What is the stablest Socket A motherboard chipset.

[ty1er]

Currently in my Dads PC I'm experiencing random restarts and bsod. He might get one ever week or so. These crashes happen when browsing the net, or coming back to the PC after it has been at rest (running the screensaver). The annoying part is that I am unable to reproduce the system crashes. They just seem to happen total random.

AMD moble 2700+
Asus A7NX-X nforce2
512 corsiar
Geforce 4TI

I have updated the bios, and all sytem drivers to the latest revisions, but nothing seems to help. I guess that this is a problem with the nforce2 chipset. I have been thing about swaping out this Asus A7N8X-X with a mobo using a difference chipset to see to that sloves the problem.

So, what was the least problematic mobo chipsets for the AMD Socket A boards.

thanks


EDIT

Error of Image 01
Error of Image 02

 

[carlosd]

That could be a memory problem... are you complete sure it is a MainBoard Issue? Did you checked the rest of the components: Memory, Video Card, PSU...?

 

[Peter]

There's no point to that question. One can build a quality or a crap mainboard from any chipset, and that's been true in the socket-A days as well.

Check for a dying power supply, bad capacitors on the mainboard, clogged or defective cooling fans, bad RAM.

 

[Puffnstuff]

Well nf2 was the best you could get bar none. Time to do a systematic check to locate the root cause.

 

[trexpesto]

Northbridge fan running?

 

[bloodugly]

Maybe a Windows problem? Background application crashing randomly?

 

[CDC Mail Guy]

Originally posted by: Puffnstuff
Well nf2 was the best you could get bar none. Time to do a systematic check to locate the root cause.

I agree. Mine is several years old and still purring away like a champ!

 

[Peter]

I've just refurbed an ALi chipset board, and the one I'm still running is a SiS.

Boards don't die from bad chipsets, but are either killed by the user (most commonly in fact), ESD, bad power, or leaking capacitors.

 

[brencat]

Originally posted by: ty1er
Currently in my Dads PC I'm experiencing random restarts and bsod. He might get one ever week or so. These crashes happen when browsing the net, or coming back to the PC after it has been at rest (running the screensaver). The annoying part is that I am unable to reproduce the system crashes. They just seem to happen total random.

Pretty sure this is a dying PSU...random reboots are a typical sign. BSOD are usually caused by RAM errors.

Isolate the RAM problem by running memtest for a good 8 hours (just google for the program). You should not have any errors.

As far as the PSU, please give us the brand, total wattage, and Amps values of the +3.3v, +5v, and +12v rails? (look on the PSU sticker)

 

[oldman420]

most likely ram or cpu overheating by the sound of it also look to the psu as this could be the problem.

 

[Linflas]

I have an A7N8X-Deluxe that has been solid as a rock since the day I built it.

 

[ty1er]

Originally posted by: carlosd
That could be a memory problem... are you complete sure it is a MainBoard Issue? Did you checked the rest of the components: Memory, Video Card, PSU...?

Running in the PC is a single Stick of Cosair VS 512mb.
I have ran Memtest for a few nights on this machine. No errors where reported.

The power supply I'm running is a FSP Group AX450-PN. In the past I was running a older Emermax 300w PS, the same problems existed.

Originally posted by: Peter
There's no point to that question. One can build a quality or a crap mainboard from any chipset, and that's been true in the socket-A days as well.

Check for a dying power supply, bad capacitors on the mainboard, clogged or defective cooling fans, bad RAM.

The temps in this case are where they should be. There is deceint ventalation.

Also there is no sign of "bad caps."

Originally posted by: bloodugly
Maybe a Windows problem? Background application crashing randomly?

Not that I know of. This is on a relitively new install of winXP with all the latest updates.


Next time it crashes, I'll copy down the BSOD info and google it up. Maybe that might lead me to an solution.

 

[trexpesto]

Can windows problems cause restarts?????

 

[montypythizzle]

Originally posted by: trexpesto
Can windows problems cause restarts?????

YEs, I have seen it many of times.

 

[firewolfsm]

The chipset itself is rarely, if ever, the problem.

 

[VirtualLarry]

NF2 boards were supposed to be very solid. I have a KT400-based board that is still running strong today too, an MSI board.

 

[Peter]

That is /exactly/ the kind of generalization I meant. It just doesn't work out.

 

[kt]

I am betting it's the video card. The G4TI has done that to me more than a couple of times.

 

[larciel]

direct answer to you question.
KT133A, mobo KK266A

 

[ty1er]

The machine just BSOD this morning.

I added pictures of the error messages to the OT.