Motherboard or CPU problem?

pastymuncher · 10 Jul 2009 at 19:12

Hi guys, a little help would be much appreciated. My main rig, specs in siggy plus Sony Sata dvdrw, WD 320Gb AAKS sata ll hdd (Vista 64 bit) and a Seagate 7200.10 320Gb sata ll hdd (XP 32 bit) has been having some problems since Wednesday.

It started off taking longer and longer to boot and then when i go to shut down it goes into standby instead. I then have to press the power button on the case and it turns back on from standby and then shut's down properly. In Vista's problem reporting section there was an entry for the CPU which went something like high power features have been disabled on core 0 and the same for core 1. Last night it also would'nt recognise the dvdrw drive. This afternoon it refused to boot at all. It got to the IDE/Sata controller part of the post sequence and displayed a load of gobbledegook after IDE 2 which is the dvdrw drive.

I have tried clearing cmos, using one hdd at a time, changed the sata cables for brand new ones, changed the dvdrw, ran memtest for four hours with no faults, ran at stock speeds and it does'nt matter if i use Vista or XP, it has the same problems. I am thinking maybe the chipset on the motherboard has gone.

The rig has been running at 3.8Ghz for several months now as the gains with 4.5Ghz are minimal. For 3.8Ghz i use a 400fsb and the board needs no extra voltage for this so it's not a overvoltage problem and it certainly is'nt heat related. Nothing has been changed, it just started out of the blue. I would appreciate any suggestions/thoughts you may have. Thanks for taking the time to read this.

pastymuncher · 11 Jul 2009 at 10:18

Already running the latest bios and it does'nt look like DFI will be releasing any more for this board. I ran Linx (similar to IBT) last night for a good couple of hours using max available memory. No errors and chipset temp did not exceed 24 degrees!! The joys of having a window mounted rad.

Going to try de-activating the sata ports one by one now but apart from that there's not a lot else i can do.

pastymuncher · 11 Jul 2009 at 20:16

westom said:
If you do not measure DC voltages with a meter, then every answer will be speculation.

Don't know why you are talking about increasing voltage. That is not relevant. Current is relevant.

Now, measure critical voltages when power supply connects to motherboard. Probe inside that nylon connector. Measure voltages on any one of red, orange, yellow, and purple wire. Note these voltages (to three significant digits) as the computer powers on, loads programs, and when it is multitasking to every peripheral device simultaneously. IOW play complex graphics, while downloading from the internet, while interfacing with a USB device, while searching the hard drive, while ...

Now report those numbers here since numbers can contain information you don't even realize.

Are you posting in the right thread? I did'nt mention increasing any voltages at all. It's actually back at stock at the moment.

It would seem that SATA channels 0 and 2 are dodgy from de-activating them one by one and moving the leads around. Look's like a motherboard RMA.

pastymuncher · 12 Jul 2009 at 15:11

Mattus said:
Pretty much every post you've made has said this? If there are problems during the POST, it's not going to be a PSU issue unless the PSU has given up completely, which it doesn't seem like it has.

pastymuncher, is it working now you're using alternative SATA ports?

Yes. Well sort of anyway. It cured the boot problem but the pc still goes into standby instead of shutting down. Unfortunately i have a need for 3 working ports (2 hdd, 1 DVDRW) and now i have lost Sata 0 master and slave, and the same with Sata 2, i only have Channel 1 giving me 2 out of the six ports on the board. RMA time for a board that only lasted 3-4 months.

I have tried updating the chipset drivers but there are no newer ones available. Think i will try for a refund/swap and get a P45 board instead.

pastymuncher · 13 Jul 2009 at 13:34

westom said:
Further information that might have solved this problem long ago still cannot be posted - because those numbers were not provided.

Most people have little appreciation for how much information is obtained - in 30 seconds - if voltage numbers are taken during power up and when the system is under maximum load. So much information that a post to describe it would probably be the longest one here.

For the OP - the fact that you have no idea how important those numbers are suggests how useful that information is. Now, how many items are on your list of "definitively known good"? If that list is still empty, you have accomplished nothing after so much work and posting. By this time, you should have a list of components and subsystems that are good - without any doubt.

Not everyone has a multimeter you know. If you read things properly you will have seen i have tested the ram and cpu. Swapped the drives around which are only a couple of months old anyway. I know for a fact that the psu is fine. If that was dodgy then the system would be unstable, especially when overclocked and on full load. The dvdrw has been swapped just to check.

As i said before, i have dead sata ports and now the last pair have are playing up as well so it could be a problem with the ICH9R controller. It also won't shut down at all now. I have to power off by holding down the power switch on the case so i am going to RMA the board now. It appears i am not the only one to have this problem on this board. There are a couple of others who have had the same problem over at the DFI forums. Pity as it's a good board otherwise.

pastymuncher · 14 Jul 2009 at 10:21

Servo said:
pastymuncher

Goto power options

Then, Change advanced power options

goto power buttons and lid
change, power button to shut down, see if that helps.

Lol, I bet you tried that.

First thing i tried.

Applied for an RMA yesterday to the place i got it from and was approved yesterday. Sent off yesterday too. No hanging about here. They should get it today. They said that if found faulty they will send me a new one. Not exactly what i wanted but at least i won't have to reinstall both OS's. Hopefully it will last longer than this one did.

pastymuncher · 14 Jul 2009 at 10:24

PaulGreyhead said:
Can you explain to me how a PSU can affect one SATA port and not another?
I am a PC Technician, and diagnosing a computer problem is comparable to a Doctor diagnosing an illness. One has to hear all of the symptoms before deciding what the problem could be, or where to start looking. Experience, logical thinking and an open mind are good traits to have when working with faulty PC's. Your fixation with checking voltages can lead you away from the problem cause, as it has done in this situation.
This is nothing personal, but I would also question your attitude and the way you construct your posts. I dare say it is unintentional, but your posts come accross as aggressive.

That's exactly the way i read his post's too!! No doubt Mattus came to the same conclusion. Trying to help someone is good but not when the answers/suggestions come across so aggressively and almost arrogantly.

pastymuncher · 14 Jul 2009 at 19:04

I can now clear this up once and for all. The retailer recieved it this morning and miraculously has tested it this afternoon. Never heard of that before. Anyway, all of the sata ports from the Intel ICH9R controller are dead. So it had nothing at all to do with voltage. They are sending me the newer version (rev 2.0?) of the board and it should be with me in a day or two. Fantastic service from a small retailer.

pastymuncher · 14 Jul 2009 at 19:26

It's only 3-4 months old so it went back to the retailer. Fantastic service. Did'nt know there was a newer version of the board either.

pastymuncher · 15 Jul 2009 at 10:49

Mattus said:
(I realise this is derailing the thread somewhat, but the initial problem has been solved and I think you have to defeat this kind of attitude through argument.)

In this case a big stick may be better.

pastymuncher · 15 Jul 2009 at 11:39

pastymuncher · 16 Jul 2009 at 10:18

The new board has just arrived and about to be installed. That is amazing service by any standards. The board looks the same to me but the part number is different. No obvious rev 2 markings on the board. Will let you know if the problems sorted.

pastymuncher · 16 Jul 2009 at 13:18

All rebuilt and working perfectly. Tried a few restarts/shut down cycles to make sure and all is well. Let's hope this board last's longer than the other one.

The best bit? Absolutely not a psu problem which most of us knew it was'nt anyway!!

pastymuncher · 16 Jul 2009 at 18:53

Perhaps if we ignore him he will go away.

Still have'nt found any difference between the boards. Running perfectly so i am happy again.