Slew of Computer Problems. Extremely frustatred. PLEASE HELP!

DDar

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Sep 21, 2010
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Hey, I built my PC a few months ago, and ever since I've had an onslaught of problems. I've RMA'd one of my Graphics cards twice, had the drives do something funky with the way they boot, etc...

Anyways, lately we've been having a lot of problems with the booting of the PC. Sometimes it'll get stuck on the welcome screen or give us a blank palish blue screen (no error message) upon pressing a session. Other times we'll get random freezes or black screens.

I'm at my wits end trying to figure out what the problem could be, as it sounds like it could be anything from a defective motherboard to a defective PSU (or just not enough wattage).

We pretty much get a problem every time we boot up the computer. It can usually be fixed by a hard reset, but still...

Anybody got any advice for how to figure out what the problem is?

My parts are:

CPU: Core i7 930
GPUs: 2x EVGA GTX 470
Motherboard: ASUS P6X58D-E
PSU: Antec 750 W
HDD: 1TB Samsumg Spinpoint
SSD: 60 GB Mushkin
RAM: 3x 2GB DDR3 (G-skill)


Please help. I love my PC and it would be great if I could get it to run as smoothly as I know it can.
 

DDar

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I ran Memtest a while ago and everything was fine (I'll try running it again tonight anyways.) Also my CPU temps never seem to exceed 60 (I've been using realtemp) and MSI afterburner reports temps no greater than 78 when playing really taxing games.
 
First off take a look at this page, and read it all http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/288241-31-read-posting-buyer-guides-troubleshooting

1. Did you flash your BIOs ?
2. Did you set your mobo to optimal defaults ?
3. Did you set your ram to the right Volts,speed, and timmings ?
4. Did you download the newest drivers for your hardwhare ?
5. Did you update Windows ?
6. Did you set your boot order in the Bios ?

Your PSU Might be a tad underWatts for a SLI GTX 470 setup ( maybe someone else can answer this ) IMO i would of got a 850W.

Also chech for heat problems with your CPU ans GPUs

Run a memtest for 12 hours to check your ram.
 

DDar

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1. I'm not really sure what that means.

2. I haven't messed to much with the options within the BIOS aside from having it not supervise fan speeds so that they're always on max.

3. I messed with it once, but I think I set it back to default. Any specific setting that the RAM should be set to?

4.I'm pretty sure everything's up to date. I frequently check for GPU updates...

5. I make sure to to keep Windows 7 up to date.

6. The funny thing about the Boot order. A while ago I had this weird thing happen to me where Windows 7 wouldn't boot from the drive it was installed on (the SSD), but when I had the BIOS boot the computer from the HDD (where there's no windows installation) it booted up like normal!
Never really found out what went on there...


I've been thinking about replacing the PSU. I think I'm gonna do that an see how it goes.

I keep my GPUs temps monitored with MSI afterburner and the temps on them and the CPU seem to be normal so I don't THINK it's that...

I'll be sure to run a memtest all night though.



Are there special SLI drivers? I've been using the card drivers from the Nvidia site (been using their scanner) and I haven't seen any specific SLI drivers...
 

thenewnumber2

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It sounds like bad hardware to me, but you should still ensure that your OS is in good shape before proceeding any further. I would run chkdsk and sfc on the primary HDD and allow them to repair any errors that they may find. There's a chance that this alone will solve your current problem, so give it a try. Next, run Memtest+ to see if your RAM is the culprit. If errors are detected, test your DIMM's one at a time with Memtest+ to find the defective one(s).

If nothing has turned up yet, get rid of the SLI setup and test your rig in single-GPU mode: you need to physically remove the secondary GPU from the system (don't just disable the device in Windows). If there's still a problem, test the other GPU. If the freezing issue exists with all GPU configurations, the problem is most likely PSU or mobo. If both GPU's work fine alone, but have problems working together I would suspect the PSU is inadequate or failing. Test it with a multimeter to see if the voltages are correct or else swap it out with a reliable PSU and test again.

We have presumably ruled out the RAM, GPU's, and PSU at this point, leaving mobo and CPU as the likely remaining suspects. AFAIK, it's usually the mobo that proves to be the cause, but you'll have to swap out one or the other to be sure (hopefully not both!).

If still no joy, buy a new HDD and use your most trustworthy hardware to set up a brand new system.

The New Number Two

 

DDar

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I just did those tests and everything seems to check out. Before running the disk check though I went into my BIOS to check on the RAM and noticed it was set at 1033 on auto even though newegg says it can go up to 1600. (Newegg doesn't change product pages, does it?)

So, I changed the RAM to 1600 and am gonna run Memtest all night.

Is there any chance that maybe underclocked RAM could have caused instability?
I've yet to encounter any problems right now so...
 

suteck

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My first thought is the psu is not powerful enough. If a single GPU requires minimum of 550 watts I think you would have to almost double that to get your system to perform correctly. I would try thenewnumber2 suggestion and try one video card and see if that corrects it . If it works fine with one card you might consider getting a Thermaltake TR2 TRX-1200M 1200W ATX. You can GET IT HERE for $250.
As far as memory speed goes the 1600 is the turbo or XMP mode that is usually a simple setting in your bios as it looks like you found. It does increase your voltage some but usually not much.
 

DDar

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As I said before, something weird happened to the boot order a while back that made it so that the computer won't boot from the SSD, but WILL from the HDD. Don't know why.




Geez, 1200?! You really think I'll need that much?! Wouldn't a 950w be okay?
 

suteck

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Does it work in single mode? If so, why take the chance of not enough power when you have both cards in? I did a PSU configuration for your (most) of your system with Corsairs' PSU configurator and it comes up with

Your system is an absolute monster! With this kind of hardware, you need an absolute beast of a power supply. Luckily, Corsair has that taken care of. Click below for more information.

AX1200 - The AX1200 delivers 1200 watts of power for the most demanding of systems. With features like 90% efficiency at 50% load and a fully-modular, low profile cable system, the AX1200 is our flagship PSU.
HX1000W - The HX1000W not only delivers one thousand watts of clean power for the highest performance enthusiast systems, it does so at greater than 80% efficiency thanks to the double-forward switching design and multiple rail DC-to-DC converter. Due to its best-in-class efficiency the HX1000W is able to run cool and quiet with only a single 140mm thermally controlled fan.
TX950W - The TX Series 950W is one of best price-performance power supplies from Corsair, designed to meet the exacting standards and performance needs of demanding gamers. TX Series power supplies are ideal for gamers and performance enthusiasts who require anaffordable, high-wattage, reliable and highly efficient PSU for their home and gaming PCs. Corsair TX Series PSUs are compatible with the latest Intel and AMD platforms and Nvidia and ATi multi-graphics configurations.


HERE IS A LINK if you want to check if for yourself. So you might get away with a 950 but it will put you right on the edge of power consumption so when you add other parts and if you're going to be overclocking it probably won't be enough.
And Newegg's calculator HERE says 930, so again, the 950w would be cutting it close.
I would go with the beast, any future upgrades, overclocks or new higher performance replacements would appreciate the power. Also, if you notice, power supplies come with an efficiency rating. Of course you wouldn't buy a power supply WITHOUT at least a >80% efficiency rating right? so make sure you take that into account when/if you need more power based on your testing to see if it works with only one card. And if you decide you need a higher wattage psu PLEASE don't cheap out, there's a reason for a distinction between performance and economy performing PSU. And the PSU is one of the most important parts of your Computer!
 

DDar

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Well, I've been using the Outervision PSU calculator.
http://extreme.outervision.com/PSUEngine

Accounting for 20% capacitor aging still only puts it at 950...
Do you still think I should go for a 1200? I mean, it sounds nice, but $300 is a steep price...

http://img684.imageshack.us/i/screenshot20101226at111.png/


Also, I should probably mention that most of the errors occur upon a cold boots. After that most warm boots are fine. Is there any reason that would be?
 

suteck

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Then all the power calculator's seem to be in agreement. Both the ones I recommended said 930/950 minimum. The question is - will you ever do any overclocking to the cpu or gpu? Do you plan on adding more memory or hdds down the road. The 950w puts you at the edge of the power curve. Granted, it means mostly everything will be using the maximum power allowed so you would have to be taxing the *** out of your system. But if you plan on or do any of the above mentioned things you might just exceed your capacity at that time. Probably not gonna happen, but when you start getting at the higher wattage usages your efficiency starts dropping off exponentially. Meaning the more you use the less efficient it gets which I believe causes your system to try to draw even more power. How much are you looking at for the 950w PSU? $160/$170? HERE'S AN Antec TruePower Quattro TPQ-1200 1200W ATX12V / EPS12V Active PFC Power Supply for only $210. A little more money but gives you the safety net. Chances are the 950 would work. After all, the configurators all said about the same thing. I even tried adding a third video card to the mix on the corsair site and the 950 was still one of the recommended PSU's.
I believe the cold boots use a little more power to start. After all, your car starts quicker after it's warmed up a bit. So your computer might also need that little extra juice during a cold boot to get started. Too bad it doesn't have a warm-up button like a diesel lol, and that's just a guess but shouldn't draw so much power it overloads your system, but again, I don't know for sure.
Oh, and I checked the link to the configurator you used and the recommended PSU wattage was 960 watts for a minimum usage of 910 watts. Does that mean the 950 won't be enough? Especially if you add equipment later.
 

DDar

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I decided to go for the 1200w just to be safe. Hopefully this fixes all my problems. I'll report back in a few days!
 


Your 750w psu Is more then enough PSU for a single GPU ( did you try and run only 1 GPU ? ) if so, it should of fixed your problem less the psu is Bad.

I would reinstall the OS at this point and fix the boot order, and update the bios and set your ram to the specs it should be ran at.

 

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