System was DUAL Prime stable @ 2500, Not anymore...

[Raphie]

I've had my system now for nearly 6 months. My initial dual prime stable OC was 10 * 250 1:1. i've ran with these settings for nearly 4 months now.

I play a lot of Battlefield and since patch 1.21 there is 1 server where my BF2 is constantly crashing back to desktop. Since no other players in my clan suffer from this issue, i started to inspect my local settings.

 

Since nothing helped i thought to dual prime again to see if my system was still stable. Guess what?!? it aint anymore. :confused:

 

I was able to run 2500 @ 1.485v now it quits on core0 even on 1.525v

So i am back testing to 2400 (which seems to work)

 

Does anybody else have simmilar experiences where an OC degrades over time?

Maybe time to test the settings that were stable before again.....

[HanzoRazor]

I had that happen with a 2500+ mobile cpu. It was fine for 5-6 months at a certain voltage but became unstable requiring more voltage over time. I think it's a sign that the CPU is just giving out, though it might last another 5-6 months with the higher voltage.

 

I had my 2500+ maybe 1 1/2 2 years and had to notch the voltage up twice over time.

[Raphie]

So it's gradually back to stock settings then... Time for an EBAY FLOG and a new x2 4400+ i would say

[Esstee]

I've had my system now for nearly 6 months. My initial dual prime stable OC was 10 * 250 1:1. i've ran with these settings for nearly 4 months now.

I play a lot of Battlefield and since patch 1.21 there is 1 server where my BF2 is constantly crashing back to desktop. Since no other players in my clan suffer from this issue, i started to inspect my local settings.

 

Since nothing helped i thought to dual prime again to see if my system was still stable. Guess what?!? it aint anymore. :confused:

 

I was able to run 2500 @ 1.485v now it quits on core0 even on 1.525v

So i am back testing to 2400 (which seems to work)

 

Does anybody else have simmilar experiences where an OC degrades over time?

Maybe time to test the settings that were stable before again.....

Sometimes the thermal past or pad can harden and loose its effectiveness for cooling. You might want to take a peek at that see if it doesn't help.

 

There is also the concept of burn in and cicruity degredation under extreme circumstances but that usually happens in the case of larger overvolts under phase change and so the combination of over volts and extreme thermal contrasts will promote decay in the conductive paths of the core.

 

Given the limited info. I would say look for heat. CPU heatsink dust clogging , dust buildup on RAM heatsinks or heat spreader, PSU dust buildup... essentially anything that might affect or hinder the thermal dissipation on your passive cooling devices.

 

Never underestimate the effect of the dust bunnies

Another possibility is an instability cause by the system. for example: if your system was borderline to begin with based on your own overclocking boundaries it is quite possible that some new drivers could put your system back over the safety line. I have experienced this with nVidia drivers a few times, where the GPU was stable with my clocks then I upgraded to ther newest driver set and found that system sability was back under the matt.

 

Many things to look at, hopefully something will be helpful.

Cheers

[Raphie]

Sometimes the thermal past or pad can harden and loose its effectiveness for cooling. You might want to take a peek at that see if it doesn't help.

 

There is also the concept of burn in and cicruity degredation under extreme circumstances but that usually happens in the case of larger overvolts under phase change and so the combination of over volts and extreme thermal contrasts will promote decay in the conductive paths of the core.

 

Given the limited info. I would say look for heat. CPU heatsink dust clogging , dust buildup on RAM heatsinks or heat spreader, PSU dust buildup... essentially anything that might affect or hinder the thermal dissipation on your passive cooling devices.

 

Never underestimate the effect of the dust bunnies

Another possibility is an instability cause by the system. for example: if your system was borderline to begin with based on your own overclocking boundaries it is quite possible that some new drivers could put your system back over the safety line. I have experienced this with nVidia drivers a few times, where the GPU was stable with my clocks then I upgraded to ther newest driver set and found that system sability was back under the matt.

 

Many things to look at, hopefully something will be helpful.

Cheers

 

Estee, thanks for replying. All info is in my signature

There is no dust in my system and temps are not going beyond 40 full load.

both chipset and videocard are cooled suffient and testing has been done with the same image as the original install.

 

I think it's the CPU degrading, Though mine has never had anymore than 1.5v in the BIOS (1.35 *110%) So that isn't that extreme either....

[HanzoRazor]

Oh I forgot to ask, have you installed any new components lately? I've had it where I will install a fan or two and it will cause major instability.

[Esstee]

Estee, thanks for replying. All info is in my signature

There is no dust in my system and temps are not going beyond 40 full load.

both chipset and videocard are cooled suffient and testing has been done with the same image as the original install.

 

I think it's the CPU degrading, Though mine has never had anymore than 1.5v in the BIOS (1.35 *110%) So that isn't that extreme either....

What about driver updates? Can you link any updates to the begining of your instabilities?

[mrzeld]

i would suggest taking your HSF off and reapplying new thermal paste. make sure to spread it around yourself and get good coverage. don't just put a blob in the middle and set the HSF on it.

 

i think i basically had the same problem as you. i reseated my HSF and things seem to be better now. i still can't get back to 2.5Ghz stable. but i am doing 2.4Ghz right now.

[Raphie]

2.4 is stable, i rather take the HTT down than raise the voltage further. My temps and Arctic S5are fine. I have the IHS removed, hence even spread is required anyway.