GA-EP45-UD3P shutdown problems

[slapsack]

I just ordered these part for a new build less than 2 months ago:

GA-EP45-UD3P
Core 2 Quad Q6600 G0 stepping (stock Intel cpu cooler)
G.SKILL DDR2 800 (PC2 6400)4GB (2 x 2GB) F2-6400CL4D-4GBHK
EVGA GeForce GTX 260 CORE 216 Supreclocked Mod# 896-P3-1257-A1
CORSAIR CMPSU-850TX PSU
2xWD Caviar Black WD5001AALS HDD'S
1x WD 800JD HDD (from an old comp)
LITE-ON iHAS120-08 DVD Burner
Logitech X-540 70 watt 5.1 Speaker plugged into the onboard audio (no soundcard yet)
Thermaltake Spedo Advance case with the 120mm optional fan blowing on the vidcard
ASUS VH242H Monitor
Windows xp pro sp3 fully updated

The HDD'S and the DvD burner are SATA, i'm not using the ide at all.

My problem is that the system will just power down randomly with no warning whatsoever.(as if someone just pulled the plug from the surge protector) This has been an intermittent problem since about a week after i built this comp and put it into service.Just as an additional note i was very careful while i was building. i had a good dedicated workspace, used antistatic wrist strap and made sure everything was connected properly and securely. The sucker even posted the first time i powered it up.

This power down issue has been deteriorating as time goes by. The first few times it happened it was like once every week or so but it got to the point where it was happening 4-5 times a day. No specific thing seem to make it happen as far as i have observed, the comp will post and boot into windows but still just randomly powers down. it has even happened while i was looking around in the bios or while booted from a usb drive.(was using Ultimate boot cd via usb drive to try and figure out what the problem is). After it powers down i flip off then back on the rocker switch on the psu and sometime it will come right back on or sometimes it takes about 5 minutes before it will power back up. Also sometimes ill get mobo indicator lights and fan activity for like a second and a half and then it looses power again. I installed a mobo beeper and i always get one short quick beep on power-up.

I have tried to do some troubleshooting. the original setup is as above plus i had a microsoft mouse (just a regular one no extreme gaming stuff) , a dell keyboard (again just basic), and also an external dvd burner all connected via usb. this is the setup that i had when it got to the point it was powering down constantly. i have since removed the external dvd burner, the WD 800JD HDD, and one of the ram modules. This has stopped the powering down from constantly back to just randomly. i can go for 8 hours or more and not get a power down but it is still happening.

now i have to admit that i never changed any voltages or anything in the bios, if i needed to adjust anything as far as proper settings for the ram or cpu it didnt happen. when i powered up for the first time everything was working so i thought all is well. for the life of me i cant put my finger on whats wrong but then again i am kind of new to building computers so not having a larger experience base isnt helping.i did download CPUID hardware monitor and ill put in a pic of the readout at the end of this.(it's been running since the last time i powered up after a random power fail.)

Please if anyone can overlook my noobness and help me figure out whats causing my problem i'll name my next child after you.

[profJim]

We need to see what your bios settings are. Use the generic bios template to fill in your current settings.

Also include a link to your rams specs.

ps: My name is Alouicious T. Throgmorton so I'll let you off the hook once we've fixed your problem.

[slapsack]

MB Intelligent Tweaker(M.I.T.)
Robust Graphics Booster ...............: auto
CPU Clock Ratio ..........................: 8x
Fine CPU Clock Ratio.....................:didn't see this
CPU Frequency ...........................: 2.13 (266x8)


Clock Chip Control
Standard Clock Control
CPU Host Clock Control..................:disabled
CPU Host Frequency (Mhz) ............: 266
PCI Express Frequency (Mhz) .........:auto

C.I.A.2 .................................:disabled


Advanced Clock Control [Press Enter]
CPU Clock Drive...........................:800mv
PCI Express Clock Drive.................:900mv
CPU Clock Skew (ps)....................: 0 ps
MCH Clock Skew (ps)...................: 0 ps

DRAM Performance Control
Performance Enhance...................:standard
Extreme Memory Profile (X.M.P.).....: auto
(G)MCH Frequency Latch...............:auto
System Memory Multiplier ..............:auto
Memory Frequency (Mhz) ..............: 800 800
DRAM Timing Selectable ................: auto

Standard Timing Control
CAS Latency Time........................:4 auto
tRCD .........................................:4 auto
tRP'...........................................:4 auto
tRAS..........................................:12 auto



Advanced Timing Control
tRRD...........................................:3 auto
tWTR..........................................:3 auto
tWR............................................:10 auto
tRFC...........................................:52 auto
tRTP...........................................:3 auto
Command Rate (CMD) ....................:0 auto

Driving Strength Profiles
Driving Strength ............................:auto

Channel A
Static tRead Value.........................:5 auto
tRD Phase0 Adjustment...................:1 auto
tRD Phase1 Adjustment...................:0 auto
tRD Phase2 Adjustment .................:0 auto
tRD Phase3 Adjustment..................:0 auto
Trd2rd(Different Rank)....................:6 auto
Twr2wr(Different Rank)...................:6 auto
Twr2rd(Different Rank)...................:5 auto
Trd2wr(Same/Diff Rank)..................:8 auto
Dimm1 Clock Skew Control...............:auto
Dimm2 Clock Skew Control...............:auto

Channel B
Static tRead Value.........................:5 auto
tRD Phase0 Adjustment...................:1 auto
tRD Phase1 Adjustment...................:0 auto
tRD Phase2 Adjustment .................:0auto
tRD Phase3 Adjustment..................:0auto
Trd2rd(Different Rank)....................:6 auto
Twr2wr(Different Rank)...................:6 auto
Twr2rd(Different Rank)...................:5 auto
Trd2wr(Same/Diff Rank)..................:8 auto
Dimm1 Clock Skew Control...............:auto
Dimm2 Clock Skew Control...............:auto

Motherboard Voltage Control
Voltage Type.………...:normal current
CPU
CPU Vcore….……….........................:1.32500v auto

CPU Termination…..... 1.200V*.......:auto

CPU PLL…………………....1.500V*.......: auto

CPU Referen.…………....0.755V*.......:my value that appeared was different "0.760 auto"

CPU Reference2………,,0.800V*.......:didn't see this

MCH/ICH
MCH Core…………….....1.100V...........:auto
MCH Reference….…….0.800V...........;my value was diff. "0.760 auto"
MCH/DRAM Ref.…......0.900V...........:auto
ICH I/O……………….....1.500V............:auto
ICH Core…………...……1.100V............: auto

DRAM
DRAM Voltage ……....1.800V............:auto
DRAM Termination .…0.900V............: auto
Channel A Reference 0.900V............: auto
Channel B Reference 0.900V............: auto

Advanced Settings
Limit CPUID Max. to 3.....................:disabled
No-Execute Memory Protect............: enabled
CPU Enhanced Halt (C1E)................:enabled
C2/C2E State Support....................: didn't see this
x C4/C4E State Support..................: didn't see this
CPU Thermal Monitor 2(TM2) ...........: enabled
CPU EIST Function.........................: enabled
Virtualization Technology................: enabled

Integrated Peripherals
Legacy USB Storage Detect ..............:mine was worded diff. said "usb storage function" enabled

i couldnt find the specs for the ram on gskill's website but here is a link to the specs on newegg (sry if naming a retailer is a nono)

Newegg.com - G.SKILL HK 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Desktop Memory

here is a rundown:

Model
Brand	G.SKILL
Series	HK
Model	F2-6400CL4D-4GBHK
Type	240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM
Tech Spec
Capacity	4GB (2 x 2GB)
Speed	DDR2 800 (PC2 6400)
Cas Latency	4
Timing	4-4-4-12
Voltage	1.8V - 1.9V
Heat Spreader	Yes
Recommend Use	High Performance or Gaming Memory

and that matches the label that is on the ram modules. I hope this helps and if you need anything further just let me know.

[Lsdmeasap]

Can you please post a screenshot of this app so we can see what you are getting for all those Auto's in your memory timings >>
http://www.tweakers.fr/download/MemSet40.zip

Newegg Rocks!!! You are fine there for sure!

What BIOS are you using anyway?

I do suggest you set your ram voltage to 1.9, and set MCH Voltage tro 1.24, you may be able to use less later one, but lets see if either of these is the issue.

I would also suggest you disable this setting in the BIOS >>

Integrated Peripherals
Legacy USB Storage Detect ..............[Disabled] *Note* Must be enabled to flash from USB

This will stop your external USB Devices from being scanned at startup, they will however act normally within windows so do not worry.

[slapsack]

The bios is Award F6.

[profJim]

No problem with your ram link.

Make the following changes in the MIT section of the bios:

PCI Express Frequency (Mhz) .........:auto <-- manually set this to 100
Extreme Memory Profile (X.M.P.).....: auto <-- manually set this to Disabled
CPU Vcore….……….........................:1.32500v [auto] <-- manually set this the value displayed in the bios to the left of [AUTO]
MCH Core…………….....1.100V...........:auto <-- manually set this to 1.05 (you might need to try 1.15 volts)
DRAM Voltage ……....1.800V............:auto <-- manually set this to 1.90

When you're done with these changes, go back to the bios MAIN menu, press F10 to save settings and exit. When your system boots continue into windows. Let us know if there's any change. Good luck.

[slapsack]

So yesterday morning i went into the bios and made all the changes profjim advised. After i saved and exited the computer was on and working all day. At about 9:30 pm that night the shutdown hit me. It was just after i had been playing left 4 dead for about an hour. I had just exited the game and then started firefox to check out google maps when the system shutdown. Here is a pic of my monitoring utilities after those bios changes.



At this point i really think i have a defective part, only thing is...which one? i have a gut feeling its either the motherboard or possibly the power supply but i dont have the tools to test either thing properly. then again maybe im wrong. thank you all for your help with this.

[profJim]

You were very thorough when you built your system. Good. Often, poor electrical connections are the cause of random problems. Unplug your power supply, and reset all cable connections. Remove and re-seat all add-in cards and your memory modules.

Your screen shot shows your dram volts = 1.92 (stable). The specs for your memory is 1.8 - 1.9 volts. You might need to test with this voltage set a bit lower. Higher voltage is not always your friend. FWIW, my memory runs best at the low end of it's range, even up to DDR2-1100 memory speeds.

Is your system hooked up to a surge protector or UPS?

Have you done any extended stability testing using Prime95, OCCT, or Orthos? If not, do an overnight test.

If none of this helps, do you have an older PSU that you can test with?

[slapsack]

Ok i think i might be on to something..but first a few answers.

my computer is plugged into a surge protector. when these shutdowns occur all of my other equipment(monitor,speakers,cable modem, and my house telephone) continues to function properly. its just the computer that looses power.

i have never done any sort of stability testing but i dowloaded memtest86 today and was going to try and run it tonight when a new situation arose.

While still trying to figure out weather this is a defective part issue or not i decided to power up the comp with the side panel off and wait to see if when it powered down if anything got hot or made a weird noise or anything that would give an indication of what the problem could be. so i hit the power and i got fan and mobo led activity and she ran for a good 5 minutes when i touched the top of the psu lightly to see if it was getting abnormally hot and boom as soon as i touched the psu i got a shutdown.
now i must stress i touched it lightly..no downward force whatsoever. just touched it gingerly to see if it was hot or normal. after i powered back up i let it run for about 10 minutes and i touched the psu again and boom shutdown. just for consistancy sake i tried a third time and got the same result. now im no electrical engineer but it looks to me now as if there is a short in the psu somewhere. it strikes me that just lightly touching the case of a psu while its running results in a complete power loss isnt normal. so what do you think? does this explain the strange power issue? to me it seems logical that vibration caused by the fans and disks could be making something short out randomly. please let me know your opinion because id like to rma the psu as soon as possible.

just for laughs here is a pic of the inside of my comp. i touched the very top of the psu pretty much dead center of the sticker on top that gives the specs and ratings.

[profJim]

A defective PSU can cause random reboots, shutdowns, or system stability problems. I've touched PSUs many times while a computer is running and never had one do anything bad.

Short circuit? Loose wire? Good possibility. You can remove your PSU from the case and see if the same behavior happens when the PSU is connected, but sitting beside the case.

If your PSU is under warranty, DO NOT REMOVE THE COVER, this will void your warranty.

Don't overlook the simple things, it might be a faulty psu power cord or the power cord might not be fully seated where it plugs into the psu.