.
It's probably unlikely, but I'm thinking could it be my hard disk overheating? Besides hanging once in a while, everything else runs fine... or maybe I just need to burn it in another few weeks longer?

 

[Losty]

it could be the ram settings...
i changed mine from 100 to 133 in the bios
and it fixed a lot of things...
my computer hangs for 10 secs...before it shuts down...
wierd...

 

[Vader2K]

What FSB and multiplier are you using? I have the same basic setup you do, except I have the KT7-RAID, but the same CPU and HSF. I used to run at 118(112fsb+6cpu)*8.5=1003 which would give me the occasional lockup/reboot during boot-up, but I could run 117(112fbs+5cpu)*8.5 all day long. Right now I'm running 108(107fbs+1)*9.5=1026 and all is well, no more lockup/reboot problems. I would play around with your FSB and multiplier combinations. You may also want to try bumping up your I/O voltage to 3.4v, that's what I did, and it seems to have helped quite a bit.

--Vader2K

 

[ambiguous]

Losty,
To do that, the option is in the SoftMenu right? "DRAM Clock"? Well, I changed it from "Host CLK" to "HCLK+PCICLK". Haven't run stability tests on it yet though. Will do ASAP.
Vader2k,
I'm running my T-Bird at FSB/PCI 100x10, I/O voltage 3.4v. Initially, I thought it could be the I/O voltage too, but by upping it .1v didn't seem to help. Should I go higher?
Or maybe it's my temps? Idle at 32C, full load at 48-49C. As far as I know this temps aren't too bad. Should I bring the temp down?
I think I'm gonna get better ram tommorow, is it bad to mix generic ram with a branded one, say kingston or mushkin?

Thanks guys

 

[Vader2K]

Ambiguous, I don't think it's your temps at all, since mine are it the same range as yours. If your running generic RAM, then my bet would be on that. From what I've experienced, and heard from others, the VIA KT133 chipset can be a little picky about the RAM you use. It says in your sig that you have PC133 RAM, are you currently running your memory at HCLK+PCICLK? You may want to try just running at HCLK. As far as upping your I/O, I currently run mine at 3.4v, and I've heard people that run it higher. I think that the ASUS board runs default at 3.5v, but I'm not positive. Just use common sense when upping the voltage.
Last night I change my FSB again. Now I'm running at 114(112fsb+2)*9=1026. Though I'm running my CPU at roughly the same clock speed as 108*9.5, the overall system performance is better because of the higher memory bandwidth. It doesn't seem like I can go any higher than 1026, no matter what settings I use. I may look at getting a better HSF, maybe a HedgeHog.

--Vader2K

 

[ambiguous]

Vader2k, I'm running the ram at HCLK+PCICLK... changed it after reading Losty's reply. Still not 100% stable. I/O is already at 3.4v. FSB at 100*10.
Might get some new Ram... one of these 2 to choose from: Apacer Infineon 128Mb PC133 @ $80, or Kingston (not Infineon) 128Mb PC133 @ $85. Which is a better buy?