GA-EP43-DS3L Freezing in 3D Games

[brettneale]

I've just built a new machine yesterday, it all went together fine, POSTed, installed Windows and runs perfectly. That is until I play a 3D game (tried rFactor and GTR2 on mild settings so far). I can navigate all the menus without issue, but when a 3D scene is rendered it runs for about 4-5sec and then freezes at the last rendered frame. There is no artifacts, no BSOD, no crash to desktop, and no keystrokes will do anything. A full power down is required to get it back. It's definitely not overheating either.

Here's the specs:
Gigabyte GA-EP43-DS3L Mobo, pretty sure it's running F8 BIOS.
Intel E8400 with stock cooler
Gigabyte 9800GTX+ 1GB
Kingston KVR800D2N5K2/4G (2x2GB kit)
Vantec ION2+ 550W PSU (2x 12V rails at 22A each)
500GB WD SATA
Pioneer 216 burner
Windows XP SP2 32bit

I'm thinking it may be a memory problem, I've been reading about some issues with this type of RAM and the Gigabyte mobo... What should my timing settings be in the BIOS? Kingston's site has this PDF but it doesn't make sense to me...

http://www.valueram.com/datasheets/KVR800D2N5K2_4G.pdf

I ran Memtest overnight on both sticks and it came up with no errors. Also, when I pull one stick out it seems to run a fair bit longer before freezing.

Does anyone have any ideas? Is my RAM incompatible?

UPDATE - Issue solved, it was my PSU. Bought a new one and it's all go.

[Amd_Lover2004]

Re: GA-EP43-DS3L Freezing in 3D Games

Had a unit in the tech room today, same issue, it booted fine. As soon as I started any sort of heavy graphical test the unit froze solid.

The issue was the power supply, it could not supply enough power to the 9800GTX when under any sort of graphical load.

I noticed you have a 550W Power supply, But it is a lower end name and the unit I had in today was similarly spec'ed. I suggest you replace the power supply with something a little more reputable. Say, a 600W Corsair or OCZ maybe.

Edit: I am running the same motherboard in the build I just did for my parents, it is only running a E5200 and 8600GTS however, I can do some tests with it if we need to go that far.

[brettneale]

Re: GA-EP43-DS3L Freezing in 3D Games

Thanks for the tip. The Vantec is apparently "suitable for SLI", but maybe the 24A minimum stated in the 9800GTX+ manual is a bare minimum and the 22A just won't cut it. Maybe the Vantec was a bad choice!

Would you think an Antec 500W EarthWatts PSU would be suitable? It has a single rail rated at 34A, so surely this would be sufficient, and it's still kinda in my price range (save for the money I blew on the Vantec...).

[Nickel020]

Re: GA-EP43-DS3L Freezing in 3D Games

That sounds like it might be the PSU.
I found this review with two links to similar PSUs reviewed by jonnyguru.com and it's seems to be an OK PSU, but you might have gotten a faulty one.
If you can, try a friends PSU and see if that makes any difference.

If you want to try whether it might be the board itself or the RAM download Prime 95 and run the "blend" torutre test. If you don't get any errrors there even after several hours it's likely the PSU which can't handle the strain of the video card in 3D mode.

If you want to order a new PSU, this one is quite decent:
Newegg.com - CORSAIR CMPSU-400CX 400W ATX12V V2.2 80 PLUS Certified Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply - Power Supplies
Other good PSU brands are Enermax, Seasonic, PC Power & Cooling etc.
And don't let anyone tell you that you need a 600W PSU, if it's a quality model a 400W PSU will be more than enough, your system doesn't draw more than 300W under fullest load.
ASUS GeForce 9800 GTX+ TOP Graphics Card :: TweakTown

[brettneale]

Re: GA-EP43-DS3L Freezing in 3D Games

That sounds like it might be the PSU.
I found this review with two links to similar PSUs reviewed by jonnyguru.com and it's seems to be an OK PSU, but you might have gotten a faulty one.

Yeah that's the review I read, and it led me to buy this PSU. Does anyone have a link to a review of a 9800GTX+ 55nm that shows how many amps it draws?

If you want to order a new PSU, this one is quite decent:
Newegg.com - CORSAIR CMPSU-400CX 400W ATX12V V2.2 80 PLUS Certified Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply - Power Supplies
Other good PSU brands are Enermax, Seasonic, PC Power & Cooling etc.
And don't let anyone tell you that you need a 600W PSU, if it's a quality model a 400W PSU will be more than enough, your system doesn't draw more than 300W under fullest load.

I'm considering anything above 500W, simply because it gives headroom for upgrades later on like extra HDDs and the like. I'm in Australia and have a convenient, cheap computer shop nearby and they don't stock Corsair. I'm considering either:

- Antec NeoPower 550W for AU$121
- Coolermaster RealPower M520 520W for AU$129

Both are modular, which would definitely be handy. Any opinions on these PSUs? I don't want to make the same mistake twice!

[Nickel020]

Re: GA-EP43-DS3L Freezing in 3D Games

Does anyone have a link to a review of a 9800GTX+ 55nm that shows how many amps it draws?

In German but a great article:

http://ht4u.net/reviews/2009/leistungsaufnahme_graka/index25.php

The Antec Neopower 650W which *may* be very similar to the 550W version did not fare to well on jonnyguru (best PSU reviews anywhere):
JonnyGURU.com - Power Supply Reviews and more! - Reviews - Antec NeoPower Blue 650W

The Cosair HX 520W and Enermax Modu82+ 525W both are excellent very quiet PSUs. They're recommended all over the net and are among the quietest PSUs as well.

[brettneale]

Re: GA-EP43-DS3L Freezing in 3D Games

In German but a great article:
Reale Leistungsaufnahme aktueller Grafikkarten - Anhang: Palit GeForce 9800 GTX+ (Seite 25) - Artikel & Testberichte bei HardTecs4U

The Antec Neopower 650W which *may* be very similar to the 550W version did not fare to well on jonnyguru (best PSU reviews anywhere):
JonnyGURU.com - Power Supply Reviews and more! - Reviews - Antec NeoPower Blue 650W

It looks like the 650W Blue is much different on the inside to the 550W NeoPower:

Antec NeoPower 550 Power Supply Review | Hardware Secrets

These guys gave the 550W their golden hardware award, it looks like a great unit. Since I can't get hold of a Corsair or Enermax without ordering from NSW, I think I'll grab one of the Antec ones. Thanks for your help!

[VorLonUK]

Re: GA-EP43-DS3L Freezing in 3D Games

Although it may not be the problem, that PSU as far as I remember (when i researched it for another post) only supplies up to 34Amp on the 12volt rails, not 44Amps as 22+22 suggests.
I believe the spec says a total of 408watts for the 12volt lines, which equates to 34amps (total 12volt loading).

Also set in the MIT section of the bios,

1) tRFC = 56
2) Performance Enhance = Standard
3) DDR2 voltage +0.1volts (1.9 volts)

[Nickel020]

Re: GA-EP43-DS3L Freezing in 3D Games

If possible take your PC with you to the store and see if the PSU fixes the problem. If the Antec does fix it, then all is well :)

[brettneale]

Re: GA-EP43-DS3L Freezing in 3D Games

Although it may not be the problem, that PSU as far as I remember (when i researched it for another post) only supplies up to 34Amp on the 12volt rails, not 44Amps as 22+22 suggests.
I believe the spec says a total of 408watts for the 12volt lines, which equates to 34amps (total 12volt loading).

Yeah I figured there would be a maximum current of less than 44A, but 34A is still plenty for this setup. The PSU is probably faulty by the sounds of that.

If possible take your PC with you to the store and see if the PSU fixes the problem. If the Antec does fix it, then all is well :)

Not really... it's currently built without a case!

[jerryel]

Re: GA-EP43-DS3L Freezing in 3D Games

Not really... it's currently built without a case!

There was a great article on ZD Net (one of their newsletters) about building a computer that hid behind a 22" LCD monitor. Really cool! I thought about going with a Sunbeam blue tinted plastic (cube) case but after reading they are dust magnets decided against it.

[brettneale]

Re: GA-EP43-DS3L Freezing in 3D Games

Hi everyone, the issue has been solved. I took in my Vantec power supply and bought a Thermaltake ToughPower Q-Fan 550W modular PSU. It's powering on like a dream now! I've got the store testing the Vantec to see if I can RMA it and get my money back. It claimed it was SLI certifed, and they were quite surprised that it wasn't enough for the 9800GTX+.

Thanks for everyone's input!

[Nickel020]

Re: GA-EP43-DS3L Freezing in 3D Games

That's good to hear!

The PSU was probably just defective.

[Amd_Lover2004]

Re: GA-EP43-DS3L Freezing in 3D Games

Glad to hear everything is working, a lot of people still under estimate how important a quality PSU is, and not only that but what effect a faulty unit can have on a system. This thread is a PERFECT example of what can happen. Again glad it's working for you.