GA-FXA990-UD5 Rev 1.1 Freezing

[Yerfdog]

Hello all,

I have been dealing with this / troubleshooting when I could, but have run out of patience on some level. Any help is appreciated. Here are my specs:

MB GA-FXA990-UD5 (Rev 1.1), Firmware version F12A
CPU AMD FX-8350
PSU Corsair CX750M
Memory 2 8 gig Dimms Ballistix DDR3 PC3 1866
GPU - Zotac GeForce GTX 650 Ti
O/S Windows 7 Pro 64-bit
O/S Drive 120 gig Samsung SSD 840 (current firmware)
2 WD External USB drives
4 other internal drives including 2 WD 1 gig, 1 WD 2-gig, 1 Hitachi 1 gig
2 DVD burners

It freezes, but very randomly. It could be 2 minutes after boot, during boot, or as much as 7 days after boot. Whatever is on the screen at the time of freezing remains. I can see nothing in the event viewer, but then again, I might not know what to look for.

It is not specific to load, as it may freeze while I'm using it, or it may be sitting idle.

It seemed like a memory thing, so I looked into configuration, and realized I had them in the wrong slots. Now they are configured correctly for dual-channel, and I do see a performance increase when it remains running.

Things I have tried:
Memtest with both dimms in place. 1 time overnight, a second time for just a few hours.
Disconnecting all USB drives.
Formatting and reinstalling Windows clean.

The MB, CPU, GPU, memory, power supply, and SSD are all new, about 5 months old. When I first configured the PC, I used one of the internal HDs as the OS drive, and had no freezes. Once I saw the speed of the SSD, I decided to make it the OS drive.

I am not certain about my bios config - every drive is Sata save for the externals, which are USB, but I'm not certain I have the bios set correctly, though every drive reads well.

There have been no noticeable performance problems with the exception of the freezes. When it does not freeze, it is flawless.

I appreciate any assistance you folks may be able to provide. I promise I will provide feedback and let you all know what the successful corrective action is, so others may learn from it.

Thanks!

[Tiger]

AMD FX-8350 supports the use of DDR3-1866 memory with one DIMM per channel. When using more than one DIMM per channel, then DDR3-1600 memory can be used.

Since DDR3-1333 is better suited to older AM3 processors, that may be part of your problem.

Just installing a couple sticks of memory may not work correctly unless you set the memory clock and DRAM timings manually according to the memory manufacturers recommendations. DRAM voltage may need to be set manually if higher than 1.5v. Some motherboard models include XMP profile settings that set the correct memory clock and DRAM timings with one setting.

When choosing memory it is best to chose a single kit which may contain more than one DIMM. Combining more than one kit together is not recommended.

[Yerfdog]

Thank you for your response.

To clarify (and correct my initial post) my memory is Ballistix 1866Mhz. When I purchased, I did trust the gent at Microcenter to point me in the right direction just a bit.

That said, would slots 3.1 and 3.2 (channel 0 and channel 1) be incorrect?

Thanks

[Tiger]

Assuming you have the memory in DDR3_1 and DDR3_2 slots, turn to page 36 of the downloadable English motherboard manual.
Go to Set Memory Clock and change from[Auto] to [Manual].
Next, the Memory Clock Setting appears. Set this to x9.33 1866MHz
Now, on page 37, go to DDR3 Timing Items and change from [Auto] to [Manual].
On page 38, set 1T/2T Command Timing to 2T
The next 4 items starting with CAS# latency are the Timings.
Set these four items according to the Crucial part you have.
Save and Exit BIOS.

Since Crucial lists a half dozen different Ballistic memory 1866MHz models and you don't provide any part number, I don't know what you are using so I don't know the timings.
For example,
Part #: BLS2K8G3D18ADS3 the timings are 10-10-10-30
Part #: BLT2KIT8G3D1869DT1TX0 the timing are 9-9-9-24

I would also recommend writing down your current BIOS settings, then clearing the CMOS first.
Load Optimized Defaults from BIOS Exit menu, then set your memory settings.

[Yerfdog]

Memory is in 3_1 and 3_2.

Memory is Ballistix Elite BLE863D1869DE1TX0.16FED

9-9-9-27

Sorry for the lack of that up front.

I can tell you (and you likely already know) Auto was setting it at 1333Mhz. It is correct now. I have performed everything you recommended.

Doc's current BIOS, cleared CMOS (batt), loaded opt. defaults, performed memory settings as you recommended, and 9-9-9-27 per the memory.

Now I guess it's time to wait. Yesterday it froze several times, then after the last it has not since. Hopefully correct settings helps.

Thanks you for your help thus far. It is greatly appreciated.

[Yerfdog]

Well, I was hoping we were all done. It did make it two days. It was idle for about 6 hours and at around 12:30am it froze once again.

This time, when I rebooted, it told me Bootmgr was missing, and I had no USB functionality. I went back to BIOS and corrected my disk priorities (which has changed on their own). First boot device showed LS120 (Samsung SSD), but hard disk priority showed one of my standard HDs. It was not that way previously. I did not know if that was related, but it has happened before.

Anyhow, any more suggestions? My performance was of course increased by correcting the memory settings.

[Yerfdog]

Second freeze-up 7 hours later.

Anyone?

[Yerfdog]

Tonight, still running then two freezes within 5 minutes of one another.

And now two more freeze-ups. Of the four times, the first time I had no USB functionality during boot-up, the second and third were fine. On the third, when I reached "Starting Windows", it froze once again.


Anyone willing to help?

[Yerfdog]

Add two more freezes to the tally. One during idle time, a second at the "starting windows screen". I had USB functionality both times.

Can someone at least recommend a site where I might find help? I thought perhaps this was the place.

[klh591]

I have had at least 10 of the same motherboard as you over the last year. ( a least 1 of each version, the 3 I currently have are 1.1  ) and have never had your problem.

It is kind of hard for people to help you if they also have not had your problem.  I would lean toward your problem being memory because of
past troubleshooting freezing on the 700 level boards.

[Vezina]

Your problem can be generated by anything in the system ,starting from a simple driver and finishing with hardware faults.

It can be a Memory controller issues ,incompatibility with the RAM or a defective CPU.
Defective video card
Defective memory sticks
Defective south bridge or SSD /HDD.

So you will need to swap the components in a known to work system and find the exact problem.
No wonders come out of forums

I suggest you to use a minimum config ,restore defaults in BIOS and wait.
First on a cardboard or wooden table place the mobo ,CPU ,one stick of RAM ,the video card and a OS medium.
Then start swapping video card ,CPU ,RAM HDD.
Or simply install all the components you have in another similar PC to see what happens.

I would also say with the minimum config to reflash the BIOS to a known to work version and proper Clear CMOS before and after also.Disable Keep DMI data in Q-Flash at update.

If you reinstall OS please before installing Disable some of the power saving features and the turbo boost.C1E should be off.
Also disable ANY Spread Spectrum settings.Ctrl+F1 will show advanced BIOS settings.

[Yerfdog]

I have had at least 10 of the same motherboard as you over the last year. ( a least 1 of each version, the 3 I currently have are 1.1  ) and have never had your problem.

It is kind of hard for people to help you if they also have not had your problem.  I would lean toward your problem being memory because of
past troubleshooting freezing on the 700 level boards.

Thank you for the info. I will pull the memory and test them thoroughly 1 at a time - see if anything gives.

Thanks!

[Yerfdog]

Your problem can be generated by anything in the system ,starting from a simple driver and finishing with hardware faults.

It can be a Memory controller issues ,incompatibility with the RAM or a defective CPU.
Defective video card
Defective memory sticks
Defective south bridge or SSD /HDD.

So you will need to swap the components in a known to work system and find the exact problem.
No wonders come out of forums

I suggest you to use a minimum config ,restore defaults in BIOS and wait.
First on a cardboard or wooden table place the mobo ,CPU ,one stick of RAM ,the video card and a OS medium.
Then start swapping video card ,CPU ,RAM HDD.
Or simply install all the components you have in another similar PC to see what happens.

I would also say with the minimum config to reflash the BIOS to a known to work version and proper Clear CMOS before and after also.Disable Keep DMI data in Q-Flash at update.

If you reinstall OS please before installing Disable some of the power saving features and the turbo boost.C1E should be off.
Also disable ANY Spread Spectrum settings.Ctrl+F1 will show advanced BIOS settings.

Thanks for your response.

When I first assembled this system, I did not use the SSD as the OS drive. I cannot say for certain whether there were freezes or not, but I will try that (as I like talking to M$ on the phone. First, though, it will be memory during my downtime, and vid card, and other hardware components.

Again, thanks, and I will keep posted.

[Yerfdog]

For what it's worth, I am really leaning toward a reinstall of the OS on one of the regular drives. In my mind, the issue is related to the SSD, and although I have read quite a bit about SSDs and freeze-ups, I have found little about it related to my MB.

I ran memtest over the past 24 hours with 8 passes and no errors.

I just wonder if any of my bios settings could be the cause of my frustration and freeze-ups. I believe everything is set AHCI. If anyone has any suggestions regarding SSD setup, I'm open to it, elsewise it's time for a fresh install on another drive. I would like to either prove or disprove the SSD is bad, though.

[Yerfdog]

Well, I guess I can rule out the SSD. It is out of the system, I performed a fresh Win7 install on another drive. It made it two days before freezing once again.

Onto other components. I will likely try the video card next.

Any suggestions, as always, are appreciated.

Less than 30 minutes. We can rule out the vid card. Original is back in, and I've removed one stick of memory. Even though they passed memtest, I thought I would give it a shot anyway.

All external drives are disconnected as well.

....One mem stick ruled out. Second one in.

All internal drives save for the burners and the OS drive are disconnected.

....Ok, so the other memstick was okay too. Score one for memtest, I guess.

I have swapped out my FX-8530 CPU for my old Phenom II. We will see what happens.

Other remaining options include MB, power supply...well, that's about it.

Anyone want to start a pool?