Strange Voltage Problem: 1700+ 0310X

[airspirit]

I don't know what's going on, but I have a DLT3C that won't allow me to run it at over 1.625V, and even that is unstable. Anything over that will not run at stock (1467) speeds. The computer literally just powers down. It has repeated this same behavior in an 8RDA+, a NF7-M, and a KT333 with three different power supplies.

Has anyone else ever seen this? I just got it from Excaliber PC today and I'm considering returning it ... if it wasn't for the fact that it can do 2.25 Ghz at 1.6V rock stable. I'm just bothered by a chip that is so touchy to power, and I'm wondering if this could foretell early death.

 

[tediber]

yes i have had complete shutdowns ..... but i think it has to do with my PSU ..... as after the shutdown the PSU won't power up for a few minutes ...... it happens only at 2.3ghz 1.7vcore after more than an hour of prime95 ..... or 2.4ghz at 1.825vcore a few minutes of prime95 ....... am on a generic 300w PSU ......... what type of PSU's did you use ???? these DLT3C's may run lower voltage but are hungry for current

 

[hitechjb1]

I have very similar problem w/ that chip.

Does this sound like a PSU problem?

 

[airspirit]

I used three different PSUs: A 480W TruePower, a 500W generic, and a 350W Raidmax and used them on three different boards. The symptoms were identical on all three boards, and since there are two different chipsets between the boards, I am guessing it is the fault of the processor.

I just need a good reason to RMA this sucker. It scares me to have a deformed chip (so to speak), and this is my second straight (my last was a 2100+ that can barely go over 2100 Mhz).

 

[hitechjb1]

For this chip, at the last 100 MHz, when it was getting hot 50C, I saw the 5V and 12V line became not stable (esp the 12V line). Also the line voltages went UP instead of down during Prime95, 150 mV for the 5V and 300-400mV (!!!!) for the 12V. Does this indicate something.

I used a dual PSU setup to test this, by moving the HD, DVD, all fans, floppy, ... to another PSU. It worked a bit better with no vertical line video corruption that I mentioned in another thread, but it did not solve the PSU line instability at the top end of 1.8V Vcore.

I was thinking about getting a SL400 or a TP 430W PSU to try, but apparently you said the TP 480 is also not working for you.

So I think my chip on air may be maxed out at around 2450-2500 MHz around 40-50 C die temperature at 1.72-1.8 Vcore, unless I go to liquid cooling to keep the die temperature and leakage current low.

 

[airspirit]

I tested this chip on high end watercooling. My average temp was around 35C (at 2250/1.6V it averages around 37C) and I've never seen it go over 41C regardless of how hard I push it. It stays nice and cool considering how hot my back room is. What bothers me though is how even at lower voltages it is randomly powering down the PC. I'm thinking that there may be a minor power leak somewhere in the packaging causing this to happen. While it doesn't happen as often under lower voltages (earlier this morning it powered down at 1.5V during some load testing), it still happens occasionally.

This is bothersome.

 

[airspirit]

Oh, and I've been monitoring the VCore levels while testing this thing, and on the two more powerful power supplies the levels are solid as a rock, so I KNOW it's not a case of voltage fluctuation. I wish I could see what was happening when it actually crashes ... but it's hard to watch a readout when your PC is off.

 

[rs600cubed]

Same problem here!

 

[hitechjb1]

How is the package cooling around your CPU, is there heat trapped around the CPU die. If package is cool, does it shutdown only when getting hotter or have certain working pattern. If it shutdowns randomly at cool, then it is probably something else, ...

I have been thinking that for these chips to be working at 0.1-0.15V lower in Vcore then the other 1.6, 1.65V TB B, they have low threshold transistors and hence above a certain die temperature which is lowered than the other 1.6, 1.65 V TB B, the current drawn by the chip will run away (del_Icore/del_Vcore(highTemp)>>del_Icore/del_Vcore(lowTemp)) due to the leakage current of the CPU transistors.

 

[hitechjb1]

Oh, and I've been monitoring the VCore levels while testing this thing, and on the two more powerful power supplies the levels are solid as a rock, so I KNOW it's not a case of voltage fluctuation. I wish I could see what was happening when it actually crashes ... but it's hard to watch a readout when your PC is off.

How about the 5V and the 12V? Esp the 12V, is it as solid as rock, within how much mV fluctuation during say Prime95 cranking? If it is a few 100 mV on the 12V line (like in my case, not top end PSU), it shows heavy current being drawn (probably from CPU).

 

[airspirit]

On my TruePower, there is only variation in the range of a few millivolts. On the screens that only go out to the hundreths place there is absolutely no change on any of my rails. To qualify that, though, it is fair to say that I only had the mobo and HDD plugged in. All case fans, optical drives, and peripherals were left unplugged (watercooled externally).

Edit: Voltage levels

12V -> 11.95V
5V -> 4.98V

 

[airspirit]

I'm doing an RMA on the damn thing. I explained the situation to one of their techs and he agreed to send another chip out because of how strange this situation is. I have to admit: I'm very pleased with that company ... their service is excellent.

 

[rs600cubed]

I just called and got someone who could BARELY speak english and he told me it had to be my hardware. He said they were only garunteed to do 200fsb at stock voltage after I explained the problem at 1.6+. I then told him I could only hit 190fsb at stock voltage and he said it must be my hardware. So that did absolutely no good.