Computer freezes while gaming, temps ok, RAM timings?

Hi,

My computer freezes all of a sudden while gaming, the sound start stuttering sometimes and eventually the screen turns black and I have to shut down with the Power button. This happens after a good while of gaming, 30-60 minutes perhaps even more.

Specs:

CHIEFTEC 650W Nätagg.
MSI K9N2 SLI Platinum (nForce 750a)
AMD Phenom 9950 X4 Black Edition (2.6ghz)
Overclocked to 3.0ghz 1.35 V. (have also tried 1.375 V. with same results)
Ran prime95 for 15 minutes with no problem.
Temp(OverClocked): Idle: 26-30 Max: ~53 (Celsius)

nVidia Geforce 8800 GTS (Forceware: 191.07)
OC(Fabric):
Core Clock: 651 (513)
Shader Clock: 1507 (1187)
Memory Clock: 805 (792)
Fan Speed: Pretty linear temp-%
Temp: Idle: 55 Max: 7x
Ran MSI Afterburner with KOMBUSTOR for 15 min to 87 degrees (celsius) without problem.

Samsung Spinpoint F1 1TB SATA2

Corsair 4GB (2x2GB) DDR2 CL5 ( 5-5-5-18 ) 800 MHz ( PC2-6400 ) 1.8V
Tried to set the Timings manually (new to it) in BIOS incase that was the problem, but I'm not sure I did it right, I set them as "BOTH" and set them to 5-5-5-18-2T however when looking at CPU-Z after the setup it says 4 instead of 18 in tRAS (Cycle Time) despite the fact that I set both as 18 in BIOS?
While having them at AUTO cpu-z says 18 tRAS though.

Windows 7 x64 Ultimate

So I've tried gaming with 1.35V and 1.375V on CPU without difference.
Tried the 8800GTS clock to 87 degrees in Kombustor for 15 minutes.
Tried setting RAM timings manually (perhaps did it wrong).

My ideas:
Might have to clock the RAM timings or maybe increase Memory clock on Graphics?

Thinking the crashes was logged in BlueScreenViewer but they weren't.

Thanks! Martin

1)you need few hours of p95 blend at least with round off checking enabled to test for stability oc PC.

2)What furmark settings are you using? really need to a full screen high res and AA enabled to determine stability.

3)Leave TRAS setting at auto and set the 5-5-5 manually.

4)Also you can DL and burn memtest for checking your system memory for stability. faster than p95 will detect errors.

hope that helps somewhat

Too many overclocks at one time.
Start off with just the cpu, get everything stable, and then overclock your video card or mem
If you overclock everything all at once, you will never know where your problem is, or how to fix it.

Update:

Apparently I had a different kind of RAM sticks than I thought I have, their specs (the sticker on them) says 2.1V 4-4-4-12

However when setting them manually to 2.1V and 4-4-4-12 the problem with tRAS persists, it becomes 14 instead of 12 even when I set 'em manually, and if I set them on auto on just tRAS it becomes 18(?).
Maybe I have to flash my BIOS?

The gaming problem also persists, it crashes after a while of gaming giving me a black screen.

CPUZ Validation Link:
http://valid.canardpc.com/show_oc.php?id=1079083

Read somewhere about FSB,
my CPU is 200x15 = 3000
the RAM FSB is set to 1:2, 400x2 = 800mhz
is this a correct setting?

Is an original Phenom supposed to have a HT link of 2ghz? I could be wrong, but I thought that was lower on that series CPU.

Parad0x420 said:

Is an original Phenom supposed to have a HT link of 2ghz? I could be wrong, but I thought that was lower on that series CPU.

Click to expand...

Sorry but I'm afraid I don't even know what HT means...
Found this though
"At 2.6 GHz, the Phenom X4 9950 Black Edition is now the flagship for the Phenom processor line, and delivers on AMD's promise to launch a 2.6 GHz B3 core. The specifications are the same as the pre-release Phenom 9900, with a 2.6 GHz clock and a full 2.0 GHz HT 3.0 speed."

I had a similar issue recently. Although I am not a hardcore gamer, I use music production software which stresses both the CPU and the RAM intensly.

I overclocked my E8200 to 3.4 GHZ, and I had G.Skill RAM PC8000

So I basically had to "underclock" my RAM as it was rated to 500mhz FSB.I didn't mind this because I thought I would be able to tighten up my timings. I was wrong.
Your problem is most likely with RAM timings. Set your ram to AUTO, it will fix your problem. Some programs and games are very sensetive to your RAM timings and you cant mess around with it. My ram was 5-5-5-15 @ 500Mhz FSB but couldn't handle those timings at an underclocked 425mhz. I thought lower FSB meant tighter timings, but not always, my system has been stable ever since my auto timings are now 5-6-6-16.

Most program crashes and BLue screen errors are RAM related. Try it out for yourself.

Most blue screens are driver related probably, speaking generally, but for our audience I'd say your statement is pretty true with most people not running stock settings.

What was your RAM capacity and how many sticks by the way? That also is often a large factor in what timings and frequency play nicely.

By the way, I found this post checking out the newest member to our forums... Chains!

I.M.O.G. said:

Most blue screens are driver related probably, speaking generally, but for our audience I'd say your statement is pretty true with most people not running stock settings.

What was your RAM capacity and how many sticks by the way? That also is often a large factor in what timings and frequency play nicely.

By the way, I found this post checking out the newest member to our forums... Chains!

Click to expand...

Hey thank you for the welcome.
Im using 2 x 1GB DDR2-1000 running in dual mode.

Before I fixed my problem I ran Memtest and it passed fine. Windows was working fine so I didn't know why my software crashed randomly and when I wanted to re-open the file I worked on it was permanently corrupted! I thought it was my software. Strange thing is I don't know why I cant keep my RAM timings the same, even though I'm using a lower FSB...

I'm new to this but messing with the timing borked my OS....even returning to the original settings didn't fix it. I think I corrupted my install perhaps you did too.

just a thought

hotcalculator said:

I'm new to this but messing with the timing borked my OS....even returning to the original settings didn't fix it. I think I corrupted my install perhaps you did too.

just a thought

Click to expand...

That is why you overclock SLOOOWLY...a couple of increments at a time, that way you might know what went wrong, and why.

Only mess with one setting at a time, and when you get that figured out, then you can move on to another.

It would seem that people today think that they are guaranteed a certain amount of overclock if they buy this chip and that ram, but all chips are different and all ram is different from one unit to another, and there is NO guarantee that you will get a successful overclock from ANY chip or video card, or mem. Sure you can expect some degree of success from certain batches, but it is still a crap-shoot...that is why overclocking is still considered an art rather than pure science.
Like I said, take your time and think about each setting you change, and why you need to change it, and if you don't understand a setting or menu, then ask what it's all about...there is no such thing as a stupid question if you do not know the answer...we've all been there and some of us still ask questions that have been answered many times b4.
Also, sometimes it's best to take everything back to stock and start over, and if you are hitting a wall, take notes as to what worked, what almost worked, and what doesn't....the reason I included the category "what almost worked" is because this is the grey area that can be looked at for a little tweeking of the settings or your thoughts at the time..believe me the notes do help.
Hope this helps,
Doc

DocClock aka MadClocker said:

That is why you overclock SLOOOWLY...a couple of increments at a time, that way you might know what went wrong, and why.

Only mess with one setting at a time, and when you get that figured out, then you can move on to another.

It would seem that people today think that they are guaranteed a certain amount of overclock if they buy this chip and that ram, but all chips are different and all ram is different from one unit to another, and there is NO guarantee that you will get a successful overclock from ANY chip or video card, or mem. Sure you can expect some degree of success from certain batches, but it is still a crap-shoot...that is why overclocking is still considered an art rather than pure science.
Like I said, take your time and think about each setting you change, and why you need to change it, and if you don't understand a setting or menu, then ask what it's all about...there is no such thing as a stupid question if you do not know the answer...we've all been there and some of us still ask questions that have been answered many times b4.
Also, sometimes it's best to take everything back to stock and start over, and if you are hitting a wall, take notes as to what worked, what almost worked, and what doesn't....the reason I included the category "what almost worked" is because this is the grey area that can be looked at for a little tweeking of the settings or your thoughts at the time..believe me the notes do help.
Hope this helps,
Doc

Click to expand...

Thanks for the advice Doc, it was a fresh install so I wasn't sweating it.

Think I may have found my hardware combo's 'sweet spot'...everyone say a prayer to the prime gods for me.