Zotac 9300 ITX randomly switches off?

Stonedofmoo

Stonedofmoo

Stonedofmoo

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Hi guys

I've just built my first ITX setup. Sugo SG05, Zotac 9300 board, Core 2 Duo 7500. 4Gb RAM. All running at stock speeds.

I'm trying to run memtest86+ but it keeps turning off at random intervals. Any ideas whats going on?

Temps are around 41oc in the BIOS, voltages are core speeds are stock, but for some reason I cannot choose 1.8v for the memory voltage even though thats DDR2 default speeds.

What gives :confused:
 
Hmm thats strange, which bios are you runing maybe worth updating it to the latest althought they dont seem to do a lot between updates might get lucky. Probably try running memtest With 1 stick of ram aswell.
 
This can happen if the MCP heatsink is not well seated. It is easy to displace it a little if the cpu cooler is touching it, which leads to rapidly increasing MCP temperatures, followed by shutdowns. What is your MCP temperature in the bios and does it change over time? If you just watch in the bios, it should not go over 50 deg.
 
Oh, that could be it, my MCP temp is over 80 degrees! I'm using the intel heatsink though so it does clear the mcp's heatsink ok. I'll try reseating it tonight.

Is there a way of updating the BIOS from DOS? I can't install Windows yet as I'm waiting for a sata cable adapter so I can plugin my slimline dvd-rw
 
See page 77 in the new 9300 ITX manual http://downloads.zotac.com/mediadrivers/mb/man/pa105.pdf about possible interaction between the cpu and mcp heatskinks.

See page 39 in the same manual about updating the bios from DOS. You will need a DOS-bootable usb stick with the bios image and the awdflash.exe utility (should be on one of the CDs that came with the MB). In order to boot from the stick, it will be necessary to change the hard disk boot order in the bios. Do not forget to turn SmartFan off before updating the bios, or the MB will embark on the road of no return!
 
Oh, and if you try to remove and re-sit the MCP heatsink, be very careful with the two pushpins with which it is attached. Their ends need to be squeezed very gently with a pair of small pliers before pushing them back through the holes in the MB. There are people who have been reporting high MCP temperatures because of the use of a very thick layer of thermal compound at the factory.
 
Cheers mate, I'll do all that tonight. I'm determined to get this working correctly.

I don't suppose anyone knows why I can't select 1.8v for my DDR2 RAM? For some reason 1.9v is the lowest selection even those thats overspec. Is this fixed with a recent BIOS.
 
Stonedofmoo said:
I don't suppose anyone knows why I can't select 1.8v for my DDR2 RAM? For some reason 1.9v is the lowest selection even those thats overspec. Is this fixed with a recent BIOS.
Click to expand...

The memory voltage control is the same in all bios versions available so far. By default, the MB is running the memory at the SPD settings, which should be fine. In fact, I would suggest sticking to the SPD settings at all times, as the MB seems to be quite picky with respect to the memory. I had an unpleasant experience with a Corsair TWIN2X4096-6400C5 pair which was not working correctly when the NVidia Advance Path had been enabled in the bios. This has now been swapped to Kingston KVR800D2N5K2/4G, which runs perfectly.
 
I don't suppose it's the PSU? What case do you have it in?

[Edit] Ignore that, apparantly I can't read. :o
 
Last edited:
Black Hat said:
OT but what would you say is max load for the MCP ?
Click to expand...

I am running the ASUS P5N7A-VM which has the same 9300 chipset and it was getting too hot and randomly rebooting. 96 degrees was the fallover temperature, the MCP is actually rated for a maximum of 105 degrees so it was getting pretty close. Again it's to do with it's reliance upon the CPU cooler.
 
Found this old post which has helped identify the issues im having.

I removed the MCP heatsink and the TIM didnt look great. I want to replace it now but not sure if I can use AS5 or whether I should be using a ceramique paste.

Can anyone advise what I can use?
 
Thanks chipps
Job done, I used 3mm nut & bolt to refit the Mcp heat-sink. I applied the thermal paste like I would a CPU, I.e not as thick as it was.
Need a heavy gaming session to test it now. Could do with a few days off work!
 
Had the same problem on mine, bolt modded the NB, reapplied AS5 and stuck a 40mm Fractal Designs fan on the top. Temps are much more reasonable now.

Word to the wise NorthQ NB coolers don't fit!
 
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