I am a keen gamer and a pharmacist who has just started working and I have
ordered parts and tried to build them into a good PC. I am humbly requesting
some help from an expert in PC building. I would really appreciate any help.
I recently ordered parts to construct a good PC: 1) core 2 quad 2.4ghz... 2)
asus geforce 8800 GTS 3) Abit IP35 motherboard 775 PCE16 DDR2 dual channels
800mhz 4) 2x1gb patriot memory modules - all from Aria.co.uk. I also ordered
800w power from them as well.
The first time I built the PC up using the above components, the PC would
switch on for a couple of seconds, then switch off for four seconds, then
switch on by itself (loading and displaying the motherboard logo), then when
it looks like its about to load up windows XP a message comes up quickly and
then the PC switches off.
Jumpers were reset then same process happened all over again. If the jumpers
were not reset, the computer would power up exactly as before but with a
constant black screen.
So, I took apart my PC and rebuilt using the same components again...and the
PC powered up similar way as before (except) I managed to load windows xp to
desktop, the installed all the relevant drivers for my motherboard, graphics
card, sound, etc. without any problems.
HOWEVER, when I load up eg. Konami's Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 and probably
any other game, blue screen comes up and PC switches off exactly as before,
and I have to do the jumpers and my PC loads up the Windows XP desktop
exactly as before (with the switch off then on exactly as before). Again, I
would really appreciate any helpful advice you can give me.
zaidm wrote:
> I am a keen gamer and a pharmacist who has just started working and I
> have ordered parts and tried to build them into a good PC. I am
> humbly requesting some help from an expert in PC building. I would
> really appreciate any help. I recently ordered parts to construct a
> good PC: 1) core 2 quad 2.4ghz... 2) asus geforce 8800 GTS 3) Abit
> IP35 motherboard 775 PCE16 DDR2 dual channels 800mhz 4) 2x1gb
> patriot memory modules - all from Aria.co.uk. I also ordered 800w
> power from them as well.
> The first time I built the PC up using the above components, the PC
> would switch on for a couple of seconds, then switch off for four
> seconds, then switch on by itself (loading and displaying the
> motherboard logo), then when it looks like its about to load up
> windows XP a message comes up quickly and then the PC switches off.
> Jumpers were reset then same process happened all over again. If the
> jumpers were not reset, the computer would power up exactly as before
> but with a constant black screen.
> So, I took apart my PC and rebuilt using the same components
> again...and the PC powered up similar way as before (except) I
> managed to load windows xp to desktop, the installed all the relevant
> drivers for my motherboard, graphics card, sound, etc. without any
> problems.
> HOWEVER, when I load up eg. Konami's Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 and
> probably any other game, blue screen comes up and PC switches off
> exactly as before, and I have to do the jumpers and my PC loads up
> the Windows XP desktop exactly as before (with the switch off then on
> exactly as before). Again, I would really appreciate any helpful
> advice you can give me.
I have no idea what the problem may be, but you should also post this on
the Abit news group: news:alt.comp.periphs.mainboard.abit
zaidm wrote:
> I am a keen gamer and a pharmacist who has just started working and I have
> ordered parts and tried to build them into a good PC. I am humbly requesting
> some help from an expert in PC building. I would really appreciate any help.
> I recently ordered parts to construct a good PC: 1) core 2 quad 2.4ghz... 2)
> asus geforce 8800 GTS 3) Abit IP35 motherboard 775 PCE16 DDR2 dual channels
> 800mhz 4) 2x1gb patriot memory modules - all from Aria.co.uk. I also ordered
> 800w power from them as well.
> The first time I built the PC up using the above components, the PC would
> switch on for a couple of seconds, then switch off for four seconds, then
> switch on by itself (loading and displaying the motherboard logo), then when
> it looks like its about to load up windows XP a message comes up quickly and
> then the PC switches off.
> Jumpers were reset then same process happened all over again. If the jumpers
> were not reset, the computer would power up exactly as before but with a
> constant black screen.
> So, I took apart my PC and rebuilt using the same components again...and the
> PC powered up similar way as before (except) I managed to load windows xp to
> desktop, the installed all the relevant drivers for my motherboard, graphics
> card, sound, etc. without any problems.
> HOWEVER, when I load up eg. Konami's Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 and probably
> any other game, blue screen comes up and PC switches off exactly as before,
> and I have to do the jumpers and my PC loads up the Windows XP desktop
> exactly as before (with the switch off then on exactly as before). Again, I
> would really appreciate any helpful advice you can give me.
>
The first issue might be fixed easily - the double start can apparently be
cured with a BIOS update. (Check the reviews on Newegg.com for your board.)
But that is not a priority right now, and more of a cosmetic issue. You can
consider fixing that, if it looks like you'll be keeping the motherboard.
There isn't really a fixed list of reasons for why a motherboard can shut off.
There are some obvious reasons, and reasons that are on the whim of the
motherboard designer.
The ATX PSU has internal protection features, and whether it is a thermal
issue, or some other limit condition, like overcurrent, or a stalled fan,
the PSU can switch off all on its own. If the supply is well designed, you
might note that the supply "latches up". If won't resume operation, until the
rear power switch has been flipped off and then on again.
Modern processors have THERMTRIP, and if the processor temperature rises too
high, the computer will switch off without warning. I'm not sure here, whether
a latchup state is what you'd observe, or some lesser option would restore
operation.
If the Vcore on the motherboard detected a fault, that is potentially another
reason to switch something off. It would be sufficient to just disable Vcore,
leaving the user with a "no POST" condition. But just as easily, the motherboard
designer could tie that into the PS_ON# logic, and cause the motherboard to
switch off the power supply.
If the CPU fan wasn't connected to the CPU fan header, sometimes a board
will switch off in a matter of seconds. In that case, it could be the BIOS
has noted a zero RPM reading from the tachometer input from the CPU fan,
and based on that, the BIOS has turned the board off.
If there are any messages being displayed, they could be very important,
because that implies a more subtle reason for switchoff - something under
software control, and not hardware enforced.
The first thing I'd check out, is CPU temps. The BIOS usually has a
voltage and temperature monitoring page, and you can check that to see
how things are going. On some processors, throttling is at 70C and switch off
might be at 90C (or perhaps 80C and 100C), to give you some idea how much
headroom the temperatures have. My processor is relatively gutless, and
at 100% load, runs at about 43C. So that would be an example of a well
cooled CPU. Some of the higher power CPUs (100W to 130W) cannot be
cooled that well, even with a large cooler. Maybe seeing 60C would not
be out of the question in that case.
One thing that is unclear from your post, is whether Windows was installed
fresh on a brand new drive, or whether this disk is a transplant from your
old system, something you may have done a "Repair Install" to. But whether that
is a red herring or not, really depends on what you can tell us about
any message on the computer screen, just before the power goes off.
If the problem is reproducible on demand, you might try pointing a camcorder at
the monitor, and record the screen as you enter the power off state.
That may allow you to play back the recorded tape, and "freeze frame" on
the screen and what it says.
Paul wrote:
>> I am a keen gamer and a pharmacist who has just started working and I have
>> ordered parts and tried to build them into a good PC. I am humbly requesting
>[quoted text clipped - 20 lines]
>> exactly as before (with the switch off then on exactly as before). Again, I
>> would really appreciate any helpful advice you can give me.
>
>The first issue might be fixed easily - the double start can apparently be
>cured with a BIOS update. (Check the reviews on Newegg.com for your board.)
>But that is not a priority right now, and more of a cosmetic issue. You can
>consider fixing that, if it looks like you'll be keeping the motherboard.
>
>There isn't really a fixed list of reasons for why a motherboard can shut off.
>There are some obvious reasons, and reasons that are on the whim of the
>motherboard designer.
>
>The ATX PSU has internal protection features, and whether it is a thermal
>issue, or some other limit condition, like overcurrent, or a stalled fan,
>the PSU can switch off all on its own. If the supply is well designed, you
>might note that the supply "latches up". If won't resume operation, until the
>rear power switch has been flipped off and then on again.
>
>Modern processors have THERMTRIP, and if the processor temperature rises too
>high, the computer will switch off without warning. I'm not sure here, whether
>a latchup state is what you'd observe, or some lesser option would restore
>operation.
>
>If the Vcore on the motherboard detected a fault, that is potentially another
>reason to switch something off. It would be sufficient to just disable Vcore,
>leaving the user with a "no POST" condition. But just as easily, the motherboard
>designer could tie that into the PS_ON# logic, and cause the motherboard to
>switch off the power supply.
>
>If the CPU fan wasn't connected to the CPU fan header, sometimes a board
>will switch off in a matter of seconds. In that case, it could be the BIOS
>has noted a zero RPM reading from the tachometer input from the CPU fan,
>and based on that, the BIOS has turned the board off.
>
>If there are any messages being displayed, they could be very important,
>because that implies a more subtle reason for switchoff - something under
>software control, and not hardware enforced.
>
>The first thing I'd check out, is CPU temps. The BIOS usually has a
>voltage and temperature monitoring page, and you can check that to see
>how things are going. On some processors, throttling is at 70C and switch off
>might be at 90C (or perhaps 80C and 100C), to give you some idea how much
>headroom the temperatures have. My processor is relatively gutless, and
>at 100% load, runs at about 43C. So that would be an example of a well
>cooled CPU. Some of the higher power CPUs (100W to 130W) cannot be
>cooled that well, even with a large cooler. Maybe seeing 60C would not
>be out of the question in that case.
>
>One thing that is unclear from your post, is whether Windows was installed
>fresh on a brand new drive, or whether this disk is a transplant from your
>old system, something you may have done a "Repair Install" to. But whether that
>is a red herring or not, really depends on what you can tell us about
>any message on the computer screen, just before the power goes off.
>
>If the problem is reproducible on demand, you might try pointing a camcorder at
>the monitor, and record the screen as you enter the power off state.
>That may allow you to play back the recorded tape, and "freeze frame" on
>the screen and what it says.
>
> Paul
Paul, thank you very much - I have checked my temp.....for some reason, CPU
temperature at bios is 71 degrees C - but I suspect the activation of any
graphics card pushes the cpu temp up beyond the 90 degrees C threshold. I
dont understand why temp is so high - the CPU stock fan is working but yes...
the whole drive just...feels a little hotter than it should be. Had a look at
my bro's PC - his CPU temp at bios is 35 degrees C. Specs are similar...only
difference is my CPU is Quad 2.4ghz and his is Dual (both intel).
Incidentally, i have only tried to re-install windows without formatting the
drive. However, I expect that based on my findings above, I dont think it
would make much of a difference and that it is a hardware problem where I
just cannot get the temperature down.
zaidm via HWKB.com wrote:
> Paul wrote:
>>> I am a keen gamer and a pharmacist who has just started working and I have
>>> ordered parts and tried to build them into a good PC. I am humbly requesting
>> [quoted text clipped - 20 lines]
>>> exactly as before (with the switch off then on exactly as before). Again, I
>>> would really appreciate any helpful advice you can give me.
>> The first issue might be fixed easily - the double start can apparently be
>> cured with a BIOS update. (Check the reviews on Newegg.com for your board.)
>> But that is not a priority right now, and more of a cosmetic issue. You can
>> consider fixing that, if it looks like you'll be keeping the motherboard.
>>
>> There isn't really a fixed list of reasons for why a motherboard can shut off.
>> There are some obvious reasons, and reasons that are on the whim of the
>> motherboard designer.
>>
>> The ATX PSU has internal protection features, and whether it is a thermal
>> issue, or some other limit condition, like overcurrent, or a stalled fan,
>> the PSU can switch off all on its own. If the supply is well designed, you
>> might note that the supply "latches up". If won't resume operation, until the
>> rear power switch has been flipped off and then on again.
>>
>> Modern processors have THERMTRIP, and if the processor temperature rises too
>> high, the computer will switch off without warning. I'm not sure here, whether
>> a latchup state is what you'd observe, or some lesser option would restore
>> operation.
>>
>> If the Vcore on the motherboard detected a fault, that is potentially another
>> reason to switch something off. It would be sufficient to just disable Vcore,
>> leaving the user with a "no POST" condition. But just as easily, the motherboard
>> designer could tie that into the PS_ON# logic, and cause the motherboard to
>> switch off the power supply.
>>
>> If the CPU fan wasn't connected to the CPU fan header, sometimes a board
>> will switch off in a matter of seconds. In that case, it could be the BIOS
>> has noted a zero RPM reading from the tachometer input from the CPU fan,
>> and based on that, the BIOS has turned the board off.
>>
>> If there are any messages being displayed, they could be very important,
>> because that implies a more subtle reason for switchoff - something under
>> software control, and not hardware enforced.
>>
>> The first thing I'd check out, is CPU temps. The BIOS usually has a
>> voltage and temperature monitoring page, and you can check that to see
>> how things are going. On some processors, throttling is at 70C and switch off
>> might be at 90C (or perhaps 80C and 100C), to give you some idea how much
>> headroom the temperatures have. My processor is relatively gutless, and
>> at 100% load, runs at about 43C. So that would be an example of a well
>> cooled CPU. Some of the higher power CPUs (100W to 130W) cannot be
>> cooled that well, even with a large cooler. Maybe seeing 60C would not
>> be out of the question in that case.
>>
>> One thing that is unclear from your post, is whether Windows was installed
>> fresh on a brand new drive, or whether this disk is a transplant from your
>> old system, something you may have done a "Repair Install" to. But whether that
>> is a red herring or not, really depends on what you can tell us about
>> any message on the computer screen, just before the power goes off.
>>
>> If the problem is reproducible on demand, you might try pointing a camcorder at
>> the monitor, and record the screen as you enter the power off state.
>> That may allow you to play back the recorded tape, and "freeze frame" on
>> the screen and what it says.
>>
>> Paul
>
> Paul, thank you very much - I have checked my temp.....for some reason, CPU
> temperature at bios is 71 degrees C - but I suspect the activation of any
> graphics card pushes the cpu temp up beyond the 90 degrees C threshold. I
> dont understand why temp is so high - the CPU stock fan is working but yes...
> the whole drive just...feels a little hotter than it should be. Had a look at
> my bro's PC - his CPU temp at bios is 35 degrees C. Specs are similar...only
> difference is my CPU is Quad 2.4ghz and his is Dual (both intel).
> Incidentally, i have only tried to re-install windows without formatting the
> drive. However, I expect that based on my findings above, I dont think it
> would make much of a difference and that it is a hardware problem where I
> just cannot get the temperature down.
>
> Zaidm
>
There are two steppings of Q6600. The B3 stepping draws 10 watts more than
the G0. The G0 is the "good" stepping, but a lot of places sell B3's.
The Q6600 is also known to run pretty warm, and in some cases, a better
cooler than the Intel one, is required. Check the SLxxx code printed
on the label of the box that the processor came in. SL9UM is a B3.
Reducing the Vcore voltage, could cool off the processor a little bit.
But that can affect stability. That is one way to make a processor
run cooler, without buying another heatsink.
The Zalman 9700NT is an example of a cooler with a theta_R of 0.12C/W
when the fan runs at full speed. If the computer case air temperature
was 35C, the processor was drawing 105W while a game was being played,
then the expected processor temperature would be 35 + (0.12C/W * 105W) = 47.6C.
To work that well, the computer case must have a good exhaust fan, to move
the hot air away from the CPU. There are many other coolers that have
merit, and I suggest looking around for theta_R values and evidence that
the cooler can easily be fitted to an LGA775 socket. Some coolers are
quite big, and are difficult to fit to the motherboard.
Paul wrote:
>>>> I am a keen gamer and a pharmacist who has just started working and I have
>>>> ordered parts and tried to build them into a good PC. I am humbly requesting
>[quoted text clipped - 72 lines]
>>
>> Zaidm
>
>There are two steppings of Q6600. The B3 stepping draws 10 watts more than
>the G0. The G0 is the "good" stepping, but a lot of places sell B3's.
>The Q6600 is also known to run pretty warm, and in some cases, a better
>cooler than the Intel one, is required. Check the SLxxx code printed
>on the label of the box that the processor came in. SL9UM is a B3.
>
>http://processorfinder.intel.com/Lis...Spec=&OrdCode=
>
>Reducing the Vcore voltage, could cool off the processor a little bit.
>But that can affect stability. That is one way to make a processor
>run cooler, without buying another heatsink.
>
>The Zalman 9700NT is an example of a cooler with a theta_R of 0.12C/W
>when the fan runs at full speed. If the computer case air temperature
>was 35C, the processor was drawing 105W while a game was being played,
>then the expected processor temperature would be 35 + (0.12C/W * 105W) = 47.6C.
>To work that well, the computer case must have a good exhaust fan, to move
>the hot air away from the CPU. There are many other coolers that have
>merit, and I suggest looking around for theta_R values and evidence that
>the cooler can easily be fitted to an LGA775 socket. Some coolers are
>quite big, and are difficult to fit to the motherboard.
>
>http://www.zalman.co.kr/eng/product/...x=231&code=009
>http://www.crazypc.com/products/50992.html (theta_R listed here)
>
>There are a few coolers compared here.
>http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/coo...ower120_8.html
>http://www.joker.si/article.php?rubr...d=2131&page=15
>
>If a backing plate is required, sometimes there are problems caused by
>what is on the back of the motherboard.
>
>http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/mai...680i-lt_5.html
>
> Paul
Thanks a lot mate - appreciate all your help - now gonna look for the coolers
Paul wrote:
>>>> I am a keen gamer and a pharmacist who has just started working and I have
>>>> ordered parts and tried to build them into a good PC. I am humbly requesting
>[quoted text clipped - 72 lines]
>>
>> Zaidm
>
>There are two steppings of Q6600. The B3 stepping draws 10 watts more than
>the G0. The G0 is the "good" stepping, but a lot of places sell B3's.
>The Q6600 is also known to run pretty warm, and in some cases, a better
>cooler than the Intel one, is required. Check the SLxxx code printed
>on the label of the box that the processor came in. SL9UM is a B3.
>
>http://processorfinder.intel.com/Lis...Spec=&OrdCode=
>
>Reducing the Vcore voltage, could cool off the processor a little bit.
>But that can affect stability. That is one way to make a processor
>run cooler, without buying another heatsink.
>
>The Zalman 9700NT is an example of a cooler with a theta_R of 0.12C/W
>when the fan runs at full speed. If the computer case air temperature
>was 35C, the processor was drawing 105W while a game was being played,
>then the expected processor temperature would be 35 + (0.12C/W * 105W) = 47.6C.
>To work that well, the computer case must have a good exhaust fan, to move
>the hot air away from the CPU. There are many other coolers that have
>merit, and I suggest looking around for theta_R values and evidence that
>the cooler can easily be fitted to an LGA775 socket. Some coolers are
>quite big, and are difficult to fit to the motherboard.
>
>http://www.zalman.co.kr/eng/product/...x=231&code=009
>http://www.crazypc.com/products/50992.html (theta_R listed here)
>
>There are a few coolers compared here.
>http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/coo...ower120_8.html
>http://www.joker.si/article.php?rubr...d=2131&page=15
>
>If a backing plate is required, sometimes there are problems caused by
>what is on the back of the motherboard.
>
>http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/mai...680i-lt_5.html
>
> Paul
Hi again - yeah, i just found my quad cpu is SLACR - what does that mean? Im
not even close to having as much experience on this as anyone else in this
forum, so plz forgive me if i ask too many questions.
> Hi again - yeah, i just found my quad cpu is SLACR - what does that mean? Im
> not even close to having as much experience on this as anyone else in this
> forum, so plz forgive me if i ask too many questions.
>
SLACR is a G0 stepping processor, with a thermal (TDP) rating of 95 watts.
So it isn't the worst of the two. It just means, when doing the arithmetic
in my sample equation, that the power number should be 95 watts. I thought
if, maybe, you had a B3, that would help account for the high temperatures.
If I had to guess, I'd say maybe a push pin wasn't fully seated, or
the area making contact between the heatsink and the processor was
not very good.
Some processor/heatsink combinations, don't fit well together. The
heatsink might not be flat. Sometimes, if you're using thermal paste,
instead of the retail TIM applied to the heatsink, you can see a
pattern in the thermal paste, that tells you the thing is fitting
crooked. If that is the case, switching from the Intel provided
thermal interface material, to some Arctic Silver or Arctic Ceramique,
could make a difference for you. It really depends on exactly how
bad the fit is.
New hardware installed but programs wont run 
Linear Mode
