Issues with my GA-X58A-UD7 - help please

[ed1]

My Win7-64 system has been running well for years. Lately, it has been doing this, not all the time, but frequently: Random freezing while in BIOS settings page or in Windows - not correlated with any particular software open. Frequently on startup, the normal very quick single beep is instead a slightly longer single beep, accompanied by full speed GPU fan (ATI 4850) but no video output or system boot - can only be stopped by full power off. Main power button when in the state just described sometimes behaves as system reset button When unsucessfully trying to boot as described above, digital display on the Gigabyte board starts as FF, then C1, then C2, then digits move from 21 up to 86, then back to FF. I have reset BIOS to Optimized Defaults, then back to preferred settings. But this has not solved the issue. Is there any explanation for this behavior?

[virtualfred]

Re: Issues with my GA-X58A-UD7 - help please

Many freeze caused by the RAM, random freeze can be caused by a problem of contact between the pins and the motherboard (240 pins per stick !), you can easily check this by moving the RAM sticks while running Memtest (with your fingers not a hammer )... In this case, you should clean your ram with a special no deposit product, school gum or isopropyl alcohol. If not, you should test with another PSU.
Wish you good result.

[CharliesTheMan]

Re: Issues with my GA-X58A-UD7 - help please

I agree with virtualfred, it's usually RAM that causes the symptoms you've described when I see it. I reseat all the sticks, then test, then if I need to I troubleshoot one module at a time.

[wazza300]

Re: Issues with my GA-X58A-UD7 - help please

ff means a successful boot btw

check ram install just one stick in first white slot and see if it boots ok,then repeat test with other two slots and test the other sticks one at a time

[ed1]

Re: Issues with my GA-X58A-UD7 - help please

Thanks, Charlie, Fred and Wazza, I just finished running memtest86 4.3.0 one pass with all three sticks installed. I haven't tested individually yet. No errors reported. The computer boots normally most of the time, so I was able to run the test OK. But it has had trouble somewhat often lately. Usually just freezes in Windows with fixed video display. Sometimes it just won't boot up - seems to freeze before the video begins to be shown. Any other ideas? Should I continue with memtest with more passes? If no errors shown with all three sticks, does that mean I don't need to test individual sticks? By the way, the RAM is 6MB Mushkin 1.65v DDR3 running at 1500Mhz.

[wazza300]

Re: Issues with my GA-X58A-UD7 - help please

what amount of qpi/vtt voltage are you using? if below 1.35v then id set to that atleast,then see how it performs

I ran 3 years at 1.35v for my 920do just fine

yeah no point testing individual sticks if no errors

[ed1]

Re: Issues with my GA-X58A-UD7 - help please

Wazza, as you posted, I was editing my post above to say that I have 6MB Mushkin DDR3 rated at 1600Mhz on 1.64v. I am running it at 1.64v per BIOS at 6-7-6-18-!T timings, as I have been for years without problems. I do have 920 cpu. I believe my qpi/vtt is set at 1.275v, as it has been for years without problems.

[wazza300]

Re: Issues with my GA-X58A-UD7 - help please

done any recent bios updates? some bios's need more/less voltage to be stable than others

I cant think whatelse it could be other than ram/memory controller related or psu on its way out

are the voltages for the 12v,5v,3v above those figures in aida64 or any other monitoring software

max safe for qpi/vtt is 1.4v so your still ok to just test with 1.35v if no luck set back to 1.275v

EDIT: list your pc specs,if your running an m4 ssd it has a 5400 hour bug that causes freezing with earlier fw

and does it only freeze from a cold startup? once warm is it ok?

[ed1]

Re: Issues with my GA-X58A-UD7 - help please

done any recent bios updates? some bios's need more/less voltage to be stable than others I cant think whatelse it could be other than ram/memory controller related or psu on its way out are the voltages for the 12v,5v,3v above those figures in aida64 or any other monitoring software max safe for qpi/vtt is 1.4v so your still ok to just test with 1.35v if no luck set back to 1.275v EDIT: list your pc specs,if your running an m4 ssd it has a 5400 hour bug that causes freezing with earlier fw and does it only freeze from a cold startup? once warm is it ok?

Wazza, still having the freezing/boot fail issue. Sometimes happens on boot, sometimes when using normal Windows programs. Freezing is completely random. Voltages check out OK. Haven't raised qpi/vtt but will do that next. No new hardware installed recently. No changes to BIOS in years - using last version issued by Gigabyte. What has happened recently is that I have noticed that the start switch button on my Lian Li case seems to have changed in behavior in that it now requires a full hard press and hold to the extreme depressed position to initiate the power up. Before, just a light press would start the power up. Seems that the spring/rebound action of the switch button may be damaged somehow or worn. I don't think this would explain random freezing when in Windows programs, but who knows. I am going to check out the Lian Li forum here on TT to see if anyone has reported switch problems. Your help (and everyone's) is much appreciated.

[profJim]

Re: Issues with my GA-X58A-UD7 - help please

Thanks, Charlie, Fred and Wazza, I just finished running memtest86 4.3.0 one pass with all three sticks installed.
snip....

Running one full pass is not sufficient.
With new memory or if you suspect possible memory problems, run at least 10 full passes.
For a reasonably quick initial test, run test #5 for 10 - 15 loops.

Prime95 Large FFT test errors often indicate a memory problem, usually due to bad memory or possibly due to memory settings.
Prime95 Small FFT test errors usually indicate a problem with cpu settings.
Prime95 often has to run for at least 6 - 10 hours for an error to occur.

An overnight test is even better.

From your other thread, disconnect both front header panel POWER wires and carefully jumper both POWER header pins momentarily to power up or power down your system. An intermittent short in the RESET wires would probably cause your system to reboot.

[wazza300]

Re: Issues with my GA-X58A-UD7 - help please

try swapping over the front panel power switch wires with the front panel reset button wires on the motherboard,then power on/off the pc using the reset switch

if it works ok then you know the power switch is faulty

[ed1]

Re: Issues with my GA-X58A-UD7 - help please

I have raised QPI/VTT voltage from 1.275 to 1.295 and still experienced system freeze while in Windows this morning. I don't know if it's relevant, but the system usually freezes about 1 minute after Windows starts successfully the first time each day (as well as at other random times during boot or when in Windows). In HWMonitor, I noticed that the 3.3V rail is reading around 3.416V, the 5V rail reads 4.919V and the 12V rail reads 12.44V. Memory voltage reads 1.616V, though set to 1.64V in BIOS. Do these readings seem OK? I have a Seasonic X750 power supply less than 4 years old. The RAM voltage shown in HWMonitor might be a bit low for RAM rated at 1.65V running at its fastest rated timings. Still searching for a cause. Haven't switched the start button wires yet. It's hard to understand why the system issues just started recently, after years of smooth running and without any BIOS or hardware changes. Why are my posts all in a single paragraph even though I am using the Enter key for new paragraphs that show while editing? Thanks.

[wazza300]

Re: Issues with my GA-X58A-UD7 - help please

try 1.66v for dram which is actually 1.648v in windows and try 1.35v qpi/vtt

I think its a cold boot issue if it still freezes with 1.35v qpi/vtt then set back to what it was before

[ed1]

Re: Issues with my GA-X58A-UD7 - help please

Just following up on the system freezing issue I've had recently. My Lian Li case has the power button located on the top panel, just above my DVD drive in the top bay. I removed the case panels near the power button and discovered that the plunger at the end of the wire harness serving the power button had slipped down into the case. This was because the square, white plastic bracket holding this plunger had deformed slightly so that it no longer gripped the bottom edge of the plunger to hold it in place. This explained why the power button behavior had changed to require such a deep push to initiate system power up. I pushed the plunger back up so that it could be grabbed (for now) by the plastic bracket. With this fix, the system is now starting up correctly and is not freezing, at least so far. I think maybe some of the wires at the bottom of the plunger were pinched against my DVD drive unit when the plunger slid down below the plastic bracket. Maybe the pinched wires were causing the system freezing.

[profJim]

Re: Issues with my GA-X58A-UD7 - help please

Glad to hear that you're making progress.