ic7 max 3 problems Help Please

[ibby]

System specs

IC7 max 3 version 18 of BIOS.
2xcdrom drives
9800pro
presccot 3.0e
1gig giel pc 4000 / ocz pc 4400El.
some fans, etc....
antec 550w

Ok about 3 days ago my problems started...

This is gona be long to get cup of tea / roll up a cig and read up....

About 1 week ago I got a mach 1 unit off Extreme prometia, with that
I bought and 3.0e E0 from Ebay.

I installed all the hardware, and watched the Toms hardware vid on the mach
instliation.

The setup went find. and I was really happy.
tempsrature in windows were -1 idle and 15load.

So I decided to do some otherclocking, I also upgraded the BIOS to version 18, which was "supposed to unlock" certain Multiplyers. which never did work.

I ran my system at 250FSB 1:1, system worked flawlsly, however i was behncmarking at 4 gig core speed with a 5:4 divider running.
as my memory wouldnt go past 255FSB with 2.9v.

I prime tested it and it passed with out any issues.

1 Day ago my problems started with random crashing and freezing, so I decided to run "mem test" windows version.

It said it had detected over 3 errors in my memory which then needed to be replaced. this was at 250 FSB.

So I lowered the FSB to 200mhz / 200FSB and did the mem test and it passed with out errors. :S

So I got intouch with giel support they said it could be "fuxed" memory and they would replace it. :D I was happy... really happy.

Then I saw Dales advert of the PC 4400 OCZ EL, I tought 4 gig at 1:1 speed :D
Yesterday night I met with Dale aka Dazboots and bought the memory from him.
Plugged it in my PC yesterday night and it still gave me the errors. I increased the volts from stock to 2.9v which didnt resolve the issue.

I then swapped the DIm slots over from 1,3 to 2>4. Still memory errors when runing 250FSB.

I sat down thinking and had a little brain wave, It could be the L2 Cache on the prescott CPU which is / Fired and will no longer run over stock.

SO I took my Mach 1 aprt yesterday Carefully and installed my P4 northwood 2.8c, Which I have ran 3.2 on stock on air.

Whilst there i went to inspect the socket, for condenstation / crroision, None whats so ever, The contact was perfect on the CPU.

I put my mach together and it posted went into windows and worked at stock.

I left it priming for 1 hour, worked fine. I then decided to turn up the FSB and overclock the 2.8c to 3.2 ... My nightmare started again.

The PC Froze / crashed and rebooted But wouldnt post. :(

So I reset the CMOS, and unpluged my extra HDDs and cdroms drives,
just leaving the mobo + 1 hdd + memory + processor + mach plugged into the psu.

It wouldnt post'ed when to the POST screen and said "cpu checksum error press F1" My PC shut down, I then started thinking PSU.

So I took my 9800pro out and put a 8800 GL (AGP no molex powered from AGP port) The PC booted I tought YES All along it was an PSU issue ... but I was wrong... I got into windows loaded up MBM5 and checked the 12+ 5+ lines they the 12+ line was at 11.55> 11.67 and the 5+ was slightly lower...

So I pulled out my multimeter and probed the PSU.
My actuall 12+ line was 11.95 and my 5+ was at 5.03 underload at on a stock 2.8c ....

The only thing I did before was I flashed My BIOS to version 18 .....
so I tried to downflash using abits windows flash manager .. and I got this error message "The BIOS on your motherboad does not support list!
Please see Flash Menu FAQ at abit website for more information."

I was using the current abit flasher ... :(

So I downloaded the BIOS and manually flashed it. version 17

I plugged all my extras in Hdds / fans / cdroms drive and both my 12+ and 5+ line stated about the same with 0.1 > 0.05 drops underload.

So I set the Mobo divider to 1:1 and memoery pci bus fixed.
rebooted and tried memory test at 250 FSB .. it failed. 240 FSB .. failed ... 230 FSB failed ....
and 220FSB Passed .. but i cant get any higher......

If I go any higher it crashs / Freezes the system / cant benchmark

Where is my problem ..
This IC7 max 3 was replaced by one which died .... with out overclocking, Ive had this mobo about 6 months.. and was bought from Over-clock.



Some one help. I have tried every thing in my book.

I think it is the motherboard, which is dieing a slow death, It doesnt always POST,
and I have to rester the CMOS to get it to work.
(if it crashs whilst ive overclocked when iam behcning / memtest)

:angry2:

Ill really apriciate it if some one can help..

[lalPOOO]

I have read through your post and I have come up with 2 things that it might be. The first is that condensation and possibly corrosion from the mach1 has caused these problems, so you might want to check to make sure you insulated well enough. It could also be that you gave your prescott to much voltage, and its now dying? Its quite possible, as northwood chips were affected by something fairly similar to what you're describing after being used at more then 1.7v...

[ibby]

Ok,

Thanks for replying Lalapoo.

Ive tired 2 cpus in the motherboard.
No condenstation has formed around /
under the socket. :)

I had ordered a replacment mobo 3 days go.
(asus delux). It was supposed to arrive this
moring but they have sent me the wrong motherboard.

I had taken all my PC to bits ready for the new instlation.
of the motherboard.

The Replacemt asus board arrived, but it was the wrong one.

SO I decided to join my PC back together, knowing that I wont
have a new toy for christmas, I was weeping like a girl. :D , Not really.

Any way. I relayed the silcone grease, inside and behind the socket.

Put my Precott CPU up and plugged it all in.
and mounted my thermal probe next to the core of the cpu.

Booted up and decided to try to overclock a little more
250fsb 1:1 and it went with out errors.
did prime for 1 hour, normaly it would fail with in, 30 mintes. :D
so i ran prime again at 266 1:1 that passed.

I tired to run prime at 270>275 it failed with in a couple of minutes. :(

I had previously Swaped processors and but nothing had resolved it.
and remounted the head to make sure i was getting good connection between the die and the processor.

But atm it is working at 4 gig on stock folts 1:1 266 :)

Iam letting it bed in, and then iam gona boost the northbridge voltage and go for stable 4.1 gig and 4.2 etc. :)

[XyKo]

You might want to do this. Some users (including me), when taking the mach off teh cpu, your cpu might get loose and a pin may have broken off. Check your cpu to see if any pins broke off. There's a pin in there that control the voltage. Hopes it's not that one that's missing.

[ibby]

well .. I took the mach head off, and took mobo out,
Went to clean it.
(just clean)
put it back in, and it works fine :S

well iam hapy now :D

[dsumanik]

I had a max3 before i switched over to the amd camp, a great board with one major flaw:

VTT voltage does not track properly (should be at half) at anything over 2.8 vdimm, which literally means 2.85-3.2 volts are useless.

Selecting theses options for vdimm in the bios, will result in mjajor instability.

I dont know if this has anything to do with your problems, however i noticed you had 2.9vdimm set up in your initial overclock.

If this is your problem there is a mod you can do for your board, and guide to install it done by a guy named madcat over at the abit-usa forums, under the max series mobo's thread, there is also a VERY lengthy discussion of the vtt problem and many pother problenms for this board.

Check it out.

[ibby]

I had a bit of a trouble finding out the source data

but ive uploaded it here.

http://cmia.co.uk/Vtt/

[Stocky]

The VTT is the main issue with this board, the Hipro5 mods are good - there is a guide at the lab. It's a great board, I found it was best with good clocking northys. :D

[ibby]

The VTT is the main issue with this board, the Hipro5 mods are good - there is a guide at the lab. It's a great board, I found it was best with good clocking northys. :D
and prescotts :toast: