Help With a Build

[jon102034050]

I have recently built a computer and am having trouble with BSODs... Just wanting to check with some experts on what they think could be causing them. I installed Win7 x64 - trouble, then i tried WinXP x32 - still BSODs. I also have tried a friends video card (8800GT) - and it still BSODs. I ran prime95 for 10.5hrs and no problems - memtest for 5hrs and no problems. I am going insane!

Here are the specs:
HDD 640G|WD WD6402AAEX SATAIII 64M
CPU AMD|PH II X4 965 3.4G 6M
GIGABYTE|GA-890GPA-UD3H
GIGABYTE|GV-R585OC-1GD
PSU OCZ|OCZ700MXSP 700W
2Gx2|OCZ OCZ3BE1600C8LV4GK

 

[ch33zw1z]

If Prime95 runs for 10.5 hours, and memtest is clean, then what exactly are you running/trying to run when you get the BSoD?

Items to check:

-BIOS/Firmware updates for all devices
-Drivers
-verify correct RAM settings in BIOS, timings and voltage
-run HDD diagnostics
-Memtest86+ for at least 12 hours, I recommend 24

 

[jon102034050]

If Prime95 runs for 10.5 hours, and memtest is clean, then what exactly are you running/trying to run when you get the BSoD?

Items to check:

-BIOS/Firmware updates for all devices
-Drivers
-verify correct RAM settings in BIOS, timings and voltage
-run HDD diagnostics
-Memtest86+ for at least 12 hours, I recommend 24

it bsods mostly when I am running modern warfare 2, but it has done it just while browsing the web as well. I updated the bios to the newest version already, and that didnt do anything.

Do you have any suggestions as to how i know what to set all my RAM settings to? The stock voltage was much too low for my RAM, but I am unsure of all of the other 10+ settings that I can change.

I got some more ddr3 that I will try when I get home from work today as well, just to eliminate bad RAM.

 

[Axon]

First mistake:

2Gx2|OCZ OCZ3BE1600C8LV4GK

I've never seen so many compatibility/stability issues as I have with OCZ's DDR3 kits. Anyway, I have some OCZ RAM and I was able to tame it by being VERY particular with my settings. It gives me more trouble in my AMD rig, however, so be advised. I will never buy OCZ RAM again.

Anyway, Put timings to 8-8-8-24. Voltage to 1.65v or the closet voltage setting. Speed to 1333 MHz or LESS. The speed is critical to stability. Put simply, OCZ's RAM does not run at 1600. Do not set it at 1600 or auto. Recipe for disaster. Reduce CPU to stock for a while and run MW2 and see if you get a BSOD. Overclock a little bit again if you see things are stable. What is your cooling solution?

 

[superccs]

Modern Warfare 2 is one picky pita. Check your Direct X setup status. Check that your cpu and GPU aren't getting out of control with temps, maybe new thermal paste would help and a remount of the heat sinks. Check for disk errors with Scandisk, repair the game cache in modern Warfare to ensure its not bogus.

I recently almost lost my mind tracking down the reason why my display drivers kept crashing in that game (only).... turned out my GPU heatsink wasn't thermally coupled well and temps were going through the roof.

 

[jon102034050]

First mistake:

2Gx2|OCZ OCZ3BE1600C8LV4GK

I've never seen so many compatibility/stability issues as I have with OCZ's DDR3 kits. Anyway, I have some OCZ RAM and I was able to tame it by being VERY particular with my settings. It gives me more trouble in my AMD rig, however, so be advised. I will never buy OCZ RAM again.

Anyway, Put timings to 8-8-8-24. Voltage to 1.65v or the closet voltage setting. Speed to 1333 MHz or LESS. The speed is critical to stability. Put simply, OCZ's RAM does not run at 1600. Do not set it at 1600 or auto. Recipe for disaster. Reduce CPU to stock for a while and run MW2 and see if you get a BSOD. Overclock a little bit again if you see things are stable. What is your cooling solution?

so, what you are saying is that this ram sucks???!? I guess I can check on returning it and getting a different brand, but then I think I will be stuck with a restocking fee. Seems odd that this ram wouldnt run at the speed they advertise it for.

Got any more advice? you said "first mistake" which implies that I made another mistake. Thanks!

 

[jon102034050]

Modern Warfare 2 is one picky pita. Check your Direct X setup status. Check that your cpu and GPU aren't getting out of control with temps, maybe new thermal paste would help and a remount of the heat sinks. Check for disk errors with Scandisk, repair the game cache in modern Warfare to ensure its not bogus.

I recently almost lost my mind tracking down the reason why my display drivers kept crashing in that game (only).... turned out my GPU heatsink wasn't thermally coupled well and temps were going through the roof.

I ahve been trying to monitor my temps, buts its tough to find a prog thats compatible with my setup. I have only found one so far, so I cant confirm the temp read outs are reliable. I got a tempest evo for a case, so I think 4x120mm and 2x140mm fans should be sufficient... I just use the stock cpu cooler though.

have any suggestions for temp monitoring programs that are compatible with amd 965 and win7 x64?

 

[ch33zw1z]

it bsods mostly when I am running modern warfare 2, but it has done it just while browsing the web as well. I updated the bios to the newest version already, and that didnt do anything.

Do you have any suggestions as to how i know what to set all my RAM settings to? The stock voltage was much too low for my RAM, but I am unsure of all of the other 10+ settings that I can change.

I got some more ddr3 that I will try when I get home from work today as well, just to eliminate bad RAM.

Checkout the OCZ website for exact specs. You can also check the mobo documentation for RAM compatibility. Have spare RAM around, good job, can never hurt to try.

 

[Athadeus]

I thought most programs worked fine with your setup? Try coretemp, speedfan, and HWMonitor. However, if it is crashing while just webbrowsing, it is probably something else. The OCZ ram should be a high suspect, just based on all the trouble I've read about people having with compatibility/stability. I'd test it with settings just like Axon suggested first.

Also, try testing for stability with something more stressful than P95, like if there is an AMD equivalent of LinX, or maybe just use Furmark or something else.

 

[Axon]

so, what you are saying is that this ram sucks???!? I guess I can check on returning it and getting a different brand, but then I think I will be stuck with a restocking fee. Seems odd that this ram wouldnt run at the speed they advertise it for.

Got any more advice? you said "first mistake" which implies that I made another mistake. Thanks!

LOL I was just ribbing you man. Your build is fine otherwise. I got sucked into the OCZ trap myself...it was so cheap - but I never expected it to have so many issues. Unfortunately, OCZ's RAM has a lot of problems across the board. Read the reviews on Newegg carefully, you'll see a lot of people complaining that the RAM simply will not achieve the speed its rated for.

Here's a guy who's had problems similar to yours:

Pros: It's designed for AM3, so you will get the timings stated unlike a lot of ram designed for Intel systems and their XMP expansion. The Black Edition logos are also pretty cool. All in all the ram screams if you can get it working. Win7 index of 7.3.

Cons: One stick was not stable and gave BSOD, lockups and errors in memtest. I spent 2 days testing it and almost put in an RMA request, but found out at the last minute that it became stable in slots 3 and 4 at 1.75 volts and stopped throwing errors. Why it only works in 3 and 4 (and the other stick works in all slots), I'll probably never figure out. Quirky stuff.

Other Thoughts: I bought this because all the other ram I found with specs this good said they were specifically designed for Intel and it was a gamble to get timings right if you're using AMD. I was feeling a little left out and this was like a beacon of hope, not only designed for AMD but for my specific edition. Unfortunately because of that I overlooked all the problems others were having with bad sticks and I ended up with one.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820227496

 

[Reincus]

I have OCZ Ram in my AMD rig as well. One stick arrived DOA. OCZ replaced it pretty quick, but I have had lots of timing and voltage problems as well.

I'll be trying a different brand next build.

 

[jon102034050]

a little update here. I put different ram in and it worked like a champ. Now the OCZ is back in (but in different slots) and with the speed down to 1333MHz and the timings like crap and the voltage at 1.65. Its stable, but I am never going to go with them again...

 

[Axon]

Well, at least it is stable. Good luck. G Skill next time

 

[jon102034050]

Well, at least it is stable. Good luck. G Skill next time

So, I took you advice and sold my ram on ebay! I just got some G.Skill

It seems pretty stable so far, but I have one concern with it. I cannot change the memory speed to any more than 1600MHz. My board says that it supports 1866MHz and that this ram should run somewhere around there. Any suggestions?

 

[mfenn]

So, I took you advice and sold my ram on ebay! I just got some G.Skill

It seems pretty stable so far, but I have one concern with it. I cannot change the memory speed to any more than 1600MHz. My board says that it supports 1866MHz and that this ram should run somewhere around there. Any suggestions?

First of all, LOL at spending that much on RAM. The $110 G.Skill would've been just as good.

Second, you'll likely have to overclock to get the memory to DDR3 1866. Generally the highest divider will let you run at DDR3 1600 with stock clocks on the CPU.

 

[ASTOCADDIDS]

you have a cooler in there that is not needed, all retail CPUs come with a stock cooler. Otherwise, a decent budget build there DT.

 

[jon102034050]

First of all, LOL at spending that much on RAM. The $110 G.Skill would've been just as good.

Second, you'll likely have to overclock to get the memory to DDR3 1866. Generally the highest divider will let you run at DDR3 1600 with stock clocks on the CPU.

ok. Thanks.

 

[jon102034050]

you have a cooler in there that is not needed, all retail CPUs come with a stock cooler. Otherwise, a decent budget build there DT.

I have one cpu cooler, the stock one. The other cooler is for the ram. Thanks.

Does anybody have any experience with this gigabyte mobo? It seems to me that it simply isn't capable of running ram at 1600MHz. My computer keeps crashing with my new ram, even with the settings as crappy as they possibly can get....

 

[mfenn]

I have one cpu cooler, the stock one. The other cooler is for the ram. Thanks.

Does anybody have any experience with this gigabyte mobo? It seems to me that it simply isn't capable of running ram at 1600MHz. My computer keeps crashing with my new ram, even with the settings as crappy as they possibly can get....

Ripjaws has an XMP profile, try enabling that in your BIOS. Otherwise, you'll need to post your exact BIOS settings if you want us to be of any use when pointing out errors.

 

[jon102034050]

Ripjaws has an XMP profile, try enabling that in your BIOS. Otherwise, you'll need to post your exact BIOS settings if you want us to be of any use when pointing out errors.

here are some crappy cell phone pics. Thanks for all your help
Also, I am not finding anything about XMP in my bios.... any tips on where it would be??

Uploaded with ImageShack.us


Uploaded with ImageShack.us

Uploaded with ImageShack.us

 

[mfenn]

Your BIOS may not support XMP, if it did, the option would be on the MIT screen.

Anyway, the problem is that your RAM (assuming it is this RAM) is rated at 1.65V and you only have it running at 1.5V. Bump up the DRAM voltage and you should be good. You should be able to set the timings back to Auto as well.

 

[jon102034050]

whoops, i forgot to add that I took this pic before i adjusted the voltage! does the 965 BE support 1600MHz? the more i look around, the more it seems that it was tuned for 1333mhz....

 

[mfenn]

No, it doesn't officially support 1600MHz. That's why you see it listed as "OC" in many motherboard specs.

 

[jon102034050]

wow, thanks. good to know! This is probably why my system runs like crap when its on it. I will keep it at 1333 and hope the for best. Thanks for all your help!

 

[mfenn]

wow, thanks. good to know! This is probably why my system runs like crap when its on it. I will keep it at 1333 and hope the for best. Thanks for all your help!

Yep, no problem.

Advice for the future: stick to "normal" memory kits. Extreme overclocking kits like the one you bought tend to be very temperamental.