need help with my EP45C-UD3R several problems

[Heathrow83]

Hello there,
I'm inquiring about issues that i am having with the motherboard, several in fact. Number one, when i boot and/or reboot, about half the time, it doesn't even reach post before it reboots and then continues that cycle till i actually switch my psu off. Number two, when i am able to reach windows i get windows xp crashing. on average i get between 15 to 30 minutes before it crashes.
Now I didn't initially change the bios settings, but as soon as the problems occured I started reading the other threads from here and other sites as well. I tried updating the bios with @bios. I tried setting optimized defaults trick from a thread on here, and it seems to no avail.
here is a list of the hardware i'm running in this comp

intel Q8200
Ocz ddr2 pc2 8500 (sli ready edition)
Nvidia Geforce 9800 gtx+ from sparkle
GA EP45C-UD3R
Raidmax Hybrid 2 Rx-630ss 630w
WD 250gb hdd (sata)

sorry if some of these don't need to be listed

[profJim]

NEVER use @Bios for flashing, there's a good chance that you'll brick your mobo. Read the Bios Flashing Guide for more info.

To help you get your system stable, download the generic bios template here and fill in your current bios settings. Also include a link to your ram's specs.

[Heathrow83]

Ok here is my bios settings as they are now


MB Intelligent Tweaker(M.I.T.)
Robust Graphics Booster ...............: Auto
CPU Clock Ratio ..........................: 7x
Fine CPU Clock Ratio.....................:n/a
CPU Frequency ...........................: 2.33ghz(333x7)


Clock Chip Control
Standard Clock Control
CPU Host Clock Control..................: [Disabled]
CPU Host Frequency (Mhz) ............: 333Mhz
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)....................: [ 0ps]
MCH Clock Skew (ps)...................: [ 0ps]


DRAM Performance Control
Performance Enhance...................: [STANDARD]
Extreme Memory Profile (X.M.P.).....: [Auto]
(G)MCH Frequency Latch...............: [Auto]
System Memory Multiplier ..............: [Atuo]
Memory Frequency (Mhz) ..............: 1066Mhz
DRAM Timing Selectable ................: [Auto]

Standard Timing Control
CAS Latency Time........................ 5 Auto
tRCD ......................................... 5 Auto
tRP'........................................... 5 Auto
tRAS.......................................... 15 Auto

Advanced Timing Control

tRRD........................................... 4 Auto
tWTR.......................................... 4 Auto
tWR............................................ 6 Auto
tRFC........................................... 56 Auto
tRTP........................................... 4 Auto
Command Rate (CMD) ....................: o Auto

Driving Strength Profiles
Driving Strength ............................

Channel A
Static tRead Value.........................:8 Auto
tRD Phase0 Adjustment...................: 0 Auto
tRD Phase1 Adjustment...................: 0 Auto
tRD Phase2 Adjustment .................: 0 Auto
tRD Phase3 Adjustment..................: 0 Auto
Trd2rd(Different Rank)....................: 8 Auto
Twr2wr(Different Rank)...................: 8 Auto
Twr2rd(Different Rank)...................: 7 Auto
Trd2wr(Same/Diff Rank)..................: 9 Auto
Dimm1 Clock Skew Control...............: Auto
Dimm2 Clock Skew Control...............: Auto
DDR Write Training.....................: Auto
Channel B
Static tRead Value.........................:8 Auto
tRD Phase0 Adjustment...................: 0 Auto
tRD Phase1 Adjustment...................: 0 Auto
tRD Phase2 Adjustment .................: 0 Auto
tRD Phase3 Adjustment..................: 0 Auto
Trd2rd(Different Rank)....................: 8 Auto
Twr2wr(Different Rank)...................: 8 Auto
Twr2rd(Different Rank)...................: 7 Auto
Trd2wr(Same/Diff Rank)..................: 9 Auto
Dimm1 Clock Skew Control...............: Auto
Dimm2 Clock Skew Control...............: Auto
DDR Write Training.....................: Auto
Motherboard Voltage Control
Voltage Types.………... Normal Current (unable to change this, its in dark grey lettering)
CPU
Load-Line Calibration..................: [Disabled]
CPU Vcore….……….........1.22500V........:Auto
CPU Termination…..... 1.200V.......: Auto
CPU PLL…………………....1.500V.......: Auto
CPU Reference.…………....0.760V.......: Auto

MCH/ICH
MCH Core…………….....1.100V...........: Auto
MCH Reference….…….0.760V...........: Auto
MCH/DRAM Ref.…......0.900V...........: Auto
ICH I/O……………….....1.500V............: Auto
ICH Core…………...……1.100V............: Auto

DRAM
DRAM Voltage ……....1.800V............: 2.100V
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....................: N/A
x C4/C4E State Support..................: N/A
CPU Thermal Monitor 2(TM2) ...........: [Enabled]
CPU EIST Function.........................: [Enabled]
Virtualization Technology................: N/A

Integrated Peripherals
Legacy USB Storage Detect ..............: N/A (Actually in my bios this is called "usb storage function" which enables or disables Legacy support of usb mass storage) and it is Enabled
This Template didn't cover all the options in each of the bios menus, that were mentioned, that is on my bios. N/A means that I did not have that option listed in my bios. So if you need more info let me know.

And here is the link for my ram
OCZ Technology | Products | Memory | OCZ DDR2 PC2-8500 SLI-Ready Edition Dual Channel

[kick]

hello fellow 8200 person :0
Do you have a decent cpu cooler?

[kick]

Well Im assuming u do..
for 3.43 Ghz..490fsb

Ok here is my bios settings as they are now


MB Intelligent Tweaker(M.I.T.)
Robust Graphics Booster ...............: Auto
CPU Clock Ratio ..........................: 7x
Fine CPU Clock Ratio.....................:n/a
CPU Frequency ...........................: 3.43ghz(490x7)


Clock Chip Control
Standard Clock Control
CPU Host Clock Control..................: [Enabled]
CPU Host Frequency (Mhz) ............: 490Mhz
PCI Express Frequency (Mhz) .........:[100]

C.I.A.2 .................................:[Disabled]


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


DRAM Performance Control
Performance Enhance...................: [Turbo]
Extreme Memory Profile (X.M.P.).....: [Auto]
(G)MCH Frequency Latch...............: [Auto]
System Memory Multiplier ..............: [2:00B]
Memory Frequency (Mhz) ..............: 980 Mhz
DRAM Timing Selectable ................: [Manual]

Standard Timing Control
CAS Latency Time........................ 5
tRCD ......................................... 5
tRP'........................................... 5
tRAS.......................................... 15

Advanced Timing Control

tRRD........................................... 4 Auto
tWTR.......................................... 4 Auto
tWR............................................ 6 Auto
tRFC........................................... 56 Auto
tRTP........................................... 4 Auto
Command Rate (CMD) ....................: Auto

Driving Strength Profiles
Driving Strength ............................

Channel A
Static tRead Value.........................:9/10 or Auto
tRD Phase0 Adjustment...................: 0 Auto
tRD Phase1 Adjustment...................: 0 Auto
tRD Phase2 Adjustment .................: 0 Auto
tRD Phase3 Adjustment..................: 0 Auto
Trd2rd(Different Rank)....................: 8 Auto
Twr2wr(Different Rank)...................: 8 Auto
Twr2rd(Different Rank)...................: 7 Auto
Trd2wr(Same/Diff Rank)..................: 9 Auto
Dimm1 Clock Skew Control...............: Auto
Dimm2 Clock Skew Control...............: Auto
DDR Write Training.....................: Auto
Channel B
Static tRead Value.........................:9/10 or Auto
tRD Phase0 Adjustment...................: 0 Auto
tRD Phase1 Adjustment...................: 0 Auto
tRD Phase2 Adjustment .................: 0 Auto
tRD Phase3 Adjustment..................: 0 Auto
Trd2rd(Different Rank)....................: 8 Auto
Twr2wr(Different Rank)...................: 8 Auto
Twr2rd(Different Rank)...................: 7 Auto
Trd2wr(Same/Diff Rank)..................: 9 Auto
Dimm1 Clock Skew Control...............: Auto
Dimm2 Clock Skew Control...............: Auto
DDR Write Training.....................: Auto
Motherboard Voltage Control
Voltage Types.………... Normal Current (unable to change this, its in dark grey lettering)
CPU
Load-Line Calibration..................: [Enabled]
CPU Vcore….……….........1.22500V........:1.38-1.39375
CPU Termination…..... 1.200V.......: Auto
CPU PLL…………………....1.500V.......: Auto
CPU Reference.…………....0.760V.......: Auto

MCH/ICH
MCH Core…………….....1.100V...........: 1.36-1.40
MCH Reference….…….0.760V...........: Auto
MCH/DRAM Ref.…......0.900V...........: Auto
ICH I/O……………….....1.500V............: Auto
ICH Core…………...……1.100V............: Auto

DRAM
DRAM Voltage ……....1.800V............: 2.1-2.16V
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....................: N/A
x C4/C4E State Support..................: N/A
CPU Thermal Monitor 2(TM2) ...........: [Enabled]
CPU EIST Function.........................: [Enabled]
Virtualization Technology................: N/A

Integrated Peripherals

Legacy USB Storage Detect ..............: N/A (Actually in my bios this is called "usb storage function" which enables or disables Legacy support of usb mass storage) and it is Enabled

This Template didn't cover all the options in each of the bios menus, that were mentioned, that is on my bios. N/A means that I did not have that option listed in my bios. So if you need more info let me know.

And here is the link for my ram
OCZ Technology | Products | Memory | OCZ DDR2 PC2-8500 SLI-Ready Edition Dual Channel

That should get you 3.43 on cpu,If you bring it down to 480 fsb you will be able to drop voltages a little.
You will need to run it down to 450 or so fsb to try running your memory on the 2.4B multiplier,but by then the cpu will be getting a bit slow.
Of course you can allways try hitting 510-520 fsb to go for 3.6ghz on the cpu.
My own memory wont take that (reliably).
Gl.

[Heathrow83]

Well kick I only have the cpu fan that came with it. I found out that my ram was under powered and not matching the fsb. So I set my ram speed to 1333MHz and my ram to 2.2V, and my system is now stable. Before i fixed it I was getting blue screens galore. Also I discovered i wasn't properly powering my vid card, and that seemed to stop the post failings. So right now i'm just gonna be running at these settings till i can budget for a larger heatsink and fan. Then I'll do some good o/c.

The last computer i had i knew the bios well enough to overclock. This one, however, is alien to me. So many more adjustments and terms that i'm gonna have to take time to figure what does what and how it affects the setup. If you know where i can read up on the settings or if you know what they do and how they can make things better or worse. That would be greatly appreciated. Also if you know good stable overclock settings with my stock setup, that would be awesome.

To the others who shared same or similar symptoms and remedied them another way let me know. I always like knowing more about the board and what its capable of doing.

[profJim]

With your stock cpu cooler & fan, you can probably o/c by 10% - 20% and your temps will be higher but still at an acceptable range. The cpu case & fan setup contributes to overall system cooling.

We can help you with a modest overclock. Many bios settings are left on AUTO unless you're going for the highest o/c possible. Overclocking involves a lot of stability testing. Having a stable system does NOT mean that you're able to run in windows and you don't have BSODs or freezing. If you don't do proper stability testing, you risk file corruption and potentially serious system degradation.

There are some memory timing tweaks that will improve your memory's performance at any cpu speed.

Your memory is rated at 2.10 - 2.30 volts, but the website says....

**Do not exceed 2.1V specification if listed on the module label

[profJim]

Feel lucky? Here's a setup that will give you a 20% o/c, hopefully stable.
If not, use these settings but change:
CPU Host Frequency = 366 MHz
Watch you temps!
note: with some AUTO settings, the value displayed in the bios is only the NORMAL setting, not what AUTO will set.

==> Use the bios PROFILES to save your stable and testing setups <==
===========================
MB Intelligent Tweaker(M.I.T.)
Robust Graphics Booster ...............: Auto
CPU Clock Ratio ..........................: 7x
Fine CPU Clock Ratio.....................:n/a
CPU Frequency ...........................: 2.807ghz(401x7)


Clock Chip Control
Standard Clock Control
CPU Host Clock Control..................: [Disabled] <== set to Enabled
CPU Host Frequency (Mhz) ............: 401MHz
PCI Express Frequency (Mhz) .........:[Auto] <== set to 100

C.I.A.2 .................................:[Disabled]


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


DRAM Performance Control
Performance Enhance...................: [STANDARD]
Extreme Memory Profile (X.M.P.).....: [Auto] <== set to DISABLED
(G)MCH Frequency Latch................: [Auto]
System Memory Multiplier ..............: [2.66D]
Memory Frequency (Mhz) ..............: 1069Mhz
DRAM Timing Selectable .................: [Auto] <== set to MANUAL

Standard Timing Control
CAS Latency Time........................ 5 Auto <== manually set to 5
tRCD .......................................... 5 Auto <== manually set to 5
tRP ............................................. 5 Auto <== manually set to 5
tRAS ......................................... 15 Auto <== manually set to 15

Advanced Timing Control

tRRD ......................................... 4 Auto <== leave on AUTO
tWTR ......................................... 4 Auto <== leave on AUTO
tWR ........................................... 6 Auto <== leave on AUTO
tRFC ........................................ 56 Auto <== leave on auto for now
tRTP ........................................... 4 Auto <== leave on AUTO
Command Rate (CMD) ................: o Auto <== leave on AUTO

Driving Strength Profiles
Driving Strength ............................ [Auto] <== leave on auto for now

Channel A
Static tRead Value.........................:8 Auto <== manually set to 8 for now
tRD Phase0 Adjustment................: 0 Auto
tRD Phase1 Adjustment................: 0 Auto
tRD Phase2 Adjustment ...............: 0 Auto
tRD Phase3 Adjustment................: 0 Auto
Trd2rd(Different Rank)..................: 8 Auto
Twr2wr(Different Rank)................: 8 Auto
Twr2rd(Different Rank).................: 7 Auto
Trd2wr(Same/Diff Rank)...............: 9 Auto
Dimm1 Clock Skew Control.............: Auto
Dimm2 Clock Skew Control.............: Auto
DDR Write Training...........................: Auto
Channel B
==> use the exact same settings as Channel A <==
Motherboard Voltage Control
Voltage Types.………... Normal Current (unable to change this, its in dark grey lettering)
CPU
Load-Line Calibration..................: [Disabled]
CPU Vcore............1.22500V................:Auto <== manually set to 1.2250 (you might have to increase this by 1 setting)
CPU Termination .......…..... 1.200V.......: Auto<== manually set to 1.20
CPU PLL ........................... 1.500V.......: Auto<== manually set to 1.50
CPU Reference ................. 0.760V.......: Auto

MCH/ICH
MCH Core…………….....1.100V...........: Auto <== manually set to 1.20 or possibly higher (1.22 - 1.24, or 1.05 if you have boot problems)
MCH Reference….…….0.760V...........: Auto
MCH/DRAM Ref.…......0.900V...........: Auto
ICH I/O……………….....1.500V............: Auto<== manually set to 1.50
ICH Core…………...……1.100V............: Auto<== manually set to 1.10 (1.20 might be needed)

DRAM
DRAM Voltage ……....1.800V............: 2.100V
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] <== manually set to Disabled
C2/C2E State Support....................: N/A
x C4/C4E State Support..................: N/A
CPU Thermal Monitor 2(TM2) ...........: [Enabled]
CPU EIST Function.........................: [Enabled]<== manually set to Disabled
Virtualization Technology................: N/A

[Heathrow83]

Ok everyone. I just got my first power error during post. I got the continuous short beeps. so i'm wondering if there is a way to determine whats wrong, or if someone knows what is the right psu for my setup. I thought i bought the right one. I might have a faulty psu (low amperage for start up). so if someone can help me on this (I know this isn't really related to my motherboard) I will greatly appreciate the help.

My build

intel q8200
ocz 1gb x2 pc2 8500 (Model# OCZ2N1066SR2GK)
Raidmax Hybrid 630 watts modular psu (Model# RX-630SS)
Gigabyte Ep45C-UD3R rev 1.0 (bios is f5c version)
Raidmax Smillidon Tower (model # ATX-612WB)
Sparkle Geforce 9800 gtx+ 512mb
WD 250gb Hdd (SATA2)
Samsung dvd burner (SATA2)



Ps Thanks to you guys for helping me out, and giving me some specs for o/c. Definitely try them when I get this thing fixed.

[Heathrow83]

One thing after another with this build.