Prime95, fatal error after just 3 seconds?

[teddymines]

I tried running Prime95 on my system and it fails after about 3 seconds with a "fatal error" with something that looks like a rounding error. Expected 0.4 and got 0.49999999 or something. I don't know if this qualifies as instability, but the fact that it doesn't run bothers me.

No other apps show instability, except UT which closes unexpectedly and cleanly during play (probably a driver or patch issue). Should I throw more voltage at the core or memory? MBM shows voltages within 0.04 for all voltages.

Epox 8k7a
1.4 tbird, 266 fsb, not overclocked
512mb crucial cas 2 ddr
thermalright sk-6
core temp=50C, ambient=26C
350W PS (came with antec sx-635)

 

[Sleater]

Prime95 and Unreal Tournament are two of the most CPU intensive apps out there.

Throwing a bit more v-core voltage might be the solution (though you don't want your temp much higher than 50)

Prime95 sounds like it could just be a software glitch though. Try re-installing it. Also, make sure you're using the most recent client.

Finally, are you getting the fatal error when calculating iterations (or whatever job they have you doing)?

Rather than do the work, try a torture test. It will verify your calculations and let you know if there are errors.

 

[teddymines]

I have the latest Prime95, which is v21.4.1. I installed it by unzipping to a blank folder and running the torture test. Slowing down the system is not an option. It was built for speed, and no way am I going to dumb it down for anything.

What are my cooling options? I have the sunon 27cfm on the sk-6. Is there a higher cfm fan that fits the sk-6, and also supports rpm monitoring? I'd like to get the temps in the 40's regardless if this is causing my problems.

I'm also considering adding a 80mm fan to the front of the case, and ducting some of that cooler air directly onto the sunon.

Thanks.

 

[Match]

I've also had Prime95 quit on me because of fatal errors. My cpu is not overclocked so it shouldn't be the cpu. I started running some tests to figure out what was the cause. I found out that one of my sticks of Crucial DDR 2100 is faulty. I don't know if this could be your case as well, but here's the link to the site of the memory test that I used.

 

[Rand]

<< Slowing down the system is not an option. It was built for speed, and no way am I going to dumb it down for anything. >>



Then get used to Prime95 giving errors because your processor in unstable. It's guaranteed to ruin at it's rated clockspeed and no higher, if you won't drop to a slightly lower overclock then your going to have to put up with some programs Prime95 among them not running properly.

Prime95 is one of the harshest processor stress tests there are, if your system is even remotely unreliable then Prime95 will give errors. It may not be quite bad enough for most other programs to crash, but it is enough for some... Prime95 among them evidently.

You could try toning down the meroy timings as that could also contribute to potential instability. Prime95 is very intensive upon the memory subsystem as well.

 

[WarCon]

I noticed if I wasn't completely Prime95 stable, several of my games (Diablo II, and NFS High Stakes) would crash after running over 1/2 hour or so. I feel the more crashes your system endures the less stable overall the install gets. And I think running it in the slightly unstable area would have more impact on the longevity of your components than otherwise. Its only a feeling with no concrete proof though.

BTW the new Prime95 is pickier than the old one use to be. It goes unstable faster and more often than the old one and heats your processor up more.

 

[Rand]

Ignore m comments about overclocking in the other post, I didnt notice you said you werent overclocking.
In that case it's almost certainly the memory.
Either the memory is defective or your pushing your RAM too far. ie. running PC00 SDRAM at 133MHz, running Cas3 rated RAM at Cas2 etc.

 

[Hanpan]

Make sure you didn't chip the processor. I have seen this happen with a chipped processor...