Completely drained, no idea where to go and what to try...

Grumbul

Grumbul

Grumbul

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Joined
31 Aug 2014
Posts
15
I consider myself to be a reasonably intelligent and articulate person. One in desperate need of some kind soul out there to offer me some insight and hopefully a solution to my problem:

System:
Case: Lian Li PCV355B
PSU: Corsair RM Series 550W
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Pro4-M
CPU: Intel CPU Core i5 3570K stock 3.4GHz, max turbo 3.8GHz
CPU Cooler Scythe Big Shuriken 2 Rev.B
RAM: Kingston HyperX Genesis 8GB DDR3 1866 MHz
OS SSD: Samsung 128GB 840 Series SSD
Storage: Seagate 2TB SATA III
Capture Card: AVerMedia Live Gamer HD

OS:
Windows 8.1

History:
System has been running flawlessly for 8 months, not a single hiccup or cause for concern. This week I received a BSOD about 15 minutes after boot up. First I have ever seen on a non XP system.

Error was: 'whea_uncorrectable_error'

I have spent around 30 hours this week troubleshooting this via Google and seeking help on various forums and am now at a point where I have run out of options in an attempt to resolve this.

The initial BSOD resulted in a re-boot of the system. All was fine and to all intents and purposes the rig is 100% functional....until it is put under some stress.

Bear in mind there is no O/C of anything.

First real application issue was noticed with OBS (open broadcaster software) when streaming. I noticed a couple of crashes. I immediately started wondering if I had a deeper issue. Sometimes I have streamed for 3 hours not a problem since the issue first arose, sometimes no more than 5 minutes (bear in mind prior to this I was able to stream 10+hours without a hiccup very regularly in a single session).

My first port of call was Prime95 and MemTest86.

Prime95....no chance. Even on a low level run I saw some issues on Core 2. Complete system lock up.

MemTest86....no problem. Multiple scans all clean.

I've since tried using Extreme Tuning Utility and on either CPU Stress Test or Memory Stress Test I receive either:

whea_uncorrectable_error

or

CLOCK_WATCHDOG_TIMEOUT

So, anything that puts the rig under duress pretty quickly results in an issue.

I have since tried:

complete reinstall of W8.1
W10 installation (just to try it)
updated BIOS, VGA, Rapid Storage, Floppy, RealtekLAN, SmartConnect, ME etc. drivers
Physically cleaned system, re-sat RAM, re-greased CPU/HeatSink
Prior to Windows 8.1 reinstall I tried Type sfc /scannow and Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth clean-ups
Intel Processor Diagnositic Tool passes every time

I am at a loss.

OBS or any sort of CPU intensive call is a game over for me.

If anyone has any advice, any suggestions, any possible answers then please let me know and I will endeavour to ensure all suggestions are met with real world tests and feedback.
 
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Maybe try and pick up a cheap socket 1155 CPU and try that?

Download HWINFO, switch on logging and run something that makes it crash. Reboot and check the log file for temp/voltage spikes/dips?
 
Ok...

Have that installed.

Now if I maybe run a stress test what do I do once the system hangs and I have to reboot?

Able to tell me where the pertinent information is so I can link it here?

Update...

Started Extreme and about 3 mins in instant reboot, no BSOD nothing....where do I find logs?
 
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Ok, so first run HWinfo. Once it starts open "Sensors" and at the bottom there is a button to "Start Logging". Press that and select a memorable location and name. Once done wait maybe 2 mins to get some "normal" data then start a stress test that will cause a problem. Once you have restarted after BSOD open up the csv file (if you don't have Excel or another spreadsheet then try the google online one). You should be looking for any anomalies around the end of the file which will be just before the BSOD. Note: this is a long shot but some data always helps. Good luck.
 
I would download and run the Intel Processor Diagnositic Tool from their website. I use this tool at work to find if an Intel CPU is faulty. Certainly the error you are getting is CPU or board. More likely CPU due to the whea error.
 
Hi IPBA,

On top of MemTest86 that was my second port of call, passed everything no issues.

Thanks for coming in....anything else I should try?
 
IPBA said:
I would download and run the Intel Processor Diagnositic Tool from their website. I use this tool at work to find if an Intel CPU is faulty. Certainly the error you are getting is CPU or board. More likely CPU due to the whea error.
Click to expand...

I didn't know about this - doh - definately worth a try as well by the sound of it!
 
1) Remove the capture card and any kit that isnt needed - go barebones.

2) Return the BIOS to default

Does it restart under stress?

Have you looked at the dump file in Windows BSOD Viewer?
 
Best thing for you to do is open it in a spreadsheet app and check yourself - you should see many rows of similar values, then maybe the last 2 or 3 may show something abnormal. If you spot something let us know what the column name is.
 
ok guys/gals thanks but we are getting a bit ahead here.

I have a .csv file no idea how to open it to make any sense or how to show you it.

To answer some questions:

BIOS is updated
There is no overclock
System starts perfectly every time. Only issues when under duress.

Questions:

How do I look at 'the dump file in Windows BSOD Viewer?'
 
I would increase the CPU voltage slightly. If that fixes your crashing problem then the CPU is likely faulty.

If it's an Intel Retail CPU (came in a box) it will have a three year warranty.
 
WHEA_UNCORRECTABLE_ERROR is usually an error you get with an unstable overclock. Given that you're running stock speeds it could mean something is faulty.

Check what CPU settings your board is setting as default in the BIOS, and double-check them against the values from CPU-Z or similar (both idle and under load, the voltage/clock speed should jump under load) and post them here.

As others have said bumping CPU voltage (offset mode +0.005v steps) could help, but it may be indicative of a different problem with motherboard VRM or power delivery.
 
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