Phenom II x2 555 Unstable at stock CPU NB VID. Is this common?

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Negative_3

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I put my comp together about a week ago. It installed Windows 7 just fine. However, it started to freeze periodically and the freezing got more frequent. This was happening with everything at stock settings. After trial and error I figured out the problem was the CPU NB VID needed more volts.

Stock CPU NB VID is 1.2v. So I did 1.2v + 0.05v = 1.25 v and the crashes became much less frequent, but still occurred. I set it to 1.2v + 0.1v = 1.3v and the crashes seem to have disappeared. Every other setting is still stock.

Is this problem known to happen sometimes? You buy a new Phenom II and you have to increase CPU NB VID from stock for it to work right?

BTW - I should probably mention that I'm using a SSD hard drive (OCZ Vertex 2). I know on Intel boards they overload the southbridge and users often have to increase southbridge volts +0.1 or even +0.2 from stock in many cases. But in my case I have to increase the CPU NB VID, not the southbrige volts, so I'm not sure it has anything to do with my SSD.

Would you get a CPU replacement, or let it ride at 1.3v CPU NB VID?


(Oh and my motherboard is a Gigabyte with 760G chipset. Surely it's not the motherboard failing to deliver the volts to the CPU NB VID is it?).
 
Its not common. 99.99% of the time CPUs work perfectly fine out of the box as long as the motherboard properly supports the chip and everything else in the system is functioning.

Did you look for BIOS updates for your board?
 
The board shipped with the latest version of the BIOS.

Things seemed to have deteriorated. It's crashing again. Lowering CPU and HT clock speeds don't seem to help. Strangely, at stock, it passes Windows 7 memory diagnostic, Memtest86+, AMD Overdrive stability test, Prime95 torture test, yet somehow it crashes in in general use like web browsing or clicking the refresh servers button in counter-strike source, for example. And it's not Cool'n'Quiet, I tested that.

I have cleared the CMOS and reset everything to default, even though everything was pretty much at default. Hopefully this will help. If not then I don't know what to do, but I'm starting to wonder if it has something to do with my network card or drivers, which are new (Rosewill brand) and should support Windows 7 x64 just fine. It would be ironic if that were the problem because it crashed just a minute ago while I was on my way to look for newer drivers at Rosewill's website.
 
It just happened again right after my previous post. I went to Rosewill's site and Bam! a crash. In like the same place even. But I can come here and post just fine....?
 
Well, I went back to Rosewill's website and did a search for the product rather than clicking on the support link, in hopes that I could get to the driver without it crashing on me. Luckily I made it.

As it turns out, the CD that came with the product had a driver from 2007 on it. I'm using the new driver now, and everything seems to be working. Including the ability to go to Rosewill's website and click on support without my Rosewill product crashing my computer at that point.
 
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Doesn't you motherboard have a NIC built right on it? Just use the on board and not that Rosewill junk.
 
ocellaris said:
Doesn't you motherboard have a NIC built right on it? Just use the on board and not that Rosewill junk.
Click to expand...

I'm going to assume the rosewill card is a wireless card, and most motherboards do not have built in wireless.
 
its not normal for ur cpu to be unstable at stock settings... But try updating ur bios or just set it how it is. Really up to you you could rma it through amd if ur really needed to
 
Tehpwnzah said:
its not normal for ur cpu to be unstable at stock settings... But try updating ur bios or just set it how it is. Really up to you you could rma it through amd if ur really needed to
Click to expand...

Is it really that hard to read through 7 posts? Especially since most of them are really short?
 
Random instant shutoffs or lockups usually mean a failing PSU. Although possible that it could be another component, you could try removing a component and working around it. For example, remove the wireless card and just play a single player 3D game for a while. If it happens, you know it's not the item you removed. If it were MY system, I'd start by switching power supplies.
 
mhenley said:
Random instant shutoffs or lockups usually mean a failing PSU. Although possible that it could be another component, you could try removing a component and working around it. For example, remove the wireless card and just play a single player 3D game for a while. If it happens, you know it's not the item you removed. If it were MY system, I'd start by switching power supplies.
Click to expand...

Once again, how hard is it to read through all of the posts?

It was only random BSOD's and restarts, there was no complete shutdown, based on what OP was saying. So there is no power supply trouble there.
 
its obviously processor related... Or the board isnt supplying enough juice aka the vrms are going out. But thats not gonna happen with a stock x2.
 
Tehpwnzah said:
its obviously processor related... Or the board isnt supplying enough juice aka the vrms are going out. But thats not gonna happen with a stock x2.
Click to expand...

For the third time... nevermind, I give up.
 
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