Standby (S3) / Hibernation and X38-DS4

[stevez]

After exhaustive testing, I've come to the conclusion that the standby problem is caused by the following interactions:

* memory controller
* RAM
* high FSB with low CPU mhz or
* high CPU mhz with low FSB or
* combination of high FSB and high CPU mhz

I have tried numerous different combinations of CPU speed and FSB.

I'm running an X38-DS4 with a Q6600 (2.4 ghz, 266 fsb) and 4 x 1gb PC2-8500 ram and using Windows XP.

Anything over about 350 fsb with CPU speed higher than 3.0ghz, and I can't come out of standby.
Using stock speeds, I can always come out of standby.

Using higher overclocks on both fsb and CPU.. e.g. say 438/3500 and using hibernation instead, the PC can come out of hibernation. Of course, data is not suspended to RAM in hibernation like it is is standby. It is written to disk instead.

For me, hibernation takes around 15 seconds to come out. I have a lot of apps/services loading when Windows loads, so a full boot usually takes at least 90 seconds. Hibernation is not as fast as standby, but it is much faster than a full boot.

If you use hibernation, you should ensure you have "write caching" enabled on your drive. Otherwise it can take ages to hibernate, I mean like 5 minutes or more. One risk of using write caching, is lost data should a power outage occur. However, you should ensure you save any work you are doing when using hibernation and then there is no problem.

Hope this helps those who find S3 standby a handy function, but like me haven't been able to use it successfully with more than minimum overclocking.

[Lsdmeasap]

Re: Standby (S3) / Hibernation and X38-DS4

Crusin for a RMA

[stevez]

Re: Standby (S3) / Hibernation and X38-DS4

On the contrary Lsdmeasap..

Using S3 Standby when overclocking with high settings seems like it has the potential to corrupt the BIOS.
But when using Hibernation, power is completely shut off. So the computer boots from a cold boot and uses the BIOS settings, just as it does when you shut down the computer and do a normal cold boot. All Hibernation does, is access the data that was written to the disk when Hibernation was invoked. So a BIOS corruption appears highly unlikely to me using Hibernation. At least that's how I understand it from what I'm seeing when I use it.

[Lsdmeasap]

Re: Standby (S3) / Hibernation and X38-DS4

I say that from 100's of RMA's I see posted caused by users trying their hardest to get S3 to work. That is all I meant, The more you try the closer the Corrupt BIOS bootblock will be.

Best to stop trying hibernation all together, yes S3 is the worst but I have seen it due to plain hibernation as well. But you are right, not as much