Re: CPU Core Voltage Too Low -> Crash?

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From: CS (nomail_at_hotmail.com)
Date: 02/22/04 

Date: Sat, 21 Feb 2004 18:49:21 -0600

On Sat, 21 Feb 2004 19:11:11 -0500, "Don Cohen"
<doncohen@'lens-cap'.alltel.net> wrote:

>> Nothing like going crazy trying to track something like this down....
>
>Boy, is that the truth. It has consumed an incredible amount of time and
>mental energy.
>
>> From reading your posts and replies and what you've already done to
>> trouble shoot the problem, I believe it is very definitely a hardware
>> issue.
>
>I appreciate the confirmation. That seems like the only logical conclusion,
>but we all know how strange the truth can be at times...
>
>> I would suggest you not spend any more money on diagnostic programs or
>> the like. Of course a free one is always great to have. I'm not
>> sure I really trust AIDA32 to accurately monitor CPU voltages. The
>> best free application that I know of to do that is called "Motherboard
>> Monitor". You might wish to download and give it a try. Also, go to
>> the CPU makers web site and get the specs for your CPU. Both Intel
>> and AMD have spec sheets available which give the voltage and
>> temperature ranges for the CPUs they manufacture.
>
>OK, I've downloaded and installed Motherboard Monitor. Definitely more
>complex than AIDA32 to setup. But I think I have it now.
>
>It shows Core Temp for CPU varying between 1.46V and 1.49V. I checked
>Intel's site, found my chip (SL66S) and it shows the spec for Core Voltage
>as 1.500V. So according to MbMonitor my core voltage is still on the low
>side, but how significant this 0.1 to 0.4 volts is, I don't know.
>
>Regarding additional diagnostic programs - I'd rather not buy more as well,
>but at this point, I still don't have an answer as to what hardware is
>faulty, and what to replace...
>
>> You may indeed have a bad motherboard or at least an intermittent
>> failing component on the board. It may even be memory related. I
>> don't recall you saying you swapped out the memory modules? Also, go
>> into your CMOS setup program and make sure all the settings for memory
>> are within specs. (CAS, RAS, etc)
>
>I haven't done anything yet with the actual (4) memory modules. Memtest86
>ran for over 13 hours/7passes, with no errors detected.
>
>
>So bottom line - where do I go from here????
>
>Thanks much for the help.
>
>Don

Hi Don:

I don't believe the low core voltage is the problem. If anything, a
lower core voltage will usually result in the CPU running a bit
cooler. It's when the core voltage begins to exceed specs that the
CPU may overheat and shut down.

Where you go from here depends a lot on whether or not the unexpected
shutdowns are tolerable. If they're not, (they wouldn't be for me)
you may want to think about swapping out the memory modules for known
good ones. Since memory is currently inexpensive you might want to
pull all four modules and replace two of them and try running the
machine for awhile with less memory to see if that cures the problem.
Memtest86 is a good in house memory tester but not as good as
substitution.

Another remedy might be to replace the motherboard. But if you're
going to do that, you may want to shop around for an upgraded board.
Of course that means a large expenditure but if you're thinking about
upgrading your system, now might be a good time to do it.

Fry's electronics (if there's one in your area) generally has very
good purchases on motherboard kits. Their kits come with CPU and
memory. Of course the price varies depending on the board, CPU,
amount of memory, etc. Something to think about.

I wish you well with your trouble shooting.

Regards.

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