Computer Weirdness

[geoff]

HW:
MB: P8Z77-M
CPU: Core-i3, 3.3 ghz, Ivy Bridge
16 gigs ram
Intel SSD
WD-HDD
Win7-64 bit

Everything played nice for like four months, then I started getting
seemingly unrelated issues like:
- Adobe Flash crashes in FireFox
- FireFox trying, but failing, to open old pages on startup.
- Win 7 locking up twice, including the mouse.
- A crash with a brief window mentioning a memory error.
- The monitor would sometimes have a brief jiggle and the brightness would
change/flash quickly (a little brighter then back to normal).

One thing that changed is I had to enable VT-x in the BIOS to use VirtualBox
and Linux.

After the memory error, I downloaded and (re-)installed all the drivers from
ASUS. The GPU driver version was one level behind the Windows version but I
used the ASUS downloaded driver since it is the latest on their website.

I also noticed that my BIOS version did not support the Core-i3, so, I
updated to the latest. Memtest86 does not report any errors, so, I hope
some of this helped the situation.

[Paul]

Do you have any of your custom BIOS settings written
down somewhere ?

Since you updated the BIOS, you could try clearing CMOS.
There will usually be a jumper, like "CLRRTC". You must
remove all power, before using the jumper. Unplug the
computer. Consult the manual for any additional details.

Once the jumper is put back the way it was, power up,
enter the BIOS, and restore the settings.

*******

When I had a stability problem with my Core2 system,
I found that entering the BIOS, and bumping Vnb (Northbridge
voltage, the chip that talks to memory), that seemed to help.
It only took an increase of one step, to go from occasional
memory errors, to none at all (even after Prime95 all night).

Your architecture is different, but you might still have
some useful controls in the BIOS.

One other thing I'd experiment with, is operating any
"whizzy" hardware features, in manual mode. For example, if
you had "Digi+ VRM", if that could be disabled, I'd run it
in a fixed operating mode. And see if that helps or not.

I doubt the VT-x setting made that much difference. It
shouldn't have anything to do with the operating
conditions for the memory DIMMs.

I was a bit surprised at my stability problem. The
system was flawless for months, then one day I was running
several heavy duty things at the same time, and I started
getting memory errors. I loaded memtest86+, and sure enough,
could see problems there as well. I tried reseating the DIMMs,
in case it was a contact problem. Didn't help. Then I started
fooling with the voltages, and on a hunch, headed for Vnb
instead of VDimm. And just as quickly as my memory problem
had shown up, it was gone again.

I can only conclude, that somehow, either the voltage regulator
had drifted out of spec (unlikely), or, the silicon in the
Northbridge had a parametric shift. But I hadn't been
"torturing" the Northbridge - it was operating at pretty
Plain Jane settings. And yet, I started getting errors.

Tweak it - if no satisfaction, you've likely still got
a little warranty time left. The Asus warranty may be
three years, but it's measured from the date stamped
on the box. The serial number, has two characters as the
lead digits, and those specify year and month. Like "3A"
would be manufactured in 2013 October. (I think this is
documented on the Asus site somewhere.) And my three years
would be measured from there. When I purchased my current
Asus motherboard, it had been sitting in a warehouse for
1.5 years, so my three year warranty was basically cut in
half (only 1.5 years left).

Paul

[geoff]

I cleared the CMOS RTC RAM and loaded the BIOS defaults. However, most of
the BIOS is on 'auto' (voltages, AI Overclock, etc.). I changed two things:
- Set the SATA mode to AHCI for my SSD.
- Change the performance setting to 'quiet'.

One thing did change with the new BIOS, the CPU temperature. Originally,
the CPU ran anywhere from 18c to 22c without load. Now it runs at 28c to
30c without load.

[geoff]

I also experienced random internet disconnects.

"geoff" wrote in message:
... I started getting seemingly unrelated issues like:

[geoff]

Things seem to be stable now. I updated the BIOS to the latest, updated all
the drivers from the ASUS website, and uninstalled the AI Suite components
except the monitor and system information. It seems like components such as
GPU boost, added instability.

I'm using ASUS drivers even if Win 7 has a newer one.

[Rob]

Good move. I avoid using any Asus utility software - very
buggy in my (long) experience of using Asus products.
To be honest, all the useful tweaks and settings can be done
via the BIOS settings.
For system monitoring, 3rd-party products with a long history
of support are the way to go for stability (eg speedfan, cpu-z
etc.)
This list includes a lot of 'good stuff':
http://www.techradar.com/news/software/applications/100-best-ever-free-pc-system-tools-705029

--
Rob

[geoff]

> I avoid using any Asus utility software ...

My machine had one BSOD and when streaming Bloomberg, the video seem to get
worse over time, so, I completely removed AISuite (the ASUS tool), even
though I only had the monitor and system information installed and replaced
it with SpeedFan and CPU-z.

Video works great and no BSOD so far.