<Problem solved> Nightmare build - I could really use some help here

[The Sauce]

A friend drove 6 hours to get help with his system and we're screwed worse now than when we started. AMD build with ASUS A7V333/GF4-4200 - first attempt with an XP2000 it kept overheating and locking up in 3dMark during the first loop with an Alpha h/s - CPU temp reading 60C (mobo temp 24C). Tried the stock h/s just for the hell of it and poof! So much for thermal protection. CPU was dead within a minute. Then I replaced it with my CPU, an original Athlon 1.0 GHz chip and now we are still locking up in 3dMark but it looks like a video problem...screen gets all wacky and eventually the computer resets itself.

IS there a known voltage problem with these boards and the AGP slot?
There doesn't seem to be any way to adjust the AGP divider, although FSB/PCI dividers are accounted for in the BIOS.
Shouldn't this board have the latest 4in1's?
Is there anything else that I'm not thinking about here?

If anyone knows of ny incompatibilities with this setup please let me know. Any advise would also be appreciated. When I get home from work tonight I will have about 3 hours to try to figure it out for him before he leaves.

 

[smp]

The board and setup should run fine out of the box with default bios settings. If that doesn't work then something is wrong and you should just exchange it (if the board is infact bad)
Your CPU shouldn't be overheating if you've mounted the HSF properly (thermal grease, proper contact) and plugged in the fan.

 

[MrGrim]

I agree with smp. CPUs don't get fried just like that, there is something weird going on. Did you use the correct voltage settings?

 

[The Sauce]

everything default

 

[WhoDeeny]

What OS? And have you updated the video and 4in1 drivers? Some say not to do so with Win XP, but I'm using that and have no problems with all updated drivers and even games such as UT2003. Might be worth a shot if you haven't...

 

[bfletcher24]

What kind of memory are you using? I ask this because the A7V333 has issues with Kingston PC2700 DDR.

 

[The Sauce]

Memory = Crucial 2100 DDR. OS = XP. Did not update any 4in1's or install the latency patch.

Well what I'm going to do is when i get home eventually i will just start swapping out parts. I just can;t believe what hell this project has been. So far one bad mobo, two burned out Athlons, and still no working system. I just feel really bad for my friend because he is not a high roller and did this whole thing in the first place to save some money.

 

[The Sauce]

Oh, you know what would be really useful for me...if someone with this board (the ASUS) could tell me what kind of temps they are getting in the hardware monitor. The XP2000 was getting 60's before it died. The 1.0 Athlon is getting low 50's.

 

[Markfw]

There sounds like there was a problem mounting the HSF. I am using the stock HSF and I get low to mid 50's after 5 minutes warmup. Even under the heaviest load I have not seen it get 57. my PSU puts out 13.(something) volts which is not good, but my system is stable. The other problem I see, is your memory is PC2100 in a board that normally expects PC2700, thus you will need special memory setups and timings (if you can even get into bios to set them) to operate correctly.

 

[wizdum]

If you put too much thermal compund on the heatsink it acts as a 'blanket' so to speak, instead of a heat transfer solution. athlon xp 2000+ could be bad, my frind works at a tech place and he said the other day there was this 2000+ that just got too hot. SPD on the ram might be wrong and trying to overclock the ram to 166mhz. (pc2700). ummmmmmmmm...... motherboard could just be bad?

 

[wizdum]

I just feel really bad for my friend because he is not a high roller and did this whole thing in the first place to save some money.

tell your friend that everything will work out in the end and not to worry.

 

[bfletcher24]

Originally posted by: wizdum

I just feel really bad for my friend because he is not a high roller and did this whole thing in the first place to save some money.

tell your friend that everything will work out in the end and not to worry.

I don't think he wants to lie to his friend!

 

[HikkiFan]

It didn't work out for me at the end... had the same problems so I switched to intel

 

[Insidious]

Hard to imagine your MoBo would put out high enough voltage for that kind of smokage without a mod or malfunction.

Also hard to imagine that RAM type would hurt your CPU. (maybe the RAM itself or the NorthBridge if sunspots were right)

I suspect the HSF was cocked or thermal compound application was oops'ed

This is a great tout. for HS and thermal compound installation/application

-Sid

 

[The Sauce]

There sounds like there was a problem mounting the HSF.

Ok, problem solved, and as it turns out i am a complete dumbass. I had taken the h/s from his old celeron system - which BTW was a very good alpha h/s with a good 60x25 fan. However it occurred to me that the retention mechanism was not designed for the Athlons with the little paddie feet thingies and probably was not strong enough to make good contact (anyone remember how $hitty those old alpha clamps were?) So i smacked on my old Thermoengine h/s with a Delta fan and the temps went down to 42C at idle and everything was good. Turned out that the 2000XP was not burned out after all...don't really know what happened there.

Thanks for the advise all. The only remaining problem is that my friend now has a better system than I do 9600 score in 3dMark.