HELP PLEASE

[Quick Karl]

OK go easy – I am NOT a computer guru so will have to do this one slow sloppy step at a time. Yes, I have read as much as I can absorb from the memtest site and this forum but I am still a bit turned-around. And yes, every driver and the BIOS are current.

Let’s start with the problem:

And here is an outline of my system which I built mid-SEP 2011:

PROCESSOR: Intel Core i7-980 Gulftown 3.33GHz LGA 1366 130W Six-Core Desktop Processor BX80613I7980
HEAT SINK/FAN: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus RR-B10-212P-G1
MOTHERBOARD: ASUS Sabertooth X58 LGA 1366 Intel X58 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
MEMORY: 24GB (4Gx6) CORSAIR Vengeance 4GB 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model CMZ4GX3M1A1600C9
SSD: 1x Intel 320 Series SSDSA2CW160G3K5 2.5" 160GB SATA II MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)
GRAPHIC CARD: ATI 100-505604 FirePro V7800 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 CrossFire Supported Workstation Video Card
CASE: COOLER MASTER HAF 932 Advanced RC-932-KKN5-GP Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case with USB 3.0
POWER: ANTEC High Current Pro HCP-750 750W TX12V v2.3 / EPS12V v2.92 SLI Certified CrossFire Certified 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Modular
OS: Windows 7 Pro x64 / Microsoft Security Essentials

Every once in a while it just shuts down - no blue screen - just dies and reboots. Seems like it ALWAYS happens when I am using IE9, which is the only web browser installed.

Overclocking is NOT an option - I have never changed anything in the bios except the password and set the DRAM FREQ to 1600 - I need it as stable and reliable as possible. It seems that this BIOS defaults to some AUTO AI overclocking setting and it seems like there are a hundred different settings in the BIOS that I have NO CLUE what to do with - I just want everything bone stock and stable. Is there any way to find the bone stock setting for every AUTO setting?

Can anyone gain any insight from the errors in the image? Am I wrong to suspect that the errors all seem to be happening right around the same memory location?

What is the next logical step to isolate my problem as quickly as reasonably possible?

Thanks in advance,

Karl

 

[mubin]

Mobo have a to load optimize default in bios. Choose it to restore every thing to its default value. Another easy thing is remove your mobo battery for a while and set it again. Doing this will reset bios to default.

 

[blazorthon]

You might have a damaged memory module. You can test each module individually to check if one of them is faulty and is causing your problems.

 

[aminroy]

i am not good myself. might be just a disturbance being here. u might wanna try and look at the simplest possible solution. might be your OS crash n reboot due to any missing or broken OS files due to many possibility(virus, memory bad sector, AHCI n etc.). memory always a problem. but i not so sure with SSD system.

■- hav u tried reformat n reinstall your win7? might be there's a broken AHCI (Serial ATA) files system.
■- 2nd resort, set BIOS default. / or clear CMOS (reset to default BIOS setup) / Update BIOS (not the solution i think, but it's not hurt to try).

If problem still sticking to, then hardware problem always comes in last in troubleshooting. ok. mmmm...

■- check all your EATX power socket on board. connected well?
■- try to replace to any other PSU ( might be inadequate power supply)
■- try n replace your SSD with a other temporary SSD or HDD n install an OS. (make sure all data backed up)

 

[mubin]

i am not good myself. might be just a disturbance being here. u might wanna try and look at the simplest possible solution. might be your OS crash n reboot due to any missing or broken OS files due to many possibility(virus, memory bad sector, AHCI n etc.). memory always a problem. but i not so sure with SSD system.

■- hav u tried reformat n reinstall your win7? might be there's a broken AHCI (Serial ATA) files system.
■- 2nd resort, set BIOS default. / or clear CMOS (reset to default BIOS setup) / Update BIOS (not the solution i think, but it's not hurt to try).

If problem still sticking to, then hardware problem always comes in last in troubleshooting. ok. mmmm...

■- check all your EATX power socket on board. connected well?
■- try to replace to any other PSU ( might be inadequate power supply)
■- try n replace your SSD with a other temporary SSD or HDD n install an OS. (make sure all data backed up)

Its a memoty issue dude! Nothing to do with windows reinstallation or ssd/hdd or psu.

 

[mubin]

Do as blazorthon said. That might be helpful to find memory issue.

 

[blazorthon]

Its a memoty issue dude! Nothing to do with windows reinstallation or ssd/hdd or psu.

SSD/HDD shouldn't be able to cause a memory problem problem, but a PSU can cause memory problems. It's rare, but it can happen. However, yes, it's almost definitely a faulty memory stick.

 

[mubin]

SSD/HDD shouldn't be able to cause a memory problem problem, but a PSU can cause memory problems. It's rare, but it can happen. However, yes, it's almost definitely a faulty memory stick.

How psu cause memory problem? I never see as you say its rare. Is it for lack of watt or something else?

 

[blazorthon]

How psu cause memory problem? I never see as you say its rare. Is it for lack of watt or something else?

Insufficient wattage and sometimes, a PSU can be faulty, so it doesn't work properly. That usually happens when a PSU is old, a crap model, or just faulty in some other way. However, it does happen. For example, before a PSU dies, if it's a poor quality model, it might start causing errors (especially memory errors) for days, weeks, or even months before it dies, often then taking other components with it. Again, it's rare, so it's probably not the case here. Also, PSU memory problems are usually spread all over, not in one or a few specific spots and not in the same spots every time you test it. This looks like a faulty memory module and that's why I suggested that you test each module separately, so that you could identify the problem module.

 

[aminroy]

Its a memoty issue dude! Nothing to do with windows reinstallation or ssd/hdd or psu.

yes. most probably it is the memory module faulty. n it's already suggested before i was here. no point in suggesting the same thing. or it is not a memory faulty at all. just widening your option to seek the source of your problem. thinking out of the box. peace

 

[mubin]

yes. most probably it is the memory module faulty. n it's already suggested before i was here. no point in suggesting the same thing. or it is not a memory faulty at all. just widening your option to seek the source of your problem. thinking out of the box. peace

I just want to let you know about storage have no effect on memory issue. Even without HDD, system will run but cant boot. I am @ peace. (please dont take as offense)

 

[Quick Karl]

It turns out that because of the ‘Turbo boost” feature in the BIOS, MEMTEST reported that the processor was running at 3553 MHz, which led some folks on a few other forums to suggest that the system had been ‘overclocked”. The BIOS that comes with this ASUS MB, is far from perfect – the factory defaults set AI OVERCOCK TUNER to AUTO, which will make adjustments to your system based on what it thinks it can get away with.

I had to set the AI AUTOCLOCK TUNER to X.M.P. (Extreme Memory Profile) just to get the system to default to the MANUFACTURER SPECS for the MEMORY:

So now at least those setting will not fluctuate unless I change them myself.

I can’t say that this has cured the errors reported by MEMTEST but, I haven’t had a crash since straightening out the BIOS. And, more than a few folks have commented as to ASUS famous AI OVERCLOCK TUNER, and its inherent instabilities…

More to come

 

[aminroy]

ok. this could be a bottleneck issue. i meant most probably.

■ - the bottleneck occur when the paramount component in your system could not keep up with the CPU. or the other way. some data lost and as the result the system crash.

■ - and your memory module might have no problem at all. since when u activated the XMP (intel extreme memory profile), which is a memory speed overclocking feature.

■ - in your case, when i checked your CPU spec, i am thinking it's the CPU memory speed could not keep up with your RAM via the FSB(or QPI) since CPU stock memory speed is at 1066MHz and activating the XMP makes everything goes together. but not yet so sure.

p/s: turbo boost is an intel technology featuring in every intel's core 1st gen processor to the 3rd gen bridge. i'm afraid it is not a overclocked speed.

 

[Quick Karl]

To clarify -- some people have suggested that the incorrect processor speed reported by MEMTEST was the result of the "Turbo Boost" feature. I have also been advised that my memory is "significantly over spec" for my CPU, but I am unsure if that can actually be detrimental?

ok. this could be a bottleneck issue. i meant most probably.

■ - the bottleneck occur when the paramount component in your system could not keep up with the CPU. or the other way. some data lost and as the result the system crash.

■ - and your memory module might have no problem at all. since when u activated the XMP (intel extreme memory profile), which is a memory overclocking feature.

■ - in your case, when i checked your CPU spec, i am thinking it's the CPU memory speed could not keep up with your RAM since CPU stock memory speed is at 1066MHz and activating the XMP makes everything goes together. but not yet so sure.

p/s: turbo boost is an intel technology featuring in every intel's core 1st gen processor to the 3rd gen bridge. i'm afraid it is not a overclocked speed.

 

[blazorthon]

To clarify -- some people have suggested that the incorrect processor speed reported by MEMTEST was the result of the "Turbo Boost" feature. I have also been advised that my memory is "significantly over spec" for my CPU, but I am unsure if that can actually be detrimental?

There shouldn't be a problem with running 1600MHz memory, except maybe needing to mess with some memory controller settings.

 

[aminroy]

i am not sure whether the turbo boost feature could affect your system. in my personal thought i don't think that might be a problem.

yeah. i agree when they say your RAM seems quite over spec. and the earliest northbridge chipset (which control the memory data transfer interaction with the CPU) is not yet near to perfect since it could not solve this problem. (this is y they needed a engineer team / company such as DELL, ASUS to design a complete OEM PC). so users wont need to hassle with this kind of problem.

Try to read this, might be helpful. not yet read it myself (being lazy)

refer to : ■ bootleneck.com
or
■ wikiFSBbootleneck.com

 

[Quick Karl]

If you gave me a DELL computer free I would sell it and use the money to buy something good. I loathe DELL -- they scam you for outrageous prices when you need to replace something that is out of warranty, and you have to talk to someone that can't speak ANY language coherently, much less English, when you need customer service or technical support -- and let's not forget the bloat-ware they infect your computer with... The least any company could do these days is direct your customer support phone calls to someone working in the same country in which you purchased your computer, so at least you can communicate relatively easily… but that falls well outside their LearJet budgets.

i am not sure whether the turbo boost feature could affect your system. in my personal thought i don't think that might be a problem.

yeah. i agree when they say your RAM seems quite over spec. and the earliest northbridge chipset (which control the memory data transfer interaction with the CPU) is not yet near to perfect since it could not solve this problem. (this is y they needed a engineer team / company such as DELL, ASUS to design a complete OEM PC). so users wont need to hassle with this kind of problem.

Try to read this, might be helpful. not yet read it myself (being lazy)

refer to : bootleneck.com

 

[aminroy]

n if dont want any OC-overclocking then try to swap your RAM with another lower speed RAM. 1333 might be ok. or just go with 1066 to match the stock memory speed in combination with CPU.

oh. n sorry to say your CPU price is well expensive due to your core count i think. n it's not even unlocked for OCing the processing speed. but it's unlocked for memory speed OCing. so u can just stay calm with that settings. no more hassle if that rebooting problem is a no more.

Good Luck.

 

[Quick Karl]

I've never had any intention, nor need, nor desire, to overclock - the system is quite fast enough as it is! For me, the risk of voiding a warranty is not worth the almost imperceptable performance gain -- I work on my computer and I still cannot think faster than my computer can react, so I am good.

n if dont want any OC-overclocking then try to swap your RAM with another lower speed RAM. 1333 might be ok. or just go with 1066 to match the stock memory speed in combination with CPU.

oh. n sorry to say your CPU price is well expensive due to your core count i think. n it's not even unlocked for OCing the processing speed. but it's unlocked for memory speed OCing. so u can just stay calm with that settings. no more hassle if that rebooting problem is a no more.

Good Luck.

 

[aminroy]

haha. that's an anti aura i felt. emm. my mistake for mentioning that D*LL word.

if your problem is already settled n feeling relieved then please select my answer as the best answer if u ever felt relieved because of my opinion. if never then just have a good day. ^^ having fun collecting point

not helping in solving the problem since i'm not aware n knew nothing about the 1st gen intel core processor. and solved not because of this thread. sorry.

 

[Quick Karl]

I hope you did not perceive my comment as a negative against you or anything you suggested? If so, I assure you that was NOT my intention whatsoever.

I appreciate your help!

haha. that's an anti aura i felt. emm. my mistake for mentioning that D*LL word.

if your problem is already settled n feeling relieved then please select my answer as the best answer if u ever felt relieved because of my opinion. if never then just have a good day. ^^

not helping in solving the problem since i'm not aware n knew nothing about the 1st gen intel core processor. and solved not because of this thread. sorry.

 

[aminroy]

ok. no problem.

n changing to the latest chipset might be an option. but of cause with an investment with changing the motherboard itself just because it always came together. if they(intel) ever solved this problem

thanks for giving a nice day to me too.