Official GIGABYTE Forum
Questions about GIGABYTE products => Motherboards with Intel processors => Topic started by: spurst on November 06, 2011, 03:14:25 pm
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Z68X-UD3H-B3
i5 2500k
Cooler Master Hyper 212
2x 4gb Corsair XMS DDR3 (also tried crucial ballistix)
SATA RAID 0 2x WD raptor 36g
SATA RAID 0 2x Seagate 7200.12 500g
Galaxy GTX 460 SLI 768
Lite-ON DVDRW
Sony Blu Ray
PCP&C 760Watt PSU
I've tried this stock speeds, overclocked, etc - its the same issue all the time.
I keep locking up upon activity immediately after idle periods in Windows 7 x64. Only after Idle (and I'd say ~5 minutes of inactivity. The mouse cursor starts to look like its doing the Windows Busy/Spinning thing, and it wont let me click anything, and then within 10-15 seconds the whole system freezes.
I'm also getting some other issues and I'm not sure if its normal with this chipset. When you press the Reset button, the pc does not reset. Instead it goes into a power down state. The power button also has a delayed off. Is there any way to change that to a HARD shut down? I prefer the traditional button responses.
Thanks.
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also, I'm on the F8 bios. I'm going to try updating that shortly, to see if that gives me any resolution.
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Hi and welcome.
Choose Optimised BIOS defaults and save them should cure things like the hard off etc. Also in the BIOS if that doesn't cure it already disable all the power saving settings and do likewise in Windows and you shouldn't get the stuttering/busy thing.
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If Dark Mantis's good advice has no effect......here's something else to try before getting out the grinder ;)
Start by going into power management/power plan and create a custom profile....
go to sleep......................Never
turn monitor off after ........1 hr
Dim the display..................Never
Hibinate..........................Never
You get the picture.....turn off anything that you think might change the power state of the PC
There's also a few more in BIOS under C States (C3, C4 ext) read up on these in the manual but these also can be canned!
Aussie Allan
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Yep, that's about it Allan. I reckon that should fix it one way or another.
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i'll load the optimized defaults. i already tried putting it on High Performance in power options. I've also already tried messing with the power save features in the bios. Nothing has really fixed the issue. Either way, I shouldn't have to disable the power saving features of the board / CPU to fix this issue. What specific setting would cause a system to change state after 5 minutes of idle?
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Welcome again spurst
I shouldn't have to disable the power saving features of the board / CPU to fix this issue. What specific setting would cause a system to change state after 5 minutes of idle?
Yes you shouldn't have to, but do you want to fix the problem that you have ? ..... this will mean turning off the things discussed earlier one at a time and test between to find the offending setting .... it's not a gold guarantee this is the area......but we have to start somewhere and this area is the most likely.
Aussie Allan
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I've updated to the F10 bios, Optimized settings, and disabled power management It still has the issue.
It happened yesterday when I was reading reviews for something on amazon. I was idle for about 3-5 mins, and then I went to scroll down, the cursor changes over to the spinning circle (Windows 7), and then then I Control-Alt-Delete to open Task manager, the system Locks.
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There is some program that is set to cut in after 5 mins of inoperative time and start doing it's thing. You need to find out what program it is by looking in Task Manager. It could be an anti-virus, disk scanner, indexer, probably something along those lines. That is the cause of your problem, it is just finding which one it is now. ;)
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Welcome back spurst
UPDATE
DMs suggestion re software is actually more likely......follow his advise first......IF it comes down to a hardware issue....follow what's below!
Before we get to the next phase of trouble shooting, are you running the memory at the stock 1.5V.....if you are ....increase to 1.6V but pay attention to QPI/VTT in BIOS.....it must remain within 0.5V of the memory....this is important (Always!)
if this also fails.....go to next step!
Next step on the ladder to knock off is memory.....Download and install to a USB key or burn a disc....Memtest......remove all but one stick in the (Master) slot one and boot of memtest......10 full passes each module (in slot one).....this is time consuming but the only way to move forward.....report back when done with the results
Aussie Allan
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This is a brand new fresh install of windows 7. There is no anti virus software, anti malware, etc installed. I haven't gotten that far yet, unfortunately.
I can also rule out a faulty module - I've gone through 2 sets. A set of Crucial Ballistix which I returned thinking it was faulty, and this new Corsair XMS is installed. I've tried 1 stick as well from each kit.
Corsair XMS is set to run at 1.5v. I've also tried it at 1.6 (thinking maybe it was an issue with the timings or something). Didn't help.
I'm still leaning towards some type of power management type issue. Its so odd that it only happens during inactivity. It's NEVER locked up when I've been doing a task, ever. Specifically, what are all of the power management features within this gigabyte bios that should be disabled to completely turn off power management?
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I stil stand by my original diagnosis. Just because it is a fresh install doesn't mean a thing. Windows brings enough of it's own services etc. Besides if you have no security software installed you probably have a few rogue programs on there now that you don't even know about. It only takes 20 mins on average to get hit by a malware program once you go online.
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Hi,
Just out of interest how old is your PSU and have you had it tested?
teknology9
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I stil stand by my original diagnosis. Just because it is a fresh install doesn't mean a thing. Windows brings enough of it's own services etc. Besides if you have no security software installed you probably have a few rogue programs on there now that you don't even know about. It only takes 20 mins on average to get hit by a malware program once you go online.
It would have to be a native windows app, then, because unless the malware came packaged with SP1, then that'd be impossible.
It truly is a fresh install of Windows 7. Fresh as in I had the problem once, so I saved the updates to a flash drive, and scanned them on a different PC, and then reinstalled them after installing 7 again.
The Power Supply is brand new - a 760watt PCP&C unit. I actually bought it 3 days prior to rebuilding my whole rig.
I hope I'm not coming off as combative - I'm just trying to relay what I've been trying, thus far. The drives came out of my previous system - they work flawlessly. The same with the vid cards. The only new components are Motherboard, CPU, RAM, and OS Installation.
Does this board have any known issues surrounding: power management? SLI? RAM modules? etc?
What are all of the settings in the bios that pertain to Power Management that I can disable. I want to disable them because once its stable, I planned on overclocking. However, my expectation for the board is that it should work out of the box 100% without disabling anything.
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Hi,
OK Spurst, thanks for that.......it might be worthwhile starting at the begining again, have you read this article?
http://forum.giga-byte.co.uk/index.php/topic,5704.0.html
I know you may find it a bit long winded starting all over again, but just try assembling the basic components as absic has done and it may help to eliminate any problems before any software has been installed.......so just read up to the part where the main components are assembled and where you can see the splash screen. This is my take on the situation......make sure every everything is seating correctly before powering on....safety first.
Hope this helps
Teknology9
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Hi,
OK Spurst, thanks for that.......it might be worthwhile starting at the begining again, have you read this article?
http://forum.giga-byte.co.uk/index.php/topic,5704.0.html
I know you may find it a bit long winded starting all over again, but just try assembling the basic components as absic has done and it may help to eliminate any problems before any software has been installed.......so just read up to the part where the main components are assembled and where you can see the splash screen. This is my take on the situation......make sure every everything is seating correctly before powering on....safety first.
Hope this helps
Teknology9
After going through that other post - much of my testing and debugging has been identical. I cannot reproduce this issue with the video cards, drives, etc. The problem only happens when I use this board and processor - that is the only differentiating factor - the board and processor. It has to be a bad driver, bios setting, or some type of conflict in Windows 7 with this specific board.
All other components are working correctly. I also do not experience this issue in Windows Vista x64, only in Windows 7 x64. I'm not willing to downgrade back to Vista x64 - I'd return the motherboard prior to that.
So, the hardware seems to be installed correctly. I've done quite a few builds, so I'm semi-confident in that statement. However, this is my first venture into Z68 land. My background/field is IT, so this isn't foreign territory. With that being said, if you have some pretty tech-heavy explanations, please lay them on me, so I can try and figure out what the issues are (I can't imagine I'm the only one plagued with the issue).
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Frustrating Huh!.....Here's a few more......when you use these, try to do them just one at a time.......otherwise we won't know which way is up!
Swap to a different Keyboard....ideally with a PS2 lead, just for testing mind you
In BIOS.....Turn Off All wake features if you have them....."Wake on Keyboard"....."Wake on Mouse"
Some of the system files might be corrupt.
To fix this you need to do a automated system scan, ...or a SFC scan
Steps to perform sfc scan:
1. Click Start, click All Programs, click Accessories, right-click Command Prompt, and select Run as Administrator.
2. Click Continue or supply Administrator credentials if prompted.
3. In the Command Prompt window type the following, and press Enter:
sfc /scannow
4. You should see the following on-screen messages:
Beginning the system scan. This process will take some time.
Beginning verification phase of system scan.
Verification % complete.
And here is some reference material to go through......I'm starting to believe that it's a configurable setting as you generally believe as well.....there's a lot of people out there with simular bugs in the last two years with no really common answer......
http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_7-performance/computer-occassionaly-freezes-after-being-idle-for/4df56e5e-607d-4349-833a-cd22e873b4c0
This second one describes rather well how to return your computer to a clean boot.....this is something very worth trying if the above two fail
http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_7-performance/windows-7-freezes-after-inactivity/2c4b806b-999c-467f-aad7-de5537db9bb8
This should keep you busy.....let me know how you get on please.
Aussie Allan
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good info. thanks. i'll take a look at it tonight. I have a Phenom X4 830 I need to set up tonight, so I might not get back to this one until tomorrow. I'll update the thread with my findings. Thanks again.
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Not a problem.....this has come up before ....frustratingly we haven't had anyone that's come back and left a definitive answer.......people generally, eventually find/get there fix and you never hear of them again ....including how it was fixed.
If you find the Holy grail for this issue.....would you mind!
Aussie Allan
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Hi,
Not aware that you have an IT background.....I'm sure you'll fix it then.
Might be a idea to contact Gigabyte Technical Support in the US and explain the situation to them if you think it is the MB.
Teknology9
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If you want to contact GGTS you can get hold of them here:
Just enter your email address and click on the language of choice.
GGTS http://ggts.gigabyte.com/
Please expect several days for a reply.
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i have noticed that the only time i get a lockup is when the browser window is open (firefox). I cannot pinpoint the issue with the browser, only to say that 100% of lockups are while I was idle with a browser window open.
The idle times are varied - 3 minutes to 20 minutes.
If the system sits untouched after bootup, its been idle for ~2 hrs and never had a lockup. Only after activity and idle does it do this.
I've removed power options from the NIC. Clean boot / SFC did not work.
tonight I'm going to install IE 9 - I read somewhere not having it installed causes issues. sadly, I'm about at wits end with this project.
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I think I have this resolved. No lockups yet, anyhow. I should be able to confirm tonight.
I turned off XMP for the memory. My memory is XMP capable (Corsair XMS) and my ram is actually pretty good stuff. I guess it just has an issue with this board and XMP. I can confirm this issue with a few different bios types for this board.
Thanks.
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I'd look more into your storage system - the 36gig raptors are years old, aren't they? Maybe it's a compatibility problem between the board and raid0 disks.
The reason I go this route is that I've seen that same "only browser open crashes" on SSD forums countless times, telling me there is a similar storage problem there as well.
You could try with a different HDD/SSD if you can, non-raid, and see if the problem persists.
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but then if i start changing out hardware and the problem goes away then who knows what the cause was.
thus far, no freezes / lockups. I truly think the issue was the XMP setting for the memory - which is odd, because the memory supports XMP. Worse yet... its corsair XMS - this is some of the best ram you can buy.
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Hay spurst ....thanks for taking the time and effort.
I'm see this more and more with system freezes, keyboard,mouse freezes.....Possibly attributed to XMP profiles...........I just recommended that he too disable XMP profile and configure Manually......I let you know how he get on as well
Aussie Allan
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I just wanted to update this thread, because I'm still having issues.
Reset button - when I press the reset button, the system resets, runs POST, and then resets again. It does this 60% of the time. Sometimes it resets correctly, sometimes it does that double reset. It also does this when I attempt to shut down the PC - sometimes it shuts down, sometimes it instead resets the PC.
I had my PC overclocked @ 4500 @ 1.35 prime 95 stable. all other voltages were at default. I tried changing them around some, but nothing helped.
Even with XMP disabled, I was still getting lockups / hangs in Firefox. For some reason, only firefox would lock my PC up - I could game for 8 hours straight of heavy gaming without issue. 15 minutes in firefox, and I'd lock up. Its entirely random. On several occasions after the reboot or hang, the BIOS tells me that overclocking or voltage changes have caused a problem. I also get that same POST error message about 80% of the time on a cold boot.
I'm really torn here. I'm open to ideas, help, or suggestions at this point... I've tried adjusting most of the settings from LLC to Vcore to Memory timings.
I've also been trying o round up similar cases:
http://forums.tweaktown.com/gigabyte/44923-fault-reset-ud7-ga-z68x-b3.html
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The problem with your reset/reboot could well be that it is corrupting the BIOS each time you press the reset and so then it reboots to load the Backup BIOS and boot from that. It has happened quite a lot on some boards.
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I dont really follow that statement - the reset button should work - the system shouldn't be resetting itself 2-3 times each time i push the reset button. Its funky - I can push the reset button and the system resets, goes through post, and then resets again just prior to loading windows. It sometimes does that 2-3x. After that, the system starts up and all is well.
At this point, I'm honestly considering moving to a different board, before my return period is over.
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Hey,
I'm actually having the same issue as you spurst and we have similar set ups.
My system is
MOBO: Z68X-UD3H-B3
CPU: i5 2500k
GPU: GTX580
Memory: Crosair DDR3 Vengeance two 4G sticks
HDD: Two 36G Raptors in RAID0 (these contain my operating system)
Two 76G Raptors in RAID0
One 2TB Hitachi
PSU: Corsair TX850M
I'm not getting the reset button problem you're having but my system will freeze pretty randomly and it only happens when I'm internet browsing and or on my desktop (not while gaming). My memory is also XMP capable and at first when i saw that you said XMP was the issue I turned that off but it still freezes.
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Good luck. I still cant get mine all worked out and I'm convinced its an issue with either this board. I've had the ram in another board and ram memtest on each stick with 0 errors. Everything else tests out fine as well. Its some combination of hardware and this board.
My chip in another board runs stable at 4800 1.38v and in this board, I'm getting issues with it at 4500. The system locked up in the browser still, and sometimes on a cold boot it goes into a reboot cycle sometimes taking 5-10 reboots before it will POST.
I've ended up running with XMP on and manually setting the memory voltage to 1.65v - this seems to get me slightly better stability. I'm hoping a bios update comes out to address some of these issues. I've also been less than thrilled with gigabyte not replying to any of my support email inquiries.
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Any update on this? I find myself getting the same behaviour and my parts are very close to yours, the only difference is that the system rock solid until ~2 weeks ago, possibly slightly more.
My parts are:
z68x-ud3h-b3
2500k
Corsair Vengeance 2x4GB RAM
Corsair 550 PSU (not quite sure on model, i think it's a VX)
Nvidia 570 GTX
Like you i've never gotten a crash in a game or a CPU/GPU intensive thing, in fact the 3-4 crashes that I've gotten happened when I was away from the computer.
The crashes started recently, and i've only gotten 3-4 in the last few weeks. The only recent changes I've done to my system was change my video card from an ATI 5850 to an Nvidia 570 GTX, however this was done over a month ago. I'm getting the crashes in Win7 and Linux.
Things i've done to try and fix it:
-update bios from F8 to F10
-disable USB3 in bios
-disable onboard audio in BIOS
-lowering OC'ing, originally at 4.2Ghz, now at 4.0 (scaling back slowly).
-clean out/dust case and rewire everything
-run memtest (did 6 passes, maybe i should do more tho).
-my CPU at idle is no more than 24C, and load no more thand 55C.
I was just curious how your system is now and if you did swap motherboards (and if so which one)? I was going to grab a newer CPU but i'm thinking of just grabbing a different board now and hoping to find out what you got. I'm also tempted to put the old ATI card back, but it was a $275 card which is more than the board or CPU that i currently have.
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Hi
After reading through your post the only thing that stands out is that your power supply unit is a little on the low side and so I would start off by looking there. See if you can borrow a 650W + from a good manufacturer to try.
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a quality 550W is not on the low side at all for a single GPU system, but if it was I would see the problem happening during gaming or CPU intensive tasks, right now it only happens when my system is almost 100% idle.
I might pickup a newer 650 or 700W PSU tomorrow for the sake of it tho just in case, it will be future proof anyways.
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Welcome back spurst
UPDATE
DMs suggestion re software is actually more likely......follow his advise first......IF it comes down to a hardware issue....follow what's below!
Before we get to the next phase of trouble shooting, are you running the memory at the stock 1.5V.....if you are ....increase to 1.6V but pay attention to QPI/VTT in BIOS.....it must remain within 0.5V of the memory....this is important (Always!)
if this also fails.....go to next step!
Next step on the ladder to knock off is memory.....Download and install to a USB key or burn a disc....Memtest......remove all but one stick in the (Master) slot one and boot of memtest......10 full passes each module (in slot one).....this is time consuming but the only way to move forward.....report back when done with the results
Aussie Allan
I have been having freezing issues with mine as well. Just loaded Optimized Bios settings. I upped ram voltage to 1.6V but when I try and get the QPI/VTT to within .5V of memory it shows in Pink?