AMD FX-8350 & GA-990FXA-UD3 rev 1.0/ cannot get system stable

[callum92]

I recently purchased an AMD FX-8350 as an upgrade to my Phenom II 965 and no matter what I try I cannot get my system stable, it will get to the desktop and restart or sometimes it will last a little bit longer and I can manage to start a stress test and it will run for 2-3 mins beofre resarting.
Here are my full specs:

-Gigabyte 990FXA-UD3 rev 1.0

-AMD Phenom II 965 / AMD FX-8350

-Corsair H60 CPU Cooler

-8GB Corsair Dominator DDR3 1600 (4x2GB)

-EVGA GTX 670

-XFX 850w PSU

-Crucial M4 128GB SSD

I have updated to the latest BIOS(f10a) and tried optimised defaults which doesn't work.
My system is 100% stable with the Phenom II 965 so it's not faulty hardware.
I have tried the CPU in my friends computer with a GA-990FXA-UD7 and it works without a problem.


 

[DigDeep]

did you formatted windows

[Tiger]

8GB Corsair Dominator DDR3 1600 (4x2GB) is what you list as your memory. Looking at the Dominator line of Corsair memory I can see that they don't make such a kit, at least I don't think they do.

If that is the case then you are mixing multiple kits. By mixing memory kits together, there may be compatibility issues such as unable to boot or unable to operate at rated specifications. You might want to list the part number or a link to the memory to clear up any confusion.

Corsair FAQs suggest:
If you purchase a 4GB kit (2x2GB), then we can only guarantee its performance and compatibility when using it as a single kit.  To ensure the best results with more than two memory modules installed in the same system, it is best to get a kit which has been tested to run in that configuration.
 While it is definitely possible that two kits would run together in the same system, there is a chance that you may need to reduce the speed of the memory due to motherboard chipset limitations when populating more than one memory module per channel on the board.  If you have problems mixing sets, it is suggested to manually lower the frequency of the memory.

[callum92]

Yes I have a fresh copy of Windows 7 installed.

Regarding the memory, you are right there is not an 8GB kit, I am using 2  4GB kits.
However, I have already tried each of the 4 sticks by themselves and still encounter the same problems, was kind off a last resort because I have been running this RAM for a couple of years now and haven't had any problems with it

@tiger, I see you have the FX-8350 running on the 990FXA-UD3 rev 1.1, did you not run into similar problems?
Everywhere I read about the 990FXA-UD3 and FX-8350 combo, I see people having pretty much the same problem with unstable systems.There has been 5 revsions of this board so they are aware some sort of problem. I don't get why they would advertise the board as supporting the latest FX CPU's if it doesn't.

A lot of people seem to think that the VRM is not up to the job with the latest FX CPU's leading to overheating or serious vdroop.
The lack of an LLC option in the bios could also be a cause, from what I read this helps to keep the vcore as close to stock as possible under heavy load

[Tiger]

I don't have any instability problems. I manually set the Memory Clock to 1866MHz, and set the first four DRAM Timings.

You wrote, "My system is 100% stable with the Phenom II 965 so it's not faulty hardware".

Mixing memory kits together may cause compatibility issues such as unable to boot or unable to operate at rated specifications. What your doing is not guaranteed to work, because frequently it doesn't work. Don't kid yourself into thinking it's not your choice of hardware.

[callum92]

I competely understand that mixing memory kits may cause all sorts of problems, but in this case it's not an issue. The 2 kits have been running stable for more than 2 years, manually set at 1600MHz  8-8-8-24 which is what they are rated for.
When I started having problems with the FX-8350 I tried to eliminate any possible hardware issues and one of the first things I tried was unplugging everything that wasn't neccessary and tried each set of memory seperately at default 1333MHz, then also tried each stick 1 by 1.

[AgentFXA]

what does the Win7 error log tell?
Temperature issues with the CPU?

The Phenom CPU is an old lame dog compared to the FX 83xx

[Vezina]

The problem is the board ,it s revision 1.0 ,build before FX was done.
Version 1.0 of all this Gigabyte AMD 9xx chipset based boards have issues that may have been fixed in the latest hardware revisions.

As workaround I would suggest you to disable APM in BIOS and see what happens.
Disable the the core turbo feature as well.

The issue with this older boards is the CPU VRM functionality ,for some reason they can cope with overclocked Phenoms but when you put in a FX of 95W or more it starts doing strange things.
Put that CPU in a better board that really unleashes it ,it s pity to keep it in a cage ,like that board is for it.
From Gigabyte get at least version 3.0 of AMD 9xx based boards if you want some decent behavior.

I would sell the Mobo + Phenom and RAM combo and get something better for the FX.

LE: I hope you also use a Push Pull config with that H60.I ve used a PhenomII 975 with a H60 before getting my FX 6300 and 2 fans on it really help.I am using 2 Scythe Typhoon with it (i hope that s the right name) 4 of them in my case in total.

[callum92]

After trying pretty much everything (even RMA'd the CPU and got a replacement) I got an Asus Sabertooth 990FX and have no problems now.
Gigabyte insist the 8350 should work in the board and advise me to RMA the board, interested to see what they will say, either way I will use that as a backup when they send it back.

[dmdilks]

The FX chips need a hot fix from Microsoft. That might help you with your problem. There are 2 hot fixes for these chips.

http://www.abithelp.com/nvidia/topic1612.html

[callum92]

I already tried those and still had the same problems, thanks though.

[Vezina]

Like previously stated ,get a better /newer board.