P4C800-E Deluxe and Intel Prescott Processor Problems

I currently upgraded my computer from a Intel Pentium 4 2.8 Ghz Northwood processor to a Intel Pentium 4 3.2GHz Prescott Processor and ever since then Ive been having a slight problem. With the new prescott processor installed, when I play a game such as Counter-Strike, War Craft 3, or Rome:Total War or any game that would make the processor work hard my computer would just restart on its own and this also happens when I render movies as well. If I were to render a movie for say an hour my computer would just restart on its own.

I currently upgraded my bios once this problems started to occur to the 1016 bios, but still no luck my computer crashes with in a matter of time.

I am new to building computers ive built 5 so far but this problem had never happend to me so if any one knows or has suggestions on how to fix this problem I would appriciate it


Just an FYI of what my computer specs are if there are any problems with my hardware:

Power supply: Antec 430 watts
Mobo:Asus P4c800-E Deluxe
Processor: Intel P4 3.2GHz Prescott
Mem: Dual 512 PC3200 Corsair XMS series
Video Card : Radeon 9600XT
Case: Thermaltake XaserV
Heatsink: Zalmans Quiet Copper CPU Cooler

Well your problem may be caused by several things.

Is your cpu at stock speed? How hot is it?
Is it Prime95 stable?
Is your heatsink mounted well?
Is voltage from power supply steady?

Do you have stock heatsink installed or other? Check heatsink if it is installed properly

What your temps, and voltage

CPU Temp in idle: 40-50 C


Mobo Temp: 20-30
CPU temp during game play: 45-55







I dont know what programs to use for Prime95

I pretty sure the heat sink is mounted properly:
I basically used articsilver 5 compound but only in a small about pretty much a dot on the processor and then mounted the heatsink on top of the processor and turned the heat sink a degree to the right and to the left. After that I screwed on the screws tight. Connected the heatsink fan to the fan control device that came with the product and from that fan control device i connected it to the mobo. So if you see any thing wrong on how i mounted the heatsink please tell me so so i can fix it other than that i really dont know what is the problem.

Another FYI
http://www.zalmanusa.com/usa/product/code_list.asp?code=009
here is what my heatsink looks like and basically before i had the copper version i had the alcu version

and when i had installed that heatsink i recieved an error from my told me that there was a heat sink failure

but after changing the heat sink it seems as if the heatsink isnt the problem unless you think other wise.

Thanks for the help

it might be your psu (if the reading is near actual), the 12v line looks weak, temps look ok

Thats what I thought as well but would a weak PSU cause a system to reboot?

Because when I ran a 2.8 Northwood processor on this system it ran fine with no problem?

Also would a Prime95 test help in the solution to this problem if so what program or utility do I use to check it?


Here are my CPU temps and Voltage when im converting a movie

Try and up your cpu core voltage. 1.36v seems kinda low for that cpu, and your temp look ok...so try that. Then run Prime95-->open the program-->go to options-->torturetest-->then select "blend". See how long it will run before it fails if at all.

Also,

What is your DDR voltage set to?
What are the timings?
Have you disabled "legacy usb" in the bios? (probably not the problem but do this anyway)
Is your video card overclocked?

I think the Vcore is low, It says 1.36 in one screen and 1.296 another, isnt it supposd to be 1.4. What does it say in the bios.

btw- you posted your specs on the first post, you should create a sig so that it shows up on every post

Here are the results to the Prime95 test after 37 mins as you can see nothing happened so I really dont know what is wrong.

As for the Core I dont know how to raise this ive usually left every thing at default.

CPU-z results









More suggestions are welcome

I wouldn't dismiss the voltage or powere supply so quickly.

It doesn't seem to be running the default voltage. If it is, I think you need a new psu. Do you have the box? it will say on the box what voltage it's supposed to run at. As far as I know all 3.2E's run at 1.4V.

I don't think its fair to run one instance of prime on a HT comp for 37mins and call it stable. Generally you will want to run 2 instances for a lot longer.

You should try to set it manually to 1.4 then see what asus probe reports

[EDIT] Sorry, I just noticed that the new EO steppings can have as little as 1.35V[/EDIT]

Dont want to sound dumb or any thing but I really havnt been to the point where I had to tweek stuff on my comp which is probably what I should have learned before I built this computer

But any ways being a "newbie" and all how do I

1. adjust these settings such as Tweeking the PSU, the PSU should be running at 430 watts.

2. I updated my bios through Asus Update is that a bad way of updating my bios and should I a.) Update my bios using AFUDOS or b.) leave it as is

sorry for being so repetitive just wanted some advice from those who are more computer knowledgeable that I am

P.S. When I updated my bios through Asusupdate I recive a CMOS bad checksum after restart

Chewz said:

Dont want to sound dumb or any thing but I really havnt been to the point where I had to tweek stuff on my comp which is probably what I should have learned before I built this computer

But any ways being a "newbie" and all how do I

1. adjust these settings such as Tweeking the PSU, the PSU should be running at 430 watts.

2. I updated my bios through Asus Update is that a bad way of updating my bios and should I a.) Update my bios using AFUDOS or b.) leave it as is

sorry for being so repetitive just wanted some advice from those who are more computer knowledgeable that I am

P.S. When I updated my bios through Asusupdate I recive a CMOS bad checksum after restart

Click to expand...

1. You can't really adjust that psu, however, you can change your voltages for your cpu core , DDR ram and AGP slot via your boards Bios-->you can get into your bios by pressing the "Delete" key during system boot up. I would certainly do this.

2.I like AFUDOS, it's never failed me. Those windows based updates always make me nervous

I haven't heard of anyone having a problem using asus update. I've used it and it went fine. Checksum errors will happen after a bios flash. Only on the first boot after the flash. It's not a problem with the flash.

You can't tweak the PSU through the bios, some High end PSU's do have adjustible rails but it is done on the PSU.

If you do have the new EO Stepping then your PSU seems within specs.

HA HA I think I found the problem. THE 3.2 wasn't fully supported on the P4C800E-DLX
Until bios version 1017. Remember if you do this using asus update you need version 5.22.02

The latest Asus Update software v6.03.01 can be founf here
http://www.m3dzone.com/comments.php?shownews=7830&catid=3

bios updtaes can be found here, try 1019
http://www.asus.com/support/download/item.aspx?ModelName=P4C800-E Deluxe&Type=Latest

I hope that works for you

I do believe the 1016 bios is catered to the Northwood. I am currently using that very bios. Try flashing it to the 1019 bios which as I understand it is catered to the Prescott.

I flashed the bios to the 1019 bios but after an hours worth of playing a game my computer restarts.

So the next thing to try i guess it to buy a brand new PSU and if that doesn work I dont know what to do but call asus.

Any suggestions on what kind of power and a good brand ill need, right now im using an Antec Truepower 430 watts tell me if those results I posted match the specs of this PSU or if it is just that this PSU has gone bad over time.

basicly dude. you have a few issues you need to solve.

1. you are right those rails look kinda weak maybe a new psu would do it if it comes to that. you had better get a antec true550 24pin (NOT 20 PIN!!!!!)

1a. go into your bios and bump up your cpu vcore a notch or 2.

2. you havnt said what voltage you are running your memory at. yours requires at least 2.6 if it is already set to that. try 2.7

2a. you need to run memtest86+ to test your memory for errors. so go download it. and use it to make a bootable cd which runs the test...this is very simple regaurdless of how it sounds. you just set your bios to boot from your cd first.

3. you absolutly need to test with prime95 OVERNIGHT! 12 hours minimum!!! for stabilty there also need to be another program running such as ( "sisoft sandra 2004" burn in) or "cpu burn in" in order to keep the processor at 100% useage.

37 minutes just doesnt cut it in the slightest.



4. your temperatures of 55 are actually anywhere between 5-8C hotter
http://www.bleedinedge.com/reviews/abit_asus_temps/abit_asus_temps_01.html
so its a safe practice to assume its 8C hotter. so your actual load temps are 63C still 10C under max of 73C...but far from cool.

4a.you may want to try putting on a bit more AS5 on your heatsink as well as getting some better airflow through your case.


also. the asus p4pand p4c800's have droop issues with thier voltage. it overvolts at idle and undervolts at load so this may be a large part of the issue.

try all of this out and get back to us.

Thanks for the help, looks like I have a lot to learn still...

but any ways I will try those things tonight and will report back to you guys tomorrow (02/03/05) with my results other than that I have a few questions.

First off what does each of these test do exactly? such as Prime95 and Memetest86+ and how long should each test run I know that the Prime 95 test should run longer than what I ran it for.

Second, should I get that new power supply before raising my vcore or would it be safe to go ahead and raise it, also I pretty much left every thing on auto or default on my mobo just to prevent me from doing harm to it seeing that im really not experienced. I am basically a person who just connects the wires to the right places and installs windows and hope to god it works until this starts happening of course.. .

Third, if you have any specific websites or books with information to properly teach me these certain things I would appreciate it It seems my way of just putting things together isnt good enough and I would like to futher learn more about what things do etc.

As you can see im not really any good at this so I hope this thread wasnt to much of a hassle for you all but I thank you guys for taking the time to look over my situation and help solve it.

I would re-apply as5 as i do believe you have installed it incorrectly. You should have a thin even coat over the entire core. check arctic silver web site for instructions. Then you could check your voltages with a digital multimeter to get an acurate reading, i never trust what software reads as my experiance has always found it to be incorrect. Post back with readings and we can go from there.

Chewz said:

Thanks for the help, looks like I have a lot to learn still...

but any ways I will try those things tonight and will report back to you guys tomorrow (02/03/05) with my results other than that I have a few questions.

First off what does each of these test do exactly? such as Prime95 and Memetest86+ and how long should each test run I know that the Prime 95 test should run longer than what I ran it for.

Second, should I get that new power supply before raising my vcore or would it be safe to go ahead and raise it, also I pretty much left every thing on auto or default on my mobo just to prevent me from doing harm to it seeing that im really not experienced. I am basically a person who just connects the wires to the right places and installs windows and hope to god it works until this starts happening of course.. .

Third, if you have any specific websites or books with information to properly teach me these certain things I would appreciate it It seems my way of just putting things together isnt good enough and I would like to futher learn more about what things do etc.

As you can see im not really any good at this so I hope this thread wasnt to much of a hassle for you all but I thank you guys for taking the time to look over my situation and help solve it.

Click to expand...

1. Prime95 is a stress programe. It has your computer cruch/calculate prime numbers, if your computer starts to provide incorrect values then this is your first signal that something is wrong with your computers stability. It can also be used to burn in a cpu and set thermal paste. Run prime95 for a min of 12hours. I've found that if it doesn't fail by then you'll be fine when gaming.

If your not an overclocker why on earth would you purchase an overclocking board? Since you bought a great board it is now your duty and obligation to overclock it .....later anyway after you solve this stability problem.

2. Memtest is a DOS based programe that tests your memory and looks for errors. This programe must be copied to a MS-DOS formatted disc inorder to work, then you just need to boot up your computer with that disc in your boot drive and the programe will start to run.

3. Do not get a new power supply....yet. You still have many other issues to rule out....RAISE your cpu voltage a few notches....you will not break anything. AND raise your ram voltage to 2.8.

4. I don't see any reason to re-apply thermal paste...your temps are fine for an air cooled prescott chip.

5. I you want to learn just hang out here....I give you a good link for this board when I find it again.

Look here at abxzone:

http://www.abxzone.com/forums/showthread.php?t=59206

okay I changed my AI OC Turner to manual and I was just wondering if I should change the values of each item to that of the webpage you gave me?

Right now i have my CPU external freq @ 200 MHz, and everything else is on auto.

The vcore values I have to choose from are 1.6000 to 1.9500 and go up by increments of .025

For DDR Voltage I can raise to 2.55 to 2.85 and raise up by increments of .10