Wierd SETI problem.. :(

[Fardringle]

I finally got my K6-3+ in the mail yesterday. (YAY!) It seems to be 100% stable at 600Mhz in everything I've tried (3dMark, UT, and many other things) but it invariably locks up the entire system after about 30 minutes of running the SETI 3.0 client - both DOS and GUI versions - and I can't figure out why, since it works great with everything else. Any ideas?

Thanks!

 

[office boy]

What are your temps?

 

[Fardringle]

Temperature after 6 hours of 3dMark and UT is never higher than 45 Celsius, and after idling for a while, drops to 32-33 Celsius. Running SETI, it's usually about 41-42 Celsius and then the whole computer just locks up... It's wierd that this would happen with SETI when more demanding programs don't seem to have a problem.

Edit: I'm running this on an EPOX MVP3G5 and I have the latest BIOS, and everything worked perfectly with the same settings (Just changing the core voltage) with my K6-2 500 running at 600...

 

[lane42]

Maybe try reinstalling the cli and see what happens.

 

[Polo]

I have the same prob on my K6-2 450@500 with CLI 3.0 but it runs fine with the screen saver !
(SOYO 5EHM, 128 Mb PC133, 1Mb L2 with the latest BIOS)
It happens to hang up after 30 minutes or 8 hours... It seems to lock up when arriving near 95-100 % but I'm not sure anyway... It never locks up if I'm using the computer, only if left alone. I'm still running the CLI to see if the prob comes back. It already had crashed three times...
I'm at 53% right now... I just have to wait.
I'm pretty sure it's not your CPU !
No prob with my P166MMX@200 and my C300@450.

 

[Fardringle]

Update:

I set the CPU back to 550Mhz and it has run SETI (both GUI and command line at the same time ) for 10 hours without a lock up. Guess I may have to go with 550 instead of 600. Bummer! :disgust:

 

[Assimilator1]

Fardringle

If it works fine at 550 it sounds like you have a heatlock problem ,have you tried it at 600 with the case off & blowing a mains fan at it?(just to test of course ).Though it seems odd that SETI gives you lower cpu temps than 3dmark 2000.
How does your board measure cpu temps?

BTW SETI will run your cpu to FULL load ,taking all spare cpu time ,so if there is a cooling weakness then SETI will show it up.

 

[Fardringle]

Even with my old K6-2 300@350, my SETI temperatures were always 2 or 3 degrees lower than when running heavy gaming or 3dMark2K...it may be that the K6-3+ is overheating, but if it is, then it's max temperature is under 50, since I never get higher than 45 or 46...(I wonder if one of those Taisol heat sinks will fit on a SS7 board? )

Edit: Oh yeah, and I used to run with the case off and a desk fan blowing on the system, but since I put in a 120MM intake fan and an 80MM blowhole on top and an 80MM exhaust fan in back, I actually get slightly lower temperatures with the case closed..

 

[Fardringle]

Anybody know if the Group Buy Taisol heat sink will fit on a SS7 board? If not, what would be a good (read: cheap but effective) replacement for my generic $5 heat sink? (The one I have does spin at 4800-4900 RPM, but the heat sink itself may not be doing it's job as well as I need it to..)

 

[DOT4com]

Could it possibly be your hard drive or power settings kicking in and messing with the client cuz it is trying to shut down the HDD or possibly put the computer in sleep mode? Just a thought.

 

[Fardringle]

I don't think so, because it works just fine at 550Mhz...

I'm starting to think more and more that it's a heat problem, and the K6-3+ being a mobile chip just can't handle the higher temperatures, so it's locking up when it gets close to 50 degrees Celsius.

 

[Assimilator1]

Hi ho ,never thought I would quote myself!

>>>Though it seems odd that SETI gives you lower cpu temps than 3dmark 2000<<<<

Stupid me! ,of course the vid card adds heat into your system ,hence higher cpu temps!

BTW have you tried a v2.x of SETI to see if it runs OK with that?
Have you tried to disable the L2 on chip ache to see if it runs SETI v3 OK at 600MHz? (less heat output then).

 

[Polo]

Ok, I've found the culprit !

--> SETILOG.EXE !!!!
When running Setilog my computer runs happily until the end of the WU. Then it frozes hard : no video, no mouse, no KB ... I just have to reset. It only does this when left alone and never when I'm using it !!!
It was doing this with my K6-2 450@500 and now it's doing the same on my Duron 600@600 !!!
I have now disabled Setilog.exe and it runs fine with no lock.

No probs at all with Setilog on my two other machines (C300A@450 and P166MMX@200)

 

[Assimilator1]

Interesting ,I wonder why?

 

[Fardringle]

Turns out it was a heat problem. I don't know why this chip would be locking up at 45C, when my old K6-2 was quite content as high as 55-60C, but I tried this with the MB temp monitor open and active, so when the computer locked up I could see what the exact temperature was, and as soon as it hit 45C, the system froze. Wierd, but it gave me an excuse to get a better HSF..