Followup on PC built outside the case

D Inscribed thus:

Just guess "Heat related" ! Make sure that the heatsink/fan assembly is fitted properly and recheck BIOS settings for temperature behaviour.

I've never had 7 freeze requiring pulling the plug. Check the event viewer / system for events marked by a red X. Might get a clue.

If your BIOS has a hardware monitor, check temperatures and voltages.

Remove the video card and use the onboard video.

Just a few things I would try. I'm running an AMD 955 PhenomII quad core overclocked from 3.2 to 4 ghz on an Asus M4A7T-E, similar RAM and have no problems whatsover.

I have had constant blue screen problems using windows 7 64 and an I7 computer though the windows 7 32 works fine. I'm to the point where I'm about to install 32 bit software and take a performance hit. (This is on a Dell laptop.) Chuck

There was a 'sort-of' recall on i7 chips a while back. Google i7 SATA bug.

I think that was the Q57 chipset, not the processor, though.

Odds are it is not related to 64 bit Win7. Thousands have been running it without the level of problems you are seeing.

There are various flavors of 'Ultimate boot CD' that allow you to boot from CD and run diagnostics independent of your OS. Try one of those.

Check bios settings, both for temperature and for performance. I'm running Win7-64 on a Gigabyte motherboard and adopted the attitude that it's better to run a little slower and avoid lockups. I haven't had any problems that couldn't be traced to the unit between the keyboard and the chair.

PlainBill

chuck wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com:

This may be a COOLING problem. the cases are designed to give airflow where needed,and I've read of PCs that had merely left their covers off overheating. the uP heatsink and fan may be designed to work best when the MB is vertical,not horizontal. My second guess would be grounding of the MB;in other products I've encountered where all the screws had to be connecting the PCB to the case for proper grounding,that some sections of groundplane were not connected to the others on the PCB,the case did that It also may be connected to noise shielding.

BTW,I'm still running W98SE,on a 900Mhz Athlon.

Thanks for all the helpful replies. I have a utility called Speccy that monitors temps, yesterday the CPU was showing 39C (104F), which I believe is low. Speccy also shows voltages, on that issue, which ones should I be looking at, and what should the be? I also run it on my current core 2 Conroe, it shows the following for this setup:

CPU core - 1.168 Memory controller - 1.840

Which of these would be most critical to the freeze situation? This is a different PC/PSU, and this setup has run fine for 5 years. Not sure why the 12V reading is ~1.6 volts low. I was just directly measuring some voltages on various cables on that PSU while the PC ran, the 12V ones were measuring 12.12V. Any thoughts appreciated.

I hope it's not the Win 7, but I have loaded XP on an available drive & will see how the PC runs that.

Thanks all again for the terrific input!

Dan

Is this the recall in question:

The page says in part:

The problem that's caused Intel to initiate a billion-dollar chipset recall affects the SATA ports on all 6-series chipsets, including the H67 and P67 chipsets most prominently used in consumer products. All of these chipsets are collectively referred to as "Cougar Point" inside of Intel. Because there are no third-party chipsets compatible with Sandy Bridge processors, all Sandy Bridge-based systems are potentially affected, including desktops, laptops, and DIY motherboards.

I'm assuming that since my MOBO is a GIGABYTE GA-X58A-UD3R LGA 1366 Intel X58 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX, which (apparently) uses the X58 chipset, not the H67 or the P67, that this is not an issue for me, correct?

Also, the flaw apparently does not affect the 6Gbps SATA ports, which is all I have used so far (New HDD onto which I loaded Win 7 is 6Gbps)

Of course, these things have a tendency to GROW over time. 1st it's only THIS line of products, then, oh-ohh, it's also THIS line too, and maybe THESE OTHERS. Companies tend to 'fess up slowly in such situations...

Don't know if the mobo has a PATA controller but try installing

When you said you wanted to run outside the case I thought you had some inexpensive old parts. You have enough money for that good stuff and you won't spring for another case / power supply? Makes no sense to me.

G=B2

D Inscribed thus:

Does the BIOS have any voltage and temperature display. It would be worth comparing them.

I assume that the directly measured voltage was with a multimeter !

I was able to afford those pieces in part by not replacing things I did not need to.

Sorry to give you a hard time.

G=B2

No problem ;-) This is my 2nd "new build", I've found there's such a bewildering array of mobos, etc., that I tend to just go for something that's sort of on the "bottom rung of the top tier", so to speak, that way I seem to get near-state of the art performance, without spending the absolute max, and also without having to spend eons studying each available option. Kinda like buying the cheapest house in an expensive neighborhood... ;-)

And I take different approach. AMD Phenom II processors on Gigabyte

For those who are leery of AMD, the Harris servers used at at least 2 of the major TV networks (CBS and Fox) deliver all your TV with AMD processors.

G=B2

Your approach makes a lot of sense. I had an AMD Athlon awhile back, the last pre-build PC I've bought (Gateway. They still in business? ;-), it was fine, once I got rid of that abysmal Win ME & replaced it with Win 2K.

The temps in BIOS are normal, CPU is about 39C. Also checked all the PSU voltage with a multimeter, both with the PSU connected & not, and they are fine. Most interestingly, the PC SEEMS to run fine in safe mode w/networking. Wouldn't this suggest the hardware is fine?

I am going to burn a Memtest boot CD & give that a try.

On Mar 24, 11:20=A0pm, D wrote: > Your approach makes a lot of sense. =A0I had an AMD Athlon awhile back, > the last pre-build PC I've bought (Gateway. =A0They still in business? > ;-), it was fine, once I got rid of that abysmal Win ME & replaced it > with Win 2K. >

I'm not sure what Intel processors do in safe mode. They might be 'throttled back' running at a slower clock speed than normal. If timings were borderline at full speed, slower clock could be OK.

Are you trying any kind of speed up at BIOS level? I always select 'failsafe defaults' and then make minor changes like boot drive sequence and turn on SMART. If I want more speed, I buy a faster processor and sell the old one on eBay. I've sold 4 processors in the last 18 months and usually end up improving 2 machines for low net prices like $50-$100.

My gut feeling on yours is that when you get it in a case properly grounded and cooled it will be fine. I certainly want to find out how it shakes out.

G=B2