Help! System become unstable

[addyngan]

I did two things today and now my system is unstable. (Prime95 giving wrong results and windows give blue screen several times).
Here's my original config which was stable (at least run prime95 for a day without error): P4 2.4C GHz, P4P800 Deluxe, 2x256MB Corsair PC3200C2.

First thing i did today was i swapped the memory with 2x512MB Corsair PC3200C2. Then I overclocked my CPU to 3GHz(FSB250MHz), and a 4:5 ratio so that the memory is still running at DDR 400. Then my system crash after like 15 minutes. (But the temperature i got from my asus probe was alright, CPU never get hotter than 45C and MB no more than 35C, so i don't think it's overheated). After that I have BIOS failure and then the video card can't give signal anymore. After clearing the CMOS and doing a BIOS flash, I am able to boot my system again with stock speed. However, now when i run prime95 and sandra together, it always crash within 15 minutes. (usually blue screen but i also see errors from prime95).

So my question is, do u think it's more possible that my new memory is bad? Or maybe i have burnt my CPU/MB during the failed overclock?

(I always turned on hyper-path for the whole time, and always use 2-3-3-6 for the memory, in both my original stable system and the now unstable one).

Feedback is much much appreciated! Thanks!!

Addy

 

[Jaytee]

When you set up your overclock, did you increase the vcore voltage as well?

 

[xeenrecoil]

Heya addyngan;

It sounds like to me you pretty much know what your doing, i think the results of your OC experiment are normal when trying to OC too far, all you need to do is reset your BIOS, you dont ever need to flash your BIOS unless you are having issues not related to hardware.

Just reset to Bios to factory default settings and it should go back to normal, it may have not gone back when you reset it the first time for some odd reason or another, nothing is impossible. if it worked fine before the shouldnt be any reason it wont work fine again, i doubt you fried anything trying to OC most of the time that wont happen unless your screwing around with Voltage, other wise there really isnt any way to damage the CPU, RAM or mobo.
Most of the time when you are experiancing instability it is because of the Ram timings, double check and make sure they are at their default settings you shouldnt have any trouble at 2.5-3-3-6, almost all modules will run at that timing setting. Just allow the ram to be clocked by the SPD and it will be fine. In some rare cases you have to set it manually if the mobo isnt reading the SPD correctly.

Also i wouldnt reccomend OCing by more then 15Mhz on the FSB or by 200Mhz on the CPU core unless you have better then factory cooling. you will need copper heatsinks for the ram and some sort of liquid cooling for the CPU.

I hope i have helped.

XeeN

 

[TKH]

try to run memtest86 to find out whether your RAM is the fault. It is possible that the RAM is bad when you got error in Prime95 at stock.

It is morally wrong to allow suckers to keep their money
<A HREF="http://www.anandtech.com/mysystemrig.html?id=22996" target="_new">My System Rig</A>

 

[addyngan]

First i never changed the voltage of anything (they are all set to auto).
Second the 2x512 MB Corsair will crash even running in SPD setting (which i think is 2.5-4-4-8).

I tried the memtest86 on the 2x512MB Corsair and it hangs in the middle of test1. Then i put in my 2x256MB corsair, and surprisingly it also hangs in the middle of test2 (No errors reported in both cases though). But the 2x256MB is stable under running two instances of prime95 for 12 hours so far. Is there any known issues of P4P800 w/memtest86?


<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1><EM>Edited by addyngan on 06/19/03 09:29 AM.</EM></FONT></P>

 

[xeenrecoil]

Heya addyngan;

If your bios is setting that ram to 2.5-4-4-8 thats the problem right there, the timing is so loose you could drive a 747 through it, try setting it to 2.5-3-3-6 that should clean it up, other then that i cant figure out what the problem is...

I hope theis helps.

XeeN

 

[dwellman]

The only thing I can think of is that, despite Intel's vaunted chipset stability record, the 865PE / 875P, can still be a bit flaky, as seen here:

http://www.anandtech.com/memory/showdoc.html?i=1828

The article did show that the Corsair memory modules tested were able to perform without issue. Even if yours are the same, I would still not discount the posibility an chipset/RAM combined instability issue. Therefore, BIOS updates, especially on new boards, are never a bad idea.

Also, it is never a bad to try different brand of RAM, such as Micron/Crucial. Micron strictly adheres to JDEC standards, always (why you'll only just now see PC 3200 (DDR 400) 2.5 modules). Additionally, Micron is typically the cheapest major brand. It also outperforms all other RAM, provided ALL things (timings, bus voltage, ect.) are equal.