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True CPU Tests?

W

Wolf-R1

[H]ard|Gawd
Joined
Aug 30, 2004
Messages
2,005
Does anyone know of a true CPU test software? What I mean is...stress tests like Prime95 and the like hammer on a CPU in the hopes that under nearly maximum duress it will fail. However, in the past I have seen CPUs run for hours via stress testing without errors yet still cause system problems until they are replaced.

Is there a software out there that will check individual components on a CPU based on architecture of course, but is there one that will actually check registers, L1/L2 memory, etc?
 
not that i know

OCCT/prime95/orthos is what i usually use for stress testing, but from what ive seen there is nothing like a good few games, my rig would run prime/orthos no problem, but 10-15 minutes of CoD2 would get it to hang (turns out my northbridge needed a bit more voltage)

if you have a decent vid card in the system, just play a few recent heavy games, in my experience those are better indicators of overal stability, and on top of that a lot more fun then staring at an orthos screen for a few hours
 
System instabillity can point to a bad processor when its not the processors fault directly.

A systems stabillity is as much linked to the chipset as it is to the processor. Sometimes, and I dont have any really good answers as to why, a chipset just doesn't like one kind of processor, resulting in instabillity at stock clocks across the board.

also aggro power conservation options can lead to instabillity. Vista was constantly trying to dial my 3.5Ghz E6300 down to 1.2V when idling.... You can imagine the problems that caused.
 
I just use mine for what it was intended for: gaming. If it runs all the games fine I don't worry bout it. :)
 
Prime/Orthos are great CPU stress tests.
The blend tests that uses a lot of memory is pretty good.

However, what you're referring to is a true SYSTEM test.

For that case you need to run something that tests everything.

So you run Orthos + something like Futuremark/3dMark 2005 or 2006, and maybe throw a big file copy from a DVD to your harddrive in there too.

That way nearly everything in the system is running hard drawing lots of power (not idling), so your PSU will be maxed, along with your motherboard, chipset, memory, videocard AND your CPU. This will be a much better true test.
 
Thanks for the responses but what you're all talking about again is still mostly a form of stress testing. Stress testing won't necessarily show if there are potential problems with a CPU that can be ignored or overcome. For example...at least in the video world...you get artifacts when the GPU/RAM is in an error state of some kind. The same can go for CPUs...if you're playing a game and let's say that physics calculations are incorrect. The game will either simply put the erroneous values in or toss them out as errors. However, you as the end user never really knows this unless you debug the game and know what values to expect. Thus, stress testing will not show the true state of the CPU if there are minor errors being spit out under certain conditions. Furthermore as I understand it stress testing with prime number calculations is mostly concerned with the FPU and not the integer unit. Am I incorrect on this? Either way it's not going to hammer on both units even if the test is the other way around and it's working the integer base and not the FPU.
 
doing multiple things like I suggest should test everything.

ex: run all of these at once

Orthos - maximum heat from FPU intensive testing, proven to be the MOST reliable single test

3dMark(looped) - added CPU stress / some SSEx stressing, and the added stress of videocard power draw & heat, that could bring in instability to other components from voltage drops, heat, etc.

encode a DVD to your harddrive - spins HD & DVD for more power & heat, uses SSEx for more CPU stress

the combination of those will 99.99999% guarantee stability.
 
Are you trying to fault the calculations of an overclocked cpu and have it so angry it pops under it's heatsink, crawls out of the computer case, and attack you with it's almighty pinless self?

Well, I see what you're coming at, video card overclocked too hard causes artifacts and it increases, in the cpu world, I believe it either crashes the program or causes an error, then repeats...
 
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