One year ago, I bought a computer from a local vendor that builds custom PC's. After some months, the computer satrted to hand, randomly, every once in a while, and now it has accelerated to the point where it hangs everytime I play games or listen to music. When glaying GTA3 it usually hangs after 15 minutes. PLaying MP3 files via Grokster makes it hang after 5-20 minuter or so. The question is why?! I have a Jetway 830CF motherboard with a AMD 1,4 Ghz CPU (WIndows 2000, 40gig IBM harddrive, 256 meg memory, Inno3D video-card, Creative Soundblaster LIVE! soundcard). What I suspect is the following: When I bouoght the computer, I asked for a specially silent fan since I had colleagues complaining about very high fan-noise on their computers with AMD-CPU's My fan is very quiet, which is good, but I wonder if it's not good enough for the CPU, causing the system to hang everytime the CPU gets too hot. Could this be the problem? I have no other problems (no programs are buggy, no error messages, no memory dumps etc.). Are there any utility programs that can do any kinds of analysis on the processor and see if it's "healthy"?
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AMD 1.4 Ghz causes computer to hang??? 1
- Thread starter cyberg
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- #2
It definately could be, the 1.4 was a particularly HOT processor! (mid 70's watts of heat) it is only now with the 2gig+ and 2.1+ XP's that AMD have reached as HOT with there processors and they do require a total cooling solution to keep them running stabley.
Not only a decent Heatsink/fan combo but a couple of extra case fans to turnover plenty of cool air in the case.
Try removing the side and running with a desk-top fan blowing onto the components, if this cures the lockups you know it is a cooling problem.
Some of the early "quiet" coolers weren't very efficient. As noise is very important I would go for one of the excellent heatsinks that take a quiet 80mm fan and not a super noisey/fast 60mm.
The best on the market at the moment is Thermalrights all copper SLK-800, this can take a 60/70 or 80mm fan but as I said go with an 80mm which will keep it reasonably cool but very quiet. Martin
Please let members know if there advice has helped any.
Not only a decent Heatsink/fan combo but a couple of extra case fans to turnover plenty of cool air in the case.
Try removing the side and running with a desk-top fan blowing onto the components, if this cures the lockups you know it is a cooling problem.
Some of the early "quiet" coolers weren't very efficient. As noise is very important I would go for one of the excellent heatsinks that take a quiet 80mm fan and not a super noisey/fast 60mm.
The best on the market at the moment is Thermalrights all copper SLK-800, this can take a 60/70 or 80mm fan but as I said go with an 80mm which will keep it reasonably cool but very quiet. Martin
Please let members know if there advice has helped any.
Sorry forgot to mention temps:
My experience and observation of many Athlon/XP sytems using all kinds of motherboards, temperate climate UK!
1.4 is Hot! most people I know are keeping this beasty in the mid 50's C MAX with reasonable cooling solutions (not too noisey, couple of extra case fans)
1.6+, 1.7+, 1.8+ XP's Maxing between 46-52C
1.9+, 2gig+ Maxing 48-53C
2.1+, Maxing 50-55C (about the same as a 1.4 Athlon)
2.2+ XP about the same as XP1.7+ because of it's reduced 0.13micron die (isn't as hot)
I know this is just very rough, but I am assembling 15 or so PC's each week, all sorts of motherboards (Abit, Gigabyte, Jetway, ECS, MSI) in a small workshop (comfortable working ambient temperature) just my shirt on, and these are my rough observations in bios measured after 3D benchmark stressing and playing DVD movies etc.
Martin Please let members know if there advice has helped any.
My experience and observation of many Athlon/XP sytems using all kinds of motherboards, temperate climate UK!
1.4 is Hot! most people I know are keeping this beasty in the mid 50's C MAX with reasonable cooling solutions (not too noisey, couple of extra case fans)
1.6+, 1.7+, 1.8+ XP's Maxing between 46-52C
1.9+, 2gig+ Maxing 48-53C
2.1+, Maxing 50-55C (about the same as a 1.4 Athlon)
2.2+ XP about the same as XP1.7+ because of it's reduced 0.13micron die (isn't as hot)
I know this is just very rough, but I am assembling 15 or so PC's each week, all sorts of motherboards (Abit, Gigabyte, Jetway, ECS, MSI) in a small workshop (comfortable working ambient temperature) just my shirt on, and these are my rough observations in bios measured after 3D benchmark stressing and playing DVD movies etc.
Martin Please let members know if there advice has helped any.
- Thread starter
- #4
Thanks alot for the input! I got the tip from someone on another forum to run some kind of analysis program, and I downloaded something called SANDRA and ran it. I was surprised by the temperature of the CPU being "only" 58C which is obviously not very high. Further, when checking the BIOS there was no upper limit in temperature where the system was supposed to shut down, so it shouldn't really be the temperature problem. However, the SANRA program gave me the following 2 error messages concerning the Motherboard and the BIOS:
"Disabled host controllers are present. Check BIOS settings."
"FSB exceeds Chipset rated speed. Reduce FSB."
Those two messages doesn't mean anything to me, but maybe someone knows what I could do about them? I tried to update the BIOS earlier today, but neither the instruction in my Jetway manul nor the instruction on the Jetway web-site worked, so I really don't know how to update the BIOS. I downloaded the most recent BIOS-file (a *.BIN file) from Jetways web-site and some kind of utility program for changing it, but the utility program wont run.
"Disabled host controllers are present. Check BIOS settings."
"FSB exceeds Chipset rated speed. Reduce FSB."
Those two messages doesn't mean anything to me, but maybe someone knows what I could do about them? I tried to update the BIOS earlier today, but neither the instruction in my Jetway manul nor the instruction on the Jetway web-site worked, so I really don't know how to update the BIOS. I downloaded the most recent BIOS-file (a *.BIN file) from Jetways web-site and some kind of utility program for changing it, but the utility program wont run.
Just a word of warning cyberb, 58C at idle? this could be 10C higher under load on a warm day.
I can tell you that Athlons start going flakey in the mid 60's despite AMD saying the max continuos temp for this CPU is 70C (they don't mention how stable it is at this temp)
As for your settings I am not familiar with that motherboard but you could just try resetting bios to defaults, you normally get "load best performing settings" and a lower performance setting "load fail safe settings" or similar, try this lower performing setting see how it goes. Martin
Please let members know if there advice has helped any.
I can tell you that Athlons start going flakey in the mid 60's despite AMD saying the max continuos temp for this CPU is 70C (they don't mention how stable it is at this temp)
As for your settings I am not familiar with that motherboard but you could just try resetting bios to defaults, you normally get "load best performing settings" and a lower performance setting "load fail safe settings" or similar, try this lower performing setting see how it goes. Martin
Please let members know if there advice has helped any.
Sounds like it's being slightly over-clocked if the FSB is too high, or that the Chipset on the board doesn't quite suppost the CPU installed, as for BIOS flashing, if you don't know how to do it, pay someone who does to do it for you. Or at least read up on it first, Giga-byte have a good tutorial on their web-site covering this information.
You will have to create a DOS boot disc with a copy of the bin file and the flash utility, usually AWDFLASH or AMIFLSH.
If you feel confident about proceeding with your flash update e-mail me and I will go more in depth with you.
Good Luck!
You will have to create a DOS boot disc with a copy of the bin file and the flash utility, usually AWDFLASH or AMIFLSH.
If you feel confident about proceeding with your flash update e-mail me and I will go more in depth with you.
Good Luck!
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