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Motherboard or CPU Problem - Which to RMA?

1K views 7 replies 4 participants last post by  bassfisher6522 
#1 ·
Need some help or second opinions... I built a new entry-level rig in February with parts ordered via Newegg. It worked great for 3-4 weeks for everything, including gaming that takes this type of rig to its limits.

After this time, I was playing Mass Effect, which isn't even that much of a challenge for this hardware, and the computer shut off suddenly. No warnings, no blue screens, no graphics artifacts. The problem began to worsen, happening within 10-40 minutes of playing the game. It then began happening as soon as my daughter loads Sims 2, which again is not a taxing game. Still, it only happens in games.

I cannot reproduce the problem using prime95 or even 3dmark, however I can reproduce the problem every time I run Furmark stress test, within 5 minutes.

There are zero heat issues. Temps generally don't go above the 40s (C) during load, and I've never seen them reach 60C.

Memtest86+ showed no issues after running 18 hours.

I also could not find a certain correlation in voltage issues leading up to shut downs. While watching the voltages, the only true fluctuation I saw was with vcore, sometimes dropping to 0.40v before rebounding to 1.2 or 1.4 ish.

I RMA'd the PSU and now I feel I've wasted two weeks of my time and Corsair's time. I just got the PSU back, hooked it all up, and Furmark reproduced the problem within 3 minutes.

The vcore seems more stable now, typically running a steady 1.2-1.4, with a rare dip to just under 1.0. But maybe it's all in my head and is similar to before.

So this morning I took everything out of the case including the motherboard, checked for anything causing shorts, checked for obvious damage (swollen caps, scorch marks, etc.) and see nothing visually wrong with anything. I decided while it was all apart I could just redo the thermal paste for the cpu/heatsink, just in case it wasn't reporting temps properly. That went fine except the heatsink ripped out the processor because it wouldn't separate! I was scared but it otherwise looked fine. After redoing the paste I screwed down the motherboard and hooked everything back up.

The computer wouldn't power on! It showed power for a split second and would shut off. After checking all connections to no avail I got it working again by re-seating the processor and heat sink yet again.

I was hoping maybe there was a short somewhere but I still have the problem. Absolutely no other stability issues during non-gaming use. Not even with programs acting up.

I just submitted a warranty repair request with Gigabyte and I'm ready for a long wait from what I've read online.

HOWEVER... Today I just found an old GeForce 520 GT card laying around and installed it to this rig. I ran a stress test with both Prime95 and Furmark simultaneously and it ran fine for 60+ minutes with no crashing. Without the dedicated graphics, it would shut off within 5 minutes.

Does this mean the APU is bad, or the motherboard, or is it inconclusive? I have a pending ticket to RMA the motherboard with Gigabyte, however if this is a surefire test that indicates otherwise, I'd like to save some time and frustration.

Edit: also, Furmark is reporting two GPU's while it's running now that I've installed the 520 GT. It's reporting both the 520 GT and the Radeon R7 from the APU. Is it just reading it wrong? I didn't think an nVidia GPU would run, crossfire, with the APU's graphics.

1 x GIGABYTE GA-F2A68HM-DS2H FM2+

1 x AMD A10-7870K Godavari Quad-Core 3.9 GHz Socket FM2+ 95W

1 x ASUS DVD-Writer Black SATA Model DRW-24F1ST - OEM

1 x Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model BLS2K4G3D169DS3

1 x CORSAIR CX series CX430 430W ATX12V v2.3 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power Supply

1TB Seagate HDD

1 3.5in case fan for rear exhaust, not directly connected to PSU
 
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#2 · (Edited)
Need some help or second opinions... I built a new entry-level rig in February with parts ordered via Newegg. It worked great for 3-4 weeks for everything, including gaming that takes this type of rig to its limits.

After this time, I was playing Mass Effect, which isn't even that much of a challenge for this hardware, and the computer shut off suddenly. No warnings, no blue screens, no graphics artifacts. The problem began to worsen, happening within 10-40 minutes of playing the game. It then began happening as soon as my daughter loads Sims 2, which again is not a taxing game. Still, it only happens in games.

I cannot reproduce the problem using prime95 or even 3dmark, however I can reproduce the problem every time I run Furmark stress test, within 5 minutes.

There are zero heat issues. Temps generally don't go above the 40s (C) during load, and I've never seen them reach 60C.

Memtest86+ showed no issues after running 18 hours.

I also could not find a certain correlation in voltage issues leading up to shut downs. While watching the voltages, the only true fluctuation I saw was with vcore, sometimes dropping to 0.40v before rebounding to 1.2 or 1.4 ish.

I RMA'd the PSU and now I feel I've wasted two weeks of my time and Corsair's time. I just got the PSU back, hooked it all up, and Furmark reproduced the problem within 3 minutes.

The vcore seems more stable now, typically running a steady 1.2-1.4, with a rare dip to just under 1.0. But maybe it's all in my head and is similar to before.

So this morning I took everything out of the case including the motherboard, checked for anything causing shorts, checked for obvious damage (swollen caps, scorch marks, etc.) and see nothing visually wrong with anything. I decided while it was all apart I could just redo the thermal paste for the cpu/heatsink, just in case it wasn't reporting temps properly. That went fine except the heatsink ripped out the processor because it wouldn't separate! I was scared but it otherwise looked fine. After redoing the paste I screwed down the motherboard and hooked everything back up.

The computer wouldn't power on! It showed power for a split second and would shut off. After checking all connections to no avail I got it working again by re-seating the processor and heat sink yet again.

I was hoping maybe there was a short somewhere but I still have the problem. Absolutely no other stability issues during non-gaming use. Not even with programs acting up.

I just submitted a warranty repair request with Gigabyte and I'm ready for a long wait from what I've read online.

HOWEVER... Today I just found an old GeForce 520 GT card laying around and installed it to this rig. I ran a stress test with both Prime95 and Furmark simultaneously and it ran fine for 60+ minutes with no crashing. Without the dedicated graphics, it would shut off within 5 minutes.

Does this mean the APU is bad, or the motherboard, or is it inconclusive? I have a pending ticket to RMA the motherboard with Gigabyte, however if this is a surefire test that indicates otherwise, I'd like to save some time and frustration.

Edit: also, Furmark is reporting two GPU's while it's running now that I've installed the 520 GT. It's reporting both the 520 GT and the Radeon R7 from the APU. Is it just reading it wrong? I didn't think an nVidia GPU would run, crossfire, with the APU's graphics.

1 x GIGABYTE GA-F2A68HM-DS2H FM2+

1 x AMD A10-7870K Godavari Quad-Core 3.9 GHz Socket FM2+ 95W

1 x ASUS DVD-Writer Black SATA Model DRW-24F1ST - OEM

1 x Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model BLS2K4G3D169DS3

1 x CORSAIR CX series CX430 430W ATX12V v2.3 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power Supply

1TB Seagate HDD

1 3.5in case fan for rear exhaust, not directly connected to PSU
By any chance does the system freeze at all?
I'm curious and wondering if you bumped your psu up to 500 or 550w would it still have an issue..
 
#4 ·
This may seem too obvious, but did you install AMD chipset drivers for Windows 10? It's an 805.66MB package version 15.201.2201 and contains drivers for the GPU (integrated). No, just because the two GPUs are detected doesn't mean they are in use simultaneously (crossfire). Detach the Nvidia GPU and switch back to integrated graphics, open Device Manager and post a screenshot of its properties showing the driver version it's using.
 
#6 ·
The fact that it does not crash when using dedicated graphics suggests the motherboard is working just fine. I would RMA the APU, unless you can test it on a known working compatible motherboard.

Try reverting to the version available on Gigabyte's website. Uninstall the driver you got from AMD's site and use DDU (Display Driver Uninstaller) in safe mode to remove any residual files. Before rebooting, disconnect from the internet to prevent Windows from installing drivers from Windows Update.
 
#7 ·
I rolled the chipset drivers back to the version from gigabyte's site (turns out this was the version Stancestans was referencing) after uninstalling and cleaning as you suggested to try. It still shut off during Prime95/Furmark, this time in 4 minutes. Ah, well. I was hoping! It was a good idea to try.

I think I'll do as you suggested and try RMA'ing the APU, first. It makes the most sense to me, though I won't know for sure until I get it back.

Thanks for the suggestions, everyone.
 
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