Games freezing = power/temp troubles?

[JAD]

<BIOS except changing the CPU speed>

<My CPU is overclocked slightly which it shouldn't be.>

I missed this (don't know why, senility I guess) this could be a source of the problem.

Have you sorted this out yet?

 

[Mitchua]

<BIOS except changing the CPU speed>

<My CPU is overclocked slightly which it shouldn't be.>

I missed this (don't know why, senility I guess) this could be a source of the problem.

Have you sorted this out yet?

What I meant is that despite being set at 1533MHz in CMOS, it was running at
1546Mhz. I decreased the FSB by 1 so it's now running at 1518Mhz and now it
isn't crashing as much/quickly. Still, that sucks Maybe my A7V266-E
mobo is messed up.

--Mitchua

 

[JAD]

Have you checked for a bios update...?

What I meant is that despite being set at 1533MHz in CMOS, it was running at
1546Mhz. I decreased the FSB by 1 so it's now running at 1518Mhz and now it
isn't crashing as much/quickly. Still, that sucks Maybe my A7V266-E
mobo is messed up.

--Mitchua

 

[Mitchua]

Have you checked for a bios update...?

The only 2 bios updates for my mobo
(http://www.asus.com.tw/support/download/item.aspx?ModelName=A7V266-E) are
to support faster Athlon XP chips. I head the old warning: unless the BIOS
update actually does something for you, don't do it!

--Mitchua

 

[JAD]

head the old warning: unless the BIOS

update actually does something for you, don't do it!

always good advice......back to power supply then i'm out of suggestions...

 

[Mitchua]

head the old warning: unless the BIOS


always good advice......back to power supply then i'm out of suggestions...

This computer is possessed anyhow. I'm selling it and going to a cool,
quiet P4 system

--Mitchua

 

[kony]

What I meant is that despite being set at 1533MHz in CMOS, it was running at
1546Mhz. I decreased the FSB by 1 so it's now running at 1518Mhz and now it
isn't crashing as much/quickly. Still, that sucks Maybe my A7V266-E
mobo is messed up.

--Mitchua

That minor speed difference is well within stable margins of the
CPU... if reducing the speed by 1MHz causes problems it's likely the
memory, so I'd suggest testing with memtest86:
http://www.memtest86.com


Dave

 

[John]

This computer is possessed anyhow. I'm selling it and going to a cool,
quiet P4 system

--Mitchua

For the hell of it Id try going back to the older 4in1 drivers - 447
or so.

And try the latency patch if that doesnt work.


I think I finally fixed my last major problem - the hang on my KT333.
Someone in the ABit group posted he had horrendous problems like you
and fixed it by going back to old drivers.

I tried this and it seemed OK at first but then it hung again so I
gave up. But this time I tried it again doing a clean install , and so
far its working again 447 4in1 instead of the new Hyperions.

My new theory is that I had by that time installed so many versions of
various drivers there might have been remnants of one version or
another when I installed the old ones so it wasnt a clean install.

Anyway so far - after having it hang over and over again doing a rip -
it went smoothly twice after the 447 drivers.

Of course Ive said this before 50 times but this is a pretty stark
contrast - cant rip at all after 5 tries and then it works perfectly.
Its similar to the stark difference I had when moving my HD from
the highpoint controllers to the integrated controllers . But now of
course it works with the highpoints too.

 

[kony]

This computer is possessed anyhow. I'm selling it and going to a cool,
quiet P4 system

You are aware that a modern higher-end P4 creates more heat, needs be
louder for same operating temp, right?

A lot of people get one buggy AMD platform (board) then think
switching to a P4 is the answer... it CAN be the answer, but so can
switching to another Athlon platform... just food for thought.


Dave

 

[kony]

Is the CPU a Palomino? If so then the 1.84V vcore sounds reasonable
but if this is a Thoroughbred running at 1.84V and you have the
motherboard set to default (which should be 1.5 or maybe 1.6V) then
I'd be wondering about the motherboard too, but still it's likely the
power supply needs replaced so that's what I would focus on first.

EDIT: I must've been brain-dead for a moment here, since 1.84V is NOT
reasonable for a Palomino... I have no explination as to why I
overlooked that it should be running at 1.75V. You ought to determine
why it's overvolting so much, and if you're not overclocking it, you
might even find that it runs at a LOWER than stock voltage... The
Palominos I had would do at least 1533Mhz (as yours) @ 1.65V... after
that was when the voltage:MHz started raping up, especially after
1600MHz. Your particular CPU might vary somewhat but if you try
different voltages and speeds you can plot out the voltage/speed it
needs for stability and make an informed choice as to what tradeoff
you want.


Dave

 

[Mitchua]

You are aware that a modern higher-end P4 creates more heat, needs be
louder for same operating temp, right?

A lot of people get one buggy AMD platform (board) then think
switching to a P4 is the answer... it CAN be the answer, but so can
switching to another Athlon platform... just food for thought.


Dave

My next PC is going to be "ultra-quiet" with an Antec case, etc. so I
thought I'd go with P4's that don't need the massive heatsinks of the Athlon
XP's. I've seen a P4 2.4GHz running with an undervolted stock fan/heatsink
at <30celcius. Even with a Vantec Aeroflow fan/heatsink at 5000rpm+ (loud!)
I couldn't get my Athlon XP 1800+ down below 49Celcius under load.

--Mitchua

 

[Mitchua]

I found the problem! It was the power supply after all. I just bought a
Antec Sonata case with a new PSU and I can run Wolfensten at stock 1533MHz
without freezing. To make the case quiet, I've undervolted my fans so it
couldn't have been a heat issue or it would be freezing even faster now.
I'm staying away from generic PSU from now on!

Thanks for everyone who helped me out in here,
Mitchua