Chaintech 7NJL6 blanks out

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.comp.periphs.mainboard.chaintech (More info?)

Greetings,

I have a 7NJL6 mobo and Athlon 2900+ Barton core and Ultra DDR 512MB
PC3200 memory. OS is Windows XP with SP2 and the latest patches. Also
I have NVIDIA GForce 5200 256 MB AGP.

The system performance in BIOS is set to Optimal (means the most
stable settings), FSB frequency is to 200MHz and memory frequency to
"Auto".

The system performs well for Internet browsing and light gaming.
However if I try using it for video compress, then after 5 minutes of
the compression the computer simply blanks out. reboots. No Windows
blue screen of death, no error messages, it simply reboots. power
cycles.
Sometimes - more rarely - it even does so when I am gaming.

Any ideas what I can do to fix this?

thanks in advance!

-c

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.comp.periphs.mainboard.chaintech (More info?)

Hi C.,

I have a similar system (Tigerdirect). My memory was Mushkin 2x512 from
newegg and I had similar effects. I just RMA'ed the memory and will
report if it helped or not. One thing for sure, for a while I had the
memory set at 133MHz and the system was rock stable. I'm afraid the
(cheap) board has to do with it, but I would like you to try to slow
down your memory and report the results here.

It seems more and more people are starting to get experience with this
weird system thanks to Tigerdirect and solving its pecularities will
serve many. Any similar problems 'Guy'?

Thanks,
Hagai
(remove the '.at' for direct reply)

constfilin wrote:
> Greetings,
>
> I have a 7NJL6 mobo and Athlon 2900+ Barton core and Ultra DDR 512MB
> PC3200 memory. OS is Windows XP with SP2 and the latest patches. Also
> I have NVIDIA GForce 5200 256 MB AGP.
>
> The system performance in BIOS is set to Optimal (means the most
> stable settings), FSB frequency is to 200MHz and memory frequency to
> "Auto".
>
> The system performs well for Internet browsing and light gaming.
> However if I try using it for video compress, then after 5 minutes of
> the compression the computer simply blanks out. reboots. No Windows
> blue screen of death, no error messages, it simply reboots. power
> cycles.
> Sometimes - more rarely - it even does so when I am gaming.
>
> Any ideas what I can do to fix this?
>
> thanks in advance!
>
> -c
>

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.comp.periphs.mainboard.chaintech (More info?)

"Hagai" wrote:
> Hi C.,
>
> I have a similar system (Tigerdirect). My memory was Mushkin
> 2x512 from
> newegg and I had similar effects. I just RMA'ed the memory and
> will
> report if it helped or not. One thing for sure, for a while I
> had the
> memory set at 133MHz and the system was rock stable. I'm
> afraid the
> (cheap) board has to do with it, but I would like you to try
> to slow
> down your memory and report the results here.
>
> It seems more and more people are starting to get experience
> with this
> weird system thanks to Tigerdirect and solving its
> pecularities will
> serve many. Any similar problems 'Guy'?
>
> Thanks,
> Hagai
> (remove the '.at' for direct reply)
>
> constfilin wrote:
> > Greetings,
> >
> > I have a 7NJL6 mobo and Athlon 2900+ Barton core and Ultra
> DDR 512MB
> > PC3200 memory. OS is Windows XP with SP2 and the latest
> patches. Also
> > I have NVIDIA GForce 5200 256 MB AGP.
> >
> > The system performance in BIOS is set to Optimal (means the
> most
> > stable settings), FSB frequency is to 200MHz and memory
> frequency to
> > "Auto".
> >
> > The system performs well for Internet browsing and light
> gaming.
> > However if I try using it for video compress, then after 5
> minutes of
> > the compression the computer simply blanks out. reboots. No
> Windows
> > blue screen of death, no error messages, it simply reboots.
> power
> > cycles.
> > Sometimes - more rarely - it even does so when I am gaming.
> >
> > Any ideas what I can do to fix this?
> >
> > thanks in advance!
> >
> > -c
> >

Same problem here, and I can tell you, I didn’t go cheap on the memory
either. Here are some results:

Stable when:
1X256mb Cheap DDR 3200 @ Memory speed 200Mhz (not dual channel and
such a low amount of ram)
2X512mb Corsair DDR 3200 @ Memory speed 133Mhz (BOOOOOOO!)
2x512mb Kingmax DDR 3200 @ Memory speed 133Mhz

So either I just got a bad motherboard or there is some kind of fix
for this. ALL of the other chaintechs that I have bought (about 7 or 8
of them) of this series (7NJL3/4/6) have worked perfectly.

Unstable when using pretty much any combo with the speed higher than
133mhz.

Yes I checked the jumper, updated Bios, checked the memory in another
computer.

If there is ANYTHING! Please help us!

--
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[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.comp.periphs.mainboard.chaintech (More info?)

mynameismart wrote:
> "Hagai" wrote:
> > Hi C.,
> >
> > I have a similar system (Tigerdirect). My memory was Mushkin
> > 2x512 from
> > newegg and I had similar effects. I just RMA'ed the memory and
> > will
> > report if it helped or not. One thing for sure, for a while I
> > had the
> > memory set at 133MHz and the system was rock stable. I'm
> > afraid the
> > (cheap) board has to do with it, but I would like you to try
> > to slow
> > down your memory and report the results here.
> >
> > It seems more and more people are starting to get experience
> > with this
> > weird system thanks to Tigerdirect and solving its
> > pecularities will
> > serve many. Any similar problems 'Guy'?
> >
> > Thanks,
> > Hagai
> > (remove the '.at' for direct reply)
> >
> > constfilin wrote:
> > > Greetings,
> > >
> > > I have a 7NJL6 mobo and Athlon 2900+ Barton core and Ultra
> > DDR 512MB
> > > PC3200 memory. OS is Windows XP with SP2 and the latest
> > patches. Also
> > > I have NVIDIA GForce 5200 256 MB AGP.
> > >
> > > The system performance in BIOS is set to Optimal (means the
> > most
> > > stable settings), FSB frequency is to 200MHz and memory
> > frequency to
> > > "Auto".
> > >
> > > The system performs well for Internet browsing and light
> > gaming.
> > > However if I try using it for video compress, then after 5
> > minutes of
> > > the compression the computer simply blanks out. reboots. No
> > Windows
> > > blue screen of death, no error messages, it simply reboots.
> > power
> > > cycles.
> > > Sometimes - more rarely - it even does so when I am gaming.
> > >
> > > Any ideas what I can do to fix this?
> > >
> > > thanks in advance!
> > >
> > > -c
> > >
>
> Same problem here, and I can tell you, I didn’t go cheap on the memory
> either. Here are some results:
>
> Stable when:
> 1X256mb Cheap DDR 3200 @ Memory speed 200Mhz (not dual channel and
> such a low amount of ram)
> 2X512mb Corsair DDR 3200 @ Memory speed 133Mhz (BOOOOOOO!)
> 2x512mb Kingmax DDR 3200 @ Memory speed 133Mhz
>
> So either I just got a bad motherboard or there is some kind of fix
> for this. ALL of the other chaintechs that I have bought (about 7 or 8
> of them) of this series (7NJL3/4/6) have worked perfectly.
>
> Unstable when using pretty much any combo with the speed higher than
> 133mhz.
>
> Yes I checked the jumper, updated Bios, checked the memory in another
> computer.
>
> If there is ANYTHING! Please help us!
>


An update about my system:
I decided to go for better memory and bought PDP (Patriot) 2-3-2-5
PC3200 2x512 with red heatsinks. Apparently, now my system is stable, so
the blame in this case goes to Mushkin.
I just wish the board had internal temp. monitoring. I bought a nice
Enermax panel to do this job. ($16.99@Newegg).
Cheers,
Hagai

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.comp.periphs.mainboard.chaintech (More info?)

i also have the 7NJL6. i'm running it with an athlon XP 3000+ barton
with the 333mhx fsb and 1gb(2x512) gorsair value select pc3200. with
just one stick of the 512 in, it runs like a dream-- no hangs, stalls
or errors. but now matter what configuration i use, with the 1gb of
ram in dual channel, it hangs during loading screens as well as when
i'm switching between browser windows. should just changing my ram
fix this issue?

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.comp.periphs.mainboard.chaintech (More info?)

To answer hagai - yes, when I set my memory frequence to 133, the
system becomes more stable, but I've seen it rebooting even then
(this happened when I was gaming).

Overall, it looks like a memory problem, Do you think so?

Thanks

-c

 

[Ed]

Archived from groups: alt.comp.periphs.mainboard.chaintech (More info?)

On Tue, 29 Mar 2005 11:55:15 +0000,
drtycnvs@gmail-dot-com.no-spam.invalid (drtycnvs) wrote:

>i also have the 7NJL6. i'm running it with an athlon XP 3000+ barton
>with the 333mhx fsb and 1gb(2x512) gorsair value select pc3200. with
>just one stick of the 512 in, it runs like a dream-- no hangs, stalls
>or errors. but now matter what configuration i use, with the 1gb of
>ram in dual channel, it hangs during loading screens as well as when
>i'm switching between browser windows. should just changing my ram
>fix this issue?

Some things to try,

Run the ram in sync of the FSB. (same MHz as FSB setting). Running ram
and CPU buses out of sync can have less performance and be less stable
on Socket-A boards.

Raise VDIMM 1 step over spec.

Disable SPD and manually enter the ram timing according to the slowest
stick of ram and/or raise the timings to add more latency for better
stability.

Run memtest86 http://www.memtest86.com/ and Prime95 (tests lots of ram)
www.mersenne.org/freesoft.htm to check for stability.

Good luck,
Ed

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.comp.periphs.mainboard.chaintech (More info?)

i already run the memory in sync with the fsb and both sticks of ram
are identical. i don't know what you mean by vstep, but if you mean
bump the voltage to the ram up... that's my (our) problem- the 7NJL6
doesn't have an option (that i can find) to adjust the voltage to the
memory.

i haven't run memtest86 yet because i don't have a floppy drive in
this rig (i can get one, but... why?) and anything memory intense
just hangs my system when it's in dual channel but runs gorgeously
with either stick of ram in seperately.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.comp.periphs.mainboard.chaintech (More info?)

drtycnvs wrote:
> i already run the memory in sync with the fsb and both sticks of ram
> are identical. i don't know what you mean by vstep, but if you mean
> bump the voltage to the ram up... that's my (our) problem- the 7NJL6
> doesn't have an option (that i can find) to adjust the voltage to the
> memory.
>
> i haven't run memtest86 yet because i don't have a floppy drive in
> this rig (i can get one, but... why?) and anything memory intense
> just hangs my system when it's in dual channel but runs gorgeously
> with either stick of ram in seperately.
>
Memtest86 has a downloadable module that can be written to a bootable CD.

Here is a URL: (I'm sure there are others, this is the first I found)

http://www.ocztechnology.com/displaypage.php?name=ocz_memtest

Says it is v1.27

I too am having blank outs with my 7NJL6. I am running a 266MHz Palomino
1700+ (133x11)

If I set it for Expert/133Mhz/Optimal/100% (mem Freq) and put in timings
of 8/3/3/3.0 it passes memtest86, but doesn't remain running for more
than a few minutes. The memory is Cas 3 Kingston Value Ram Pc-3200 and
its timings when run at PC-3200 are stated as 8/3/3/3.0. I just tried
this to see how it ran with its SPD memory timings @ 133MHz rather than
200MHz FSB.

If I set it to Optimal/133MHz/Optimal/By Spd it gives memory speed of
200MHz and timings of 8/3/3/3.0. It passes memtest86, but sometimes
boots weirdly.

When I set it for Optimal/133/Optimal/Auto it gives timings of
6/2/2/2.5, passes Memtest86 and runs flawlessly.

When the Palomino cpu breaks I want to put in a Sempron @ 1.8 or 2.0.
(333MHz)

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.comp.periphs.mainboard.chaintech (More info?)

Here is the Memtest86 site URL: ver 3.2

http://www.memtest86.com/#download0

stanmc wrote:

> Memtest86 has a downloadable module that can be written to a bootable CD.
>
> Here is a URL: (I'm sure there are others, this is the first I found)
>
> http://www.ocztechnology.com/displaypage.php?name=ocz_memtest
>
> Says it is v1.27
>

 

[Aaron McKenna]

Archived from groups: alt.comp.periphs.mainboard.chaintech (More info?)

i'v had the same issues with this mb. after a week or so of using
it, i gave up and shelfed it.

later a need for a computer to run openOffice and volutive arose. i
threw together a comp with the 7njl6 along with other forgoten
parts.

to get to the point, i ended up playing WoW and EverquestII on it.
which originally were the games that crashed the mb. after
experimenting abit ( adding 1GB ram + radeon 9600xt), i discoved it
was running rock solid. for me it came down to the psu. i am using
an acient enermax 250 psu, if i use any of the upto date psu's (the
ones i tried are antec and thermaltake) the same issues arize.

dunno if this will help anyone, but worked for me

aaron

 

[Guy]

Archived from groups: alt.comp.periphs.mainboard.chaintech (More info?)

I bought the 7NJL6 with XP 2900. I set it up on 5 Feb with a 128MB
AGP 8x card, and two PNY 512MB PC2700 sticks in dual-channel. I have
the FSB set at 166MHz with 11.5 multiplier. This is slightly
underclocked at 1909 GHz, but the board is stable as a rock. It has
never crashed, even once, and I have not turned the box off since I
built it.

I run Win XP Home, and I can work with files in MS Word, Excel,
PowerPoint, and Adobe Acrobat simultaneously with no decrease in
performance, much less sluggishness. Just to test, I also decided to
play Civ 3 with the other apps open, and I hit a website just for good
measure, with Firefox 1.0PR. Still no problems.

 

[Don]

Archived from groups: alt.comp.periphs.mainboard.chaintech (More info?)

That mobo has heat problems:

1. The cpu platform may not allow close contact between the heat sink
and the cpu. Take the HS off and look to see if the grease has been
flattened hard against the underside of the HS. Most likely you need
to add more grease to ensure proper flow of heat from the cpu to the
HS. This problem shows up as random reboots within a minute of
starting, usually right away when on the 166 setting.

2. Both of the small heat sinks on the mobo need fans. You can verifty
that by using a house fan to blow air into the mobo and you should
find the system stable until you take the fan away when funny things
will start to happen. Normally this problem shows up with you are
stable at 133 but not at 166.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.comp.periphs.mainboard.chaintech (More info?)

I received a reply from Chaintech today. The technician also seemed
to believe it was a heat sink problem. Here's what he had to say.

If the fan spins for a short period of time and the system shuts off,
this means either your heatsink is not centered towards the CPU or
the contact to the CPU is not tight enough against the heatsink. You
may need re-seat the heatsink and mount it in the center. If this
still fails to keep the computer running try another heatsink. If you
have a stock heatsink, please use it. Another technique to test to see
if the board is getting power is to have the fan connected to the
board without having the CPU inserted onto the board's socket. If the
fan spins continuously without the CPU, this is a good indication that
either the CPU or Heatsink needs to be repositioned or replaced.
Otherwise it is best to have the system being tested with another
power supply.

Check the attachment for proper heatsink seating on the CPU.


The heatsink appeared to be making good contact based on the thermal
paste, but it was not directly centered on the heatsink. I
repositioned it with it dead center, added more thermal paste and
tried it again with the same results. I've already tried another
known good power supply and I don't have another heatsink handy. I
did try the system without the CPU and stayed on. Here's something
else strange. With the CPU inserted, a clicking noise comes from the
board before it shuts off. With no CPU there is no clicking. When I
attact a diffent power supply and the CPU is in, it still kicks off,
but there is no clicking noise. Hope it's not the CPU because the
board is going back tomorrow.

 

[Don]

Archived from groups: alt.comp.periphs.mainboard.chaintech (More info?)

> Mr.G.wrote:
Here's something else strange. With the CPU inserted, a clicking
noise comes from the board before it shuts off. With no CPU there is
no clicking. When I attact a diffent power supply and the CPU is in,
it still kicks off, but there is no clicking noise. Hope it's not
the CPU because the board is going back tomorrow.

I believe that clicking noise is the hard drive resetting, possibly
because of insufficient or dirty power from the PS. The fact that it
doesn't do this with another PS, indicates the first PS is faulty. I
had to add a 480 watt PS, fans on the small heat sinks, and way more
AS5 to the CPU before the board would boot reliably.