I need help identifying cause of random system shutdowns and lockups. No BSOD received. System goes from fully functional, to shutdown without warning when under load. No system event errors, no popup error message, nothing I can see in any log, ever. When system set with no intense load, instead of shutdown, system will sometimes freeze (screen still displaying as normal, but mouse, keyboard frozen.) If game is playing (sound coming from speakers), you can hear the last sound over the speakers repeating itself in a 60-cycle stutter.
Within the last 4 weeks, I installed a X2 3800+ with Freezer64 Pro heat sink (HS). A NewEgg purchase. I replaced a Venice 3000+ & stock HS, that ran rock-solid for 20 months at 2600MHz (no application problems, and no error for 24Hr Prime95 and Memtest sessions.) I had no issue with the Venice setup, other than I wanted to upgrade to the features of the X2.
Testing with dual Prime95 at stock speeds, the system will eventually shutdown or freeze. Anywhere from 2 minutes of WindowsXP load, to 8 hours. I had my son try his new Vanguard game (3D) at stock speed, any other applications disabled or off. The system would freeze anywhere from 5 to 90 minutes of starting the game. Each Prime95 session set to its own processor. Dedicated RAM is selected between 700 to 900 Mb for each processor.
I have tried many, many changes to BIOS settings. I have changed all the voltage settings, one at a time, from lowest to +10% of highest recommended by MFG. I am trying to run with ?normal? settings suggested in other posts for the DFI UltraD. BIOS "CPU Shutdown Temperature" setting is "Disabled".
I started initially with an older BIOS that ran well with the Venice CPU, and is supposed to support X2. I flashed BIOS to latest, all flash and post-flash procedures obsessively followed, and then keyed in settings. I found no difference in the crash behavior.
I have no USB devices connected. I am running all fans except the CPU fan from hard drive connectors. All cables have been reseated. All 4 power leads connected to mother board (24, 6, & 4 pin, plus floppy connector).
RAM passes 12 hour Memtest sessions (test 5 and 6), and 24 hour blended testing without error. The RAM passed similar Memtest sessions without error immediately before CPU switch. RAM has been reseated several times. It?s not the RAM causing the system to shut off.
What are the odds of some other hardware failing in the time between physically swapping out the CPU? Hard drive, power supply, audio or video cards failing? Not likely. I am always careful with static discharge. Audio, video, and chipset drivers are latest.
No, I have not reinstalled Windows. Although a seemingly default suggestion, none of the many forum posts I have read with similar issues that tried XP reinstall saw any change in behavior. I have dealt with a lot of Windows issues over the years, and have never seen where Windows crashes without some sort of error message. I do not want to introduce more variables. AMD driver, AMD dual core optimizer, and MS hotfix are properly installed. OS is otherwise configured properly.
Heat: I noticed initially that temps were a bit high, relative to suggestions found on the web. I am using MBM5 v5.3.7.0 with NF4 .ini files, CoreTemp v.94, and CPUZ v1.39 to verify settings. The ArcticFreezer HS does not blow air onto the chipset/PWMIC sensor area. I took off the side panel, and set up an 8? ?personal fan? to run full speed directly over the PWMIC sensor (upper right corner of CPU slot). With OC and dual Prime95, the PWMIC temps dropped about 10 degrees, CPU temps about 5. Dropped to what would be expected as normal under load. I had my son try his game with 8? fan (no Prime95) and system still froze. Even though I have discounted heat as an issue, I ordered AS5 to use to reseat the CPU, and will continue testing with the 8? fan.
Voltages at load have little variance, as read from MBM5:
3.3 rail: 3.20v
5v rail: 4.91v
12v rail: 12.01
Interesting thing is that Prime95 has never failed, system shuts down or freezes, but no test end.
Is it the CPU? More BIOS tweeks? Any similar experiences with an X2? Ideas?
__________________
A64 3800+ X2, E4 stepping, @2000/FSB200, vCore 1.31v to 1.46v, Freezer64 Pro;
nF4 Ultra D, rev. = A3, BIOS 04/06/06, vLDT 1.17v to 1.36v, vChipset 1.47v;
WindowsXP SP2 with Dual Core Hotfix and AMD CPU driver, Dual Core Optimizer;
Corsair ValueSelect 4x512 @FSB200, 200 divider, 2.5-3-8-3, CPC2T, BnkIntLv 'Disable', 2.72 vdimm, VS1GBKIT400;
PowerColor X800XL;
SeaSonic S-12 500W;
Antec SLK3000B w/ 2x 12cm fans;
2x WD 250MB SATA;
NEC 3540 DVD;
ChainTech AV-710
Within the last 4 weeks, I installed a X2 3800+ with Freezer64 Pro heat sink (HS). A NewEgg purchase. I replaced a Venice 3000+ & stock HS, that ran rock-solid for 20 months at 2600MHz (no application problems, and no error for 24Hr Prime95 and Memtest sessions.) I had no issue with the Venice setup, other than I wanted to upgrade to the features of the X2.
Testing with dual Prime95 at stock speeds, the system will eventually shutdown or freeze. Anywhere from 2 minutes of WindowsXP load, to 8 hours. I had my son try his new Vanguard game (3D) at stock speed, any other applications disabled or off. The system would freeze anywhere from 5 to 90 minutes of starting the game. Each Prime95 session set to its own processor. Dedicated RAM is selected between 700 to 900 Mb for each processor.
I have tried many, many changes to BIOS settings. I have changed all the voltage settings, one at a time, from lowest to +10% of highest recommended by MFG. I am trying to run with ?normal? settings suggested in other posts for the DFI UltraD. BIOS "CPU Shutdown Temperature" setting is "Disabled".
I started initially with an older BIOS that ran well with the Venice CPU, and is supposed to support X2. I flashed BIOS to latest, all flash and post-flash procedures obsessively followed, and then keyed in settings. I found no difference in the crash behavior.
I have no USB devices connected. I am running all fans except the CPU fan from hard drive connectors. All cables have been reseated. All 4 power leads connected to mother board (24, 6, & 4 pin, plus floppy connector).
RAM passes 12 hour Memtest sessions (test 5 and 6), and 24 hour blended testing without error. The RAM passed similar Memtest sessions without error immediately before CPU switch. RAM has been reseated several times. It?s not the RAM causing the system to shut off.
What are the odds of some other hardware failing in the time between physically swapping out the CPU? Hard drive, power supply, audio or video cards failing? Not likely. I am always careful with static discharge. Audio, video, and chipset drivers are latest.
No, I have not reinstalled Windows. Although a seemingly default suggestion, none of the many forum posts I have read with similar issues that tried XP reinstall saw any change in behavior. I have dealt with a lot of Windows issues over the years, and have never seen where Windows crashes without some sort of error message. I do not want to introduce more variables. AMD driver, AMD dual core optimizer, and MS hotfix are properly installed. OS is otherwise configured properly.
Heat: I noticed initially that temps were a bit high, relative to suggestions found on the web. I am using MBM5 v5.3.7.0 with NF4 .ini files, CoreTemp v.94, and CPUZ v1.39 to verify settings. The ArcticFreezer HS does not blow air onto the chipset/PWMIC sensor area. I took off the side panel, and set up an 8? ?personal fan? to run full speed directly over the PWMIC sensor (upper right corner of CPU slot). With OC and dual Prime95, the PWMIC temps dropped about 10 degrees, CPU temps about 5. Dropped to what would be expected as normal under load. I had my son try his game with 8? fan (no Prime95) and system still froze. Even though I have discounted heat as an issue, I ordered AS5 to use to reseat the CPU, and will continue testing with the 8? fan.
Voltages at load have little variance, as read from MBM5:
3.3 rail: 3.20v
5v rail: 4.91v
12v rail: 12.01
Interesting thing is that Prime95 has never failed, system shuts down or freezes, but no test end.
Is it the CPU? More BIOS tweeks? Any similar experiences with an X2? Ideas?
__________________
A64 3800+ X2, E4 stepping, @2000/FSB200, vCore 1.31v to 1.46v, Freezer64 Pro;
nF4 Ultra D, rev. = A3, BIOS 04/06/06, vLDT 1.17v to 1.36v, vChipset 1.47v;
WindowsXP SP2 with Dual Core Hotfix and AMD CPU driver, Dual Core Optimizer;
Corsair ValueSelect 4x512 @FSB200, 200 divider, 2.5-3-8-3, CPC2T, BnkIntLv 'Disable', 2.72 vdimm, VS1GBKIT400;
PowerColor X800XL;
SeaSonic S-12 500W;
Antec SLK3000B w/ 2x 12cm fans;
2x WD 250MB SATA;
NEC 3540 DVD;
ChainTech AV-710
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