GA-X48-DS5 totally unstable - need some help

[RedDwarf]

Re: GA-X48-DS5 totally unstable - need some help

It very well could be the memory is not compatible, that brand (And the Cor. one) had several issues with P35/X38/X48, it has been a while though so I haven't seen many mentions of it lately because most people are using newer boards.

Can you borrow a different set of memory just to test with, to see if maybe this memory itself is not compatible?

I do have 2 1GB sticks of some cheaper PC6400 memory Kingston KVR800D2N5/1G that I purchased just after getting this board when I was having problems with it initially.

Are you even sure memory is the issue? I mean, it could be your CPU since you are overclocked. If you are sure it is not the CPU you may want to try borrowing some other ram to see if this will help you sort this out.

I have no idea that it is the memory.

It's not overclocked. The CPU is running at it's default speed and voltage when the freezes/lock ups happen.

[Lsdmeasap]

Re: GA-X48-DS5 totally unstable - need some help

Since you are at defaults, then it really may just be the memory itself causing these issues.

Do you still have issues with the kingstons, or have you not tried them lately?

[RedDwarf]

Re: GA-X48-DS5 totally unstable - need some help

Since you are at defaults, then it really may just be the memory itself causing these issues.

Do you still have issues with the kingstons, or have you not tried them lately?

I haven't tried them recently, I only installed them for a brief trial to test they worked. I believe they are on the Gigabyte compatibility memory list which is why I purchased them.

If the OCZ modules have any incompatibility, flashing the spd might fix them, I believe that OCZ have software to do that. But I would only want to do that if I was certain it was the memory that is causing the problem. The problem is so random and can take so long to test that working it out is difficult.

[Lsdmeasap]

Re: GA-X48-DS5 totally unstable - need some help

You would need to ask them about flashing the SPD, I can't advise on if that would help or not.

It may not, they may just not be compatible with the current Gigabyte BIOS for this board.

[RedDwarf]

Re: GA-X48-DS5 totally unstable - need some help

You would need to ask them about flashing the SPD, I can't advise on if that would help or not.

It may not, they may just not be compatible with the current Gigabyte BIOS for this board.

I think that if it is the memory, the timings that are in the SPD chip might be what could be causing the problems, but messing around with them isn't something I really want to do unless absolutely necessary because it could prevent them working. It won't be possible to flash them back unless the memory is working. But if there is a possibility of getting them working fully then it might be an option. I will ask on the OCZ forum if the memory can be confirmed as the problem.

I have put the Kingston memory in for now but there isn't much time to test it. I need all 4GB of my memory for the weekend.

[RedDwarf]

Re: GA-X48-DS5 totally unstable - need some help

You would need to ask them about flashing the SPD, I can't advise on if that would help or not.

It may not, they may just not be compatible with the current Gigabyte BIOS for this board.

That was quick, it locked up just after posting so it can't be the memory. That must a record for the shortest time before a lock up. Must of been 10 minutes max.

[Lsdmeasap]

Re: GA-X48-DS5 totally unstable - need some help

Have you asked them on the forum or via email if your exact model has been tested on this board?

[RedDwarf]

Re: GA-X48-DS5 totally unstable - need some help

Have you asked them on the forum or via email if your exact model has been tested on this board?

No, but the lock up was when the OCZ Reaper wasn't installed so it cannot be the memory which is causing it.

But it might be worth asking to find out whether anyone has had any problems with it and if anything needs to be done to ensure stability. I did ask myself when I first built this system and was told that I might need to raise Refresh to ACT to as much as 72 for stability with 2x2GB.

But the memory cannot be the problem if it locked up when different, Gigabyte certified memory was installed.

I don't think event viewer shows anything which makes it difficult to work out as there are no clues. It could be the Satellite card as I did update the drivers but lock ups seem a strange reaction and should not happen.

[JustRob]

Re: GA-X48-DS5 totally unstable - need some help

I would just get a small HDD and put a fresh install of your operating system on it just to rule out a corrupt OS....

[Lsdmeasap]

Re: GA-X48-DS5 totally unstable - need some help

Ya, how about that?

Could you try a clean install with no new drivers, ect and see how things are?

Of course install the latest Intel Chipset drivers from here, but for testing leave everything else unsintalled such as sound drivers, your satellite card, ect

http://downloadcenter.intel.com/Product_Filter.aspx?ProductID=816

[RedDwarf]

Re: GA-X48-DS5 totally unstable - need some help

I would just get a small HDD and put a fresh install of your operating system on it just to rule out a corrupt OS....

I have lots of OS installs on this PC and the system lockups occur on all Windows XP installs so I very much doubt it can be a corrupt OS. It can go days without a lock up and other times it happens very quickly.

Ya, how about that?

Could you try a clean install with no new drivers, ect and see how things are?

Of course install the latest Intel Chipset drivers from here, but for testing leave everything else unsintalled such as sound drivers, your satellite card, ect
http://downloadcenter.intel.com/Prod...?ProductID=816

It would take time to do which I don't think would be time well invested ATM.

I have uninstalled the Sat card drivers and then removed the card from my PC last night. I can use the PC without the card until the weekend as it is not essential until then. I would use it if installed but don't need it to record anything.

It's been well over 12 hours so far and no lock ups and the PC hasn't been in standby like usual when not being used.

If it can go until the end of the week without issue, I will take it up with the card manufacturer. They have said that new drivers are being prepared to fix things but I somehow doubt that will ever make it 100% stable.

On Windows 7 things seemed much more stable, at least for as long as I could tolerate Win 7 which was for about a day. I dislike that OS, Win XP does everything better and faster for me, it's only the memory size and management that is missing.

[JustRob]

Re: GA-X48-DS5 totally unstable - need some help

There is a later 'albeit a beta' bios available for your board. Why don't you try updating to the latest one F8c?

GA-X48-DS5 (rev. 1.1) - GIGABYTE

You say you prefer xp over win 7...........Well I like the smoothness and the ease of win 7, I will never go back to xp.

[Lsdmeasap]

Re: GA-X48-DS5 totally unstable - need some help

I dislike win7 too! I prefer Vista

Yes, please try the latest BIOS mentioned above

[RedDwarf]

Re: GA-X48-DS5 totally unstable - need some help

There is a later 'albeit a beta' bios available for your board. Why don't you try updating to the latest one F8c?

GA-X48-DS5 (rev. 1.1) - GIGABYTE

You say you prefer xp over win 7...........Well I like the smoothness and the ease of win 7, I will never go back to xp.

I can work considerably faster using XP, I have to access a lot of files and folders and XP makes that considerably faster using the right software which doesn't work well with Win 7, it's only partially functional so not really useful. I don't want or need the eye candy, I find it distracting. Functionality is my priority and XP does most of what I need.

Going to Win 7 is excruciatingly slow in comparison.

I don't really see a reason to change the Bios, I don't know of any improvements that would benefit me. From what I have read it was only the Intel Raid controller Rom that was updated.

So far with the Sat card and drivers removed it was stable for 29 hours of running until I put it in Standby. It has been running for about an hour since coming out of standby and so far all is stable. It's still a bit early to be certain, a couple more days should be more indicative whether it was the Sat card but so far so good.

I did have an idea about the PCIe frequency, could setting that directly to 100 be affecting things? I have been setting it to 100 instead of auto for a long time. I have seen mentioned that adjusting that can sometimes affect things if a few steps of adjustment are made, 97 to 103 for example.

[Lsdmeasap]

Re: GA-X48-DS5 totally unstable - need some help

They only post a few things in change logs, MANY other items may have been corrected/added or changed. Do not let the minor change log stop you from updating

That Intel ROM will also improve your boot times if you are using RAID or AHCI as well, so it's well worth the update for that alone.

Setting PCIE 100 is the default, so no setting that should not affect anything, we only suggest manually setting this because when overclocking if left in auto it can raise this as well without the user intending to do so.

Using more could possibly help though, not less, try 101-103 and see if anything changes. Normally though this only helps reach a higher overclock