Random reboots...

jdat17

jdat17

jdat17

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Joined
7 Jan 2008
Posts
23
Hi everyone. Been checking the forums for a while but this is my first post!

I have recently built myself a new system which likes randomly rebooting during games (World of Warcraft & Rainbow Six: Vegas). The system doesn't bluescreen (I have disabled auto restart) and I have swapped the RAM and Gfx Card, Updated drivers and firmware and have still got the same fault. My next thought is that my PSU isn't quite up to the job. What dya think:

Hiper Modular 580w PSU:

AW9D Max
Q6600
8800GT Alphadog
2Gb Ballistix Tracer
2 x 250Gb SATA WD HDDs
1 DVD/RW
7.1 Sound (came with board)

Zalman Reserator 1 Plus (Cpu and Gfx card both run at about 50 under load)

I Have got an Enermax galaxy 850w on the way so hopefully this should crack it.

Any other suggestions would be more than welcome because this is going to drive my crazy!

JD
 
I am using the same PSU as you for a similar setup with no issues. Have a look in the bios and check the PSU readings, see if there are any spikes or voltages which look abnormal or are fluctuating. A small variation may be expected though and is normal.

If your PSU checks out, I would turn your attention to drivers, windows updates etc. Make sure your O/S is up to date and experiment with different driver versions.

What software are you using to help monitor your temperatures? What onboard sound chip does your motherboard use? Again, try a different driver revision if you can!

Also, is it possible to try different ram slots on the motherboard? I know you have already swapped the RAM but some motherboard are picking when it comes to which slots you use for various amounts of memory and the different configurations this entails. Check to make sure your motherboard has auto-detected your memory timings. Mine does not and I had to set them manually before my system was stable.
 
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Thanks for the replies!

Heatsinked - Thanks for the suggestions but unfortunatly I have covered them all except for playing with the Ram timings. I did hear someone say that Ram should be running at about 2.1v which mine wasn't (mine was about 1.47 ish) could that cause a problem? I have been using ntune to monitor temps. Just wondering if anyone knew of a program to monitor power usage in windows?

RichBaines - My new PSU just arrived and I will let you know if that makes a difference :D

J
 
Hi there, sorry you are still having problems :(

Your voltage readings should be within 5% of the absolute value. If a reading is exceeding 1V, + or -, I would replace the power supply. For example:

If the 12V reading is fluctuating between 11.92 and 12.08, I would regard that as OK. This will vary depending on the quality of the power supply. However, if the 12V reading is in excess of one volt, lower or higher, you need to purchase a new PSU.

This is information given to me by another forum member some years ago. If it is wrong, please tell me but don’t flame me!

Could you give me some more information on your RAM? The exact product name would be good, as I have found several different 2Gig kits which match your description :)
 
Thanks for getting back to me Heatsinked. The RAM is 2GB kit (1GBx2), Ballistix Tracer 240-pin DIMM (with LEDs), DDR2 PC2-6400 memory module.

I have a horrible feeling it might be because my RAM is running at too lower voltage. I think my board defaults RAM voltage to about 1.8v not 2.2v (I know - silly mistake).

I shall check it out when I get home - I also have an 850w PSU that Im gonna swap with my Hiper 580w. I'm hoping that one of these might fix it!

Thanks again for all your help! It is really appreciated!

J
 
No problem mate, happy to help :)

Ok, the timings for your memory are listed below:

CL - 4
tRCD - 4
tRP - 4
tRAS) - 12

The voltage should indeed be set to 2.2v, just as you thought. I have confirmed this by reading the technical document for this memory, available on the crucial website.

My old motherboard behaved in exactly the same way. It could not read the default memory timings correctly and thus selected incorrect timings by default, including the voltage! I never did find out if it was the motherboard or memory at fault.

Try configuring your memory to these settings, leave all other settings at default and let me know how you get on :)
 
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Righty - Went home at lunch at checked the settings. RAM was at 5-5-5-15 so i changed it to 4-4-4-12 and change the voltage from 1.8v to 2.2v and so far my computer has stopped crashing :) (so far)

I have reached the conclusion that Heatsinked should be made King of the world and I should slap myself every time I use the computer untill I stop making silly mistakes.

Thanks again

J
 
The OcUK forums are full of knowledgeable and experienced people. I hope you will come again if you have any problems! Glad to be of assistance, let’s hope everything is all sorted now :)

And by the way, it wasn't really your mistake. Memory timings and voltages are usually set correctly by default, 99.9% of the time! At least now you know what to look for!
 
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I'm gonna hit the forums to see if I can repay the favour now. Im sure I must know something someone out there doesn't :rolleyes:

Thanks again Mr Sinked
 
The saga continues...

...since upping the RAM voltage to 2.2v the system runs much better and I can play a game for over an hour before it does exactly the same thing and reboots. I have upped the processor voltage a little and was wondering if its worth moving RAM voltage to say 2.25v?

I have also upgraded the 580w PSU to an 850w and the voltage is hardly fluctuating at all.

Did notice that the RAM timings don't want to stay stuck at 4-4-4-12 though. They seem to automatically reset to 4-6-6-12 (I think). Could this be causing problems?

J
 
I have been doing some reading around today and I have found out that some people have had success with 2.25v and set the timings to 5-5-5-15. If anybody thinks this is a bad idea please let me know before i toast my system :D

J
 
After coming to the conclusion that is probably my mobo which is letting me down (was a refurbished one from overclockers) Im thinking about the ASUS Striker Extreme.

Any good, bad or ugly experiences?

Would appreciate input :D

J
 
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