EP45 UD3P - loop on trying to POST - MEMORY SLOT?

[dennnisc]

Hi,

I have a EP45 UD3P MB,v. 1.1 -  Bios F7. (original Bios).

Q6600 Quad Core, Corsair HX 640 PSU, ATI 4870 Graphics, and i have tried 4 Corsair and 2 G.Skill Sticks.

Here is the problem. It worked fine for a year, and then started to go thru a loop when i press the power button on. It will try to Post several times, then i restart and sometimes restarting does it, but most of the time i have to change out a stick of memory, or it will NOT post.

It just sounds like a fan or electronic speeding up and slowing down, speeding up and slowing down.

When i first put it together, i had 4 sticks of corsair, but i had problems. Then i got the G.Skill (all are supposed to be compatible) and ran it in just slot # 1 & 3. and that was fine for a year. Just 2-2GB sticks this time.

When it does boot up, its usually fine for the whole day. Sometimes lately though it freezes up when i am doing something.

I think it might be FAULTY MEMORY SLOTS in the MB. And they are slowly making my RAM go bad.

I tried testing all memory sticks with both Windows Memory Test, and MEMTEST 86, all showed NO errors.

The problem is rellly just booting up. Sometimes when i finally get it to post, and it goes to BIOS and then Windows starting up, i get the BSOD.

Mostly it boots up fine though at this point.

[Dark Mantis]

Hi and welcome to the Gigabyte Forum.

I don't suppose there was anything wrong with your Corsair memory to start with just that you filled all the slots and so needed to tweak the settings/voltages to compensate for the extra loading.

Are you running your G.Skill RAM on auto in the BIOS?

[dennnisc]

i kept the settings on Auto

optimal settings in BIOS

i never tweaked anything.

it ran fine for 1 year, then suddenly when i started it one time, it started to not post, just sounded like a fan going up and down, and no activity on the monitor, but the hard drive light flased activity.

usually i would try to start over and over again, and finally iit would start.

when it did start up, i could run it all day, play games, everything good.

the problem is SPORATIC. but it has gotten worse lately.

at first, maybe it did this once for every 20 starts, now its almost every time.

I tried switching out 6 different sticks of memory, just putting in ONE STICK AT A TIME, IN SLOT # 1 OR SLOT #2.
still having the same problem, i tested all memory with memtest and windows memory test, all come back with NO ERRORS. I have tested for hours.

[Dark Mantis]

What PSU are you using at the moment, age/make/model please?

Also what model of GSkill memory are you now using and was it purchased as a matching kit?

[dennnisc]

PSU is Corsair HX 620 -

Mem - G.Skill f2-6400cl5d- 4gbpq

[dennnisc]

it makes a sound like something is powering up and down when it tries to post.

sometimes i change the memory or put it in a different slot and it boots.

or restarting over and over again.

once it does start up, it goes all day long, i have had it freeze up twice though, both times lately, and had to reboot.

[Dark Mantis]

Does the processor fan make the noise you are describing?

If not where does it come from?

Are all the fans and heatsinks (including the PSU)  clean and operating?

[dennnisc]

all the fans seem to be working and clean.

the sound comes from the bottom half, from somwhere from the memory slots to the psu area.

does a MB make a sound when it is first booting up like an electronic powering up?

When i change the memory from one slot to another it boots up again.

otherwise, it usually keeps trying to post, that sound of something powering up and down, and then some hdd activity, but nothing on screen.

the monitor light blinks like there is no signal going to it, like the computer is off.

once i switch out the memory from one slot to another it boots.

what is that powering up and down sound when it is trying to boot?

what could it be? whe i starts normally, it ALWAYS makes at least one powering up sound, when it fails, it makes that powering up sound then down, then up then down and no post.

wh

[Dark Mantis]

the sound comes from the bottom half, from somwhere from the memory slots to the psu area.

does a MB make a sound when it is first booting up like an electronic powering up?

When i change the memory from one slot to another it boots up again.

once i switch out the memory from one slot to another it boots.

First thing is you definitely shouldn't move the memory with power to the sytem. Can blow things easilly if you haven't already.

No the motherboard shouldn't make any noise as such when starting although obviously the fans etc will whirr as they wind up.

Try going into the BIOS and disabling all the Power Saving settings. Also have you got any of Gigabyte's free software installed that came with the motherboard?

[dennnisc]

i turn off the computer, put a wristband on when changing out the memory.

it ran for a year with no problem, so not sure if changing the power settings now is the reason, since i left all alone for a year.

when you turn a computer on, there is a sound of something powering up, then it levels out and goes into post.

what is that initial sound of something powering up, a quiet rev of something?

because that is the sound that repeats when it is not going to post. a loop of something revving up, revving down.

does a PSU do that? because that initial thing reving up is the souce of the problem. what makes that initial revving up sound when you first turn on the computer?

[Dark Mantis]

I am not being funny but you are they one sat in front of the computer! Try and find out where tha sound is coming from...use a cardboard or plastic tube put to your ear to help find the direction of the sound. From your description I would say it could be a hard drive or possibly a fan. Post back when you have located it.