First Desktop Built Complete, but problems...

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mZimm

[H]ard|Gawd
Joined
Mar 19, 2006
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I've always been a notebook guy, but recently I sold my Dell XPS M1710 to build a gaming desktop. After accumulating the parts here's what I ended up with:

NZXT Zero Full Tower ATX Case
DFI Infinity P965-S 775 Motherboard
Core 2 Duo E6600 CPU with Thermalright Ultra 120 Extreme HS and Scythe S-Flex 1600 RPM fan
EVGA 8800GTX 768MB GPU
2GB OCZ DDR2 1066 PC6500 RAM
Corsair 620HX 620W PSU
2 Seagate ST3500630AS 500GB HDs
LiteOn 20x SATA DVD Burner

So I built it all and everything seems to power on fine, I've got the thing booting in a 1TB RAID0 Array, and have the CPU OCed to 3.0ghz right now no problem. However, I'm having problems booting. Nearly every time I turn the computer on all of the fans spin, everything seems to power on, and then everything dies. Most of the time it will come right back on and boot the next time, so then it seems to be perfect, but it's concerning that it does this. Anybody have any idea what this could be?

Also, I figured I'd include some pics. I don't think it's too bad of a job for a desktop n00b. :D

IMG_0430.jpg


IMG_0428.jpg


IMG_0426-1.jpg
 
Mine does this to, but only once in awhile. I don't worry about it, and I've never had any problems. I think it's normal for some motherboards, but I'm not exactly sure. nice looking rig btw. bet it beats the crap out of your laptop :D
 
Good to know that it's not just me with this issue, although it'd be nice to have it boot every time.

I haven't benched this thing yet, but I'm fairly confident that it will kill the 5503 of 3dmark 06 and the 9427 on 05 that I got with the notebook. :D
 
For some reason the PSU is bugging me.. I'd assume it'd be enough but it might not... with the extra draw from OCing the fans are spinning harder and it might not have enough power on all the rails...

My computer powers on everytime without issue... it doesn't randomly turn off :confused:
 
This PSU is rated to do SLI and it can't do one GTX? Is there any way to check this without having to buy a new PSU? I've got an X-Finity 600W that I just got, but that'd be no better than this one. :confused:
 
Your Corsair 620 should be fine for that rig.

Do you have all three power connectors hooked up?
 
your psu is more than enough, don't worry. that thing can run 2x8800gtx in SLI. someone mentioned it as being a 965 chipset thing a few posts up.
 
its not that PSU it can provide 180 watts over its rated max. I think it is something with the P965 NB
 
THEnumber337 said:
Your Corsair 620 should be fine for that rig.

Do you have all three power connectors hooked up?
Click to expand...

Yes, I have the normal ATX connection plus the 8-pin connector, and the 4-pin floppy power connector connected to the mobo. If it is indeed the P965 chipset then that's definitely comforting, but it's odd that it happens to some and not to others. :confused:
 
mZimm said:
Yes, I have the normal ATX connection plus the 8-pin connector, and the 4-pin floppy power connector connected to the mobo. If it is indeed the P965 chipset then that's definitely comforting, but it's odd that it happens to some and not to others. :confused:
Click to expand...

Well, it happens to me every time I boot up. Different board, same chipset.
 
Arcygenical said:
Well, it happens to me every time I boot up. Different board, same chipset.
Click to expand...

That must be it then. It's good to know I'm not the only one with the issue, I can live with it knowing that it's not a defect.

I'd like to OC this thing a little more, but I'm careful of the temps. Right now Smartguardian is reporting the CPU at 32, the NB at 44, and the System at 52; I'm at 3.0ghz currently on stock voltages. Are these decent temps? The System is listed in Red, saying that it is too hot, should I be worried?
 
i would say your system temp is kind of hot. Make sure the case has the correct flow through the case.
 
I've got the case fan on the front and the two fans on the side panel intake, with the two in the rear and the 80mm on top flowing out. There were two more fans on the side panel, but they wouldn't fit with the huge-ass heatsink in there.
 
did u use the thermal paste correctly and is the fan/sink sit properly?
have u try down clock?
 
JVC said:
did u use the thermal paste correctly and is the fan/sink sit properly?
have u try down clock?
Click to expand...

What would the thermal paste need to be on correctly? I put AS5 on both the CPU and the NB, but both of those temps seem to be ok. It's the system temp that is high, so what would I reapply the thermal paste to?

I haven't lowered the clocks and checked the temps, but I didn't think it would be a problem running the 6600 at 334mhz.

JVC said:
mzimm, how much did u pay for the 2 500gb hds?
Click to expand...

I picked them up OEM from newegg for $125 each shipped. I debated going with the Western Digital WD5000AAKS instead for $121 shipped, but the 5 year warranty sold me on Seagate.
 
if paste and sink are not done correct, the cpu runs at very lower speed. that's why i commented about it.

i was thinking about getting 2 500gb hitachi or maxtor.
 
mZimm said:
Nearly every time I turn the computer on all of the fans spin, everything seems to power on, and then everything dies. Most of the time it will come right back on and boot the next time, so then it seems to be perfect, but it's concerning that it does this. Anybody have any idea what this could be?
Click to expand...

My P5B-Del does this only when I cold boot AND the power supply has been off (like unplugged). I think it's normal. I shouldn't do it all the time though, just when you unplug the PSU.
 
I don't know what I did, but after messing around with some settings it hasn't been doing it unless the PSU is just turned on, as you guys mentioned. So that's fixed.

The temps still worry me though. I've got everything at the stock clocks and the system temp is still in the upper 40sC. I'm not sure what I've done wrong, but that seems high to me. :confused:
 
JVC said:
if paste and sink are not done correct, the cpu runs at very lower speed. that's why i commented about it.
Click to expand...

Would make it run hotter, not slower... unless he has c1e/EIST/etc enabled in the bios. But those should be disabled when OC'ing.
 
Try this: open the case and have a fan blowing into it. What are the temps of the chipset? It could be that the HS isn't seated properly. The question is where is the temp probe? Northbridge? Southbridge? Neither?
 
I've seen this happen for reasons stated above. If it's occasional, I would bet the chipset. If consistent, probably the power supply. I have built two systems with Ultra PSU's that did this, on two different chipsets.
 
I reseated the NB heatsink and the CPU heatsink, reapplying AS5 as well. I also added the two case fans that I took off of the side panel (wouldn't close due to the CPU HS) and mounted them on the right side of the case for more airflow (hopefully). You can see where I put them in this picture:

IMG_0436.jpg


I'm still not thrilled with the temps I'm getting though. The NB and System temps seem to be high to me, but I'm no expert. Here's what I'm getting, everything at stock voltages and clocks.

temps.jpg


I'd like to push this thing a lot farther, but I'm afraid that I'll overheat when the system temp is in the mid-40s idle stock.
 
That 44C temp is likely the mosfets and or the pulse width modulation circutry aka the power feeds for the CPU, they normally run hot, can put a fan blowing over them to get some air moving in there.

The fets are usually above and to the left of the CPU if your looking straight on at the board installed.
 
With ambient about 75F right now here's what I'm getting:

temps2.jpg


Notice I also have it OCed up to 3.0ghz, so the CPU temp is a bit higher. These actually look a bit better than they did before, maybe the AS5 is curing a bit? I still expected the CPU to be a bit cooler though with the Thermalright Ultra 120 Extreme. Judging by these temps at 3.0ghz would you guys recommend trying for more? My processor is an L640, so it's not the best for OCing. :(
 
mZimm said:
With ambient about 75F right now here's what I'm getting:

*SNIP*

Notice I also have it OCed up to 3.0ghz, so the CPU temp is a bit higher. These actually look a bit better than they did before, maybe the AS5 is curing a bit? I still expected the CPU to be a bit cooler though with the Thermalright Ultra 120 Extreme. Judging by these temps at 3.0ghz would you guys recommend trying for more? My processor is an L640, so it's not the best for OCing. :(
Click to expand...

Go for it. Just back your temps up with Coretemp or intel TAT to make sure speedfan's not having a hard time reading from your proper sensors.
 
What is most accurate as far as temp readings? I've got Speedfan and Smartguardian reporting the same temps, and Core Temp is reporting a good 5-6 degrees less. :confused:
 
mZimm said:
What is most accurate as far as temp readings? I've got Speedfan and Smartguardian reporting the same temps, and Core Temp is reporting a good 5-6 degrees less. :confused:
Click to expand...

I personally trust intel TAT the most. It IS made by intel after-all.
 
Arcygenical said:
I personally trust intel TAT the most. It IS made by intel after-all.
Click to expand...

Alright, I downloaded and installed TAT, but now I'm getting "Error enumerating On Demand Clock Modulation support, Terminating Tool". Any idea what that's all about?
 
Arcygenical said:
I personally trust intel TAT the most. It IS made by intel after-all.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I second that suggestion. On my machine, TAT is very close to +15 °C hotter (which is what it is supposed to be) than speedfan. You can configure speedfan to add a constant to your temps if you want. The nice thing about it is that it writes a log file you can load up in your favorite spreadsheet app and graph, average over a given range, etc.
 
Is there a service that TAT relies on to run? I can't figure out why it won't load.
 
mZimm said:
That must be it then. It's good to know I'm not the only one with the issue, I can live with it knowing that it's not a defect.

I'd like to OC this thing a little more, but I'm careful of the temps. Right now Smartguardian is reporting the CPU at 32, the NB at 44, and the System at 52; I'm at 3.0ghz currently on stock voltages. Are these decent temps? The System is listed in Red, saying that it is too hot, should I be worried?
Click to expand...

Personaly I believe the case is your problem. I've not had luck with case's that have side vents/fans. A good front to back flow through case is best IMO (top/btm vents are good). A couple of 120mm fans in front and back and your system should drop 15C.
Also look for a case that places the hard drives in the path of those front fans, it will knock 20-30c off your hard drives!
BTW as you probably already know your CPU temp is fine.
Lox
 
Lox said:
Personaly I believe the case is your problem. I've not had luck with case's that have side vents/fans. A good front to back flow through case is best IMO (top/btm vents are good). A couple of 120mm fans in front and back and your system should drop 15C.
Also look for a case that places the hard drives in the path of those front fans, it will knock 20-30c off your hard drives!
BTW as you probably already know your CPU temp is fine.
Lox
Click to expand...

Thanks for the input. Maybe I should try turning off the fans on the side and see what happens with the temps? Also, there is a 120mm fan on the front of the case at the bottom right in front of the where the HDs are, so they should be getting some cooling where they are. I would probably prefer them to be angled with the connectors facing the mobo for better cabling, but then the GTX wouldn't fit, so it's no big deal. I've got three fans now in the front, two in the back, and one on top in addition to the two on the sides, so there should be enough airflow in the case. I'm considering putting an extra 80mm fan that I have somewhere, but I haven't found a good spot for it yet.

Also, I installed Core Temp since I couldn't get TAT working, and it is showing 25C and 24C at idle whereas Smartguardian shows 29C on the CPU. Is a lower temp normal for Core Temp?
 
After some experimenting with fan configurations, and adding another fan I have concluded that the System temp sensor must be at the bottom of the board around the CMOS battery and power switches. I placed another 80mm fan where the PCI slots are, blowing out of the holes where the plates covered. After a PCMark05 full test the System temp was ~32C, whereas before it was in the 40s idle. So that definitely helped that temp, but the NB is still in the upper 40s no matter what. I'd like to get some better cooling on that before OCing the hell outta the thing, but there doesn't seem to be any room for a fan on or near it. Has anybody put active cooling on the NB with this board? The U120E HS covers so much space that it seems it would be very difficult to get a fan in there.
 
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