Gigabyte GA-8IDML Processor/bios/cmos problem

[rik_na]

Okay, so I upgraded a Gigabyte MB, a GA-8IDML, which I had been using a 1.8Mhz processor on for some time to a 2.6. All was fine, but it kept freezing every so often and I had ot reboot. Now it freezes about every twenty minutes, sometimes after only 2 mins.

The processor is a SL6W5, 400fsb/2.6/128cache/celeron. I have flashed the chip in te bios, installed every driver etc I can htink of to stop the problem. Nothing works. I am running really low on ideas and I am about to bin the processor. If anyone has any ideas, please post, I cant think of anything else to do.


Processor Specifications:

SL6W5
2.60 GHz
400 MHz
128 KB
478 pin
0.13 micron
1.25V-1.525V

MB Spec

Socket 478 for Intel® Pentium®4 processor
Intel 845/ICH2 chipset
Supports PC133 memory
Creative CT5880 audio chip
Realtek RTL8100 LAN chip
Micro ATX form factor

[oracleguy]

If you put the old 1.8Ghz processor back in, does the lock up problem go away?

[rik_na]

Well thats a problem. I have a thermaltake Volcano 7+ cpu fan that is a real problem to get off the cpu. Therefore I dont want to tackle it again unless I really have to. Also I am not sure putting the 1.8 back in will work as I have really upgraded the bios and software drivers a lot to cope with a chip with different stepping etc. I am sure the problem is something simple I have overlooked and so woudl rather get the 2.6 to work. But there again if the computer wont work...

[oracleguy]

Upgrading the drivers and the BIOS shouldn't affect your ability to put the slower processor in. The point of putting the 1.8 in would be to see if the problem lies in the processor or something else.

Typically with computer hardware troubleshooting, if you replace something and a problem comes up, put the old part back in (if possible) and see if the problem goes away. If it does, you know the new part is bad.

Where did you get the 2.6 processor? Like where'd you buy it?

[rik_na]

Sorry, I keep losing my bookmark and it takes forever to find this site again. Right I did the following. I put in a 2.6 Ghz cpu and the system was unstable. I put in a 2.8 and the system would not start at all. I put in the 1.8 again and all works perfectly. All three processors were of he spec that this board can take. Have no idea what the problem is and will probably just junk the mb which seems a eral p[ity as this causes me a ton of problems, and also it is a good mb, I just need at least 2.4 to run my current hardware setup.

[oracleguy]

Well, assuming there isn't a problem with the processors. And you didn't buy it from some place shady (e.g. they took a slower processor and re-labeled it); one thing to look at would be your power supply. What brand is it and how much capacity does it have (as in how many watts)? And what else are you running in your system hardware-wise? I'm not quite sure how much more power the 2.6 would take but if the power supply is being overloaded or near full capacity, that could explain your lock up problem.

[rik_na]

I upgraded the psu to a 500watt p4 psu. There is nothing else that will drain the power, the graphics card is a radeon 9500, and unless my two removable hdd's are draining the system there is nothing I can think of. Thanks anyway for the help.

[NancyJ]

It seems to me that you're throwing money at a problem, instead of determining what the problem is.
You had this freezing problem before you upgraded the processor so chances are, the problem is not the CPU Chip.
It could be that your problem is heat - and that the lockups are more frequent because the faster chips will generate more heat.

When did the lockups first start? What had you done to your PC recently before they started locking up. Does it bluescreen? Or just freeze?
Have you compressed your C drive? That can cause lockups, freezes and crashes without blue screens or dumping memory logs.

[rik_na]

It seems to me that you're throwing money at a problem, instead of determining what the problem is.
You had this freezing problem before you upgraded the processor so chances are, the problem is not the CPU Chip.
It could be that your problem is heat - and that the lockups are more frequent because the faster chips will generate more heat.

When did the lockups first start? What had you done to your PC recently before they started locking up. Does it bluescreen? Or just freeze?
Have you compressed your C drive? That can cause lockups, freezes and crashes without blue screens or dumping memory logs.

Well not really, all I did was buy a processor, send it back and get it replaced. The PSU upgrade was unrelated, and for a different reason.

I did not have any freezing problems before the proc upgrade and so the problem is related to the processor upgrades I think. One would freeze the comp with no blue screen every few minuts/hours. The other did not work period. The system is very cool. Lots of fans, a monster thermaltake on the cpu.

I am now considering using a SL6VV that I know works with the MB. If this fails, then I guess its a mb problem.

[rik_na]

nope the SL6vv did not work either. Darn it

[Jeroentje]

Is there a reason why it freezes? Do u know when it freezes? Is it cause u are using a application that consumes alot of resources on your system?

It's just like that what nancy said earlyer, u are throwing money at a problem without knowing the problem.

I think what's best for U is start taking smalls steps here:

Start off with a basic system, remove the soundcard, second harddrive, second DVD player and so on, 1 memory module if u have 2, and keep adding these hardware untill u have found the problem.

If this does'nt work, start checking your drivers that u have installed. Goto the manufactors website, and start "updating" your drivers to the latest. A 500Watts PSU is like, overkill from what I see that u happend to have in your system. A celeron + 9500ATi videocard does NOT consume over 175watts on Load, therefore that 500watts is overkill. But that does'nt really matter cause u bought it already ;)

[cryonic]

Considering the fact the hdds, the graphic card isn't much of a problem on the power side, plus you are using a 500watt PSU.

IMO, it would be the motherboard. This is according to my experience, if it's something wrong with the CPU, it won't even boot at all. Here your case is freezing after 2 minutes or anywhere inside (windows?) without crashing into a blue screen, rite?. It's strongly in my opinion something is wrong on/with your motherboard, even though you can't see any swollen transistors or burnlines on the back of the mobo. Did you check for that? This has to be a heat problem.

or

Also, you may want to take note on one of my experience, I had an old PC where the heatsink and the cpu wasn't closed properly, apparently the cpu lock was not properly intact (OMG! 3mm gap!), I was using a P4 3.0ghz on a LGA775 mobo with default HYPER 48 heatsink + fan. This is a new pc, when ever i played games, it hangs but normal work is ok. It took me a few months to realised it was a serious problem because i ignore to check the cpu area. I always thought something was wrong with my radeon 9550. Are you sure the cpu area is totally ok? (mind you, HYPER 48 installation was and is still a hassle to me today.)

Still hang?

Pressuming your mobo is old, perhaps it can't withstand the heat of your new processor... even with all the cooling system available. consider to change mobo. anyone else can help? Just try to test the 1.8 back...

[rik_na]

There is no reason for the system to freeze, it only happens with the new cpu's, and I am hardly thorwing money at the problem by buying a new cpu for an upgrade.

Right so I have already stripped the system down to its basics, no soundcard, have been running it without the second HDD, and one stick of RAM, and same problem. I have also got every concievable bit of software from the Gigabyte site.

The 500watt psu is overkill, but I use it because I plan to keep upgrading the system and I dont want to get a psu that i not up to the job, merely thinking longer term. Given I cant resolve this problem it looks like that upgrade will be sooner and not later.

Anyway the upshot is this, I agree with cryonic . This looks like a mb problem, but I just cant see any signs of damage and it is strange that the 1.8 works fine. The only other problem I can think of is that cpu's over 2.0ghz differ from those under 2ghz in a few critical areas, and it might be something stupid like core stepping that is throwing the board off.

[oracleguy]

The board can be damaged and still look perfectly fine. Rarely do bad motherboards have like scorch marks on them or anything.

And they were saying you were throwing money at the problem because you bought a new PSU without actually really diagnosing the problem very much.

[cryonic]

Oh... i thought i would never see anything from this thread. Well, seems like your mb has a problem and i agree with what oracleguy just said. Its true sometimes when a mb is damaged, you can't see a thing. There is a recent case where i was fixing one of my buddy's pc, we took everything out and notice a weird thing...

Apparently whoever installed the pc for him forgot to remove the spongelike thing which usually comes with the motherboard... you know there is this spongelike thing where the mobo usually rest inside the box when u first bought it... well, whoever the idiot is, he screw the whole bunch to the chassis. And my friend has been using this very pc for 2 years, finally the problem came (same like yours) and we diagnose it as heat problem. We conclude its a faulty mb even tho there weren't any burn marks or so. After a second diagnose from another pc shop, the result were the same.

Sometimes customers come to the shop complaining of problems with their boards saying, "there has to be a problem, there has to be but i cant see it. You got to find it out." When the tech dept cant find anything wrong even tho they know something is wrong with it (which is annoying to the regular pc technicians) they will apparently smashed it and show to their customer: "There's your problem, satisfy?" - It does happen.

[Karen S. Garvin]

We had a motherboard with a hairline crack in one of the traces. Intermittant problems with the computer; it took a long time to find the problem, too. This was back when motherboards didn't have much stuff on them. We re-soldered the trace and the board worked.

I'm not suggesting you whip out your soldering iron, but it's possible that something is cracked, especially if the board was bent or twisted when it was installed. It might be impossible to track down, unfortunately.