GA-EP45-UD3P - Won't boot with 450FSB

[D-an-W]

It has ran 4 passes of MemTest86+ without any failures, however...

When I first installed the Tracer RAM I noticed the LED's on one strip seemed lazy compared to the others, it was originally installed DDR2_2 so I moved it to DDR2_1 to see if it was the socket or the RAM, it is the RAM as it is still lazy regardless what socket I try it in. I also noticed it was much hotter than the other sticks.

It is the bottom stick in this video...


I have chatted to Crucial about this and they said they will replace it as they should all behave in a similar pattern which confirms what I thought.

I don't think this is my other problem though, just that I am glad this has been highlighted and the "Diagnostic" () LED's are worth it!

[Psycho101]

Gotta love completely useless LED's! I sure love the 6 phase LED's on my UD3P..... if I had x-ray vision I could see them through my case.

If they hadn't spent money on the LED's they might have been able to afford to fit forward facing SATA ports instead. Same with the JMicron SATA controler, pointless addition just to be able to tick a marketing features box.

Those messages at boot are nothing to be worried about, just means there are a few settings out of place (probably Ref voltages, VTT or PLL, or a combination of them all). Windows 7 Task Scheduler on my system hangs at shut down with exactly 515FSB, and Realtemp shows no temperatures. Wierd but harmless.

Although 449 x 9 is getting close to the limit of your CPU, you should be able to get 8x500 stable, it's not like it's a quad. 8x500 would put your RAM at max rated speed.

If you adjust ref volts etc and still get no joy, it's time to decide on what you think is a reasonable vCore limit. 1.4000v? 1.45000v? What temps are you comfortable with? vCore can be as much of a factor in raising the FSB as anything else. If the CPU can't send a strong enough signal down the overclocked bus, you could have every other setting perfect and it wouldn't matter.

[Bee_Dee_3_Dee]

Originally Posted by profJim

449 is very close to "the edge".
MCH Core = 1.10 in post #17 may not work, use 1.24 from your initial 499 screenshot.
If you get errors @ 449, drop down to 440MHz and test with your 449MHz settings.
At 440, you'll be ahead of BD3D, he's resting on his laurels at 3.950GHz.

I hope you're saving "good" bios profiles (F11 and F12) in the main bios screen.

Mommy! Its the mean man!

But seriously. Do you really think I can top a GA-EP45-UD3P?

No, wait.

What ever happened stability versus not getting too hung up on the "magical" 4.0 GHz setting ProfJim?

OK I'm done now. (sry D-an-W.)

And thanks again ProfJim!

[profJim]

When I first installed the Tracer RAM I noticed the LED's on one strip seemed lazy compared to the others, it was originally installed DDR2_2 so I moved it to DDR2_1 to see if it was the socket or the RAM, it is the RAM as it is still lazy regardless what socket I try it in. I also noticed it was much hotter than the other sticks.

I have chatted to Crucial about this and they said they will replace it as they should all behave in a similar pattern which confirms what I thought.

When I was using my 2.2 volt PC2-6400 Ballistix Tracers (2x1GB), each one marched to a different drummer but their activity rate was similar. Temperatures were similar; verified by my infrared laser temp probe. My downdraft cpu heatsink probably helped.

The temperature probe cost $25 from Harbor Freight.
This one might be a better buy for only $5 more.

[D-an-W]

The replacement RAM is out for delivery today so I should be back in action tonight.

Would you still start off with an (At least) 8 pass Memtest86+ run initially for stability tests Jim?

[profJim]

Unfortunately, YES.
There really aren't many shortcuts when it comes to stability/stress testing.
If you cut corners now, you might get bitten in the butt later after many hours of testing.
Make sure your system is stable at stock settings, which means Memtest86+ initially, followed by extended testing with Prime95, OCCT, or Orthos for at least 6 - 8 hours or longer.

If you want to cut corners, Memtest86+ is the one; do a 2 - 4 initial pass test, followed by full tests with the others.

I recommend using Intel BurnTest as the second test, which will take less than 1/2 hour if you perform a 10 - 15 loop test. WATCH YOUR CORE TEMPS with IBT. If IBT has errors, there's no sense in performing the other much longer tests. My preference is to then use OCCT (for its built in temperature and voltage graphical monitoring), along with either Prime95 or Orthos. Running 2 of these 3 programs is pretty thorough.

I suggest that your initial testing uses Memtest86+ and others at stock cpu/memory settings. Once you know that you have a solid foundation. Then you can skip to 400+ cpu speeds. If you want to skip higher, start with 440MHz.

The one shortcut I do take is that I only run 1 pass with Memtest86+ in my subsequent tests unless I'm trying for very aggressive memory timings. In this case, I follow the Memtest86+ loop with 10 - 20 loops of the #5 test which happens to be my nemesis.

Testing is a PITA, but the ultimate rewards make it well worth it.
Happy testing.

[D-an-W]

Memtest86+ with optimised defaults set in the BIOS I assume then PJ?

[D-an-W]

I left Memtest86+ running overnight on default settings and so far it has passed 13 times (8 Hours). It will have been running for roughly 17 hours when I get home from work today.
On a side note, I also installed Windows 7 on a spare drive, seems pretty nice so far!

[profJim]

After loading OPTIMIZED settings, apply the settings in the first half of this post to avoid problems. After Memtest86+ perform the balance of your stress tests to ensure that your hardware is stable. Then it's time to o/c and further test your system.

[D-an-W]

Cheers PJ, I will get to it later today. This thing called work keeps getting in the way of my fun though!