P4P800 E Deluxe with long running problems

[Jaz]

P4P800 E Deluxe
P4 2.8e (Prescott)
Omni 400w OR Yaha 350w
1 x 512mb Kingmax pc3200
Auriga Radeon 9200 OR Gigabyte GeForce 5200
Liteon DVD ROM
Liteon DVD RW
Windows 98 SE

Hello again all

This is an old problem but i ahve been too caught up with other things to
worry about a PC!

When i first built this system the problems it was having were random
re-boots random system hangs and acting if there were minimal ram while
ripping/burning

The re-boots seem to have been solved by setting the RAM manually as advised
by Kingmax website.

Now there was suggestion that a bios flash may help as i have a prescott CPU
HOWEVER
i can not even run a full extended test suite with extended memory map with
MS memory tester even once before the system will hang or cause an
'exception' - so im goin nowhere near a flash.
The instances are not always on the same test
This is with nothing but the CPU, ram, vid card, floppy, monitor, kb, mouse
and speakers plugged in.
I cant run memtest86 at all - it just loads for a short time flashes blue
and re-starts - the usb legacy change makes no difference.
I have tried different sticks of ram, alternate vid cards and alternate
power supplys all with the same problem
The temps sit quite nicley at 30ish for the MB and 45ish for CPU

The only noteable difference is when running the 350w power the 3.3 voltage
bounces around 3.07 - it is higher with the 400w
SO
I know its not the ram, PSU, vid card or OS leaving me with Motherboard or
CPU .. not a nice prospect

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE i need some more of the advice that has been fantastic
to eliminate .. now its time to locate !!

TIA

JAZ

 

[KC Computers]

P4P800 E Deluxe
P4 2.8e (Prescott)
Omni 400w OR Yaha 350w
1 x 512mb Kingmax pc3200
Auriga Radeon 9200 OR Gigabyte GeForce 5200
Liteon DVD ROM
Liteon DVD RW
Windows 98 SE

When i first built this system the problems it was having were random
re-boots random system hangs and acting if there were minimal ram while
ripping/burning

The re-boots seem to have been solved by setting the RAM manually as
advised
by Kingmax website.
HOWEVER
i can not even run a full extended test suite with extended memory map
with
MS memory tester even once before the system will hang or cause an
'exception' - so im goin nowhere near a flash.
The instances are not always on the same test
This is with nothing but the CPU, ram, vid card, floppy, monitor, kb,
mouse
and speakers plugged in.
I cant run memtest86 at all - it just loads for a short time flashes blue
and re-starts - the usb legacy change makes no difference.
I have tried different sticks of ram, alternate vid cards and alternate
power supplys all with the same problem
The temps sit quite nicley at 30ish for the MB and 45ish for CPU

The only noteable difference is when running the 350w power the 3.3
voltage
bounces around 3.07 - it is higher with the 400w
SO I know its not the ram, PSU, vid card or OS leaving me with Motherboard
or
CPU .. not a nice prospect

What serial # is your board? Some earlier versions had
issues with some power supplys which caused all sorts
of strange issues. Also, did you trying running the motherboard
outside of the case to check for shorts?

 

[Paul]

P4P800 E Deluxe
P4 2.8e (Prescott)
Omni 400w OR Yaha 350w
1 x 512mb Kingmax pc3200
Auriga Radeon 9200 OR Gigabyte GeForce 5200
Liteon DVD ROM
Liteon DVD RW
Windows 98 SE

Hello again all

This is an old problem but i ahve been too caught up with other
things to worry about a PC!

When i first built this system the problems it was having were
random re-boots random system hangs and acting if there were
minimal ram while ripping/burning

The re-boots seem to have been solved by setting the RAM manually
as advised by Kingmax website.

Now there was suggestion that a bios flash may help as i have a
prescott CPU HOWEVER i can not even run a full extended test suite
with extended memory map with MS memory tester even once before
the system will hang or cause an 'exception' - so im goin nowhere
near a flash. The instances are not always on the same test
This is with nothing but the CPU, ram, vid card, floppy, monitor,
kb, mouse and speakers plugged in.
I cant run memtest86 at all - it just loads for a short time
flashes blue and re-starts - the usb legacy change makes no
difference. I have tried different sticks of ram, alternate
vid cards and alternate power supplys all with the same problem
The temps sit quite nicley at 30ish for the MB and 45ish for CPU

The only noteable difference is when running the 350w power the
3.3 voltage bounces around 3.07 - it is higher with the 400w
SO I know its not the ram, PSU, vid card or OS leaving me with
Motherboard or CPU .. not a nice prospect

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE i need some more of the advice that has
been fantastic to eliminate .. now its time to locate !!

TIA

JAZ

There are technologies for isolating defective hardware, but
computers are not equipped with them. At some point, all you
can do, is swap certain hardware, and see if the symptoms
improve.

At this point, I don't see any piece of hardware as being
above suspicion. It still sounds like the memory is not
healthy.

If you get a copy of Prime95 (mersenne.org) and run the
Torture test (selecting "small FFT"), that will test the
CPU and cache. Selecting "small FFT" means the calculation
can stay within the processor, and means there will be
fewer references to main memory. If you cannot pass this
test, it could be the processor or some support circuitry
on the motherboard.

When Prime95 runs a larger FFT, that will result in accesses
to main memory. If the program gets rounding errors or
crashes at this point, then since you've already run the
"small FFT" to eliminate the processor as the source of
the problem, you will know your problem is memory related.

To back up a bit, I think you should review your settings
again. To start with, you should not be using any memory
options like "Turbo" or "Street Racer" and the like. Do a
"Load Setup Defaults" and only add to that your manual
timing changes for memory. Verify the settings while in
Windows, with:

http://www.cpuid.com/cpuz.php

Check that all the clock speeds reported are correct.

As for power, unplug the computer from the wall, pull the
ATX20 pin connector, and inspect the pins and connector
plastic shell for signs of damage. Plug the connector
back in, and make sure the connector is fully seated, and
the locking latch is engaged. Connectors can "walk out"
of a socket, by thermal expansion and contraction, and the
locking latch will prevent that from happening.

If it was me, I'd be searching for a stick of RAM to borrow,
to compare to the Kingmax you currently have. Companies
like Kingmax bother me, because they do their own packaging
of memory chips, and as consumers, we have no way of knowing
whether the chips used were properly tested or rated according
to processes used in real memory houses (Samsung, Micron,
Infineon, Hynix, Nanya, Elpida, Mosel Vitelic, Powerchips,
OKI). I prefer to see one of those names on a memory chip,
as they make the silicon and know how to test it. When a
DIMM module manufacturer stamps their own name on a memory,
we have no way of tracking who supplied the die - especially
for those cases where certain die are known to be incompatible
with certain chipsets.

You mention burning software, and any time that involves the
installation of drivers and the like, a software package could
destabilize your disk subsystem. Grab a spare disk, do a
fresh Windows install and test the system without any burning
software on it. Load your copy of Prime95 on there and do the
two test cases.

For the reboots, you should set up the computer to avoid the
automatic reboot. If you visit something like:
Control Panels, System, Advanced tab, Startup and Recovery
and set the system up so it "blue screens" and puts error
information on the screen. If the crash is in random module
names, the problem is more likely to be memory. If the
crash is in the same driver/code module each time, then
the driver name may suggest a particular part of the system
as being at fault.

As the testing process is not precise, when using free tools,
expect some uncertainty as to which hardware/software is
at fault.

So far, nothing suggests a video card problem, but once you
collect some "blue screen" data, your opinion on that may
change.

HTH,
Paul

 

[anc]

P4P800 E Deluxe
P4 2.8e (Prescott)
Omni 400w OR Yaha 350w
1 x 512mb Kingmax pc3200
Auriga Radeon 9200 OR Gigabyte GeForce 5200
Liteon DVD ROM
Liteon DVD RW
Windows 98 SE

Hello again all

When i first built this system the problems it was having were random
re-boots random system hangs and acting if there were minimal ram while
ripping/burning

The re-boots seem to have been solved by setting the RAM manually as
advised by Kingmax website.

Now there was suggestion that a bios flash may help as i have a prescott
CPU HOWEVER

The only noteable difference is when running the 350w power the 3.3
voltage bounces around 3.07 - it is higher with the 400w
SO
I know its not the ram, PSU, vid card or OS leaving me with Motherboard or
CPU .. not a nice prospect

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE i need some more of the advice that has been
fantastic
to eliminate .. now its time to locate !!

TIA

JAZ

I have the same m/b and Prescott 2.8e CPU (1M internal cache). I use 2
pieces of 256M crucial dual channel (matched) but the major difference is
I use a 450w power supply. As you have found the 3.3V supply is 3.07 this is
below the minimum voltage for the on-board internal 3.3V regulator. It is
this regulator that reduces voltage even further for the CPU core.
See one of the many links on google:
http://www.pcguide.com/ref/cpu/char/powerSupport-c.html

A 350W PSU is OK for Pentium 3 chips and motherboards, you need to start at
450W. As you also have a Radeon 9200 board you may find that power
consumption is actually higher than a later 9800 chipset.
My personal choice is an Nvidia graphics card but there is nothing wrong
with your choice of graphics card. You need to borrow a 450W or higher PSU
and try it on your system, that should eliminate your problems.

One other point to note:
As the P4p800E deluxe has dual channel memory architecture then you should
take advantage of it. You have only 1 piece of 512M ram using ONE memory
channel only. You would have been better buying a 'dual channel kit'
i.e. one with 2 pieces of 256M ram critically matched and plugged into two
memory slots to use both memory channels.

http://www.cpuplanet.com/features/article.php/1587771

You could just buy another 512M stick, but it has the be the same type and
manufacturer with same latency. The kits are matched by the manufacturer
for almost identical performance.

HTH

 

[Pete D]

What version BIOS?

 

[Pete D]

With a good machine like this you really should be running Windows XP or
Win2k, many of your problems will disappear.

 

[Jaz]

Revision 1.02
or there is a barcode sticker with 47mgoq3107 on it

Nothing that says blatantly serial number that i can see

Erm testing without the case - sounds like a way for me to blow myself up !
but hey ill give anything a shot (erm ... how ???)

 

[Jaz]

How can the OS matter when the hard drive is not connected ?
Is somthing copied to the BIOS ??

 

[Pete D]

Yes you are right, the board is faulty, take it back.

 

[Pete D]

Unless you actually open up the power supply there is only low voltages.