BSOD

[toostrike]

My specs are below.I built this pc in April of 2010.The changes I made to my rig was a slight overclock.I went from 3.2 gigs to 3.5 gigs.Basically,It was just a multiplier adjustment.My V-Core voltage was set on auto at 1.4 volts.I had it stable after gradually dropping the v-core down to 1.26v.I then bumped it up to 1.28v,and it has run stable for a year now.My idle temp is 26C-30C,and when gaming my video card does not exceed 52C.The CPU reaches between 45C to 52C degrees after long periods of gaming.

Here is my problem.I started to play Crysis recently,and after the first level it crashes often.I get BSOD.My first thought was a memory leak,so I tested each stick of ram separately.I did 5 passes on each stick,and it did not show any errors.

I have been using Nividia drivers 266.58.I can play alot of games with no issues at all Battlefield Bad Company 2,All of the Call of Duty games, ect....Crysis is the only game that I have trouble playing.I lowered the game settings,but it didnt help.After crashing often on the first 2 levels it smoothed out,but it will still crash.

One other thing...I am using XP.I will jump to windows 7 after I upgrade memory and video card

1.Could it be my v-core setting?I dont even want to play Warhead or Crysis 2 if this continues.I'm at a loss to why this is happening.


Antec 900

AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition Deneb 3.2GHz Socket AM3 125W Quad-Core Processor Model HDZ955FBGMBOX - Retail

G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-4GBNQ - Retail

GIGABYTE GA-MA790GPT-UD3H AM3 AMD 790GX HDMI ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail

COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus Intel Core i5 & Intel Core i7 compatible RR-B10-212P-G1 120mm,Use 2 120mm for push and pull.

CORSAIR CMPSU-650TX 650W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 .

EVGA 01G-P3-1373-AR GeForce GTX 460 (Fermi) Superclocked EE 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card

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(2) Western Digital Caviar Black WD7501AALS 750GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Hard Drive -Bare Drive

(1) Western Digital Caviar Blue 320GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Hard Drive

[Dark Mantis]

Hi

You have left out the most important bit of information, the BSOD STOP codes.  Please post these.

My first thought was a memory leak,so I tested each stick of ram separately.I did 5 passes on each stick,and it did not show any errors.

Five passes is not nearly enough to be sure of the memory. You need to put them in the first slot , one a t a time, and then run at least ten loops.

[absic]

Hi there,

personally I feel your CPU VCore might be a little on the low side and the cause of the issue, especially when you are playing a game like Crysis and I would be looking at setting it at 1.35V.

[toostrike]

Thanks for the information.I will have to install crisis again(to get codes)I'm sure it will crash,so thats not a problem

Before i do that I will test memory again.I will post back,when I get a chance to get this done

.

[toostrike]

Hi there,

personally I feel your CPU VCore might be a little on the low side and the cause of the issue, especially when you are playing a game like Crysis and I would be looking at setting it at 1.35V.

That was my thought.I could just bump up my CPU VCore,and see if that corrects my problem.If not,I will try what Dark Mantis suggested.As you can tell my overclocking skills are slim to none,but I only did a slight oc,so no big deal.

Can you enlighten me on cpu v-core adjustment.How do you know the best setting for temp and overall stability.I know,its a very broad question.How about this then...CPU VCore settings 101 for dummies

I have my pc in the basement.Its cooler,which is great.I live in NE Ohio,so with the weather changing, my temps are even better.I guess I'm spoiled seeing my cpu idle temp at 24-25 lately

[absic]

Oh how I wish there was a 101 that I could provide for this topic but, sadly there isn't.

I have done a lot of testing and playing around with different AMD CPU's and when it comes to overclocking a processor I always start by checking what the AUTO setting are in BIOS.
For example, if the VCore is 1.45V you know that this is a safe voltage level for the CPU you are using.
I then set the desired speed of the CPU and leave the CPU voltage at default whilst I check for stability and temperatures.

If the system fails the first test at my desired CPU Speed I will pull the speed back and test again at the default voltage until I find the highest speed I can get from the processor at stock voltage.

If the system passes these tests I will then pull the CPU voltage down a little and test again and keep repeating this process until the system falls over.

By doing this I get my starting figure of 1.45V and the figure that the system fails 1.29V for example.
I will then set the CPU at the midpoint between these two figures.

This will give a compromise between the speed of the CPU the voltage and therefore the heat the overclock produces.

[toostrike]

Good explanation.That gives me a starting point.Time for some testing....

[absic]

Just another little tip.

Make a note of all the basic settings in BIOS (I usually do this in the User's Manual) so you have a record of your starting point and also jot down which parameters you change as you go along, as things can get a little complicated and difficult to remember, especially if you have to clear CMOS to get the system running again.

[toostrike]

Just another little tip.

Make a note of all the basic settings in BIOS (I usually do this in the User's Manual) so you have a record of your starting point and also jot down which parameters you change as you go along, as things can get a little complicated and difficult to remember, especially if you have to clear CMOS to get the system running again.

I adjusted my CPU VCore from 1.28v to 1.31v,and put my system to the test with Crysis.I used max settings with resolution @ 1400x900 with no crashes or slow downs .I played for about 1 hour.It looks like my system is stable at 3.5g @1.31v on the cpu v-core.

I am going to build a rig and need someone to check out my specs.I will post in the general discussion.I would like your thoughts. I will use the tips you listed for future reference.Thank-You!   My cpu temps went from 24c idle to 25c idle.No big deal.Anything around 30C is enough to make me happy.