GA 970A-DS3P issues

weird_dave

weird_dave

weird_dave

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So I've bought a motherboard:
https://www.overclockers.co.uk/giga...0a-socket-am3-ddr3-motherboard-mb-457-gi.html

and a new CPU to go with it:
https://www.overclockers.co.uk/amd-...hz-socket-am3-processor-retail-cp-39p-am.html

I have been getting freezes and odd sound playback (sounds like the audio is being routed via a ZX spectrum). Clean install of Win7. I have read on another forum that the HT and/or Northbridge speeds may be causing the problem, but details were a bit sketchy. I have lowered both to 2GHz (HT was at 2.4 and NB at 2.2). I've also lowered the CPU to 3GHz and the memory down to 1.066, just to err on the side of caution. so far so good, but it's early days...

It passes memtest and some simple benchmarks, but the problems seem to happen while not under load.
Are there known issues with this board that I have failed to find?
 
That's good to know, ta.
I'm starting to suspect it's actually the SSD, running chkdsk at the moment (gonna take a while...). I saw something in the event log about resetting device port 0, it BSOD soon after than with 0x000000F4 (I might not have all the leading 0's ;) )
I also think it might be a driver causing it, the last batch of windows updates (over 200 of them :( ) installed earlier, with an updated AMD SMBus driver I believe.

Aaaand, CHKDSK finished and I have no idea what the result was :(
 
It is a fresh install, hence the 200 updates :(
The SSD isn't branded, SSDLife can't tell me anything about it either. It was working fine on my old system (until that died, hence buying this mobo/CPU, the GFX/Drives seemed to check out ok on another PC and I took a chance that the RAM was OK, it passes memtest on this new mobo)
It could be a windows corruption, I installed from a DVD which is getting quite old now.
I've downloaded AMDs driver install package, now to speed up failure by jinxing it, so far so good :D
 
I just can't get this bloody board to be stable.
Neither the box nor the motherboard bag were sealed, is it possible I've been sent a return? FFS, as I write this, the monitor next to this one has just got another lovely BSOD on it (Stop 7A, never had one of those before!).
 
I've just tried to install W7 on a new (unopened package!) drive and a DVD with no scratches, but it says it cannot install to the disk - ensure the drives controller is enabled in the BIOS!
Definitely RMA time :(
 
It's in the BIOS, windows install sees it, just won't install to it. I hit shift-F10 and did the old diskpart routine, no love there. I noted that it was GPT. Now, here is where it gets interesting, I went to the same stage with my SSD which I have installed to a good few times this week. cannot be installed as it's MBR! Mind is just about blown...
 
I've created a webnote, will probably get an answer tomorrow.
I've not given up hope yet though as I've just spotted that there are 2 revisions of the motherboard, it may be that some of the drivers were for the wrong board (you'd think they just wouldn't install...)
 
Well, this is interesting. I've nearly finished all the updates and just have the sound, gfx and lan drivers installed. I had one hang during install where it brings up a fullscreen suggestion to upgrade to windows 10. I've now added a USB drive and SATA drive, done large folder transfers between them and over the network, all is ok, which of course will now jinx it. I'm seeing VBAN Receptor moan a bit, but that's not surprising as the network is being thrashed (I stream my game rig audio over the network using VBAN to the AMD box, I watch stuff on the 2nd PC as well as run game servers, this lets me mix the audio to the amp without adding any cables).
The only think in device manager which isn't happy is a USB device, probably the USB3 controller.

So, do I risk installing the mobo drivers?

There is a separate USB driver, but it isn't obvious to me which one to download:

VIA USB 3.0 Driver
[V4.20]
116.85 MB
2016/08/30

VIA USB 3.0 Driver
[V4.90A]
11.61 MB
2015/03/18

I have previous loaded the 4.20 as the date is newer.

Oh, and thanks Borealis, having someone listen to my issues has been really useful :)
 
One final thought on this mobo before I send it back (I have an RMA number now), although I tried the GFX card in another PC, albeit only briefly, could it be failing in such a way as to screw up USB and SATA ports (and audio!)? I've just plugged in an older card to test with, so far so good but we've been here before...
I kinda hope it fails, because this card is too big for the case (GTX 260, I've had to take the mobo out of the case to test, lol).
 
I'm based in Loughborough.
I've been putting this through network and local file transfers at high rate, no issues so far. I just don't want to RMA it only for OC not to find an issue with it, which is why I'm doing so much testing.
 
It was this morning as I left for work, I set it off transferring another 300GB over the network. I have the afternoon off, originally to RMA the board! So soon I shall see if it's still OK. Either way this is going to cost me, either postage if it fails of a bigger case to fit the GTX260 (the other card is smaller a HD7850). I could drill the rivets and remove the drive bays I suppose, but then the case might also fall apart.
 
Yay! I think. All was well when I got home so I decided to add a 2nd SATA drive. It didn't seem happy with one of my older drives so I gave it a sparkly new one to chew on, many GB of transfers later and audio just gave the telltale sign of problems, sure enough, clicking anything with either button gives an hourglass, it's lost connections with drives.
One go with memtest just in case, then this mobo is going back, I think I've truly exhausted any possibility of it being the other components (the PSU is a new EVGA 850W and works fine in another machine).
I am using all 4 memory slots though, but so far so good with memtest, 33% through the first run (55 minutes so far, I want to cry!)
 
Well, I am assuming it has lost connection, I can't actually tell because I can't click on anything to find out, anything which tries to access the disk (which is pretty much any action) hourglasses on me, eventually I get BSOD with either F4 or 7A, which I believe would indicate that it has lost the OS drive as a minimum. On top of this, it thinks I've unplugged the speakers (corrupt sound prior to this happening too).
 
it's a scenario that could happen, it seems fairly happy until it sees more than one Sata drive, then it loses the plot fairly quickly. I don't know what overclockers do to test hardware, but I doubt they have the same facilities that the manufacturer would have.
 
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