Please help--hardware problems.

SpecTheIntro · 2004-03-11, 04:31

I'm running the following machine:
P4 2.4C at stock speed
ASUS P4P800 Deluxe (865P chipset)
1 GIG OCZ PC3700 Gold Rev.2 Matched Pair (Running at PC3200 settings 2-2-3-5)

I cannot get the blend test to pass--it crashes under 10 minutes every time I run it. It first crashed around 2 weeks ago, and to follow it up I ran memtest and discovered errors in my RAM. (I used to have Corsair XMS PC3200 1GB Matched Pair) I sent that back and purchased the OCZ. As soon as I got the OCZ, I underclocked it to PC3200 and set it 2-2-3-5. (The settings OCZ recommends.) I then ran memtest86 for exactly one full cycle (running all tests, not std, for ~1 and a half hours) and received no errors. I ran it again to make sure and got the same results. The other two Prime95 tests both return successful first rounds. I plan on running each overnight to see if either fails, but here's my question:

I know Large FFT tests CPU and Blend tests memory--why would Large FFT pass the first round of tests, and Blend fail? The memory isn't bad; I've tested it repeatedly in memtest and no problems pop up. Any suggestions? I monitored my temps and the hottest the P4 ever got on the Blend was 96 Fahrenheit. (39 C) What else could Blend be testing? My chipset temps are constant too. (Never going higher than 33 C) Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!!!

SpecTheIntro · 2004-03-11, 06:45

Update:

After running the Large FFT test for 1 hour and 33 minutes, it failed:

[Wed Mar 10 22:53:44 2004]
Self-test 8K passed!
[Wed Mar 10 23:22:55 2004]
Self-test 1024K passed!
[Thu Mar 11 00:20:32 2004]
Self-test 1024K passed!
[Thu Mar 11 00:36:57 2004]
Self-test 896K passed!
[Thu Mar 11 00:53:16 2004]
Self-test 768K passed!
[Thu Mar 11 01:09:45 2004]
Self-test 640K passed!
[Thu Mar 11 01:26:08 2004]
Self-test 512K passed!
[Thu Mar 11 01:37:08 2004]
FATAL ERROR: Rounding was 0.5, expected less than 0.4
Hardware failure detected, consult stress.txt file.

Checking my history file, the temperature at the failure was 41C on the CPU. What does this mean? Do I have a bad CPU?

markr · 2004-03-11, 10:08

What version of prime95 are you using? (Assuming it is prime95.) Version 23.7 had a bug in the torture test that apparently was triggered in very occasional, specific circumstances. 23.8 is the latest, I think.

Your temperatures seem fine to me, but my experience is limited.

Prime95 · 2004-03-11, 13:46

Try memory settings that are slower than 2-2-3-5

SpecTheIntro · 2004-03-11, 19:39

I'm running 23.8.1. (It's Prime95.)

Ok, so I tried running it at timings 2-3-3-6 and it still failed in 6 minutes. (Citing a rounding error.)

I tried running at 3-4-4-8 and it froze before completing the first test. (under 5 minutes)

I'm so confused. Why would memtest pass this memory without fail after an hour and a half of continuous stress testing, but Prime95's Blend test crashes within 10 minutes? Do you think it could be my chipset drivers? I'm using the latest 865 drivers from Intel.

Is there any good program to JUST test the CPU? The fact that I failed Large FFT in an hour and a half makes me suspect that the CPU is the culprit, but the fact that I froze after relaxing the memory timings makes me suspect something else may be up.

Ugh. I'm not even overclocking. What a crappy situation.

Thanks for all your help, and please keep suggestions coming!

Prime95 · 2004-03-11, 20:40

It could be the CPU - try upping the core voltage. Also, make sure your voltages are OK. An inadequate power supply could be the cause.

QuintLeo · 2004-03-12, 00:21

Quote:

Originally Posted by Prime95

It could be the CPU - try upping the core voltage. Also, make sure your voltages are OK. An inadequate power supply could be the cause.

It's not overheat - 41C is plenty cool for a P4.

I'd suspect RAM or motherboard, *if* it's not the power supply. More likely the motherboard, since you've already replaced the RAM once and are underclocking the new RAM.

Could be the CPU, but I've not seen a lot of failures out of P4s that aren't overclocked.

SpecTheIntro · 2004-03-12, 04:00

[Thu Mar 11 20:39:31 2004]
Self-test 1024K passed!
[Thu Mar 11 20:56:12 2004]
Self-test 8K passed!
[Thu Mar 11 21:11:58 2004]
Self-test 10K passed!
[Thu Mar 11 21:26:24 2004]
FATAL ERROR: Rounding was 0.5, expected less than 0.4
Hardware failure detected, consult stress.txt file.

This is the longest I have EVER gone on Blend without an error. The only thing I changed, hardware wise, was the voltage: from 1.525 to 1.5375. Also, I realized I'd never disabled Norton Antivirus while running Prime95, so I did that as well. I'm really not sure which could have caused the increased longevity. I used MBM to monitor the readings on my mobo and here are the extremes during the stress-testing:

Case: 91 F
CPU: 105 F
CPU voltage: 1.49v (absolute lowest) 1.52 (average)

I have some fans plugged into the headers on my mobo, and I'm going to switch them over to the 3.3V rail to see if that helps motherboard stability at all.

All of my other voltages were stable. Is there any way I can stress-test my chipset, so I can narrow it down between it and the CPU?

Thanks again for all of your help!

Mutu · 2004-03-17, 11:59

Try 2.5-4-4-8 memory timings.

QuintLeo · 2004-03-17, 13:25

Quote:

Originally Posted by SpecTheIntro

[Thu Mar 11 20:39:31 2004]

I have some fans plugged into the headers on my mobo, and I'm going to switch them over to the 3.3V rail to see if that helps motherboard stability at all.

It won't - PC fans, for the most part, are designed to run from 12VDC and most won't spin at ALL at less than about 6 volts.

Plug them into a 12V line from a spare HD connector instead.

SpecTheIntro · 2004-03-19, 06:18

Ok, I replaced the mobo, which is why I hadn't posted for a while.

I think that fixed the problem. I ran the Blend stress test for 3 and a half hours with no problems at all. However, just a few minutes ago my computer randomly shut down. My temps weren't out of the ordinary, so I think that may have been a software fluke. Anyhow, I'm going to run Prime95 overnight and see if I can eke out an error. If not, I'm going to assume that my hardware issues are over.

Thanks a bunch for your help, everyone!

2004-03-11, 04:31	#1
SpecTheIntro Mar 2004 6₁₀ Posts	Please help--hardware problems. I'm running the following machine: P4 2.4C at stock speed ASUS P4P800 Deluxe (865P chipset) 1 GIG OCZ PC3700 Gold Rev.2 Matched Pair (Running at PC3200 settings 2-2-3-5) I cannot get the blend test to pass--it crashes under 10 minutes every time I run it. It first crashed around 2 weeks ago, and to follow it up I ran memtest and discovered errors in my RAM. (I used to have Corsair XMS PC3200 1GB Matched Pair) I sent that back and purchased the OCZ. As soon as I got the OCZ, I underclocked it to PC3200 and set it 2-2-3-5. (The settings OCZ recommends.) I then ran memtest86 for exactly one full cycle (running all tests, not std, for ~1 and a half hours) and received no errors. I ran it again to make sure and got the same results. The other two Prime95 tests both return successful first rounds. I plan on running each overnight to see if either fails, but here's my question: I know Large FFT tests CPU and Blend tests memory--why would Large FFT pass the first round of tests, and Blend fail? The memory isn't bad; I've tested it repeatedly in memtest and no problems pop up. Any suggestions? I monitored my temps and the hottest the P4 ever got on the Blend was 96 Fahrenheit. (39 C) What else could Blend be testing? My chipset temps are constant too. (Never going higher than 33 C) Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!!!

2004-03-12, 04:00	#8
SpecTheIntro Mar 2004 2·3 Posts	[Thu Mar 11 20:39:31 2004] Self-test 1024K passed! [Thu Mar 11 20:56:12 2004] Self-test 8K passed! [Thu Mar 11 21:11:58 2004] Self-test 10K passed! [Thu Mar 11 21:26:24 2004] FATAL ERROR: Rounding was 0.5, expected less than 0.4 Hardware failure detected, consult stress.txt file. This is the longest I have EVER gone on Blend without an error. The only thing I changed, hardware wise, was the voltage: from 1.525 to 1.5375. Also, I realized I'd never disabled Norton Antivirus while running Prime95, so I did that as well. I'm really not sure which could have caused the increased longevity. I used MBM to monitor the readings on my mobo and here are the extremes during the stress-testing: Case: 91 F CPU: 105 F CPU voltage: 1.49v (absolute lowest) 1.52 (average) I have some fans plugged into the headers on my mobo, and I'm going to switch them over to the 3.3V rail to see if that helps motherboard stability at all. All of my other voltages were stable. Is there any way I can stress-test my chipset, so I can narrow it down between it and the CPU? Thanks again for all of your help! Last fiddled with by SpecTheIntro on 2004-03-12 at 04:02

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2004-03-11, 06:45	#2
SpecTheIntro Mar 2004 2·3 Posts	Update: After running the Large FFT test for 1 hour and 33 minutes, it failed: [Wed Mar 10 22:53:44 2004] Self-test 8K passed! [Wed Mar 10 23:22:55 2004] Self-test 1024K passed! [Thu Mar 11 00:20:32 2004] Self-test 1024K passed! [Thu Mar 11 00:36:57 2004] Self-test 896K passed! [Thu Mar 11 00:53:16 2004] Self-test 768K passed! [Thu Mar 11 01:09:45 2004] Self-test 640K passed! [Thu Mar 11 01:26:08 2004] Self-test 512K passed! [Thu Mar 11 01:37:08 2004] FATAL ERROR: Rounding was 0.5, expected less than 0.4 Hardware failure detected, consult stress.txt file. Checking my history file, the temperature at the failure was 41C on the CPU. What does this mean? Do I have a bad CPU?

2004-03-11, 10:08	#3
markr "Mark" Feb 2003 Sydney 3·191 Posts	What version of prime95 are you using? (Assuming it is prime95.) Version 23.7 had a bug in the torture test that apparently was triggered in very occasional, specific circumstances. 23.8 is the latest, I think. Your temperatures seem fine to me, but my experience is limited.

2004-03-11, 13:46	#4
Prime95 P90 years forever! Aug 2002 Yeehaw, FL 7526₁₀ Posts	Try memory settings that are slower than 2-2-3-5

2004-03-11, 19:39	#5
SpecTheIntro Mar 2004 2·3 Posts	I'm running 23.8.1. (It's Prime95.) Ok, so I tried running it at timings 2-3-3-6 and it still failed in 6 minutes. (Citing a rounding error.) I tried running at 3-4-4-8 and it froze before completing the first test. (under 5 minutes) I'm so confused. Why would memtest pass this memory without fail after an hour and a half of continuous stress testing, but Prime95's Blend test crashes within 10 minutes? Do you think it could be my chipset drivers? I'm using the latest 865 drivers from Intel. Is there any good program to JUST test the CPU? The fact that I failed Large FFT in an hour and a half makes me suspect that the CPU is the culprit, but the fact that I froze after relaxing the memory timings makes me suspect something else may be up. Ugh. I'm not even overclocking. What a crappy situation. Thanks for all your help, and please keep suggestions coming!

2004-03-11, 20:40	#6
Prime95 P90 years forever! Aug 2002 Yeehaw, FL 2×53×71 Posts	It could be the CPU - try upping the core voltage. Also, make sure your voltages are OK. An inadequate power supply could be the cause.

2004-03-17, 11:59	#9
Mutu Feb 2004 2 Posts	Try 2.5-4-4-8 memory timings.

2004-03-19, 06:18	#11
SpecTheIntro Mar 2004 2×3 Posts	Ok, I replaced the mobo, which is why I hadn't posted for a while. I think that fixed the problem. I ran the Blend stress test for 3 and a half hours with no problems at all. However, just a few minutes ago my computer randomly shut down. My temps weren't out of the ordinary, so I think that may have been a software fluke. Anyhow, I'm going to run Prime95 overnight and see if I can eke out an error. If not, I'm going to assume that my hardware issues are over. Thanks a bunch for your help, everyone!