Hi,

First time poster on here, and I am wondering whether anyone can give me some help with the problems I am experiencing with my new i7 build using the UD5 mobo...

I put the system together about 3 weeks ago, and everything went perfect with the build, I then installed Vista x64 and then started testing for stability using Prime95, IntelBurnTest, OCCT, and 3d Mark Vantage...

But everytime I would run any of these apps, at stock CPU frequency and my RAM running @ 1600MHz, the system would crash after a short while, either a BSOD, completely lock up, or reset itself...

At first I had suspected that it was my old PSU, so I went and purchased a Be Quiet! Dark Power Pro 850w PSU, and also a new set of 3GB Corsair XMS3 1333Mhz RAM for testing purposes..

But the problems were still present after installing the new PSU and the new RAM, so I then shipped the CPU off on RMA for testing, and the company found no faults with the processor..

So I got it back and began more testing again using various different hardware configurations with all the stuff I have around the house, and each configuration produced the exact same results...

These problems seem to be extremely intermittent though, because one day I could run Prime95 Blend test for 14 hours without any issues, then the next day with the EXACT same BIOS settings and hardware config, it would crash after 10 minutes!!!

Also, at the start of last week just before I took my build apart so that I could RMA the motherboard, the first DIMM channel appeared to die on me, as the system would only pickup 2 out of the 3 RAM modules that I had installed, at first I thought one of my modules had died, so I tried out my 3GB set and it would only pickup 2GB of RAM.. so I tried just running the system with 1 stick in the first white slot, and another in the 2nd white slot, and it would only see 1 stick, so I shutdown again, and moved the stick from the 1st white slot into the 3rd white slot and started the PC up and this time it picked up both sticks of RAM...

I then tried booting the system with just one module installed in the first white slot but it wouldn't even POST...

I then tried running my 6GB set with 1 module in the 2nd blue slot, 1 in the 2nd white slot, and the other 1 in the 3rd white slot, and booted up, this time it recognized all 6GB but it was only running in dual channel obviously...

So I figured the first DIMM channel had died, so I got an RMA number and shipped the board off.. but when they tested out the mobo to see if the DIMM channel was bricked, they said that it picked up all of their 6GB of RAM without any issues!!!

Is it possible for a DIMM channel to stop working and then startup again all by itself???

They then tried to tell me that there is nothing wrong with the mobo because they managed to get it to run Prime blend for 1 hour!!

I spent 3 weeks with this system, and I couldn't get it stable @ stock speeds, and as I said, I tried loads of different hardware configs, I tested 3 different GFX cards, 3 different HDD's, 2 sets of RAM, 2 PSU's, built outside the case, inside the case, and I also sent the CPU off for testing...

Everything that I done here at home seems to point at the motherboard as the culprit for all these issues I have experiencing with this rig, but the people that I purchase it from are trying to say that it isn't the mobo because they spent 1 hour testing it, and it didn't crash!!!

How can they test for any flaws in just one hour!?!?

I really don't know what else I can do with this system, I have spent over £1800 in total on this rig, and it is pretty much useless, it wont even run stable at stock frequency, and the main reason I bought it in the first place so was that I could have loads of fun overclocking it, but instead I have had nothing but problems!!!

Could a RAM channel die intermittently like this??

Why would it stop working, then start up again all on its own?!?!

I hope someone here can help push me in the right direction as to what I can do next, as I am at a loss here, I really don't know what I can do regarding this matter...

Thanks in advance people...