Suspecting problem with ASRock mobo

[LaMamba]

<figure class="usrProfile"><figcaption class="line infosHold"></figcaption></figure> Hey!


I've set up a new pc rig quite recently and had a very irritating problem with it whenever I play a game.
My computer enters this "slowmotion" phase where it feels like everything is running in less than 1FPS, every sound is goes completely "slowmo" for a few seconds. Then comes up the BSoD with the DPC_Watchdog_Violation error.

At first I thought it could be something with the RAM sticks so I ran memtest86+ for 12 hours at least with 0 errors. Ran hard drive scans.
Even tried checking for driver errors with the Driver Verifier method. I'd also like to mention that I have updated every driver and firmware/bios.

So then I assumed something must be overheating - I pumped my GPU fans to run at max all the time. At first I thought this actually solved the case, but no. I just recently bought Cooler Masters 612s CPU cooler thinking this has to fix this bloody error. Nope.

I've also tried a full format of the OS.

I've posted this issue on several different tech support forums to find some help but nobody so far has had any luck in nailing the issue. I've surfed all over the net to find a solution so I'm truly desperate. I've tried tweaking with the BIOS settings, no luck there either so I reverted everything back to factory default.

Some have find a solution in turning off the onboard audio but I'm not quite sure how to do that and if it'll help. I've connected the headphone jack to the front case audio jack and these crashes only happen when I'm running a game.


OS: Windows 8 OEM
CPU: Intel Core i5-357K 3.4 GHz
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master 612s
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Pro4
Memory: Corsair Vengeance DC DDR3 8GB 1600MHz Low Profile
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB SATA3 7200RPM 64MB
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 660Ti-2DC-2GD5
Power Supply: XFX 650W Pro Series Semi Modular P1-650X-XXB9 80 Plus Bronze
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B5ST/BLK/B/AS
Case: NZXT Phantom ATX with the included fans.

[Tyler.Bernath]

Re: Suspecting problem with ASRock mobo

Several things can cause a DPC Watchdog Violation to be triggered in Windows 8. One of the most common is an SSD drive that has old firmware not supported by Windows 8. Another likely cause is an outdated driver for one of your hardware components. For example, if your sound card driver does not support Windows 8, simply plugging in a set of headphones could produce a DPC Watchdog Violation error. While not as common, software installations that affect your system software could also lead to DPC Watchdog Violations and the corresponding blue screen of death.

If the errors are hardware related, the best thing to do is update the firmware of your components and the associated drivers. Firmware and driver updates are usually available in either the Support or Downloads section of most hardware manufacturers websites. If the errors are software related, you can either reinstall the program(s) you may think may have started producing the errors or use Windows' "System Restore" function to fix potential system software issues.

If you have tried the above options and you still are experiencing DPC Watchdog Violation errors, you can use "Action Center," a control panel available in both Windows 7 and Windows 8. This panel displays important system messages and provides recommendations on how to resolve problems. If you still have errors after using Action Center, they may be caused by faulty hardware. If this is the case, you may need to have your PC examined by a technician who can diagnose what component needs to be replaced.

SOURCE: How do I fix DPC Watchdog Violation errors in Windows 8?