The entire computer was built in late June, with all new components.
Symptoms:
* Random crashes/reboots, typically at idle
* Blue Screen STO Error 0x00000124 [fixed by disabling Aero and GPU overclocking, possibly aided by BIOS update]
* Random hard freezes, typically with display corruption
* BIOS reported possible faulty power supply
Steps taken [effect]:
* Updated BIOS [likely no change]
* Updated Display Driver [no change]
* Isolated and removed problematic software (TeaTimer, AVG leaking memory) [improved stability]
* Disabled GPU overclocking [improved stability]
* Disabled CPU overclocking [no change]
* Disabled Aero [improved stability]
* Verified adequate cooling [no change]
* Tested RAM (OK)
If your BIOS screen is making complaining noises about your power supply, you should take that very seriously. A bad power supply will cause pretty much everything you’ve mentioned, along with permanent damage to the other hardware.
Your motherboard will probably have come with some sort of monitoring software. If you don’t have the disc that came with it, you can probably download it from the manufacturer’s website.
If I had to guess from your list of symptoms, you’ve got either a bad power supply, a bad graphics card, or both.
This is serious, as a bad power supply unit may screw up your entire machine, resulting in you having to replace -everything-.
Sorry to give you nothing but bad news.
Suggestion: borrow PSU, memory, GPU from somewhere – a friend or a store.
Swap out components from your computer, in same order, test stability.
I’m sorry, I should have been more clear.
The monitoring software that (probably) goes with your motherboard will tell you what voltages the motherboard is receiving, and will (probably) generate an alarm if the voltages are out of spec. At the very least, it should tell you what those voltages are, which would allow you to confirm the power supply as good or bad.
Something else to consider, modern video cards are power hogs. Many of them require an extra power connector to go from the power supply to the card. If the power supply doesn’t generate enough wattage, or the extra power connector isn’t connected, that too could cause issues.
Er. I have doubts that Oleg would be dumb enough not to connect the PSU -> Video card line. And most modern cards will fail to boot from board power alone- you’ll know if they aren’t getting enough power.
And Oleg has a pretty hefty power supply.
I do not know Mr. Volk personally, nor do I know what the level of his computer repair skills are. When you’re troubleshooting, there’s this thing called ‘not making assumptions’. When I troubleshoot computers for people, especially remotely, I take great care to make sure to cover all the angles I can think of. Assuming the end user is ‘too smart to make that mistake’ invariably insures that that is -exactly- what happened.
I also have no idea as to exactly what Mr. Volk is running for hardware, so ‘most modern cards will fail to boot from board power alone’ is no less than three assumptions in one sentance.
Finally, The ‘heft’ of the power supply is not materiel to the situation at hand.
If the power supply is supposed to be making 3.5VDC on the 3.5 rail, and is making 3.0, or even worse, 4 volts, the wattage is irrelevant, things are going to break.
I hope this helps explain my troubleshooting process to you.
I would suggest a hardware based PC power supply check. There are some that you can leave running for a while and they will alert you if anything odd is detected over time. I wouldn’t trust the motherboard to report on it’s own power condition as the motherboard could be the culprit. Alternatively, if you want to snag the pinout for your power supply connectors, you may use a good quality multimeter to manually check voltages and monitor for AC ripple on the DC output. Though it would be harder to detect in intermittent problem this way. Testing with a multimeter also requires using a load on the power supply. Dedicated PC power supply testers are cheaper and easier.
I would also suggest using some sort of bootable diagnostic or burn in utility to stress test the PC. http://www.ultimatebootcd.com/ is one that is fairly easy to use. It contains several system tests that may help pinpoint a problem. This will also eliminate the current OS you’re using just in case it’s a software problem. If you don’t find a problem using a bootable test media, then it may be some software/driver related issue with your current OS.
My money’s on a failing GPU. Alternative options are heat from the GPU affecting other components. A failing GPU, or a GPU that’s just not functioning properly due to an overloaded PSU, will cause every single one of the symptoms above with the exception of the BIOS. The PSU failure can easily cause the issue with the GPU if it’s teetering on the edge of its usefulness. Overclocking it could push it over that proverbial edge.
What CPU, what GPU, how many hard drives? How many watts is your PSU?
PSU=1050W
I have to look up the rest of the data.
1050W is pretty beefy. Unless you’re running a decent sized RAID array (or any other config with lots of drives) and a beefy video card, you’re probably not bumping up against that.
Actually, hard drives are largely insignificant compared to graphics cards.
In my experience, a 650-750 watt PSU is overkill for a single GPU single socket desktop that runs stock clocks.
The advertised output rating of a PSU is not an accurate indicator of the quality of a PSU. The quality of parts and workmanship varies quite a bit between manufacturers, and some have a less than stellar reputation in this regard.
Also, if your system’s power usage is anything like mine, then 1050 watts is grossly overkill.
One trick I haven’t seen anyone mention — go into your power settings in the control panel (assuming windows) and make sure you are set to not enable any power saving modes. Some desktop components don’t handle being treated like laptops well and can get tempermental. This is particularly indicated WHEN the “random” problems are really “happen when the system is idle” problems. I think Windows defaulted the power saving stuff to “on” at some point.
The last gaming system I built (2 years ago or so) had similar problems for a while. I tried all sorts of hardware troubleshooting. It turned out it was the motherboard BIOS; it took them 9 months before the system was stable no matter what hardware I had in it. Not much you can do about that except wait.
which tests you made on RAM? I think this is RAM related, just try another modules for a while, you’ll see 😉
You might want to try this answer.
http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_vista-system/stop-bluescreen-error-0x00000124-and-computer-in-a/6f961740-602e-42e4-bab4-7e2a8e0196df
One thing I used to do in the olden days was unseat one card or component at a time, clean their connections, and reseat them firmly. It would clear up problems, say 60% of the time, and it was free. I’d tell clients their Thurman units were out of adjustment – borrowed that from Penn Gillette.
I like the memory and power supply suggestions, too.
Just because the PS is new and beefy, doesn’t mean it is working properly. Or wired correctly. I’ve encountered them with board connectors that would allow you to plug them into the wrong item. Well, right connector, wrong accessory harness. Too many optional installations, creating the ability to mis-wire something, aided by bad labeling, or no labeling. I’ve also encountered the wrong PS in the original carton.
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STO code 124 is usually an indication on Intel-based systems that the CPU is not receiving enough voltage (core voltage or PLL).
May we know what your total system looks like? [CPU, GPU(s), RAM, motherboard, power supply]
Email Michael, he can help.
Michael.Springfield@yahoo.com