Core i5 3450 Integrated Graphics Corruption?

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26 Nov 2003
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523
Location
Wales, UK
A relative picked up an OEM system about 18 months ago to upgrade their home PC rather than taking up my offer to build a new system for them and until recently it's been working well.

Then a few weeks back they started reporting random restarts and in the past few days it hasn't been booting properly and/or posts ok but then BSODs randomly in Windows and auto resets with post beep errors.

The PC is an Acer Aspire X1935:
  • Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bt
  • Intel i5 3450 (Ivy Bridge - Socket 1155)
  • Integrated Intel HD2500 Graphics
  • 1TB HDD
  • 12GB RAM

I had a look at it the other day and the following happened while checking out the BIOS with the system becoming unresponsive with no BIOS beeps:
161z2vs.jpg
I popped in again on Sunday and the system booted normally to the desktop for about 5 minutes before crashing with similar graphics corruption. The system won't post at the moment -- I've had a look inside the slim-line case and can't see anything immediately out of order, but now have the system with me to investigate further and I'm hoping to run through individual component testing in the near future.

Just a query regarding the on-die integrated graphics on this i5 -- if this fault stems from some sort of integrated graphics corruption can this be bypassed by running a discrete GPU or will the CPU need to be replaced? I've got a working low-profile PCI-e Radeon I was planning to test to isolate the graphics issue but noticed when I was last able to access the bios that it appears to be locked out as an option, i.e. only the integrated graphics was available to select although this could be an OEM Bios restriction.

Testing some of the components is a little awkward at present as the system won't post and my rig is an AMD system, however I'm hoping to check the RAM and HDD in the next day or two. Failing that I'll probably recommend salvaging as much of the system as possible on a new PSU, ATX motherboard and a larger chassis with better airflow. Just hope the CPU isn't a writeoff.

Anyway, any thoughts on the i5 3450 integrated graphics situation would be helpful!
 
I'd start at the RAM and work from there. The semi/good thing is that because it's integrated graphics, it's not a graphics card issue.
It probably won't be drivers as you are getting the corruption at BIOS so they can be ruled out.
 
Yup, start with only one stick of RAM in and try them all individually. If it isn't the RAM it's likely the motherboard.

You could try a GPU to see if it makes any difference, although I doubt it. This looks like RAM or motherboard.
 
You can bypass the integrated graphics by plugging in a GPU and plug the monitor into that. That is assuming the PC has PCI-E and supports it.
 
i have had a lot of bad sticks of ram but never seen this type of a problem with ram?
i would think motherboard or igpu

if you have any overclocks in place reset cmos
dose your motherboard have any other outputs dvi / vga / hdmi, and do you have the same problem when using them
 
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