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PC Freezes with GA-EP43-DS3L and OCZ Reaper HPC 1066Mhz pc2-8500

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  • PC Freezes with GA-EP43-DS3L and OCZ Reaper HPC 1066Mhz pc2-8500

    Hi everyone,

    I bought a new system a few days ago that's composed out of these components -
    CPU - Intel Q6600
    MotherBoard - Gigabyte EP43-DS3L
    Ram - 2X1GB OCZ Reaper HPC 1066Mhz pc2-8500 [email protected]
    (Though I'm using only one now as one of them had my system BSOD all the time and failed in Windows Memory Diagnose tool(something like memTest))
    VideoCard - ATI Radeon 4850HD
    PSU - Corsair VX450W

    So my problem is that my computer completely freezes everytime I try to install a few certain games such as GTA IV and COD5:WaW. Maybe it would happen in other cases as well, but I haven't had the time to try more scenarios yet.

    These games installations work flawlessly at my brother's pc.
    I've read that many people had problems running certain RAMs on this kind of motherboard and I was wondering if this is my case as well.
    I've been trying to play a bit with the memory timings in the bios and its voltage but I don't know if I had changed anything or if this is what I need to do.

    I'm getting quite hopeless since these problems are consistant and I'm not getting any errors at all - Just a complete freeze that forces me to reset my PC with the reset button. (Mouse wouldn't move, keyboard won't respond, the music is getting stuck).

    Few more things that are important to mention - So far I had also tried out games like Crysis and FarCry 2 and they worked flawlessly. Also, my PC's temperatures are quite low and they are at about 30-40 degrees idle.

    I'm running on a WinXp32bit if that matters.

    I'm desperate for some help as it is a real bummer to have severe problems with a completely new machine :/

    Thanks!

  • #2
    Re: PC Freezes with GA-EP43-DS3L and OCZ Reaper HPC 1066Mhz pc2-8500

    Please start here >>>
    Memtest86+ - Advanced Memory Diagnostic Tool

    Run that for 5-10 passes on each stick one at a time to see if one or both is faulty. Run this test with Stock settings, that would be manually set MAIN timings for your ram, Performance enhance on standard, manually set ram voltage, and ram speed set to stock. That would be 4.00A with your CPU at stock

    If that passes both sticks one by one they are fine and you just need to change some settings.

    Please do post your settings for me if you get both tested and they are fine. Use both again and give me the settings you get after you load optimized defaults with both sticks installed and set your ram voltage then reboot BACK to the BIOS. You will have to go back to the BIOS to make ALL Changes again, including SATA/Disk settings >>>

    This is Just a template I use to ask people their settings, pay no attention to the numbers in it, replace with yours

    Code:
    [b][u]MB Intelligent Tweaker(M.I.T.)[/u][/b]
    Robust Graphics Booster ...............: 
    CPU Clock Ratio ..........................: 
    Fine CPU Clock Ratio.....................:.0
    CPU Frequency ...........................: 
    
    
    [b][u]Clock Chip Control [/u][/b]
    [b][u]Standard Clock Control[/u][/b]
    CPU Host Clock Control..................: [Enabled] 
    CPU Host Frequency (Mhz) ............: Mhz
    [B]PCI Express Frequency (Mhz) .........:Set to 100[/B]
    
    C.I.A.2 .................................:[Disabled]
    
    
    [b][u]Advanced Clock Control [Press Enter][/u][/b]
    CPU Clock Drive...........................: <<< 
    PCI Express Clock Drive.................: <<< 
    CPU Clock Skew (ps)....................: <<< 
    MCH Clock Skew (ps)...................: <<< 
    
    
    [b][u]DRAM Performance Control[/u][/b][u][/u]
    [B]Performance Enhance...................: [STANDARD][/B]
    Extreme Memory Profile (X.M.P.).....: Disabled
    (G)MCH Frequency Latch...............: [Auto]
    System Memory Multiplier ..............: 
    Memory Frequency (Mhz) ..............: 
    DRAM Timing Selectable ................: [Manual]
    
    [b]Standard Timing Control[/b]
    CAS Latency Time........................
    tRCD .........................................
    tRP'...........................................
    tRAS..........................................
    
    [b][u]Advanced Timing Control[/u][/b]
    tRRD...........................................
    tWTR..........................................
    tWR............................................
    tRFC...........................................
    tRTP...........................................
    Command Rate (CMD) ....................:2
    
    [u][b]Driving Strength Profiles[/b][/u][b][/b]
    Driving Strength ............................
    
    [b]Channel A[/b]
    Static tRead Value.........................:6/7-10 333/B MCH - 8/9-12 400/D MCH
     tRD Phase0 Adjustment...................:<<< Leave for all below as well
    tRD Phase1 Adjustment...................:Auto
     tRD Phase2 Adjustment .................:Auto
     tRD Phase3 Adjustment..................:Auto
    Trd2rd(Different Rank)....................:Auto 
    Twr2wr(Different Rank)...................:Auto 
    Twr2rd(Different Rank)...................:Auto 
    Trd2wr(Same/Diff Rank)..................:Auto 
    Dimm1 Clock Skew Control...............:Auto  ps
    Dimm2 Clock Skew Control...............:Auto  ps
    
    [b]Channel B[/b]
    Static tRead Value.........................:6/7-10 333/B MCH - 8/9-12 400/D MCH
     tRD Phase0 Adjustment...................:<<< Leave for all below as well
    tRD Phase1 Adjustment...................:Auto
     tRD Phase2 Adjustment .................:Auto
     tRD Phase3 Adjustment..................:Auto
    Trd2rd(Different Rank)....................:Auto 
    Twr2wr(Different Rank)...................:Auto 
    Twr2rd(Different Rank)...................:Auto 
    Trd2wr(Same/Diff Rank)..................:Auto 
    Dimm1 Clock Skew Control...............:Auto  ps
    Dimm2 Clock Skew Control...............:Auto  ps
    
    [b][U]Motherboard Voltage Control[/U][/b][U][/U]
    Voltage Type.………... Manual
    [b]CPU[/b]
    CPU Vcore….……….........................:
    CPU Termination…..... 1.200V*.......: <<< Leave
    CPU PLL…………………....1.500V*.......: << Please set to stock, Auto overvolts this way to much
    
    CPU Referen.…………....0.755V*.......: <<< .64% Of Vtt (Termination above) Auto Will set this correctly 
    
    CPU Reference2………,,0.800V*.......:<<< .67% Of Vtt (Termination above) Auto Will set this correctly 
    
    [b]MCH/ICH[/b]
    MCH Core…………….....1.100V...........: << 
    MCH Reference….…….0.800V...........; <<< Leave
    MCH/DRAM Ref.…......0.900V...........: <<< Leave
    ICH I/O……………….....1.550V............: <<< Leave
    ICH Core…………...……1.100V............: <<< Leave
    
    [b]DRAM[/b]
    DRAM Voltage ……....1.800V............: 
    DRAM Termination .…0.900V............: <<< Leave
    Channel A Reference 0.900V............: <<< Leave
    Channel B Reference 0.900V............: <<< Leave
    
    [b][U]Advanced Settings[/U][/b][U][/U]
    Limit CPUID Max. to 3.....................: [Disabled]
    No-Execute Memory Protect............: [Enabled]
    CPU Enhanced Halt (C1E)................: [Disabled]
    C2/C2E State Support....................: [Disabled]
    x C4/C4E State Support..................: [Disabled]
    CPU Thermal Monitor 2(TM2) ...........: [Enabled]
    CPU EIST Function.........................: [Disabled]
    Virtualization Technology................: [Disabled] Enabled if you use Vmware/Virtual PC
    
    [b][U]Integrated Peripherals[/U][/b][U][/U]
    Legacy USB Storage Detect ..............[Disabled] *Note* Must be enabled to flash from USB

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: PC Freezes with GA-EP43-DS3L and OCZ Reaper HPC 1066Mhz pc2-8500

      First of all I would like to thank you for your quick and insightful post :)

      I've read what you'd written but I'm not sure I understand all of so I got a few questions -

      1. Will an Old MemTest v1.70 will do? I'm not sure I got an empty disc around here to burn the new one :/
      2. What do you mean by "Run this test with Stock settings, that would be manually set MAIN timings for your ram, Performance enhance on standard, manually set ram voltage, and ram speed set to stock. That would be 4.00A with your CPU at stock"
      - What are my stock settings? The automatic settings in the bios or the ones that are written on a stick on the RAM ([email protected])
      3.How can I get my Bios settings into this nice organized template? Is there an automatic tool for that or should I do it manually?
      4. In my M.I.T settings there are 2 columns for each setting I can change.
      The one on the left has numbers that I can't change, and on the left column there are values that I can replace on my own if I choose manual mode. However, when I change the values on the right side the values on the left do not change. Is that okay?

      Sorry for the troublesome questions, and again thanks a lot for your help! :D

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: PC Freezes with GA-EP43-DS3L and OCZ Reaper HPC 1066Mhz pc2-8500

        1 - yes it is okie .. but the newer ram is not support by it .. so then maybe your test won't be good.
        2- because you have 1066 ram .. stock setting are your voltage and ram stepping on the sticker.
        3- no bios tool can do that.
        4- and the left side colum is what default. and you can change the right .. the left won't change .. just a guide for you to know what default is

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: PC Freezes with GA-EP43-DS3L and OCZ Reaper HPC 1066Mhz pc2-8500

          No, older 1.7 Memtest will not work properly with P35 and above motherboards, you will get false errors. Use 2.01 or 2.10

          Your stock settings are what is written on the stick, set them manually as I said above

          Ya, sadly posting your settings must be done manually

          Ignore all Values you see on the left, those are what has been used in the past or what MAY be being used right then in the BIOS only. They will change as you change things and reboot, and may or may not be what is used in the BIOS. So pretty much useless and can be ignored

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: PC Freezes with GA-EP43-DS3L and OCZ Reaper HPC 1066Mhz pc2-8500

            Thanks for all the help -
            Here are the test results in chronological order - :)

            1.At first is used one stick and set the bios settings to these ones - (btw this is a stick that I tested on windows Memroy diagnose utility and it came out faulty at that test quite quickly)

            Code:
            [B][U]MB Intelligent Tweaker(M.I.T.)[/U][/B]
            Robust Graphics Booster ...............: 
            CPU Clock Ratio ..........................: 9x
            Fine CPU Clock Ratio.....................:.
            CPU Frequency ...........................: 2.40Ghz(266x9)
            
            
            [B][U]Clock Chip Control [/U][/B]
            [B][U]Standard Clock Control[/U][/B]
            CPU Host Clock Control..................: [Disabled] 
            CPU Host Frequency (Mhz) ............: Mhz
            [B]PCI Express Frequency (Mhz) .........:[Auto][/B]
            
            C.I.A.2 .................................:[Disabled]
            
            
            [B][U]Advanced Clock Control [Press Enter][/U][/B]
            CPU Clock Drive...........................: 800mv
            PCI Express Clock Drive.................: 800mv
            CPU Clock Skew (ps)....................: 0ps 
            MCH Clock Skew (ps)...................: 0ps
            
            
            [B][U]DRAM Performance Control[/U][/B]
            [B]Performance Enhance...................: [STANDARD][/B]
            Extreme Memory Profile (X.M.P.).....: Disabled
            (G)MCH Frequency Latch...............: [Auto]
            SPD - 4.00A (as you said)
            System Memory Multiplier ..............: 
            Memory Frequency (Mhz) ..............: 1066Mhz
            DRAM Timing Selectable ................: [Manual]
            
            [B]Standard Timing Control[/B]
            CAS Latency Time........................ - 5(manual)
            tRCD ......................................... - 5(manual)
            tRP'........................................... -5 (manual)
            tRAS..........................................24 [auto]
            
            [B][U]Advanced Timing Control[/U][/B]
            tRRD........................................... 4 (auto)
            tWTR.......................................... 4 (auto)
            tWR............................................ 8 (auto)
            tRFC........................................... 56 (auto)
            tRTP........................................... 4 (auto)
            Command Rate (CMD) ....................:        0 (auto)
            
            
            [B][U]Motherboard Voltage Control[/U][/B]
            
            [B]CPU[/B]
            CPU Vcore….……….........................:1.25
            CPU Termination…............: 1.250V
            CPU PLL…………………....1.550V.......: 
            
            CPU Referen.…………....0.805V*.......:
            
            
            
            [B]MCH/ICH[/B]
            MCH Core…………….....1.100V...........: << 
            
            ICH I/O……………….....1.550V............: <<<
            
            
            [B]DRAM[/B]
            DRAM Voltage ……....2.100V............: 
            
            
            </pre>
            Tests went great with that, and same went well with the other stick.
            Though when I tried installing these games again (COD5 and GTA IV) my pc froze again.

            2. Anyhow I tried putting them both in. in the beginning i put them both in - first one in slot 1 and second in slot 3.
            Picked optimized settings in bios, and manually changed the voltage to 2.1v as you said.
            These were the settings -
            Code:
            [B][U]MB Intelligent Tweaker(M.I.T.)[/U][/B]
            Robust Graphics Booster ...............: 
            CPU Clock Ratio ..........................: 9x
            Fine CPU Clock Ratio.....................:.
            CPU Frequency ...........................: 2.40Ghz(266x9)
            
            
            [B][U]Clock Chip Control [/U][/B]
            [B][U]Standard Clock Control[/U][/B]
            CPU Host Clock Control..................: [Disabled] 
            CPU Host Frequency (Mhz) ............: Mhz
            [B]PCI Express Frequency (Mhz) .........:[Auto][/B]
            
            C.I.A.2 .................................:[Disabled]
            
            
            [B][U]Advanced Clock Control [Press Enter][/U][/B]
            CPU Clock Drive...........................: 800mv
            PCI Express Clock Drive.................: 800mv
            CPU Clock Skew (ps)....................: 0ps 
            MCH Clock Skew (ps)...................: 0ps
            
            
            [B][U]DRAM Performance Control[/U][/B]
            [B]Performance Enhance...................: [Turbo][/B]
            Extreme Memory Profile (X.M.P.).....: Disabled
            (G)MCH Frequency Latch...............: [Auto]
            SPD - Auto
            System Memory Multiplier ..............: 
            Memory Frequency (Mhz) ..............: 1066Mhz
            DRAM Timing Selectable ................: [Auto]
            
            [B]Standard Timing Control[/B]
            CAS Latency Time........................ - 5([auto])
            tRCD ......................................... - 7([auto])
            tRP'........................................... -7 ([auto])
            tRAS..........................................24 [auto]
            
            [B][U]Advanced Timing Control[/U][/B]
            tRRD........................................... 4 (auto)
            tWTR.......................................... 4 (auto)
            tWR............................................ 8 (auto)
            tRFC........................................... 56 (auto)
            tRTP........................................... 4 (auto)
            Command Rate (CMD) ....................:        0 (auto)
            
            
            [B][U]Motherboard Voltage Control[/U][/B]
            
            [B]CPU[/B]
            CPU Vcore….……….........................:1.25
            CPU Termination…............: 1.200V
            CPU PLL…………………....1.550V.......: 
            
            CPU Referen.…………....0.805V*.......:
            
            
            
            [B]MCH/ICH[/B]
            MCH Core…………….....1.100V...........: << 
            
            ICH I/O……………….....1.550V............: <<<
            
            
            [B]DRAM[/B]
            DRAM Voltage ……....1.800V............: (Though I manually switched to 2.1v as you said)</pre>
            So I tried MemTest with both sticks and very quickly I got lots of errors.
            I restarted, changed to stock timings, and still lots of errors.

            Here are some pictures I took from memtest -
            1.First test with only one stick

            2. Test with both sticks installed and on optimized setting timings - 5-7-7-24

            3.Test with both sticks installed and on stock settings 5-5-5-24
            (Noticed the increased amount of errors and the difference between the memory capacity it detects. With 5-7-7-24 it detects 4348MB ram and with 5-5-5-24 it detects 4047MB ram :/)


            Hmmm now I also noticed that it Detects my RAM as DDR3... How's that even possible? My mother board supports DDR2 only! and my sticks are certainly DDR2.

            Thanks a lot for the help, and I really hope you guys can help me out :D
            Last edited by X_Dror; 12-10-2008, 01:56 PM.

            Comment


            • #7
              Re: PC Freezes with GA-EP43-DS3L and OCZ Reaper HPC 1066Mhz pc2-8500

              This is your issue likely >>>
              Performance Enhance...................: [Turbo] Should be standard


              And when you are using doing one stick testing with things in auto you need to load optimized defaults and reboot then setup your test settings. That way Auto is for one stick

              Ram amount will vary a little so that is no biggie, here use this new 2.11B6 version it will pick up your timings and DDR correctly >>
              Index of /download/beta/211b6

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: PC Freezes with GA-EP43-DS3L and OCZ Reaper HPC 1066Mhz pc2-8500

                I tried both with Performance Enhance on standard and on Turbo and it didn't matter, I still had errors.

                However today I tried a few more things and I got a few more insights on the problem -
                1. When one stick was in slot 2 and the other in slot 4, I had a lot less errors than I would have had if I had put one stick in slot one and the other in stick 2.
                2. When one stick was in slot 1 and the other in slot 2(no dual-channel), I had no errors at all in memTest, however my computer still freezes when I try installing games like GTAIV and Call of Duty 5. But still, games like Crysis work very well and do not freeze at all.

                So it seems as if my Ram sticks are okay but my mother board isn't.

                Got any ideas? as I tried running on Performance Enhance on Standard but it didn't help.

                Can this be a mother board problem?

                Comment


                • #9
                  Re: PC Freezes with GA-EP43-DS3L and OCZ Reaper HPC 1066Mhz pc2-8500

                  Sounds like maybe one of your slots is bad? You say Single channel works but not dual right? Did you try 1+3 instead of 2+4?

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Re: PC Freezes with GA-EP43-DS3L and OCZ Reaper HPC 1066Mhz pc2-8500

                    Yeah I did. When I tried 1+3 I had so many errors it crashed MemTest, and when I tried 2+4 it still had tons of errors but fewer I believe.

                    So you also think my mother board is bad?
                    Is there anyways I can confirm that?

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Re: PC Freezes with GA-EP43-DS3L and OCZ Reaper HPC 1066Mhz pc2-8500

                      Any resolve to this? I'm having exactly the same problems. Played around with memory setting without result. Like X_Dror described - all games play fine but freeze on GTA4 and COD5 installation. Any ideas welcome since I've run out of them.

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Re: PC Freezes with GA-EP43-DS3L and OCZ Reaper HPC 1066Mhz pc2-8500

                        Solved, this turned out to be one of the oddest errors I've encounter in over 10 years. Tried shutting down services one by one...it was Gigabyte's own malware that caused this - the GEST service (supposedly for energy saving). I've never seen software hang the machine without anything in the EventViewer before. AFAIK they ship this garbage with every EP series board, warning to others - disable this and save 4 days of headache. I can only imagine how many people have RMA'd the board (or the memory) thinking it was faulty.

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Re: PC Freezes with GA-EP43-DS3L and OCZ Reaper HPC 1066Mhz pc2-8500

                          F***!!! I can't believe this! How ridiculous! I would have never thought about playing around with the services. Thank god you found this solution or else I would have gone into deep troubles with the store I bought this from.

                          The only thing I can say is that this is a huge malfunction from Gigabyte that had caused a lot of trouble to its customers. I think I'm going to point that out to Gigabyte's officials.

                          Thanks a lot for your help and for notifying me about this too!!!

                          2 few questions though -

                          - The errors I get in MemTest when using my RAM on dual channel don't relate to that, right? You never had that problem, right?
                          - How the hell did you think about the god damned services?! :P

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Re: PC Freezes with GA-EP43-DS3L and OCZ Reaper HPC 1066Mhz pc2-8500

                            I already mentioned the issue to Gigabyte, reply said that the problem has been forwarded to the proper department.
                            I went as far as put the whole machine together again (thought perhaps the CPU didn't fit on the pins correctly), went to safe mode as a last resort. I forgot to mention that I'm actually using OCZ Platinum XTC which is a lower series memory compared to the Reaper, though the speed is the same. I only had to set the correct voltage manually and it worked.
                            As far as your memory is concerned, it might just be incompatible with the board. If you updated the BIOS, are using the correct voltage and timings there really isn't much else to do. You could try lowering the multiplier and playing around with the voltage (with common sense of course). Also, read up on OCZ board, there is a lot of information on the Reaper series.

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Re: PC Freezes with GA-EP43-DS3L and OCZ Reaper HPC 1066Mhz pc2-8500

                              Hmm well I still work on single-channel ram mode as I haven't had the time to fully fix the problem, and every few days my windows folder is getting corrupted, and I need to re-install Windows (XP). I hope this is just because my mobo is borken or incompatible, but I fear that this could be something else?

                              You guys think that maybe the problem I'm having with my RAM on dual-mode can somehow make my windows\system\ folder corrupted somehow?
                              I'll probably go to my computer store this thursday and I would like to have as much as information as I can about these problems.

                              Do you guys think that maybe if I'll flash my Bios into a newer version the problem with my memory will be fixed? How can I know what were the updates in each Bios version of my Mobo?

                              Thanks for the help so far!
                              This thread had already prooved itself useful :) I hope it continues to do so :D

                              Comment

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