MSI Active Phase Control blowing

[godzzila]

It seems that MSI has some trouble with feature Active Phase Switching with software control.

You know MSI Control Center II utility for Sandy Bridge. Here is GreenPower Function with manual change active phase. You can choose 1 - 6 all phases.
But there is no protect!!

If you choose 1 phase and CPU utilize 50% or more procent the phase blows up!

H67 model is now death after 1 phase and run HD movie. (CPU ok)

P67A-GD80 death too (blow phase on picture) no overclocking no manual phase changing only max power saving choose... After run game (Crysis 2) smells and blows up. As well as my 2600K ES now death

Anyone with that issue?

[Raja@ASUS]

Phase control should never be left in the hands of end-users for this reason (OCP isn't always a security against failure). RMA the board, and ditch that aspect of the software if you're going to get a replacement. If you're running at stock and are looking at saving every last watt, leave the BIOS level auto phase switching on. That way the power phases will be utilized according to load.

[Sentential]

MSI having power delivery issues? SHOCKING! . Sorry for your loss tho

[sin0822]

too bad too b/c that board actually looks like it has decent amount of phases

[godzzila]

I am a reviewer and I was testing this feature only for presentation good power consumption which MSI has without GreenPower and with. I think that most testers this feature did not try. Firstly when I test P67A-GD65 month ago. Everything was fain with high overclocked air 5GHz CPU two weeks stable without problems. Review was very positive this is really good MB's.

I don't know what MSI thinking but this is very big problem if it is SW problem and any MB can died. The users hasn't any responsibility if this happend. I have information that in PC shop which somebody RMA MB. The testing technicien's CPU and memories died too.

So I was reported problem to my regional PR MSI after month (when H67 model died) but still no response.

[Dumo]

Those mobo makers should responded promptly if something like this happened

After all, we the end customer spent our hard earned $$ for this hardware

[Leeghoofd]

Good find there man !!

[Falkentyne]

They need to REMOVE that software from their packaged systems. It should not be available for any reason.
*correction* anything to do with phase control should not be available to be used.

Anyone who buys that board has that software, and imagine if someone's kid starts messing with it...

[GFORCE100]

Guys, correct me if I'm wrong but wasn't Asus first to introduce this back in the original Rampage Extreme? It too has a BIOS option for EPU-II Phase Control of Auto or Full.

I don't recall anyone complaining about it there.....or have I missed some news along the way?

[godzzila]

So I have the oficial report from MSI. It was really very soon. Ok the problem is real and it depends on stepping. B3 is ok B2 can with older CCII failed.

The problem has been fixed in last version Control Center II which was released today. CC II v2.1.012 and later should be OK. Phase changing feature was deleted.

[CryptiK]

Guys, correct me if I'm wrong but wasn't Asus first to introduce this back in the original Rampage Extreme? It too has a BIOS option for EPU-II Phase Control of Auto or Full.

I don't recall anyone complaining about it there.....or have I missed some news along the way?

That's just it - options were 'auto' of 'full' the MSI board SW allowed the user to select only one phase for example, then run the CPU flat out overloading the phase and causing board failure and taking his CPU with it.

[GFORCE100]

That's just it - options were 'auto' of 'full' the MSI board SW allowed the user to select only one phase for example, then run the CPU flat out overloading the phase and causing board failure and taking his CPU with it.

I see, thanks. In that case it's problematic but what's surprising is that MSI don't see this as a way of affecting their RMA rate on this board. Luckily it's something they can fix in software, and then hope everyone out there updates their BIOS.

[Micutzu]

Another so-called "green" feature that is actually stupid and makes the product worse, but gives a manufacturer something to brag about to uneducated people in marketing slides. From the power loss curve of the DrMOS chips it is more efficient to have as many phases as possible, as with less number of phases the load on each chip grows and the power loss increases exponentially; using a lower number of phases at higher load will also shorten their lifespan and as you see here, where they allowed a CPU to run on just one phase, can blow up and destroy alot of components with it also.

I wish the times when hardware was made by engineers and not by marketing departments would come back.

[H2lium]

Hi all,

The same just happened to me with a P67A-GD65.

Switched to "1 phase" just to see if the amount of lit leds would change.

Suddendly my computer shut down with no warning.


After testing out the components it fried the mainboard but not only.

CPU is dead, and brand new Seasonic X-Series X-850 is dead too... !!

I'm so pissed. Not to mention I have sleeved all the modular cables of the PSU and thus the warranty is void.

Now the store where I bought the PSU won't RMA it....

Seriously, MSI should pay back the hardware that burned down due to their silly CPU phase option (which they removed in a later version of the CC2 software).

What can I do ? How can I get MSI to reimburse my PSU (250$ PSU )

[Leeghoofd]

you fried your CPU and PSU too ?

[H2lium]

you fried your CPU and PSU too ?

yeah , 1 month old Seasonic X-850 burned down.

Just does a brief clinking sound when trying to power up then nothing (tested with a safety pin between pin number 14 and 16 to start the PSU).

It's dead...

[TorxT3D]

yea its disabled to muck with in v21012, but im still going to uninstall it AND the live updater software.
i'll get my temps from coretemp and oc via bios or oc genie.

[H2lium]

Screw MSI, this was the first and last motherboard I buy from this brand.

after getting new mobo to test out CPU and RAM , they are definately down along with my X-850 PSU.

such a shame.

Just hope my Radeon 6950 is alive...

here is where I am at the moment :sigh:

[jcniest5]

I feel for ya, man. Too bad something this exciting and new can cause so much headache and frustration. Hope for a better brand with your future SB journey. Come and join me and the rest of EH-SUSE users.

[aytacaksel]

military class

[Kondik]

Is logical , MSI states 35A per phase, a 1.0 V CPU would idle at 20 ~ 30W so one phase would be at it's limits but would work, load it , aka 95W Intel 'max' on a 1.0V CPU it would mean 95A , bye bye phase ....
What I don't understand is why the Software allows it , why it doesn't have a safe 3 Phase minimum is a MSI engineer mystery and stupidity and they should be nailed to the celling, yet the population always manages to how to try it too and burn all of your hardware just because we have to play with things beyond our gasp.

They gave power to the user, and the outcome... smell of roasted plastic & silicium in the morning.

Fire doesn't come with warning labels yet you don't stick hands in it.

I'm sorry for you losses guys ,because this was a mistake made by MSI , yet playing with things and not fully understanding that it might be serious is quite, human and common, and that's why we have court cases of people drying their pets in microwaves and the blame is on the microwave company because they didn't point out it does not dry animals.

[Falkentyne]

Yeah that's an epic fail along the same lines as Nvidia blowing up video cards by making the fans stop while playing SC2...

Should be 4 phases minimum for safety...

But the even bigger face palm is setting the power saving (NOT even the phases !!) to maximum and then playing a game and THEN having the phases blow up, like the other poster above had happen to him.

That software is complete trash. I was going to buy a MSI board for a friend (was going to give him my other 2600k) but not anymore...how do I know that he won't wind up installing the software even if I tell him not to -.-

@Kondik:
One user DID NOT EVEN SET PHASES !!
he just set power saving to maximum (or high), thats all!! STILL BLEW UP!

[Kondik]

Yes MSI did a dumb thing and even with their great advanced techy phases they screwed something else, as I said is a fault on MSI side.
But I'm pointing more at the deliberate test if it blows just because I can set something, If the software came with a warning , that playing with phases can cause a serious damage to your hardware, we would have just one case of exploded MOSFET.

By the way I managed to blow one on a X58 UD5 too, should I complain to Gigabyte or should I smack myself for playing with things I should not play with? Or in MSI case a blown Mosfet is bad engineering and in GB case "Stuff Happens" ?

The case of Maximum Save -> Explosion is one case and is a HUGE flaw.
Setting one phase just because I can, is a different case from my point of view.

[Falkentyne]

Ok I understand your point. The software should have a failsafe to avoid board damage, though. Being able to set 1.7v may degrade a SB, but the chip won't catch fire. The board will be fine. But being able to to set 1 phase and blow the board up could be *Fatal*. What if the computer caught fire, from board then PSU failure, then the house caught fire? That's serious business. Even though the chances of that happening are astronomically low, it's still possible. Especially if system is on a carpet...

There's a difference between being able to set a setting that can slowly make a board inoperable by degrading a chip (example: setting 1.7 northbridge volts on a P45 board), and something that can fry a mosfet. Board should have overcurrent protection that should prevent this from happening at all costs.

[In-Fluence]

That's pretty shocking, I'd be very peeved if I lost most of my hardware due to this stupid oversight and would probably be hassling MSI for some compensation. Sadly a lot of this board-specific software leaves a lot to be desired in my opinion and I avoid using them where possible. They're often slow, buggy and bloated and probably developed by third parties who couldn't give a monkeys. Easytune for the Gigabyte boards was like this - but at least it didn't fry anything!