random restart at full load, could it be my overclock??

[addinator]

hi, my rig specs are in my sig. i have my 660 running at 4.5ghz. i have burned it in with both prime 95, and super pi. (i ran prime 95 for around 6 hours, and it had no problems. i ran it while i was gone, and when i came back everything was fine.) tonight, i tried to run a virus scan, i realized i hadn't done that since i got my computer. i was about 2-3 minutes into the scan, and my computer just restarted. then i boot it back up, and i get the windows message that my system has just recovered from a serious error. then, just to make sure it isn't my processor, i run two dvd decryptions at once, putting my computer at full load just like the virus scan. they run fine, for almost 20 minutes. can anyone help me with this problem. thank you.

 

[Furen]

Have you tried virus scan again? Not all programs load the cpu the same way, even if they all claim to load it to 100%. If your pc restarts again I'd return the CPU to stock settings and try again. If it doesnt restart at stock then your overclock is to blame.

Now, if your overclock is to blame here are a few things that could be wrong as a result of your overclock:

Your ram cant take it...
Your CPU is just maxed out... hey it happens, even on prescotts.
Your CPU is just too hot... it always happens on prescotts.
Your power supply cant handle the cpu load. It's more likely to happen on a dual rail PSU with relatively low amperage on the CPU rail, that's why I prefer single-rail PSUs,
Your Mobo cant handle the power load, I wouldnt expect it to be this on that mobo.

 

[doc2345]

back off the fsb...........

 

[addinator]

667 ram couldn't handle it? thank you, i'll try that and see if it works. also, the power supply i have is the Aspire/TurboCase 500Watt Dual Fan Aluminum Power Supply . i know the cpu isn't too hot. it idles around 36-38 and loads in the 40's.

 

[Furen]

Even if the ram can handle the frequency, the timings might just be too tight. I'm guessing you know what you're doing, so dont think I'm trying to be patronizing or anything, I was just brainstorming to give you ideas on what to look into.

 

[addinator]

well... i took speed step off... or it kinda just turned itself off actually, and that seems to make it more stable. now that i find kind of odd. any idea why that would happen. now i can run a full virus scan.

 

[stevty2889]

How are you cooling that thing anyway? Thats an impressive OC.

 

[addinator]

thank you, it is water cooled with a sanyo denki water cooling setup. which is on the processor only. its nice. though, does anyone know why disabling speed step would make it more stable?

 

[Furen]

oh yes, speedstep screwing you over makes sense, since it undervolts your overclocked cpu...

 

[addinator]

okay... thanks for the replies. i have disabled speed step, and now have it running at 4.5ghz 24/7. idles in the upper 40's, and stays around there load. that has really increased stability for me.

 

[Furen]

Ok, I'll tell you how speedstep works and why it messes up your overclock. This applies to AMD's Cool and Quiet as well, by the way.

Since I'm very unfamiliar with Intel Processor names I'm going to guess you have a 3.6GHz P4.

Your CPU normally runs at 200MHz FSB (quad data-rate) with a cpu multiplier of 18 and a certain stock voltage (no idea what it is). When Speedstep is on, your cpu lowers its multiplier to 14 (which means 2.8GHz at stock FSB) and it lowers the voltage as well.

Now, I'm assuming you're not overvolting OR you are overvolting using the percentage modifiers, rather than the VID controls.

The problem with this is that if you raise your FSB to 250 (which is what I think you have) your minimum clock is not 2.8GHz, but rather 3.5GHz, which might not be doable at the lowered voltage. Loading your cpu will, of course, raise your cpu voltage back up so this doesnt affect your fully loaded settings, but it does affect low-mid loads that an antivirus might give you. Now, I'm basing this on my experience with C'n'Q, so this might not be the exact way Speedstep operates but it should be similar enough.