Why does my comp crash randomly?

[pRada]

Hi, my comp crashes on me randomly. It works fine when I'm listening to music, surfing the net, burning music, etc. But as soon as I play Counter-strike for about an hour it would show me this blue screen and crashes(restarts). I did do a little tweaking in my bios and I think there might be something wrong. This is what I have, E6750 with Gigabyte p35 ds3l, 2x Crucial ballastix tracer pc6400 @ 800mhz, Evga 512mb 8600gts and a Zalmann 9500. My settings in bios are:

robus - auto
cpu clock ratio - 8x
cpu host freq - 400
pci freq - 100
cia2 - disabled
perfomance enhanced - standard
system multipler 800 2.00
dram timing manual
4,4,4,12
the rest is on auto
system voltage control - manual
ddr2 overvolt : +0.4v = 2.0v actuall (although my ram says 2.2v)
FSB volt - normal
G MCH overvolt - normal
CPU voltage - normal (reading 1.312 in CPU-Z)

Can somebody please help? Do I need to go ahead and set my cpu voltage higher or my ddr2 higher? Thanks in advance.

 

[Shortass]

Try bumping up the CPU voltage a notch.

 

[Denithor]

Actually I would suggest some stability testing instead of just randomly adjusting voltages as the problem may have nothing at all to do with the cpu.

First, install CoreTemp so you can monitor your cpu temperature, if it's too hot that could be your problem right there.

Second, run Memtest86 overnight to confirm your memory is working correctly (I have personally seen memory responsible for more bluescreens than any other component).

Third, run Orthos for a few hours (or overnight) to make sure your cpu is operating like it should be.

If your system shows no signs of instability during this testing it is likely some other component causing the problem. Test the video card next as your problem occurs during gaming (loop 3dMark06, run the Crysis benchmark repeatedly or use ATiTool to test for artifacts).

After you figure out what is causing the problem then you can set about fixing it.

 

[Kaspian]

Like Denithor suggested, check your temps. It sounds like your puter is overheating. A buddy of mine had a similar problem not so long ago. Take the side panel off and get a fan to blow directly into the case. Play your game. If your game plays just fine it was your temps. Check your fan/hs on your cpu and mobo. Remove them and clean them out (including new thermal compound) or replace them all together. Dont for check your temps before, during and after (playing your game)

 

[Kaspian]

Well, I just re-read your post. You said that you did a little "tweaking" in the bios. Was that before or after the puter started rebooting it self? Set everything back to the default settings and go from there.

 

[Fallen Kell]

What does the blue screen say as well. There is usually useful information contained on that screen which can help pinpoint the issue. Remember that about 48% of all crashes (at least in Vista) are from Nvidia driver issues. What OS are you running?

 

[pRada]

Originally posted by: Denithor
Actually I would suggest some stability testing instead of just randomly adjusting voltages as the problem may have nothing at all to do with the cpu.

First, install CoreTemp so you can monitor your cpu temperature, if it's too hot that could be your problem right there.

Second, run Memtest86 overnight to confirm your memory is working correctly (I have personally seen memory responsible for more bluescreens than any other component).

Third, run Orthos for a few hours (or overnight) to make sure your cpu is operating like it should be.

If your system shows no signs of instability during this testing it is likely some other component causing the problem. Test the video card next as your problem occurs during gaming (loop 3dMark06, run the Crysis benchmark repeatedly or use ATiTool to test for artifacts).

After you figure out what is causing the problem then you can set about fixing it.

I do have core temp installed, my readings are, core#0 at 32c, core #1 at 33c. On loading its like 45c on both, then immediately drops down to 32c and 33c. I will try and install those programs and run tests. Thank you very much.

 

[pRada]

Originally posted by: Kaspian
Well, I just re-read your post. You said that you did a little "tweaking" in the bios. Was that before or after the puter started rebooting it self? Set everything back to the default settings and go from there.

this was after I did my tweaking, Im going to put everything back to normal and start playing games, well go from there. thank you.

 

[pRada]

Originally posted by: Fallen Kell
What does the blue screen say as well. There is usually useful information contained on that screen which can help pinpoint the issue. Remember that about 48% of all crashes (at least in Vista) are from Nvidia driver issues. What OS are you running?

You know, I really cant say, it shows me the blue screen for about 1 1/2 sec and then restarts. Im running XP pro. I did tweak my vid card to 775mhz stock 675mhz. Do you guys think this might be the problem? Well, actually I dont think it is, because on stock mhz, it still did the same thing. Couldn't be the vid card tweaking. :/

 

[pRada]

Well, after I put all my settings back to normal, my comp was doing fine for about 4 days then it crashed again. Could this be my Ram? Or video card? PLease help, this is getting frustrating.

 

[driftwood07]

4-4-4-12 at 800Mhz might be pushing the RAM too hard. My suggestion is to reduce timings to 4-4-4-15 or 4-4-4-18 and see what happens

EDIT: I looked up your ram and it is rated at 4-4-4-12 at 800Mhz so that shouldn't be a problem, and if you did a +.4 in bios to get it to 2.2V that should be plenty for it. Many times BSOD during gaming with all sorts of hexadecimal numbers is a memory problem but you seem to have things set correctly.

The best thing to do while tweaking stuff to stress the cpu/ram is to do download Orthos and do a Blend test, which stresses both of them intensely (so you dont have to sit and play CS for an hour and wait for it to crash) . If this crashes it I suggest doing a CPU only stress test and see if it still crashes, that could pinpoint if it is a cpu or ram problem.

 

[pRada]

Ok, so its getting to the point where I just want to take my comp and throw it It keeps randomly crashing more frequently now. I tried putting all my settings about to normal. To see if it was an error in my OC. It still crashes.. so obviously it wasnt my OC. Does anyone have any idea why this is happening? I see a blue screen for about 1 sec then it restarts. Thanks.

 

[Tempered81]

ram errors due to oc/overvoltage, HDD going bad, dusty overheating vid card...

 

[devilchrist]

FIRST,

have you done memtest?
this will tell you if you have bad stick.

even if you ram is rated at certain speed, doesn't mean it's not defective.

if it passes then you know it's not your memmory or your timing,

if it failed, either RMA it or lower your timing.
try running it at 5-5-5-18

SECOND,

Your rams 4-4-4-12 800mhz is at maximum voltage. meaning it not guaranteed to run that high unless you bump the voltage to 2.2v.

so if what you say is true about normal voltage is 1.6v. then you need +0.6v to make sure your ram is getting enough voltage

THIRD,

change only ONE thing at a time.. you'll never find your answer if you change multiple things.