another FX-9590/Sabertooth 990FX R2.0 lock up thread

So, like the title says, I've been having issues where my computer will just lock up randomly. This PC is used solely for a media server. I will surf the web on it once in a while but no gaming or other CPU intensive apps. This has been happening since i built it, maybe 6 months ago, but at some point i got it so that it only happened once or twice a week. Over the last 2 weeks the problems seem to have returned with a vengeance.

In the process of troubleshooting, my original SSD seemed like it was having issues while booting up. Unable to open programs at boot, sometimes not even getting past the Asus screen, showing disk read error press ctrl+alt+del. So i replaced the original with the Sasmung EVO Pro 850. For 2 days everything was working great, so last night i put the case back together and set it back in the computer desk from whence it came.

I woke up this morning to a locked up PC. I took the case apart and set it back on the floor. I've been running Prime95 on blend since 6AM (it's been 8 hours at this point) and everything seems to be fine. I also have CPUID HWMonitor running and am concerned about the temp readings. Under the Motherboard/Temperatures/CPU it says 63C. Under Processor/Temperature/Package it says 37C. That seems like a big difference vs the other threads i've seen on these devices.

I believe my sig has the parts to my build. As far as other info...
i just have the standard case fans and AIO fans running. the front fan is probably useless as there are 7 hard drives blocking any airflow.
The AIO fans are blowing out the top.
I put my hand right in front of and behind the rear case fan and can't tell which way it's blowing air. I feel like this is probably hampering things.
PSU fan is blowing straight up into the GFX card. this probably isn't helping.
The desk in which the computer sits has a pretty tight spot for this case. The desk is definitely replaceable when we move in the next couple weeks. I imagine the airflow issue is hindered by the the rear and top vents being a little blocked, however the locking/freezing up has happened when it was just sitting on the counter as well.
i never get a blue screen or any errors. The whole thing just locks up and requires me to hit the hard reset button.
i'm on the preferred defaults in my BIOS. But i also have the Power Saving macro selected. This seemed to help right away.

OK, that's everything off the top of my head. I guess i'm looking for recommendations for better airflow if that's what i need, or if i need to tweak the BIOS, i'll need some help with that. I'll attach the HWMonitor screenshot below. Again, this is after about 8 hours of P95 on blend.

Let me know what other info i need to provide for the best assistance.

Thank you



Motherboard - SABERTOOTH 990FX R2.0
CPU - AMD FX-9590
RAM - Klevv Fit 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3 1600
SSD - Samsung EVO Pro 850 256
HD - 7 WD Green HD of various sizes
PSU - CORSAIR RMx Series RM1000X
Case - Fractal Design Define R5
Video Card - MSI Radeon R9 380
Cooler - SilverStone TD02-LITE

Is the above shot of HWmonitor at idle or while it's running a program such as Prime 95?

You are right in that CPU temps are way too high BUT know the 9590 will tend to run hotter anyway than standard FX chips.

Are you running it a default settings in the BIOS?
I'm asking that because although HWmonitor does show a voltage reading for the CPU sometimes that's not quite accurate. The 9590's can run at it's stock speeds with less voltage than stock and still be stable, I've actually had mine there (4.7GHz) at 1.40v's without any issues and that also made it run a little cooler too. Not saying yours is capable but the default CPU voltage is kinda high.
Safe (enough) temps for a 9590 are 62c or lower under load since it's load, not idle temps that count.

I would also be sure the fans on your cooler's radiator are working properly and that the fins on your rad are clear of anything choking the airflow down.

If all else fails you'll have to downclock the CPU and drop the voltage to get temps under control.

That's all I can suggest ATM.

this smells of idle vcore sag if I am reading it right and a change of llc might be in order.

thank you for the response.

yeah, that screenshot is after 8 hours of P95 on blend.
the last time i was in the BIOS i hit F5 to reset to default. that was in the midst of all of the lockups so that by itself didn't seem to fix anything.

unfortunately this is my first attempt at an overclocked CPU (even though i'm not trying to go above and beyond) and don't know much about what the correct voltages would be. so if it's reporting incorrectly, i would have no idea.

as far as i know the fans under the radiator are doing a good job. they are blasting air up through the radiator then through the vent. i'll try to post some pics of the case if i have any.

thank you again

- - - Updated - - -

caddi daddi said:

this smells of idle vcore sag if I am reading it right and a change of llc might be in order.

Click to expand...

i'll definitely use google to translate that into something i can understand....

i replied below, but unfortunately i'm new to the AMD/OC world and have never had to mess with voltage before.

well, scratch that, you need to raise the base vcore and leave the llc alone.

^Lol!

It means give the vCore a notch or 2 and lower the LLC by a notch or 2. Am I right C_D?

Edit: you beat me to it!

caddi daddi said:

well, scratch that, you need to raise the base vcore and leave the llc alone.

Click to expand...

thank you, both of you.

so i'm not by the computer right now. I assume i do that in the BIOS before the computer gets to Windows, right?

are vCore and LLC notches easy to find in Advanced Mode? I'm pretty sure i can't just bump them up or down by preset intervals, right? is there a value i should be aiming for?

Yes, they are:
You'll find the Vcore in the main "AI tweaker" page, set it to what you see in CPU-z, and the cpu vcoe load line calibration in "digi+ power control", set it to high or medium (auto usually sets it to Ultra High).

Check what CPU-z reports under load and adjust in bios to make it match what it was at stock.

Ex.: @stock, CPU-z shows 1.46 under load. Once you have set the LLC to medium, it shows 1.43v under load, with the vCore manually set to 1.46v. Add 0.03 to the vCore in AI Tweaker and you should have 1.46v under load.

Tír na nÓg said:

Yes, they are:
You'll find the Vcore in the main "AI tweaker" page, set it to what you see in CPU-z, and the cpu vcoe load line calibration in "digi+ power control", set it to high or medium (auto usually sets it to Ultra High).

Check what CPU-z reports under load and adjust in bios to make it match what it was at stock.

Ex.: @stock, CPU-z shows 1.46 under load. Once you have set the LLC to medium, it shows 1.43v under load, with the vCore manually set to 1.46v. Add 0.03 to the vCore in AI Tweaker and you should have 1.46v under load.

Click to expand...

hey! math... i can do that

however the locking/freezing up has happened when it was just sitting

But i also have the Power Saving macro selected.

Click to expand...

Needs Ultra High LLC to pin your voltage. Set to 1.4640v (highest I saw in monitor)

Turn off the power savings. Get better cooling. It's too hot.

Leaks juice like a lemon in a squeezer. Pstate at 4.2ghz is probably over 1.50v - And may sometimes require this.

Problem: Under-volt hang. AMD cpu's have done this many times in the past.

Cure: More volts (and probably cooling)