Hi, this is my first post with AD. I seem to be having some serious issues with my computer and so far I am unable to find someone who can help me solve my problem. So I have joined AD hoping that someone here will have more knowledge than myself and my friends. I just bought a computer E6600, 2gb OCZ DDR2 800, dual 250gb Western Digital HD's, ASUS P5N32-SLI Premium, eVGA 8800 GTX, Lite On DVD-RW, Antec 900, Vista Ultimate It locks up and gives me a blue screen with a bunch of gibberish on a daily basis, usually 2-3 times a day. I have updated all my drivers and my bios for my MOBO, no luck. After that I started to believe that maybe it was Vista cause I've been hearing that alot of people are having issues with the 8800's and Vista, so I wiped my HD and installed XP, still no luck. I then swapped out my 8800 for ATI's X1800, still no luck. I then tried different ram, no luck. I have been searching google for a solution all day and night, I'm talking 10+ hours of trial and error and I have not come any closer to a solution. I'm about to go buy a new MOBO cause I really can't think of what else it could be. Long story short, I just spend 2k on a computer that doesn't work properly. And I can't exactly return it cause I bought it off craigslist and the guys phone is now disconnected, so it's not like I can return it or RMA it or get any kind of reimbursement. So to say the least, I'm really bummed. I can't watch a movie cause I get the blue screen when I watch a movie. I can't play a game cause it locks up on me. I get about 10 minutes of oblivon time before it locks up and I'm forced to reset. Thats why I thought it might be my 8800 but the same thing happens with the X1800. So as of right now I have hit a dead end, I have done everything that I know how to do. I'm about to bring it to the geek squad but I am hesitant cause it's gonna cost me like $500 to bring it to them and that doesn't guarantee me they will fix the problem, I might be throwing good money after bad. So you guys here at AD are my last hope. If you are reading this and you happen to be knowledgeable with computers I beg you to help me. If you know of something that I could try please do let me know. I know alittle bit about computers but I am not a expert, maybe you know of some type of diagnostic tools that I could try. I would appreciate all who try to help solve my problem but I am willing to paypal $50 to the person who actually solves the problem. I have a feeling I have a good fight on my hands and the $50 is just my way of showing that I really do appreciate all the time and effort that is shown to me. My name is Mark and I thank you for taking the time to read my post and help me.
@Navi89 First off I'm not replying to you, because of the money...I'm just here to help. So... It appears that you've tried swapping everything but the CPU and motherboard. From the sound of it, after all your trial and errors, I would say it's the CPU. But before you run out there to buy a CPU, check the board's capacitors, the round cylinder things, on the motherboard...see if any of them are blown, usually the tops are kind of crusty white or the area near the base of the capacitors seem to be leaking onto the motherboard. Also notice that the tops of the capacitors seem to be raised, bumped up (convex), whereas good ones are flat or even slightly concaved. If all that seems well I would suggest picking up a cheap Celeron D or Pentium D for CPU testing, that is unless you have one on hand. Lastly do you by chance catch any of the Blue Screen Of Death(BSOD) messages? They actually contain quite a bit of information that can help resolve your problem. If it just kicks to a BSOD the reboots quickly, you can disable that within windows. To do that: Right Click on my computer...then properties. Now click on the advanced tab, click on the "settings" button under "Start... and Recover.." In the system failure portion uncheck "Auto. Restart"..and the "OK" This should keep the BSOD's on screen so that you can jot that down for anyone that helps you out. IF indeed the CPU is bad contact intel for CPU warranty...hopefully they can swap you out a new E6600. Cheers!
Mark, in all my years of building high end pcs, i have yet to have a cpu fail on me...i am willing to bet it's either your motherboard or something else that is very important that you did not mention, YOUR POWERSUPPLY~ people often times overlook the importance of a good, stable powersupply unit, especially in combination with the other high end components you are using (namely the power hungry 8800gtx- i'm running (2) eVGA 8800gtx in SLI right now so i know how they run) i could care less about the money, much like 6spdSER stated, but i think i could help you out here since i build high end custom rigs as a hobby i'm not on AD as much as i used to be, for those that don't know me, i have another screename and commonly go by "docTY" (ask around, or search my username "kivory666") feel free to PM me as i prefer to deal directly with high end issues on a more personal basis, i've helped dozens of people with $2,500+ high end rigs in the past and will be familiar with the components you are currently using. one of my personal rigs now is very similiar to yours, it also has an E6600 but highly overclocked (it at one time was used on an Asus P5W-DH Deluxe, an Abit AW9D-Max, and currently on an eVGA 680i "A1" revision mobo) at this point, SAVE YOUR MONEY and DO NOT proceed in taking it to BestBuy...the "geek squad" in MY area don't know jack about jack to put it lightly. i'm thinking off the top of my head right now and the powersupply you chose to use COULD WELL BE the culprit in these issues you are having...not enough power/stable to fuel your components will often times lead to crashing and BSOD. Memtest might be a good idea to test your memory, it would also be helpful if i knew what type of cooling you are using (ie. OEM stock cooler that came with E6600, aftermarket product, etc.) and how the other temps in your system are doing as well...(ie. cpu, chipset, video card, voltages, etc.) you can use a program like "Everest" to find those out... ttyl.
Hi 6spdSER, thanks for the post. I never assumed that everyone who replied would be in it for the money. It's just my way of saying thank you. We tip people who serve us food. We pay people to help us with our taxes. It wouldn't hurt me to put $50 in the pocket for the person who helped me. Plus I'm really anxious to get this thing working properly, I thought $50 might generate more posts. I just wanna play my games and do computer stuff without nasty computer problems. I'd pay $100 to the person who fixes it, it's worth it to me. I'd be paying 5-10 times that at the geek squad anyways. I looked at the MOBO real good, it looks new, nothing blown or corroded. I thought of swapping the cpu but I would like to exhaust all other options before spending more money. You know? They have all kinds of benchmarking tools and oc tools and all kinds of other shit I don't even know about, I need you or someone to say try this tool or try that tool and run this diagnostic. Do you know of any way to test my cpu HD ram MOBO video card? I have not payed attention to the messages or codes when I get the blue screen. I read what it says but it says alot and I don't know what to make of it. What should I be looking for? Thanks for the help.
Hi docTY -- Thanks for posting. How sweet is SLI GTX's? Should I go buy another? I know you get a performance boost, more frames more speed, but does it actually improve picture quality? I just bought a 37" Westinghouse w/ 1080p, it's looking pretty good and if I can throw in another GTX and make it look even better I'm all for it. But I want it to look better, not just go faster. What do you suggest? My psu is a 600w. It's a cheap psu, I know cause it didn't have a 6pin for my video card, but it is 600w. Shouldn't it be enough? Also, please explain Everest and Memtest. Thank you !!!!!
hi neph how are you doing my friend, been a long time eh? @ navi89 what is the make and model of this so called "cheap" psu that you are using? ie. Antec, Ultra, Thermaltake, Coolermaster, etc. the "no-namer" brands for powersupplies could be the root of all your problems right now... as to 8800gtx in SLI, i'm just excessive like that because i can be LOL...a single 8800gtx right now is honestly more than sufficient even with a good hdtv capable lcd that you have. my lcd is not nearly as large as yours, but i run dual Dell 24" widescreens and have been debating on going 30" and up recently, but just never took that next step in buying one. if you watch movies from your computer, sometimes playback software can be helpful in making the picture "better" as you state it. i use PowerDvd 7 personally and find it plays movies "better" (deeper colors/more vividly defined details in lighting- not faster framerates) on my setup compared to Windvd or Windows Media Player and the like... Everest is my program of choice to monitor all my temps/voltages/fan speeds, etc...there are a lot of features incorporated with the program and it's a nice tool. free to try, purchase if you like it. i bought it because it's proven very helpful considering i constantly tweak and overclock my pcs, i like to keep a close eye on my temperatures at all times to make sure everything is running safely. Memtest is to test your memory modules for errors, while it's not as good as hardware to test memory, it should show you any potential problems with your sticks should there be any... http://www.memtest.org/ hope that gets ya started http://www.download.com/Everest-Ultimate-Edition-2006/3000-2086-10499291.html
unless your running a very high res with that montior two 8800 GTX isn't going to make that big of a difference. i am with DocTY i would try a better PS .600watts is probably enough but i would go with a higherend PS and bump it up to 700 to 750 watts. a couple brands to consider would be the Thermaltake toughpower 750-Watt PS (which i have) or the Corsair. heres a link to some good PS http://www.newegg.com/ProductSort/SubCategory.asp?SubCategory=58&name=Power-Supplies
@ Navi89 what docty said is right about the PSU, heh with so many computer builds it even slipped by me , a simple check of the power supply in the BIOS, though not the most accurate, but can tell you immediately if the PSU is stable or not. Monitor all the voltages to make sure they are not jumping around too much, I think in particular the 12V, but all is crucial. If all looks well there I would DL the software suggested to see if it may be something else. I on the other hand have had several CPU's not work for me, in fact have had them short out motherboards in the process...AMD and Intel alike. Guess it was just my luck. My concern with the CPU was that whoever built the computer, may have seated the HSF incorrectly thus frying the CPU, and or had a OC'ing project gone bad, or perhaps s/he built it and couldn't figure out the problems him/herself. Regardless you've got us all here at AD to help you get through it free of charge (no tipping required). And NO NO NO to geek squad...most of those techs target the OS first.
Doing good Doc, thanks The power supply is the last component you want to skimp on. As these other fellas have already stated, a bad/cheap PSU can at the very least cause more problems than you can shake a stick at and at the very worst take out some very expensive components.
Gotcha, get a better psu. But do you really think the psu is whats causing the problems? Is there any way to test a psu? I will also download memtest and everest later tonight. Whats a good benchmark tool? I've never done a benchmark and I would like to. Also, which tool should I use to OC my GTX? I read some people are using ATI tool? Any opinions? BTW, I'm running my games at 1920x1080p, my 37's native. Will a 2nd GTX improve picture quality? I could care less about FPS, I want picture quality. Yay or nay on a 2nd GTX ???
NAY a 2nd one will NOT improve picture quality as your native resolution on your lcd does not demand the full power of your single 8800gtx, let alone a 2nd one that was my reason i mentioned i wanted to get a Dell 30" widescreen or something similar spec wise because then i could FULLY utilize the power of the 8800gtx and set the screen res. @ 2,560 x 1,600 native resolution. i'm not a gamer, so, that's why i've been reluctant to splurge on a bigger lcd, my dual 24" widescreens now suits me pretty well now @ 1,920-by-1,200 WUXGA (good enough for me) to the psu question, it could very likely be the PSU you currently have in your system as the root of the problem. i use VERY high end powersupplies since i run 8800gtx in SLI, however, if you have no immediate plans for a 2nd card (based on my suggestion earlier), then i would recommend the OCZ GameXstream 700w that i use OR the THermaltake 750w Toughpower that aabbccdd recommended, i've used them BOTH at one time for single 8800gtx, but have since upgraded to the CoolerMaster Real Power Pro 850w (certified for dual 8800gtx by Nvidia) and the Enermax Galaxy + PC Power & Cooling kilowatt (both 1000w monsters, but you definitely won't need that much until you consider a 2nd 8800gtx or the new Ati offering R600 when it comes out to the public the 1000w PSUs these days are quite expensive (i'm actually considering swapping out my Coolermaster 850w for the newest 1000w version by CoolerMaster for fun), so if you want to FUTUREPROOF yourself for later upgrades, then consider them; if not, then a good quality psu will hold you for awhile. for benchmarking, sisoft sisandra is quite feature rich and for your video card, the "3dmark" series does the job. whoever told you to use the ATI tool for Nvidia cards, especially the 8800gtx is DEAD WRONG...i use RivaTuner to OC personally...ATI Tool is exactly that, for ATI cards...not Nvidia~ good luck
Navi89 i used CoolBits to OC my NVIDIA GeForce 7950 GX2,1 GB of GDDR3 Memory its works well and was very easy to use. http://www.softpedia.com/get/Tweak/Video-Tweak/GeForce-Overclocking-CoolBits-Reg.shtml and yeah DON'T use a ATI OC for a NVIDIA card. but swapping out that PS will hopefully solve your problems
Hi Navi89, Just to rule heat out, take the side of your PC and do what you normally do. (Play a CPU demanding game or something) I had a problem when playing graphic intensive games on a brand new HP and couldn't believe the problem was indeed heat. I threw a couple of extra fans in and it hasn't crashed since. docTV mentioned Everest. Never tried it myself, I used "Speedfan", to see what kind of temp the CPU was hitting and was suprised how hot it actually gets, 80C was not uncommon. Anyway I know how annoying persistant crashes are so do yourself a favor and leave the PC open for a while, as I said previously I could not believe my problem was heat.
REALLY. and you tried running the 8800gtx without one? there lies your problem. firstly, a better psu liek the guys/gals have already said will bee needed, but please look for one with atleast one of the pci-e 6 pin connector, ro one with two of them if you want to do an SLI arrangment.
i didn't have a 6pin but i did buy one. i swapped out my psu with a 750 thermaltake and everything seems to be working fine, no blue screens. i think/hope the new psu took care of it. thanks for the help guys, never would have thought it was my psu. also, does anybody know how i can make a bootable copy of my HD?
congrats on getting your issues resolved, i had a feeling it was the PSU anyways, i personally use Acronis True Image 9.1 for all my HD recovery needs, there are quite a few versions of it, so find the one that suits your immediate needs best (i happen to use the "workstation" version) there are so many features in this program, from incremental backups to FULL HD backups that you need (can create a bootable/rescue/recovery disk too). hope that gets you started. there are many other HD progs. out there, just look around, but at least for my systems, i've grown to trust Acronis software, i didn't really care for Norton Ghost (which does something similar. yet another program you could consider) docTY
Navi89, great glad the new PS worked the Thermaltake Toughpower 750-Watt was a good choice plus didn't hurt your buget to much huh lol
