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Pulling my hair out over computer instability

WaitingForNehalem

WaitingForNehalem

Platinum Member
So, I've had random lock-ups in Windows Media Center, random BSODs, artificating in Windows after playing Batman: AA, losing signal to the monitor, and Nvidia driver crashes. I ran Memtest86+ over night, 0 errors. I ran OCCT and Furmark, no artifacting. I ran Prime95 for 30 minutes (I realize this might not be long enough), no problems. I reinstalled Windows 7 Pro 64bit and installed the latest drivers this weekend along with using a different GPU, a 9500GT. I also installed my OS and apps on a new WD 500GB Caviar Black. The display driver still crashed. I then downgraded the drivers to 275.33 and put my GTX260, drivers crashed again and I am unable to watch HD videos in Youtube due to audio and video stuttering and the system becoming sluggish. At this point it has to be either the motherboard or GPU, I need help in further diagnosing.

Other Hardware in computer:
Diamond ATI Theater HD 750 PCI-E Tuner Card
EVGA NEC chipset USB 3.0 PCI-E card
 
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I suspect the memory since XMS is substandard and may have to be operated at 1.65V for reliability. Try Gold Memory, Memtest86 (doesn't always agree with MT86+), and Microsoft Online Crash Analysis.
 
run prime for a few hours, try it overnight

the last rig I had that constantly was gpu driover crashing was actually a shorted floppy power connector in teh case 🙁
 
I would agree. Longer testing might lead to better diagnostic data. Although my first guess would be the motherboard if longer RAM test don't tell you more. You already stated that you tried a different graphics card so I doubt its GPU related. Its also not your storage device. I would also think that its not your power supply as that usually results in different symptoms like resets and random shutdowns.
 
You might want to try to set your RAM to 1066 even though it's rated for 1333. Your CPU's memory controller is only rated to run RAM up to 1066MHz. Your CPU's memory controller probably can't tolerate running RAM at 1333MHz or your RAM can't run stable at it's rated 1333MHz.
 
My RAM has always been at 1066MHz. Prime95 ran all night, no problems. I'm going to run Memtest86+ for a long time tonight and see if I get any errors.
 
Something we used to do in finding intermittent faults on circuits is to heat them up. You don't have to go extreme . Take a hair dryer and put it on the lowest setting and warm up the areas of the suspected components that might be failing. You can do the same with power supplies that are suspect. I find the best results are just letting the warmer air enter the area and not trying to bathe the parts in heat as that can cause any electronics to act suspicious . We actually made a little box that we would put boards in and increase the heat slowly looking for failures.
 
Alright, it is starting to seem like it is my motherboard. While I have games downloading on Steam, everything becomes sluggish and my audio starts crackling while playing a song. As soon as I stop downloading the system acts ok, but once I resume it exhibits the same problems. This makes sense as I have an onboard NIC and onboard audio. I will still continue to test.
 
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Not trying to be an ass at all, but this is why i got a mac. I have the same exact random "want to pull your hair out issues" with my newegg gaming PC from day 1. My iMac has been bulletproff with no errors on any level, its just a really stable all the way around. If i could be somewhat blunt, i dont think there is really a solution, its part of having a windows machine. Its like trying to fix a leaky roof, you can plug up some spots and place buckets around, but it doesnt really solve the fundamental problem. Good luck, maybe there will be a singular change that will fix a bunch of issues at once
 
Every other computer I have, which all run Windows, is bulletproof. Just because you had a faulty component doesn't mean you can just put the blame on Windows. This computer is approaching 3 years old and has been great for the majority of its life, only recently has it been acting up. Honestly, I hate both Mac OSX and Apple. Windows & .NET 4 Life!
 
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GTSRguy said:
Not trying to be an ass at all, but this is why i got a mac. I have the same exact random "want to pull your hair out issues" with my newegg gaming PC from day 1. My iMac has been bulletproff with no errors on any level, its just a really stable all the way around. If i could be somewhat blunt, i dont think there is really a solution, its part of having a windows machine. Its like trying to fix a leaky roof, you can plug up some spots and place buckets around, but it doesnt really solve the fundamental problem. Good luck, maybe there will be a singular change that will fix a bunch of issues at once
Click to expand...

wow didnt know I was going to need my waders to come here

its getting REAL deep real fast
 
GTSRguy said:
Not trying to be an ass at all, but this is why i got a mac. I have the same exact random "want to pull your hair out issues" with my newegg gaming PC from day 1. My iMac has been bulletproff with no errors on any level, its just a really stable all the way around. If i could be somewhat blunt, i dont think there is really a solution, its part of having a windows machine. Its like trying to fix a leaky roof, you can plug up some spots and place buckets around, but it doesnt really solve the fundamental problem. Good luck, maybe there will be a singular change that will fix a bunch of issues at once
Click to expand...

You do realize that if your MAC had hardware issues (looks like the motherboard) like the computer in this thread, then your MAC would experience errors and lock-ups, too, right? This thread has absolutely nothing to do with Windows. The majority of computer problems are hardware (or user) related. And the majority of the issues that are software related are caused by applications or drivers - NOT by the operating system. Yes, Windows does have issues sometimes, but so does MacOS, and Linux, and Unix, and every other OS ever made.
 
GTSRguy said:
Not trying to be an ass at all, but this is why i got a mac. I have the same exact random "want to pull your hair out issues" with my newegg gaming PC from day 1. My iMac has been bulletproff with no errors on any level, its just a really stable all the way around. If i could be somewhat blunt, i dont think there is really a solution, its part of having a windows machine. Its like trying to fix a leaky roof, you can plug up some spots and place buckets around, but it doesnt really solve the fundamental problem. Good luck, maybe there will be a singular change that will fix a bunch of issues at once
Click to expand...

I can't help but respond....
This is one of the more ridiculous arguments for buying Apple. As a matter of fact, many of Apple's product lines over the years have been plagued with design flaws causing random issues and some resulting in recalls. (Off the top of my head, I can think of iBook GPU separation, iMac G5 power supply/mobo issues, NVIDIA issues in MBP's like the rest of the industry, even the G4 Cube was an uber POS). And please, any piece of hardware in any electronic device can go bad. I had a MacBook that liked to go into sleep as soon as the OS booted, and then randomly wake up and sleep at annoying intervals (changing battery connector made it better but not perfect) and an eMac that usually worked fine, but would sometimes not boot or would display kernel panics - I found that the logic board had blown a number of its capacitors.

There is something to be said about having the software/drivers designed by the same company that designs the hardware (to a certain extent) but even then, Apple has had a number of problems with graphics drivers becoming broken in OS updates, and just last year the Mac Pro had an issue where playing audio choked up the whole system in Snow Leopard (took Apple a few months to fix it but they finally did, at least).

In conclusion, hardware definitely goes bad and software has bugs, even when it's written by Apple.

As for the original problem, Memtest doesn't always seem to pick up issues even if there are some. It helps to remove most of the memory and either use the system or run Memtest with just one stick installed.
 
I ran Memtest86+ for 24 hours, 0 errors so I believe it is safe to rule out bad ram.

denis280 said:
OK did you test the PSU.look on the mobo for burn caps.and then change the mobo.
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My PC exhibits none of the issues that would point to a defective PSU. I will try visually inspecting the motherboard.
 
Inspected the motherboard, no signs of damage. There are no loose spare plugs on the PSU. Maybe I am having problems because the X58 chipset has been running at ~80-85C its whole life due to my motherboard's infamous poor cooling.
 
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Ok, I am going to order a new motherboard. I think I've tried everything at this point. I even tried putting my 9500GT back in, uninstalling the nVidia drivers and using the Windows ones, same issues.
 
I installed the ASUS Sabertooth X58 motherboard and everything is perfect so far. I will update this thread if any problems occur. Thanks to all who helped.
 
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