MB/CPU Temp Monitoring - Motherboard Monitor v5.3.7 v Alternatives

[pokergrader]

Nah, the software that flashes the BIOS checksums all the data and it would not be corrupted by a floppy disk.

And datamining 10 party tables or playing music and browsing isn't going to do anything for your CPU usage. Definetly run Prime95 tortue test to get the try numbers for you CPU.

However, since all you are doing is browsing the internet and playing poker, I highly doubt that the CPU is the problem. As it was said earlier, often a bad power supply can cause problems exactly like this. Either made by a crappy company or one that is underpowered for your system.

I would download MBM, get your temps and also check the voltages on your 3.3, 5 and 12v rails under load (prime95 torture test).

Bad RAM will often give you BSODs before the computer restarts, but a bad power supply will just restart the computer randomly. Overheating CPU will also restart the computer randomly, but you will easily be able to test that with a Prime95 run.

[Rick Nebiolo]

[ QUOTE ]
Nah, the software that flashes the BIOS checksums all the data and it would not be corrupted by a floppy disk.

[/ QUOTE ]

I got the "checksum error" (sometimes with "overclocking failed") in about six out of twenty or so BIOS flashes. Maybe those times the floppy did in fact screw up.


[ QUOTE ]
And datamining 10 party tables or playing music and browsing isn't going to do anything for your CPU usage. Definetly run Prime95 tortue test to get the try numbers for you CPU.

[/ QUOTE ]

I'll report back in a day or so.


[ QUOTE ]
However, since all you are doing is browsing the internet and playing poker, I highly doubt that the CPU is the problem. As it was said earlier, often a bad power supply can cause problems exactly like this. Either made by a crappy company or one that is underpowered for your system.

I would download MBM, get your temps and also check the voltages on your 3.3, 5 and 12v rails under load (prime95 torture test).

[/ QUOTE ]

Already downloaded MBM but haven't fully set it up other than the basic measurements on the task bar and briefly looking at the dashboard. Also have run floppy based Memtest86 v3.2 (mentioned elsewhere) and the memory has cheked out in multiple extended tests.

Just launced the MBM dashboard. Later Hope I can find an option to write voltages or other info to a file while I'm away. Otherwise it would be hard to track consistant voltages.


[ QUOTE ]
Bad RAM will often give you BSODs before the computer restarts, but a bad power supply will just restart the computer randomly. Overheating CPU will also restart the computer randomly, but you will easily be able to test that with a Prime95 run.

[/ QUOTE ]

What's a "BSOD"?

From earlier post in thread: "The PSU is a Fortron 530W P530XF (a relatively high end unit) so I'm hoping it's OK."

It seems to get good reviews (although it's only $80 on NewEgg. This doesn't mean it can't be bad, but after paying an extra $60 bucks or so (over the standard PSU) I'm hoping that's not it.

Darn, gotta run - I'll try to check these things out tonight. Meanwhile machine is running well. Maybe I kicked it in the right place. [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

~ Rick

[Rick Nebiolo]

[ QUOTE ]
I would download MBM, get your temps and also check the voltages on your 3.3, 5 and 12v rails under load (prime95 torture test).

[/ QUOTE ]

Earlier today I ran several twenty minute bursts of the three variations of the Prime95 torture test. Everything passed.

Then for the past four hours I ran the blended test again and everything passed once more.

For the four hour blended test MBM indicates that the case temp has hovered between 84F and 87F. The CPU temp has averaged 132F with a high of 136F.

During the same test MBM indicated the following voltages:

Core: low 1.41v, high 1.54v, avg. 1.44v
+3.3: low 3.18v, high 3.30v, avg. 3.25v
+5: low 5.11v, high 5.16v, avg. 5.14v
+12: low 12.76v, high 13.02v, avg. 12.88v

These numbers look OK to my uneducated eye. Does anyone have any thoughts?

~ Rick

[Terry]

I’d guess that something you’ve done has solved your problem; maybe the BIOS flash, maybe reseated a loose component, maybe blown out a bit of lint that was causing a sporadic short.

Those temperatures could come down a little with some tweaking but they’re nothing to be concerned about.

[Rick Nebiolo]

[ QUOTE ]
I’d guess that something you’ve done has solved your problem; maybe the BIOS flash, maybe reseated a loose component, maybe blown out a bit of lint that was causing a sporadic short.

[/ QUOTE ]

When I was working on a pre-production model of a piece of equipment for subs at Hughes Aircraft in 1981 it was amazing how often kicking it in the right place got an intermitant failure to go away for a while and get the machine to work again. The machine had about 160 five by five inch circuit cards spread over two water cooled card drawers. The pre-production machine had all sorts of jumpers and termi-point (a sort of clip used on the backplane) connecting the wiring between cards rather than the more stable wire wrap. Since the cards were repeatedly swaped out for different reasons during this test and refine phase the connections were very tenuous. I was a pretty good kicker/circuit card reseater but we had one technician who had it down to an art.


[ QUOTE ]
Those temperatures could come down a little with some tweaking but they’re nothing to be concerned about.

[/ QUOTE ]

I'll probably leave the hardware and BIOS alone for a while and get all other programs running cleanly before loading any poker programs (I need a break from Internet poker anyway - LA B&M is great). If I see a nice fast replacement drive on sale I may swap out the first hard drive (the one that failed once). This will be fast since re-partitioning is easy with Partition Magic and restoring Win XP and programs is a snap with Norton Ghost.

The failures were a bummer but I learned a lot and would like to build my next machine from parts two years out. Meanwhile tweaking Firefox as the primary browser and adding extensions is fun. I can't understand why MS Internet Explorer can't even come up with a version that at least does tabbed browsing. Opera, Mozilla, and IE overlays have had it for years.

Anyway, thanks all for your help.

Regards,

Rick

[pokergrader]

That is a little hot for the CPU, what kind of processor is it?

[Rick Nebiolo]

"That is a little hot for the CPU, what kind of processor is it?"

It's a 3.0 ghz (not overclocked) Pentium 4 socket 478 type about two years old.

I think this is a link to the exact specs.

Keep in mind it got that hot only under Prime95 torture. Right now it's at 105F.

~ Rick