Random lockups Gigabyte DS3

[madcow53]

Hello everyone,

I am hoping you guys can help me. For the last couple of weeks my PC has been locking up for no apparent reason. All of a sudden I'm surfing the internet or left it idle and it becomes unresponsive (mouse and keyboard ineffective). All I can do is power off and power on again.
I have run memory tests (all OK), I have checked the temperatures for my CPU and video card (CPU in the 30s C, video card in the 50s C), I have tried using different OS's (Vista and Ubuntu) and it still happens.

Strange behavior: This is a recent problem (~1 month old), PC was running fine for months before this started happening and since then I have reinstalled both OSes. When I removed one of the memory chips it was running fine for about a week and then it crashed again. When I reboot it, it crashed very quickly. It tends to crash quicker in Vista than in Ubuntu as well.
I really don't know what the problem is and I'm starting to wonder if there's a broken trace somewhere in my motherboard or a bad solder joint which is causing this behavior. Has anyone else experienced this or has any suggestions?

Thanks

Specs:
CPU: C2D E6400 (not OC'ed)
Video card: XFX GeForce 8800GTS 320MB
MB: Gigabyte DS3
RAM: Kingston 2x1GB 667 Mhz memory
PSU: Enermax 500W

 

[madcow53]

Update:
I just checked the temperature for the GPU and it was 65 degrees C, isn't this too high for a non-overclocked GPU?

 

[Fayd]

Originally posted by: madcow53
Update:
I just checked the temperature for the GPU and it was 65 degrees C, isn't this too high for a non-overclocked GPU?

... no.

 

[Tip3r]

I had a similar problem with my DS3, It didn't freeze. the screen went black and I had to restart.
it started about a month after and it kept on getting worse.I sent it for repairs twice, it worked fine for a week then it started all over again.
I even changed all other components with parts that I knew worked fine and it still didn't work.
finally I returned and got Asus P5B.

 

[madcow53]

Hmm... how long did the repairs take?

Here's more detail...
In sensors view it shows that my +12V line is actually 0-2V and when I go to linux and use the sensors function, here's the output I get:
it8718-isa-0290
Adapter: ISA adapter
in0: +1.14 V (min = +0.00 V, max = +4.08 V)
in1: +1.84 V (min = +0.00 V, max = +4.08 V)
in2: +3.36 V (min = +0.00 V, max = +4.08 V)
in3: +2.93 V (min = +0.00 V, max = +4.08 V)
in4: +0.14 V (min = +0.00 V, max = +4.08 V)
in5: +0.00 V (min = +0.00 V, max = +4.08 V) ALARM
in6: +1.25 V (min = +0.00 V, max = +4.08 V)
in7: +3.02 V (min = +0.00 V, max = +4.08 V)
in8: +4.08 V
fan1: 688 RPM (min = 0 RPM)
fan2: 852 RPM (min = 0 RPM)
fan3: 940 RPM (min = 0 RPM)
temp1: +42°C (low = +127°C, high = +127°C) sensor = thermistor
temp2: +27°C (low = +127°C, high = +127°C) sensor = diode
temp3: -1°C (low = +127°C, high = +127°C) sensor = thermistor
vid: +0.000 V

I don't understand why it says ALARM next to in5. Has anyone experienced this before?

 

[madcow53]

The voltages are fine, the Gigabyte Easytune software shows that the +12V line is getting ~12V. So it's not that...

 

[nyker96]

Originally posted by: Tip3r
I had a similar problem with my DS3, It didn't freeze. the screen went black and I had to restart.
it started about a month after and it kept on getting worse.I sent it for repairs twice, it worked fine for a week then it started all over again.
I even changed all other components with parts that I knew worked fine and it still didn't work.
finally I returned and got Asus P5B.

could this be problem with PS? so your new P5B worked flawlessly?

 

[RyanF]

Run Memtest86. I had the same problems, turned out to be a bad stick of RAM

 

[Tip3r]

madcow53,
One of my dad's friends knew somo guys at gigabyte so he could get a good deal forthe mobo.he got the mobo for me and he sent it to repairs, the repairs took about 10 weeks but it might have taken less if I had sent it in the proper way.

nyker96,
yes it works flawlessly, it's a P5B deluxe WiFi edition, it's also loads faster than the DS3 I had.

 

[madcow53]

Already ran memtest86, didn't detect any errors

Hmm, I might try to use a different PSU to rule out that possibility first (and to not have to dismantle my mobo) and then, if that doesn't work, I'll have to switch the mobo

Thanks everyone for all the suggestions!

 

[ultra laser]

How hot is your northbridge heatsink getting? If you can't hold your finger on it for more than 10 seconds, it's too hot and could be the source of your instability. If this is the case, I recommend getting a small fan (40-50mm) to cool it down. It would also help to remove it, clean it off, and reapply it with quality thermal compound (AS5, ceramique, etc.).

Hope this helps.

 

[madcow53]

Yeah, it's definitely hot, I can't keep my finger on it after 2 or 3 seconds...
hmm... where would you suggest putting the fan and how to go about installing it?

 

[ultra laser]

I glued mine on with arctic alumina since I had some lying around. It's sitting right on top of the sink and blowing air down. Perhaps others can offer ways of mounting it.

 

[madcow53]

Ok, just wanted to give an update on the situation.
I ended up taking ultra laser's suggestion and putting a small fan on top of the northbridge heatsink and the PC has been running with no problems since.
I actually talked with Gigabyte and the service tech told me that the northbridge does get hot usually (and I live in Florida!!), so if other people with GB mobos have the same problem and they've ruled out other causes, they might want to consider this one.
Again, thanks to everyone for the advice.

 

[madcow53]

I lied, after 1.5 weeks of working, PC froze up again while running Vista. This time it happened right after bootup when I was checking my e-mail. It happened again on reboot when trying to access a webpage. I noticed that right before it froze, the mouse pointer would stop moving smoothly and start skipping...
So now running another mem-test for the nth time...temperatures are fine... So I think the problem must be with the motherboard, a broken trace or something. I am going to submit it to Gigabyte, unless someone has any other suggestions?
Thanks.

 

[madcow53]

Another update.
So, I woke up this morning and shut off my PC, when I noticed that the light on my GigE card was still on. When I pulled out the Ethernet cable, I think I saw smoke...
Whenever I connect the cable to the card, the LED turns on, regardless of whether the PC is on or not.
Has anyone else experienced this??