Tom,
I ruled out RAM 'casue I swapped RAM from another computer and still the
same. I installed AMD boxed CPU which comes with a fan from AMD. It was
working fine for 2 months. My CPU is fully utilized 'cause I run setiathome.
I am now hoping it's the Motherboard. I can run down to Phoenix and get
another one. If it's the processor I've to ship it back to AMD and wait,
frankly I don't know how fast AMD will respond. If anyone has experince
returning the CPU during warranty please share it with me.
Thanks
Sridhar
----- Original Message -----
From: "Tom Brinkman" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Sent: Wednesday, January 10, 2001 6:36 AM
Subject: Re: [expert] AMD Sytem, failure
> On Tuesday 09 January 2001 10:48 pm, Sridhar Govindarajulu wrote:
> > I build a AMD 850mhz system. ABit RAID Motherboard IBM 30 GB deskstar
> > HD and 256 Mb memory. It's been working for the past 2 months
> > flawlessly. Since yesterday the system reboots or hangs.
> > I rebooted the system and had a look at the bios system monitor to
> > monitor the temp and fan speed. I noticed when the CPU temp goes
> > beyond 109 F the system reboots. I am not sure if this is because of
> > a faulty CPU or the motherboard. On the mother board the chipset has
> > a separate fan. I suspected the memory and swapped memory form
> > another machine, still the same.
>
> Usually it's heat, power supply, or ram errors that cause reboots.
> 109F = 43C which is well below the 90C max that AMD specs. 'Course a
> max of 55C is more practical for problem free operation. The problem
> with the temp you see in bios is the system isn't under much, if any
> load. A bigger problem with AMD cpu's is there's no provision to
> monitor the cpu core temp (ie, internal diode). Readings from a probe
> (thermistor) are a guess, no matter how well placed the thermistor is.
> Add a minimum of 10C (maybe 15C) to probe temps to approximate the core
> temp if the thermistor is in contact with the center of the die and
> shielded from air currents (which is pretty much the case with your
> Abit).
>
> AMD's need a good heatsink/fan and case ventilation. Tom's, Anand,
> and several other hardware sites have done reviews on Athlon/Tbird
> HS/F's. Also the heatsink should be firm and square on the cpu die
> using thermal grease, not a thermal pad. Case should be ventilated
> well enough to keep it's temp at or very close to room temp. Checking
> for dust bunnies should be done often and regularly. 2 months might
> not be often enough ;)
>
> If it's not a temp problem, try reseating your ram and/or slowing
> ram timings in bios. Next thing to check is the power supply. It is an
> AMD approved >= 300w, right? FWIW, I read some time ago that AMD
> intends to implement a thermal diode in the cpu core like Intel has,
> but nothing on it since. Still, the thermistor's better than nothin.
> You should use lm_sensors to see what cpu temps are like when runnin
> prime95 (torture test), or better yet, cpuburn. This is when you don't
> want to see anything over 55C, and cooler is better.
>
> A good source of info for your system would be
> alt.comp.hardware.overclocking.amd (even if you'd never consider
> oc'ing) and alt.comp.periphs.mainboard.abit newsgroups.
> --
> Tom Brinkman [EMAIL PROTECTED] Galveston Bay
>
>
