I7 860 == Unpredictable Blue Screen of Death == Windows 7 64-bit

[rider_eragon]

Hi all,

I've just built this new machine:

Intel LGA 1156 Core i7 860
Gigabyte P55A-UD4P (X.M.P. Memory set to Profile 1)
XFX ATI RADEON HD 4890
4GB DDR3 G.Skill Ripjaws 2000MHz
Seagate Barracuda 500GB SATA II (partitioned to 391GB and 58GB)
Antec Nine Hundred Two
CoolerMaster Hyper 212 Plus
ASUS Lightscribe DVD Burner
Acer 19" Monitor (resolution 1440 x 900)
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
Crysis 1.2.1
Sandbox Editor for Crysis
Crysis Wars 1.5
Razer Lachesis (not Windows 7 driver)
Razer Lycosa (not Windows 7 driver)
Razer Barracuda Headphones


The intended PSU is a Corsair HX-750, but it is currently running a CoolerMaster 500W (not sure of the exact model). I know that the Corsair will be installed this weekend.


Note that everything is set to the Stock Standard configuration unless otherwise specified.




Now, at unprecedented times, I've gotten a mysterious Blue Screen of Death (so far at 3, all today, which is only Day 2 of me owning this computer at ~7pm). I believe that I had/have two obvious candidates:


- X.M.P. Memory set to Default allocation (this was the case for the first two times, but enabled after the second BSoD)
- The PSU (which probably isn't that great)





The first time I got the BSoD, I was trying to run Crysis 64-bit (Very High, DirectX 10, AA 8x) over two screens, and the BSoD. I immediately disconnected the second monitor (also an Acer 19"), thinking that this was the culprit.


Then about four or five hours later, while I was browsing the net and on MSN/Skype, I got the exact same BSoD. I immediately spoke to a friend who works at a computer hardware store and he told me to change X.M.P. Memory to Profile 1.


Finally, this third one happened five hours after again, while I was playing Crysis Wars 64-bit (Very High, DirectX 10, AA 8x) online at the BROS PowerStruggle Server. Again, the exact same BSoD.


This leaves me to believe that my temporary PSU just isn't up for the job. Now, I know CoolerMaster PSUs haven't had such a great rap of-late, so I'm inclined to think that it is the PSU even more.




Now, I haven't got a screenshot of the BSoD as-of-yet, but once I do, I'll also post it here (it has been the same every time).


Before the shot however, does anyone have any thoughts on what is causing this BSoD? Do you think it might be the PSU overloading?




If you need any more relevant information, I shall provide it.




Cheers and many thanks in advance,

rider_eragon

 

[jhurst747]

I'm willing to bet that you're having a memory issue or HDD issue. Those are the most common causes of BSOD in Win7 that I've seen so far.

 

[foolycooly]

have you checked your temperatures?

 

[hardwaretechy]

Post the error code, that will give you the best indication of what is causing the problem. Asking without that information is like saying where is the needle in this haystack?

 

[rider_eragon]

Post the error code, that will give you the best indication of what is causing the problem. Asking without that information is like saying where is the needle in this haystack?

Here is the Windows 7 "after-report" of the second one:

Problem signature:
Problem Event Name: BlueScreen
OS Version: 6.1.7600.2.0.0.768.3
Locale ID: 3081

Additional information about the problem:
BCCode: 7f
BCP1: 0000000000000008
BCP2: 0000000080050031
BCP3: 00000000000006F8
BCP4: FFFFF80002CD8591
OS Version: 6_1_7600
Service Pack: 0_0
Product: 768_1

Files that help describe the problem:
C:\Windows\Minidump\121709-14086-01.dmp
C:\Users\MyNameHere\AppData\Local\Temp\WER-31153-0.sysdata.xml

Read our privacy statement online:
http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=104288&clcid=0x0409

If the online privacy statement is not available, please read our privacy statement offline:
C:\Windows\system32\en-US\erofflps.txt

have you checked your temperatures?

How do you check your temperatures (and what am I checking for)?


Cheers,

rider_eragon

 

[foolycooly]

download realtemp here:

http://www.techpowerup.com/downloads/SysInfo/Real_Temp/

unzip the folder and open up real temp. It will show you temperatures for each of the i7's 4 cores. It will also have a reading for your GPU temp. Post them here.

 

[rider_eragon]

Alright, I'm not entirely sure if the way I'm reading this is correct, so I'll post it as I read it:

Temperature (C)

35 33 36 31

Distance to TJ Max

64 66 63 68

Minimum (C)

35 32 36 30

Maximum (C)

48 37 45 36

Thermal Status
OK OK OK OK


Now, I'm assuming that that is the CPU Cores 1 - 4.

I couldn't find a readme, and don't know how to get info on the GPU.

 

[ekoostik]

Those temps look fine, but what were you doing when they were collected? Most of your crashes happened when gaming, so load realtemp, load the game and see what the temps get up to.

You can check more info on the GPU with GPU-Z:
http://www.techpowerup.com/gpuz/

If you have not run memtest86+ v4.0 yet you should do so:
http://www.memtest.org/

Also, you should try turning off XMP, i.e. running the RAM at the default 1333MHz and see if you get any BSODs.

Finally, and you may want to do these steps first, make sure you have the latest video card drivers and BIOS update.
http://support.amd.com/us/gpudownload/Pages/index.aspx
http://www.gigabyte.us/Support/Motherboard/BIOS_Model.aspx?ProductID=3250

 

[darkguset]

It could also be a driver issue. Make sure you have all the latest drivers for ALL your hardware and they are all for Windows 7 x64!

 

[mortonww]

I'm inclined to think it's a RAM error. From the nature of the error and the crash code. You should turn off any RAM profiles and set the voltages, timings and speed manually. don't let the RAM run at more than 1.65 if your uncore voltage is 1.15. Try some loose timings and see if that solves the issue. It's probably not your PSU.

 

[ekoostik]

These drivers could be problematic:

Razer Lachesis (not Windows 7 driver)
Razer Lycosa (not Windows 7 driver)

 

[rider_eragon]

These drivers could be problematic:

Does anyone know if the updated versions of these are OK to use? They weren't WHQL certified, so I never installed them (also, ZoneAlarm ForceField advised me not to use them).

Lachesis Driver: http://www.razersupport.com/index.php?_m=downloads&_a=viewdownload&downloaditemid=353&nav=0
Lycosa Driver: http://www.razersupport.com/index.php?_m=downloads&_a=viewdownload&downloaditemid=290&nav=0

Also, you should try turning off XMP, i.e. running the RAM at the default 1333MHz and see if you get any BSODs.

X.M.P. was enabled after BSoD #2. BSoDs #3 and #4 were with X.M.P. enabled.

If you have not run memtest86+ v4.0 yet you should do so:
http://www.memtest.org/

I did this - here are the results:

I'm inclined to think it's a RAM error. From the nature of the error and the crash code. You should turn off any RAM profiles and set the voltages, timings and speed manually. don't let the RAM run at more than 1.65 if your uncore voltage is 1.15. Try some loose timings and see if that solves the issue. It's probably not your PSU.

How do you regulate this manually?




I'll post the Crysis and Crysis64 temeratures in a moment.


Cheers,

rider_eragon

 

[rider_eragon]

Here is the CPU temperature after playing Crysis 32-bit for fifteen minutes.



Game settings:

Version: 1.2.1
All graphics: Very High
Anti-Aliasing: 8x
Resolution: 1440 x 900
Fullscreen: No




EDIT: 64-bit had practically the same results.

 

[foolycooly]

in your BIOS you should be able to find options for voltages. your DRAM voltage should be set to no more than 1.65. Also check that your timings are set to the rated specs of your RAM.

 

[Stiffex]

Iam running the identical set up i7 860, UD4, GSkill 2000mhz, ASUS 4890, Corsair 750w,

You need to up your ram vtg to 1.65 because it is set lower by default, disable X.M.P, and disable hyper threading if your playing games, disable CIA2, make sure `Turbo Boost` is on auto.
Check which bios you are running, if its F2 then upgrade it to F3 or the latest available.

See how you go.

 

[rider_eragon]

OK, I reset the BIOS to Factory Defaults last night, THEN disabled Hyper-Threading (this is enabled by default), but I didn't alter the RAM voltage. I don't know how to check my BIOS version.

I also upgraded my Lachesis and Lycosa drivers to Windows 7 64-bit.

So far, after 3 hours of intense gaming (both online AND offline), I've had no BSoDs.

This leaves me to believe that it is Hyper-Threading. But why? Some of my friends have i7 920s, and they don't experience any BSoDs when playing Crysis. Could my CPU be faulty, or is it the LGA 1156 architecture? Because I'll find it annoying if I need to reset my machine, go into the BIOS, enable HTT, do my HTT-required work then have to repeat the process to turn it off to play games, etc.

Cheers and thank you very much for the temporary solution - greatly appreciated,

rider_eragon

 

[Niklas_13]

On boot look @ the screen it should show your bios ver F3 F4 F5 Etc F3 is the first bios and has had a lot of problems.

With this new system

You need to say on top of all the new bios drivers chip-sets etc

I don't care how much they tested windows 7 ( there will be problems to a SP or 2 comes along )

the s1156 is a new socket

All this hardware is new and will need updates and all to iron it all out

 

[rider_eragon]

My BIOS is F3 .

My ATI Catalyst is the latest version (XFX didn't supply Windows 7-ready drivers, so I downloaded the latest version of ATI Catalyst). Mouse and keyboard drivers are also Windows 7 now.

As for the rest, they're whatever were supplied with the hardware itself. They probably need updating too.

I also take it that I need to update my BIOS?

 

[Niklas_13]

F5 is the new bios for that board ( I would updated it ) then set it to Opt defaults and then set your ram volt only, then give it a test before playing with any other bios settings .

And yes keep your drivers up to date also

I have had a lot of problems with the F3 bios F5 seems good no BSOD

I am not going to say my system is perfect because i do have some apphangs @ times most with the kids spore game and IE would not respond @ times < firefox fixed that one lol

link on how to flash bios http://forums.tweaktown.com/f69/bios-flashing-how-qflash-guide-27576/

keep us posted

 

[rider_eragon]

Alright, I've been doing some research on BIOS flashing, and I'm pleased to know that I have a DualBIOS (puts my mind at ease if I stuff up a simple process). However, my motherboard has two different ways to be flashed:

As quoted from the Gigabyte P55A-UD4P manual:

Q-Flash: With Q-Flash you can update the system BIOS without having to enter operating systems like MS-DOS or Window first. Embedded in the BIOS, the Q-Flash tool frees you from the hassles of going through complicated BIOS flashing process.

@BIOS: @BIOS allows you to update the system while in the Windows environment. @BIOS will download the latest BIOS file from the nearest @BIOS server site and update the BIOS.

Naturally, I want the cleanest, quickest and most convenient way to flash my BIOS. Seeing as there are two ways, it leaves me at a crossroads.

I can understand that the Q-Flash would be quicker and cleaner than the @BIOS, because you don't need to deal with Windows, applications, malware, firewalls, UAC (which I have completely disabled if anyone is concerned), etc. But what gets me is the fact that @BIOS exists. I believe that for @BIOS to exist, there must be some advantage to @BIOS that Q-Flash doesn't have.

Am I correct, or is it just Gigabyte's way of trying to "fit in"?

 

[darkguset]

Use the Q-Flash. As a technician i have seen several dead mobos after failed @BIOS attempts unfortunately.

 

[rider_eragon]

Thanks

OK, I've just downloaded F5, but I noticed that it is in the .exe format. Will the BIOS recognise this through Q-Flash?

 

[ekoostik]

The BIOS file downloaded as .exe is a self-extracting zip file. Double-click the file, or right click it and choose run, to unpack the contents.

As darkguset stated, you do not want to flash through OS even if you could. Gigabyte provides a piece of software called @BIOS that allows flashing from the OS. But this has been known to brick more than a few boards and you would be well advised to never try it.

You want to use QFlash. Here's the steps:
1. Download latest BIOS
2. Unpack the downloaded file (double-click it, execute it, whatever your metaphor) placing the extracted files onto your USB stick
3. Insert the USB stick into your new PC, restart it
4. Enter BIOS
5. Enter QFlash - I believe using F8 but it will say at the bottom of your screen (it is possible to enter Qflash without entering BIOS, either way is fine)
6. Find your USB drive (may be labeled HDD)
7. Install the new BIOS
8. Once that is done, back within the BIOS, choose "Load Optimized Defaults"
9. Save and exit, let the machine reboot
10. Re-enter BIOS to make additional changes as you see fit

 

[rider_eragon]

It won't stuff my BIOS up at all? Sorry, I'm VERY touchy about flashing and all.

EDIT: Sorry, just saw your edit, lol.

 

[ekoostik]

OK, I reset the BIOS to Factory Defaults last night, THEN disabled Hyper-Threading (this is enabled by default), but I didn't alter the RAM voltage. I don't know how to check my BIOS version.

I also upgraded my Lachesis and Lycosa drivers to Windows 7 64-bit.

So far, after 3 hours of intense gaming (both online AND offline), I've had no BSoDs.

This leaves me to believe that it is Hyper-Threading.

Meant to comment on this earlier - since more than 1 thing changed, I wouldn't be so sure it's the Hyper-Threading. Could still have been the non-Windows 7 64-bit drivers.

It won't stuff my BIOS up at all? Sorry, I'm VERY touchy about flashing and all.

EDIT: Sorry, just saw your edit, lol.

Let us know how it goes.