Inconsistent reboots

[Guest]

Hi All,

I have been fiddling around for the last couple of weeks with a problem which I believe is related to the P5Q SE2 mobo.
When I first purchased and built the system I was having regular problems with the system rebooting unexectedly. regulary say about 2-3 times in the evening (3hours or so gameplay).
I have disabled windows error reporting and auto reboot but i do NOT get a BSOD.
The system will just reboot itself.

Firstly I have updated all drivers/firmwares and bios. I am running the latest bios from the asus website 0601 i believe it was. checked yesterday no new bios available.

After contacting support at GEIL I have found out the memory I am using requires more volts then the standaard 1.8v in the bios. It requires 2.2 /2.3 v .

When changing the settings to 2.2v the reboots seems less frequent ( say once every 8-10 hours) on 2.3v same (8-10 hours). I have run memtest 86+ on both 2,2 and 2,3 v and do not get any errors. Passing the tests about 5 times (say 4-5hours). I haven't run em all night yet.


I contacted asus support yesterday and they sent me an updated QVL list which states the following:

Qualified Vendors List (QVL) Standard table for user manual

Project Name : P5Q PRO 1.03G BIOS : Change BIOS 0506 ==> 0703

GEIL
GX24GB8500C5UDC
DDR2 1066 4096MB(Kit of2)
DS
Heat-Sink Package
5-5-5-15
N/A
V
V

Hynix


Does anybody know why support would send me the list for P5Q PRO? is the bios the same ?

Just to clarify as far as I can see the temperatures on the mobo are good.
cpu and memory wont hit above 32 degrees. That after playing for 2-3 hours constantly.
I get no other errors. Eventviewer only displays the typical message recovered from unexpcted error.

I have spoken to support from gainward and have verified the grpahics card is not getting hot and is updated with latest drivers etc.

I have tried 2 reinstalls of windows 7 (no not an illegal copy or rc.) both install have the same problem.

Weird thing is that I cannot reproduce the problem. At least the damn thing wont reboot when I am trying to figure out the problem.

I have removed all extra cards/usb devices etc etc etc

Because there is no BSOD i am nearly 100% sure the mobo is rebooting the system. however I cant find any logs or errors noted anywhere.... Surely asus has a way to see why the mobo is shuttingdown and rebooting the pc ? Is there a log? a program? anything?

Has anybody got any idea what else I can do?

Specs system:
Q8300 quad core 4x2,33
Geil 2048x2 Dual channel ddr2 1066Mhz ( Is on the latest Qvl) running at 2,3v
Gamer 750w Psu
Gainward GTX260 Golden Sample
Asus P5Q SE2
wd sata 500Gb drive
lite-on 24x dvd drive sata

I am also looking for some advise as to the best software to stress test the pc. I wanna try and see if i can reproduce the error during stress tests.


I would greatly appreciate any feedback or help with this.

 

[Onus]

A couple of things come to mind. The JEDEC standard for DDR2 RAM is 1.8V. A lot of manufacturers think it is ok to ignore that standard as long as they publicize it. "Whatever." For the error rate to decrease notably based on increasing the RAM voltage does suggest it is RAM-related. It may have passed testing, but consider replacing your RAM with some that runs on 1.8V. You can always push it some yourself, but begin with the standard.
Second, "Gamer 750W" in reference to a PSU screams out "cheap generic!" Your system would run just fine on a quality 500W PSU, so even if yours has a liar-label on it, it may not really be stressed; but being crappy, the regulation, ripple, and noise may be sufficiently sub-standard that, coupled with a possible RAM issue, it is introducing problems. For the entire system to reboot is often a power problem.
A quality 500W PSU (Antec, Corsair, PC Power & Cooling, Seasonic, or Enermax; some OCZ) will run $50-$70. Look for one with full range active PFC (no little voltage switch) and 80+ certification.
I realize that even investigating either of these possibilities involves spending money, which is often tight. If you've got a friend with a PC, maybe you can borrow some RAM and/or another PSU. Good luck.

 

[Guest]

Hi All,

Thanks for the reply's!! Appreciate you taking the time to answer.

First of all let me apoligise, i was under the impression i was running 750w i am not. I am running a 550w PSU

Allgemeine Daten:
Produkt JET XILENCE 550 W SPS-XP550.(12)
Beschreibung JET XILENCE 550 W - Stromversorgung ( intern ) - ATX12V 2.0 - Wechselstrom 115/230 V - 550 Watt - 9 Ausgangsstecker - PFC
Hersteller JET Computer Products
Herstellernummer SPS-XP550.(12)
EAN 4044953301223


Technische Daten:
Gerätetyp Stromversorgung - Power Factor Correction (PFC) - intern
Spezifikationseinhaltung ATX12V 2.0
Eingangsspannung Wechselstrom 115/230 V
Eingabeanschluss/-anschlüsse 1 x Stromversorgung
Ausgangsspannung +3.3, ±5, ±12 V
Ausgangsstecker 9 x interne Stromversorgung, 4-polig, 4-Pin-Mini-Stromversorgungsstecker, Strom: 4 PIN ATX12V-Anschluss, 15 PIN Serial ATA Power, Stromversorgung: ATX, 24-polig, mit abnehmbarem 4-poligem Aufsatz
Angaben zu Ausgangsleistungsanschlüssen 1 x Stromversorgung: ATX, 24-polig, mit abnehmbarem 4-poligem Aufsatz ¦ 1 x 4-Pin-Mini-Stromversorgungsstecker ¦ 4 x interne Stromversorgung, 4-polig ¦ 2 x 15 PIN Serial ATA Power ¦ 1 x Strom: 4 PIN ATX12V-Anschluss
Gestellte Leistung 550 Watt
Besonderheiten Thermal Monitoring, 120 mm Lüfter
Produktzertifizierungen CE


psu is the only thing i haven't really done any troubleshooting on.
What should i be lloking for in speedfan ? I will run it tonight to verify.

 

[roonj]

Voltage within 5% for 12v,5v,3.3v and 10% for -12v

 

[Onus]

Well, I couldn't find a review of that PSU, but for it to be labeled 550W suggests it may very well be stressed on your system, and not be up to the task.
Prime95 is another program often used to stress-test PCs, particularly the CPU and RAM, but not the GPU.

 

[Onus]

I have found that Speedfan is not particularly accurate, for example reporting -7v on the -12v rail that testing with a "PSU tester" showed was right on -12v. Note that a typical PSU tester applies no stress to a PSU, and is of limited value. It can spot an obviously bad unit, but may pass one that, even lightly loaded, is bad news.

 

[Guest]

well guys srry bout this, but i had the wrong bill in my hands. that 550w psu is my bro for his dual core.
I am indeed running 750w

750 Watt Combat Power 135mm Lüfter

Technische Daten:

Leistung in Watt: 750
Formfaktor: ATX
Netzteillüfter: 135 mm
max. Lüfterlautstärke: 19 dB(A)
Ein/Aus Schalter auf der Rückseite

Anschlüsse:

2x 3,5" Anschlüsse für Floppy
6x 5,25" Anschlüsse für CD- und DVD
6x S-ATA Anschlüsse für Laufwerke und HDD
2x PCI-E 6pol Anschlüsse
1x PCI-E 8pol Anschlüsse
1x 20/24pol ATX Anschluss

Maximal Stromlasten:

DC Output +3.3V (A): 28
DC Output +5V (A): 28
DC Output +5Vsb (A): 2.5
DC Output +12V1 (A): 20
DC Output +12V2 (A): 20
DC Output +12V3 (A): 20
DC Output +12V4 (A): 20
DC Output -12V (A): 0.8


Bought at HIQ aachen :
http://www.hiq24.de/products/Netzteile/ber-600-Watt/750-Watt-Combat-Power-135mm-Lfter.html

So whats the best way to make sure power supply is okay. speedfan ? or any other progs? or just plain get a voltage meter and start measuring.?

 

[Guest]

I will be running speedfan and prime95 tonight. got couple more hours of work then off home to test.

I haven't got a replacement psu so thats kinda crappy. My bros got the 550w one but not sure its a got enought connectors. I require 2x 4pin direct on gainward gtx260.

But will check.

 

[Guest]

gentlemen,

i have just read an article where someone has also increased the NB voltage:

Second thing to try is to raise your Northbridge voltage to 1.3 volts. Making a motherboard to operate with PC8500 memory is a lot of try/error . I have an asus P5Q and the only solution that i found to make it stable with PC8500 memory from Corsair (even though it was on the qvl list) is by raising the NB voltage.

would this be a possibility ? I mean should memory not work fine also on the default NB voltage. Or is it so, that if i increase dram voltage i also have to increase NB voltage ?

 

[Onus]

Memory that adheres to the JEDEC standard for DDR2 will not have this problem. You may get what you have to work, but then you'll have a laundry list of steps to endure after any BIOS reset, and how stable will it really be? There is very little performance difference between DDR2-800 and DDR2-1066, especially on an Intel system (Tom's has charts). Get some DDR2-800 that will operate on the JEDEC standard 1.8V and have done with it.