View Full Version : What's the deal with Conroe MBs dying when overclocked?
Eastcoasthandle
06-21-2006, 09:56 PM
OK, if you don't mind telling us the community what's going on here? I am reading post that the badaxe is dying when you overclock it with a core 2 duo. I have read other posts with other MB. Fugger, FCG, etc. can you give light to what's going on here? I am ready to purchase but if there are bugs I would rather wait until their are fixed. I seen one post that pointed to a fried mosfet on a badaxe. What's going on here?
Supertim0r
06-21-2006, 10:02 PM
IIRC FCG told it was with vdimm modded board
Random thought based on nothing:
Maybe the new PWM revision is using non-ideal components? a la 7900GT
Thats really a stab in the dark, based on the original post and some creative thinking, nothing more!
eva2000
06-22-2006, 12:02 AM
IIRC FCG told it was with vdimm modded board
yeah believe it happens after you do the vdimm mod..
Eastcoasthandle
06-22-2006, 12:24 PM
is that so?? Interesting
is that so?? Interesting
No, my board died because of dead pci slot (took X-fi sound as well)
mdzcpa
06-22-2006, 01:53 PM
Hmmmm....subscribed.
With my x6800 and bad axe on the way, this thread has me more than a bit concerned. Any reports of CPU harm done when the mobo dies?
ea6gka
06-22-2006, 01:54 PM
No, my board died because of dead pci slot (took X-fi sound as well)
was the same board as the one who gave you trouble with bios settings?
Charles Wirth
06-22-2006, 01:57 PM
The problem happened with the older A and B rev chips.
No chip damage to anyone so far. One report of a sound card being killed is the only hardware I have seen reported dying as a result.
Both of my boards were unmodded, my second board may be condensation related but no way to confirm.
Vapor
06-22-2006, 02:02 PM
I've had one die...no vdimm mod (wasn't even pushing the memory hard), didnt take anything with it.
ea6gka
06-22-2006, 02:06 PM
oh crap, are there any symptoms , i mean have they warned that they were about to die?
Vapor
06-22-2006, 02:08 PM
If running 400x10 under air is a symptom, then I guess I had one, otherwise no.
(And that's why I had no SS's, just camera shots of my 4GHz air run)
mdzcpa
06-22-2006, 02:11 PM
The problem happened with the older A and B rev chips.
No chip damage to anyone so far. One report of a sound card being killed is the only hardware I have seen reported dying as a result.
Both of my boards were unmodded, my second board may be condensation related but no way to confirm.
Okay, this doesn't sound too threatening then. I'm going to push everything along as far as I can on water before I move to phase. I'm going to monitor the progress and move slowly. That way, in case the mobo goes, I'll have a better idea of what the problem was.
Call me crazy, but I love all this new hardware trail blazing :)
Johnny Sack
06-22-2006, 02:18 PM
For the record how many confirmed Intel boards have blown, OCing or stock with Conroe?
I swear I read of an Intel board dying with no mods and another one with a blown fet near the RAM(modded).
Vapor
06-22-2006, 02:21 PM
I'd say that >25% of the boards had blown...and wouldn't be AT ALL suprised if it were >50%
sierra_bound
06-22-2006, 02:25 PM
My Bad Axe also died after a couple of weeks. A few people also lost their RAM along with their boards. My RAM survived.
Although people have gotten great results with the Bad Axe, I just don't think the board was designed for extreme overclocking. I'm moving on to something else.
The funny thing is that my AOpen Yonah board is still chugging along, and it's suffered a lot more abuse at my hands than my Bad Axe board.
ea6gka
06-22-2006, 02:26 PM
oh noes...already in love with it :(
Eastcoasthandle
06-22-2006, 03:05 PM
here are reports here in this thread post 178 (http://www.ocforums.com/showthread.php?t=464023&page=6)
&
Here post 193 (http://www.ocforums.com/showthread.php?t=464023&page=7)
Can anyone else confirm burnt dimm mosfets as in post 193??
Or damaged caps or other fets? f you do could have damage like this on your conroe board please, please, please take a decent photos and post them here.
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a154/eastcoasthandle/bad_fet.jpg
this is from post 193
sierra_bound
06-22-2006, 04:55 PM
My board does not show that damage. In fact I can't see any damage anywhere.
I don't think the same thing is responsible for killing all the boards that have died. There have been a few cases where users reported VDimm suddenly surging above 3v which of course is not good. Maybe Intel will fix some of the problems in the next revision. But there's no way I'm going to buy another Rev.304 board.
Eastcoasthandle
06-23-2006, 05:42 AM
has anyone else noticed similar problems with other boards??
taemun
06-23-2006, 06:01 AM
My Bad Axe also died after a couple of weeks. A few people also lost their RAM along with their boards.
:(
By the looks of it this thread is more aimed at BadAxe's .. not anything 965 based? Is that a fair comment?
DaWaN
06-23-2006, 07:26 AM
:(
By the looks of it this thread is more aimed at BadAxe's .. not anything 965 based? Is that a fair comment?
Lol the 965 boards aren't even out yet....
But I think the bad axe is the only Conroe board which shipped in great volumes so far :)
Eastcoasthandle
06-23-2006, 10:42 AM
Maybe that will explain why they already have a badaxe 2, possibly???
Eastcoasthandle
06-26-2006, 08:44 AM
And, why are people still recommending them??
ShiningArcanine
06-26-2006, 08:55 AM
And, why are people still recommending them??
It is possible to unlock the mutiplier on them.
It is possible to unlock the mutiplier on them.
They must have missed that feature in the one I got...
ScottFern
06-26-2006, 11:38 AM
I had a question regarding this issue. Are these Mobos dieing because of EXTREME voltages or are people just increasing their vcore and vdimm by like .2v and the board fries?
sierra_bound
06-26-2006, 11:44 AM
I believe some unmodded boards have also died. A few people with DMM's have noticed big spikes in memory voltage. This is mainly with modded boards. Once the memory voltage gets above 3v you're greatly increasing the risk of the modules frying. I heard one report of someone whose VDimm spiked to 3.4v! The board died but surprisingly the memory (D9 Fat Body) survived.
irev210
06-26-2006, 11:53 AM
I think there are too many variables to really say what the issue is.
I wouldnt just start rumors about the badaxe until you have some sort of theory about why they are dying.
Out of the thousands of mobo's out there, maybe 20 have died? Is that any worse than other motherboards?
Gautam
06-26-2006, 11:55 AM
Another unmodded Bad Axe checking in. One of the vdimm mosfets loudly popped and I saw a little bit of smoke around the area. Was running stock everything at the time, with the exception of vdimm, which was at 2.2v.
I think nearly everyone in this particular community who has owned a Bad Axe, has lost one, with only a couple of exceptions.
sierra_bound
06-26-2006, 11:56 AM
Who's starting rumors? I'm reporting what I know. Several members have lost more than one board. That's a fact. I think the risk is probably lower on unmodded boards.
Also, if you narrow it down to people with Rev.304 boards and Conroe, the number of users becomes much smaller. Remember that some board changes were made in Rev.304.
ScottFern
06-26-2006, 11:58 AM
Wow, that doesn't make me want to go run out to Fry's and buy one. lol That sounds like something I would do just give it a little vdimm increase to keep the tight timings at higher clocks.
ShiningArcanine
06-26-2006, 01:00 PM
They must have missed that feature in the one I got...
You need the Intel Systems Integrator Toolkit. There is a thread someone started in April detailing how it is done.
ShiningArcanine
06-26-2006, 01:01 PM
I wonder if Intel cut corners on its Bad Axe design. Is it doing anything differently from what other motherboard manufacturers are doing in regard to the memory MOSFETs?
SturmoV
06-26-2006, 01:10 PM
BAD AXE.
The board seems to be living up to its name, eh? :stick: :p:
stealthbomber
06-26-2006, 04:19 PM
Think I'll hold out until I see more reports of these Conroe boards... :stick:
tvdang7
06-26-2006, 04:39 PM
hmm..... so this is with conroe only right?
ScottFern
06-26-2006, 04:42 PM
Yeah, I think I will wait for the other manufacturers to release their mobos....
p360stick
06-26-2006, 05:36 PM
Yeah, I think I will wait for the other manufacturers to release their mobos....
me 2, and see which is the best mb
whoodiestyle
06-26-2006, 06:09 PM
BAD AXE.
The board seems to be living up to its name, eh? :stick: :p:
lol
Blue078
06-26-2006, 06:40 PM
Bad Axe rev 304 with a PD920, OC De Bug mod {soldered pins + shorting bar} no other mods. 3 dead sticks of mem, all sticks that died were in the first blue slot.
Lasted almost 2weeks before the big bang!
1 stick OCZ
1 stick PQI
1 stick Patriot
Board was setup on wooden work bench.
taemun
06-26-2006, 06:41 PM
Bad Axe rev 304 with a PD920, OC De Bug mod {soldered pins + shorting bar} no other mods. 3 dead sticks of mem, all sticks that died were in the first blue slot.
Lasted almost 2weeks before the big bang!
1 stick OCZ
1 stick PQI
1 stick Patriot
Board was setup on wooden work bench.
:o ouchies. Whats the "debug" mod supposed to do? (other than RMA ram :D)
t
Blue078
06-26-2006, 06:48 PM
:D
So you can OC non EE/ES CPU's
Board worked fine for over a week with mod.
SturmoV
06-26-2006, 10:29 PM
Bad Axe rev 304 with a PD920, OC De Bug mod {soldered pins + shorting bar} no other mods. 3 dead sticks of mem, all sticks that died were in the first blue slot.
Lasted almost 2weeks before the big bang!
1 stick OCZ
1 stick PQI
1 stick Patriot
Board was setup on wooden work bench.
So, the board blew up and took three mem sticks with it, before it did?! :eek: :slapass:
I would be pissed if it happened to one of these> http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820146114
which is what I got for my Conroe rig. :stick:
Guees RMAing the board itself is out of question, but what about those sticks? How do you go about a situation like that?
Evilsizer
06-27-2006, 12:36 AM
well this guy lost his set of c3's to the badaxe and they are $450 at newegg.
http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?t=103629
i would be pissed if $400+ ram died or even if it cost $200+
Devious
06-27-2006, 03:35 AM
Guees RMAing the board itself is out of question, but what about those sticks? How do you go about a situation like that?
Id like to know that too.
I ordered an asus P5WBH last week and it arrives today/tomorrow then i notice threads popping up since saying bad axe is still the best overclocking board. I saw a bad axe for sale Monday and bought it, it should be here today/tomorrow, now all these threads popping about them blowing sheesh ! :eek:
I am not a pro or anything but i think the boards coming out now or later should not have such a problem.I donno but i get a feeling that the Asus P5WDH wont be having such a problem ? Am i right ?
eva2000
06-27-2006, 04:08 AM
well this guy lost his set of c3's to the badaxe and they are $450 at newegg.
http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?t=103629
i would be pissed if $400+ ram died or even if it cost $200+
yeah but he volt modded the board for 2.55+ vdimm heh
Blue078
06-27-2006, 04:10 AM
So, the board blew up and took three mem sticks with it, before it did?! :eek: :slapass:
I would be pissed if it happened to one of these> http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820146114
which is what I got for my Conroe rig. :stick:
Guees RMAing the board itself is out of question, but what about those sticks? How do you go about a situation like that?
I shop at Fry's :D
No the board didn't blow up. Never did find any physical defects, burnt spots etc". Just any stick that was placed in the first blue dimm didn't last very long.
BulldogPO
06-27-2006, 04:40 AM
I'm also hoping that Asus P5W DH wo'nt die..
eva2000
06-27-2006, 09:36 PM
I shop at Fry's :D
No the board didn't blow up. Never did find any physical defects, burnt spots etc". Just any stick that was placed in the first blue dimm didn't last very long.
anyone use black dimm slots of dead ram ? maybe it's dimm slot dependent ?
Vapor
06-27-2006, 09:48 PM
VDIMM surges (>>3V, usually up near 4V) to all four slots when the mosfet goes pop....:(
There are boards dying of reasons other than this DIMM problem though.
And the unlocked multis is definitely not the reason why we use this board :stick:
It's easy to get, it's a good OCer while it works, its mods are known, it's full-featured, etc. Yes, it's not GREAT at much (max OC, clock-for-clock speeds, voltage options), but after awhile...we all really start to like the board. Then it dies :p:
Well I just cancelled my Bad Axe order, because of this scaaaary thread(t). :D
Guess I'll have to wait for my DFI then!
Can somebody post a photo and do a red circle around the mosfet in question so that I can point air at it?
eva2000
06-28-2006, 07:20 AM
Can somebody post a photo and do a red circle around the mosfet in question so that I can point air at it?
i would like to know too.. i think it's these 2 that i sinked but not sure... someone confirm please :)
http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=48714&stc=1&d=1151507991
stealthbomber
06-28-2006, 07:48 AM
Hmm think you should use sinks along with active cooling on whatever part that is burning out, HS on all MOSFETs and IC's wouldn't be a bad idea, cheap to get a bags worth of those tiny sinks from sidewinder...
How are you guys gonna fix the vdimm voltage surges? :stick:
eva2000
06-28-2006, 07:52 AM
Hmm think you should use sinks along with active cooling on whatever part that is burning out, HS on all MOSFETs and IC's wouldn't be a bad idea, cheap to get a bags worth of those tiny sinks from sidewinder...
How are you guys gonna fix the vdimm voltage surges? :stick:
yeah i got it actively cooled now.. just finished installing the gear.. haven't installed windows yet LOL
http://i4memory.com/reviewimages/motherboards/intel/975XBX_rev304/installed/html/thumbnails/thumb_975XBX_052.JPG (http://i4memory.com/reviewimages/motherboards/intel/975XBX_rev304/installed/html/photos/975XBX_052.html)
gone_fishin
06-28-2006, 08:16 AM
Hmm think you should use sinks along with active cooling on whatever part that is burning out, HS on all MOSFETs and IC's wouldn't be a bad idea, cheap to get a bags worth of those tiny sinks from sidewinder...
How are you guys gonna fix the vdimm voltage surges? :stick:
It was posted that voltage surges when you blow a mosfet. Stop the mosfet from blowing and the voltage surge will not happen.
Honestly people, if you vdimm mod to run voltages higher than what the parts on the board as they are set up for (mosfet with no sink) or are rated for, what do you expect to happen?
It was posted that voltage surges when you blow a mosfet. Stop the mosfet from blowing and the voltage surge will not happen.
Honestly people, if you vdimm mod to run voltages higher than what the parts on the board as they are set up for (mosfet with no sink) or are rated for, what do you expect to happen?
Well, still works on other boards :)
Uhm why you keep buying this board when it's very much likely that your board and also ram gets killed?? No matter if vdimm modded or not.
Eastcoasthandle
06-28-2006, 10:05 AM
Uhm why you keep buying this board when it's very much likely that your board and also ram gets killed?? No matter if vdimm modded or not.
<a href="http://www.smileycentral.com/?partner=ZSzeb008_ZNfox000" target="_blank"><img src="http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/36/36_1_25.gif" alt="Scared 1" border="0"></a>
mdzcpa
06-29-2006, 05:03 AM
Uhm why you keep buying this board when it's very much likely that your board and also ram gets killed?? No matter if vdimm modded or not.
Because it is NOT "very much likely." You are completely over exaggerating the issue. The Bad Axe mobo has been out for MONTHS, long before the conroe chips arrived. Thousands of boards have been sold and this is just becoming a known issue.
The reality is that folks are now starting to push the board hard beyond its limits with the arrival of the conroe chips. Most of the failures I've read about have come from modded boards. There are a few failures from unmodded boards but they are quite few in number.
Intel mobos have NEVER been known for overclocking. The very fact that an Intel mobo even has OC options is something new. What surprises me is how overclocking overvolting caused board failures on an Intel mobo surprise any body.:rolleyes:
Seeing its the first mobo readily available that supports conroe, its not a bad option to get people started. Folks just need to use some common sense here.