P5K Premium issue

[Xvys]

Whenever I get BSOD or screen lockups, resetting the ram to default Cas timings (5-5-5-18) and/or upping the vDimm a notch, solved the problem...even though it passed MemTest before.

[thefiddler]

You are not alone by the way - a google finds a host of others with similar problems . The common factor is use of ICHxR controller and either AHCI or RAID e.g http://www.hardwareanalysis.com/cont...c/12946/?o=480
Well at least the iastor message has gone. Was it the lastest AHCI sata driver you loaded when you installed XP?. Try running in IDE and see if it goes as an interim measure until the cause is found - it may be driver related. Did you add any additional card to your machine or usb drive about the time this started happening - It would be prudent to get a higher spec PSU e.g 700w -especially as u a running a q6600 and 8800GTX with this MB and the 550w probably hasnt got a future MB life.

Yeah, I guess I'm not alone. What I'm trying to figure out is if my P5K Premium is the source of my issues or if something else is.

My issue might - I guess - be the infamous issue that many P5K Premium users are experiencing. Although Seagate users usually don't have that issue with the P5K Premium, which is why I really can't be sure about it. Unfortunately, I ain't got the money to buy another motherboard, swap with my P5K Premium and see if the problem goes away.

I installed latest AHCI drivers from Intel's website when installing Windows XP, yes.

The issue started after I installed my new P5K Premium and reinstalled WindowsXP with it. The harddrives were bright new as well. Nothing else changed in my hardware.

Changing the PSU is one of the last options I might consider, since most test and reviews I read said 550w should be enough for about any configuration... as long as there's no SLI/CrossFire.

I'll try switching from AHCI mode to IDE, at least to see if it fixes the problem or not. May I do that without reinstalling Windows XP, btw?

Whenever I get BSOD or screen lockups, resetting the ram to default Cas timings (5-5-5-18) and/or upping the vDimm a notch, solved the problem...even though it passed MemTest before.

Thanks Xvys.
Actually, the RAM is already on default timings (5-5-5-15 @ 800MHz - it's supposed to work at 5-5-5-15 @ 1066MHz). I might try upping the RAM voltage a bit, though, think it's on auto right now.