Pre-Overclocked System Is Power Cycling On Boot

[dennis.resevfan]

A while ago, I had to replace my PSU because it was giving strange voltage readings. Unfortunately the guy who installed it for me was an idiot, and damaged the PC. I got some new hardware.

 

The new hardware is a Core i7 920 D0 pre-overclocked to 4Ghz, a Gigabyte GA-X58A-UD3R motherboard, and some 1600Mhz ram. From Overclockers UK.

 

I have had nothing but trouble since I got this hardware. I want to know what's causing it.

 

I have had the following problems:

 

1. Graphics card would shut itself down and go cold, while the fan would still spin. Display would shut off.

This was fixed when I RMAed the power supply and put in the replacement.

 

2. When powering on, the system often starts up the CPU fan, then the fan stops, then starts. This happens a few times, then the system boots up.

I think it only does this when overclocked. (May have been fixed by replacing the power supply. I'm not sure.)

 

3. System fails to boot, while either the fans all start up, OR only the Molex connected fans start up, and not the CPU fan or other PWM fans.

It did this when running at 2.66Ghz settings instead of being overclocked. (After a crash when overclocked, the PC started up in "last known good configuration", which was 2.66Ghz)

I forget if it did this when overclocked also.

 

4. Telling the system to shut down from within Windows caused it to reset instead. It would power down fully and then start itself up. (This was stopped when I reset the CMOS, as instructed by Overclockers UK tech support). After the CMOS reset, the pc was set to 2.00GHZ. It seemed to be stable at this clock speed.

 

5. Since it seemed stable after this, I tried it on the overclocked profile again. The result was major instability. The system would do the fan on/off routine and then boot up, but then crash at random intervals, sometimes even before getting into Windows. The BIOS gave me an error message saying that there had been problems caused by the overclock or voltage settings.

 

After all this, I RMAed the hardware bundle.

 

I just got a message from Overclockers UK, claiming that the hardware is "prime stable". I assume this means they ran it in Prime 95 to test it?

It also said the problem is "Configuration-User".

 

So they're claiming I buggered something up? I don't understand what I could have done wrong. I followed the manual, and if the hardware is still working for them, then I can't have damaged it.

 

The power supply is a replacement for the RMAed one, so surely that should be ok... It's a Corsair 950TX so it should have enough power!

 

I have not yet tried changing the graphics card. I'm going to see if it works on a friend's PC first.

 

I'm also using the same hard drives, but I can access data on them, so surely they're ok?

 

It's the same case, also, but how could a case cause this?! It has a fan speed controller that I'm not using, and an LCD front panel, but as far as I can see, it works normally.

 

Any ideas?

 

Basically, what could I have screwed up that would result in instability like this? And what causes the odd power cycling routine before bootup? It only happens when overclocked, as far as I can tell.

 

I'm pretty sure I plugged in everything I should have plugged in.

 

The motherboard power connector and auxiliary power connector were in, and were hard to remove, so must have been in properly, surely?

 

I did notice that the power connector isn't quite the same shape as the socket. It fits in, but a couple of the holes on the socket are square, but match up to D shaped pins on the plug. Surely this can't be the cause? There's no other way to get that plug into the motherboard!

 

Help! This is driving me mental!

 

EDIT: One thing I should mention. I haven't yet reinstalled Windows, and it's a new socket type. (LGA1366 instead of SKT-775) It's not giving me the option to do a repair install.

But seeing as the problems I'm having are pretty much before Windows even THINKS about loading up, I can't see how that could cause this.

[ebarone]

Just for clarity, you mentioned a couple times "when its overclocked" versus when the system isnt. Whats your process for switching between the two states?

[RJR]

Man, you have a whole load of issues there.

 

You may want to wait until you get all your hardware back, install it all, then double check to make sure every thing is correct and then install your OS before anything else.

 

Let me rephrase that, once all the hardware is complete go into the Bios and select "optimized defaults" save and exit and the install the OS. Then go back to the OC if you wish, I presume they have it saved in a Bios profile.

[dennis.resevfan]

Man, you have a whole load of issues there.

 

You may want to wait until you get all your hardware back, install it all, then double check to make sure every thing is correct and then install your OS before anything else.

 

Let me rephrase that, once all the hardware is complete go into the Bios and select "optimized defaults" save and exit and the install the OS. Then go back to the OC if you wish, I presume they have it saved in a Bios profile.

 

Yep, the overclock is a saved bios profile. I switched between that and the Optimised defaults.

 

Resetting the CMOS also created a new state of 2.00Ghz which doesn't have a saved profile.

 

What I'm wondering is which clock setting they did their testing on when I RMAed the bundle.

 

 

Hm, so you think I should reinstall Windows on the non overclocked profile, and then try out the overclocked profile?

 

Well, I can do that. The problem is I'll lose lots of installed games. I've backed everything up, but it's going to be a major pain putting the save files in manually.

 

 

 

Anyway, you said to check everything is correct. The trouble is, I'm not sure what to check for.

 

I have a bit of a weird PC case. It's got an LCD front panel which incorporates touch sensitive power and reset buttons. The front panel also has its own power connector which attaches to the main motherboard power connector. (You put in an extra length of cable which has a branch off it)

 

I can't help wondering if I've wired that up right. I'm pretty sure I have. Then there's the various pins on the motherboard such as power button, reset button, power LED, HDD LED, etc.

There's no way of telling which polarity the power and reset cables are. I've heard it makes no difference, but is that true? For some reason the corresponding motherboard pins DO have plus and minus signs.

 

Any ideas as to what kind of mistake with wiring would cause overclock instability? My first thought was the auxiliary motherboard power cable. But it was clicked into the socket, so I can't see how that could be the problem...

 

Could it just be another bad power supply?

 

And for that matter, if the graphics card was damaged by the dodgy power supply, could THAT cause such a problem? I can't see how a graphics card could affect CPU stability though.

 

 

Hm, I've just heard back from someone I asked about this on Neoseeker. They say power cycling is normal when overclocking. Is that right? If anyone could confirm that, it would be great.

 

That would mean that basically the only problem remaining is instability.

 

But what could cause that which apparantly isn't causing it when I rmaed the hardware?

 

The hardware which was NOT RMAed, and therefore could in theory be causing the issue is:

 

1. The case. An Aerocool V-touch pro or something similar. LCD front panel with a kinda confusing way of wiring it up. No indication of power on/off or reset cable polarities.

2. Hard drives. But they seem to be fully functional as far as copying data goes. I can't see how they could be the cause.

3. Graphics card. I'm waiting to hear back about whether this works on another PC or not.

4. Power supply. I just RMAed one of these and this is the replacement. It's NOT causing the same problem (graphics card shutting down), but maybe it's a dodgy PSU all the same?

 

Anything I can do to narrow it down? Or can anyone tell me what they've known to cause a similar problem?

Edited June 5, 2010 by dennis.resevfan

[mknwatt]

I did notice that the power connector isn't quite the same shape as the socket. It fits in, but a couple of the holes on the socket are square, but match up to D shaped pins on the plug. Surely this can't be the cause? There's no other way to get that plug into the motherboard!

 

I think your referring to the 8-pin connector that supplies power to the CPU. Make sure your using the CPU 8-pin (4x4 EPS12V/ATX12V) connector and not the PCI-e 6+2 pin connector. The connector shapes should match exactly what socket they go in.

 

 

 

I have a bit of a weird PC case. It's got an LCD front panel which incorporates touch sensitive power and reset buttons. The front panel also has its own power connector which attaches to the main motherboard power connector. (You put in an extra length of cable which has a branch off it)

 

I can't help wondering if I've wired that up right. I'm pretty sure I have. Then there's the various pins on the motherboard such as power button, reset button, power LED, HDD LED, etc.

There's no way of telling which polarity the power and reset cables are. I've heard it makes no difference, but is that true? For some reason the corresponding motherboard pins DO have plus and minus signs.

 

Polarity would not matter on a momentary switch. It simply connects the two wires together making a circuit. I'm not sure about LCD touch screen but the polarities might need to match.

 

Some motherboards will reboot once after powering ON if there was a change to the bios settings. If it is rebooting more than once then there is a problem with your overclock settings. Run the computer at default settings until your problems are straighten out.

[nanoprobe]

I think your referring to the 8-pin connector that supplies power to the CPU. Make sure your using the CPU 8-pin (4x4 EPS12V/ATX12V) connector and not the PCI-e 6+2 pin connector. The connector shapes should match exactly what socket they go in.

 

As a rule most mobos do not need to have an 8 pin power plug going to the atx plug even though there might be an eight pin connector on the mobo. Look for the 4 pin atx plug from your PSU (it should have 2 black wires and 2 yellow wires) and plug that into the atx connecor on your mobo. It will only fit on one side. Don't force it. Some 24 pin connectors are split into 1 20 pin and 1 4 pin. DO NOT use that 4 pin ( it will have 1 each black, orange, yellow and red wires) on the atx plug. Make sure it goes into the 24 pin plug. I've seen this issue before and plugging the correct 4 pin connector into the atx plug usually fixes it if your 24 pin connections are correct.

[RJR]

I don't know if you have your parts back or not, but if I were you this is what I would do:

 

1: if your mb is not installed in the case, don't, just put it on the anti-static bag and or a piece of cardboard.

2: if it is already installed, make sure the power connections are correct and disconnect everything else.

3: plug in only the essentials (video card,cpu fan,monitor, HDD, optical drive), don't worry about all the case things, you can power on by shorting the two pins

4: go into the Bios and set to optimized defaults, save and exit, then go back into Bios and check your ram speed and timing (set if needed)

5: you state you have drive(s) i'm presuming not in raid, take the one drive without the OS on it and shrink the drive to create a 30-50 GB partition on it

6: shut down and remove the HDD not needed, install the OS disk (easier to put it in before you shut down) and boot from the OS disk.

7: install the OS to the new partition you have created, then install drivers that are needed (mb/video/lan/etc.), this way you don't loose any of your other files and see if this new OS install cures any of your problems

8: if it posts OK and enters windows OK, run prime95 and monitor your temps with either Coretemp or Realtemp to make sure it's stable at stock speed

9: if all that went OK, then hook everything back up and test again, then start playing with the OC

 

Yeah, it's the long way around, but i've always found that I have a lot less problems by just reinstalling the OS and starting fresh. I always partition my HDD and only keep the OS on that partition anyway just so I can reinstall every year or so, just to keep it cleaned out, seems to work good.

[dennis.resevfan]

I'm currently still waiting for the parts to be returned to me.

 

Hmm. So basically you're saying make a new partition and a new installation of Windows. One thing I want to check first. I currently run a dual boot. Of XP and Vista.

I have a third hard drive, on which I could install XP again. But if that drive was put in along with the others, then how would it affect the dual boot?

 

I could just do a fresh install and put in that drive only, to check everything works. But later on I'd need all the drives in, so I want to know what I'm letting myself in for.

 

The drives are not in raid, no.

 

Now, for you guys who were talking about the EPS12V / ATX12V connector:

 

The repair guy who I said was an idiot and damaged my PC did exactly what you just warned me against. Put a PCI-e power cable into the ATX12V socket on the motherboard.

 

I'm not that stupid.

 

I definitely have the right cable. It has two 4 pin connectors on it. I can either put in one of them, or join both together and have an 8 pin connector.

 

My 24 pin motherboard cable is entirely plugged into the 24 pin socket, so there's no danger of confusing the two, even though it does have a detachable 4 pin section.

 

Interesting... So you're saying that perhaps I should be using 4 pins instead of 8 pins? Why would that make a difference though? Maybe I should check what the overclockers UK people were using.

[nanoprobe]

Interesting... So you're saying that perhaps I should be using 4 pins instead of 8 pins? Why would that make a difference though? Maybe I should check what the overclockers UK people were using.

 

The mobo in my sig has an 8 pin atx plug but uses only 1 4 pin with the setup I'm running. The other 1/2 actually has a plastic cover on it. My PSU has the 8 pin atx plug I just chose not to use it because I have heard of people having issues like you describe. Try it with a 4 pin. You have nothing to lose. You don't really need the 8 pin for most overclocks with a good PSU unless you're using DICE or LN2 for testing..

[dennis.resevfan]

The mobo in my sig has an 8 pin atx plug but uses only 1 4 pin with the setup I'm running. The other 1/2 actually has a plastic cover on it. My PSU has the 8 pin atx plug I just chose not to use it because I have heard of people having issues like you describe. Try it with a 4 pin. You have nothing to lose. You don't really need the 8 pin for most overclocks with a good PSU unless you're using DICE or LN2 for testing..

 

Hm, worth a try, I suppose.

 

The other thing to try is what Overclockers just told me. To format the hard drive.

 

I assume they meant format the OS partition and reinstall the OS.

 

I have confirmation that the graphics card is perfectly fine in another system, so other than another bad PSU, it doesn't leave many options. Maybe it IS the old system files causing trouble.

 

 

I seriously wish I could kick the arse of the moron who didn't think ahead when coming up with the concept of "installing" games, though. Did they not realise people might want to upgrade their system without losing all the installations on their hard drives? Even if I only reformat the OS partitions, I'll still lose the installations.

 

SOME games still work just by being on the hard drive, of course...

[ebarone]

All the problems you described happen way before the computer thinks about loading Windows... before you destroy anything, make sure thats actually the problem. I doubt it is though. What I would do in your situation is remove all hard drives and reset your BIOS to its defaults. Then rather than using a pre-defined overclocking profile, overclock the system by yourself, using a totally different hard drive and Windows (or even Ubuntu) installation. Follow the procedure of setting your multiplier as high as possible then raising the BCLK, etc etc etc. It could be a busted hard drive thats confusing the motherboard, but it sounds like a voltage/motherboard problem to me.

[dennis.resevfan]

All the problems you described happen way before the computer thinks about loading Windows... before you destroy anything, make sure thats actually the problem. I doubt it is though. What I would do in your situation is remove all hard drives and reset your BIOS to its defaults. Then rather than using a pre-defined overclocking profile, overclock the system by yourself, using a totally different hard drive and Windows (or even Ubuntu) installation. Follow the procedure of setting your multiplier as high as possible then raising the BCLK, etc etc etc. It could be a busted hard drive thats confusing the motherboard, but it sounds like a voltage/motherboard problem to me.

 

That being the case though, how did the bundle work for Overclockers UK? It's the same motherboard, cpu, and ram.

 

Are they lying about having tested it?

 

Overclocking by myself actually voids the warranty on the bundle, so it's to be avoided. Having a stable system at standard 2.66Ghz clock settings would be a start. I can't think how it could be the hard drives causing this, considering that when the PC is running in Windows, it can transfer data to and from the drives with no problem at all.

 

Let me check something...

 

If this was a problem to do with Windows and motherboard driver files, what is the soonest point at which it could become unstable for that reason?

 

I mean, I'm sure it couldn't in the BIOS. Probably wouldn't while POSTing. But how about at the selection of Windows screen? And when Windows is attempting to load, but hasn't loaded yet?

 

When is the soonest that it could go wrong? I can test it and see at which point it is going unstable.

 

It could be that with the new power supply it's only doing it during Windows trying to load up and afterwards. I'm not sure. I only tested it a couple of times after getting the new PSU in there.

 

One further important question occurs.

 

If Overclockers UK are being lying bastards, and didn't really test out the bundle, what can I do about it?