SSD vs HD, EVGA GTX970 vs GTX980

[N2056]

If it were my rig I would engage in some basic troubleshooting and rule out any issues with FSX. Start the computer and use it for an extended amount of time WITHOUT running FSX at all. From what I have read so far I get the feeling that the rig is possibly overheating. That can be due to many things, and I have run into that problem myself in the past. I use a free temperature monitoring program called CPUID HWMonitor to check my computer. If you are interested you can find it here.

[snoman909]

i had this problem before, it was my pwr supply HW Monitor is a must utility , ive used it for years

[darryl737]

N2056, the error message was the usual windows did not shut down properly. Haven't been able to start it to get more info.

Darryl, I honestly don't think it is a heating problem, there is no unusual fan overworking noise, and it actually shut down while idle.

 

Hi Annber,

 

Hope you got some sleep. I did some research on your machine specs and hardware, it should require a power supply of 450w constant but Id go for 500w constant to give yourself some wriggle room. Even at idle your power supply can overheat and you wont get the fan noises from the machine that we use to get due to them being a lot more efficient and quite than the past.

When you take your machine back in tell them once its running that you want them to do a stress test ( they should have done this anyway ) as this will highlight issues with any hardware and cooling.

I always remind myself when building a new PC ( I am building 2 at the moment ) that it takes 30 minutes to put together, and 30 hours to get it running how you want. Ok maybe not 30 hours but it feels like it takes that long sometimes.

Darryl

[annber]

First of all thanks guys for all the input, I am truly grateful.

Hi Chuck, the PC is actually not running, unable to boot it, but thee is definitely something wrong in there, second time this exact thing happens in one week, cannot be another faulty graphics card, too much of a coincidence. Your area of California is beautiful.

N2056, same, can't turn on the bloody machine so I am unable to check overheating and follow your advice. But I will start monitoring the heat from now on.

Darryl, I wish I had some computer knowledge besides power on/off, it would make my life easier. However, most of you guys seem to be pointing at overheating, but it puzzles me if that is the case, I only have at best 5 addons installed in FSX right now, including photoreal scenery for Oahu, which I am developing, no AI, no weather engine, no REX, plus I have a corsair rm850 series, which was recommended and should provide enough power.

Anyway, I will go to bed early tonight, got some lab work tomorrow, better be in good spirits for that. But I will go to the tech shop for sure, something is just not making sense with this issue, and until this hopefully gets figured out I am in for continued stressful times with this, which I never expected 2 weeks into my brand new system.:mad:

[darryl737]

With any new custom system chances are you are going to have issues, but being yours was built for you they should of been sorted during the bench test. Again doing a stress test on any new system is a must.

There are many reasons why your power supply has overheated, from a simple manufacturing fault, trying to get more power out of it than it was built for ( in your case I cant see that as the issue as 850w is plenty of juice for your system ), to having it set up wrong in the BIOS.

Try not to let it stress you out, it will get sorted. Tell the computer store that you want them to stress test it and also you want them to run it overnight before you will pick it up. These things they should of done anyway. Also don't let them charge you for labour, parts, it will all be under warranty, plus its their issue as they put the system together for you.

[il88pp]

You say 'unable to boot', but what exactly do you mean??

 

What happens when you press the power button to switch it on?

Normally you should get:

-Fans spin up. (look inside case)

-You hear a single beep, coming from the internal speaker. (Not from your normal speakers, but from a tiny one that is either fixed on the mainboard, or attached inside the case.)

-You see an intro screen that says "press DEL to enter setup"

 

[[[At that point the Power On Self Test (POST) is complete, all parts are there, and the PC is ready to Start a OS from the Harddisk]]]

 

Then you either would get Windows (or another OS) Starting...

Or a message "Invalid System Disk" On an otherwise black screen.

 

 

Where in all this does it go wrong on your computer???

 

If it does not make it through to POST you have a problem with either With the wrong settings in the BIOS-Setup menu, the BIOS itself, like corrupted BIOS perhaps, or with a damaged mainboard.

 

BIOS stands for Basic Imput otput System. The Bios is a program contained in a small chip on th mainboard that is able to start the basic system, send power to all parts of the PC, test if they are working correctly, and, only if all is well, will it let the Harddisk (Windows) start calling the shots)

If the bios is damaged or corrupt you won't get the "single beep" and the fans will sometimes not even keep spinning.

 

--------------------------------------------

If it does make it through post (So you hear the single Beep.), but then you get "Invalid System Disk" message...

...then your harddisk is not detected by the mainboard. (loose cable perhaps.)

... or Windows is damaged, and can't be started.

 

--------------------------------------------------------------

 

"Just keep calm and carry on"

il88pp.

[annber]

il88pp, this has now happened twice, and both times exactly the same. First, the computer shuts down by itself, then I would press the power button on and the computer would follow the steps you outlined, then there would be a message saying that it did not shut down properly giving me a message to go to safe mode or restart, I chose restart. Then windows would open. 10 minutes later it would shut off by itself again. At that point you cannot start the computer anymore. The only difference is that in the first episode and after the second shutdown I was able to push the power button on and it would stay on, but the screen would stay blank, no windows message or error message. The second time it happened this weekend, after the second shut down I attempted to push the power button on and it would immediately shut down again, like a split second later.

Off I am now to get some lab tests done, hope i was able to answer your question. Thanks!!

[il88pp]

hi annber,

 

First, just for clarity,

>>BOOT= the starting of the machine. Until and including the POST beep. (After boot the machine can read from a harddisk, and run a program.)

>>Startup= A program starting. Windows (Windows is a program!), Windows startup happens after Booting. Then other programs can also be started.

 

---------------------------------------------------------------------

So if I understand correctly, at the moment, when you push the power button you get only a one or two second reaction and then the pc switches off again? That means at the moment the machine won't boot.

Up until now it did at least that.

 

That could be a corrupt BIOS. Which would mean the mainboard can't go through the boot sequewnce anymore, and is basically a doorstop.

 

The mainboard could just be damaged.

 

But it could also be a completely dead power supply.

 

It could also be a dead processor

 

Or Dead Ram.

 

 

If the power supply was already flaky, you would expect the kind of random shutdowns you have been seeing.

 

What I think happened:

::OPTION1::

The first time the pc ran for 15 mins, then the power suppliy overheated and failed, or simply failed.

Of course windows was not shut down correctly (start-shut down)

 

The next time you started the computer managed the POST test, gave control to the HDD. You then got the message (from Windows) "windows was not shut down correctly, attempt to repair... etc"

It managed to repair, and after a reboot windows was started again.

 

Then you got a similar thing, again the power supply failed, and the PC shut down.

But now the PC won't start at all.

That would mean the power supply is now completely dead.

 

::OPTION2::

There is a serious problem with the mainboard, or the processor.

This can create all kind of random errors, Including random shutdowns.

It could have caused the first shutdown (after 15mins).

It could have worked long enough to fix windows on the next reboot.

It could have easily failed again later.

And now the mainboard may be damaged even more. (A damaged mainboard can also send to much current to other parts, such as processor and RAM, and damage those.)

 

 

::OPTION3::

When the guy updated your BIOS, he may have corrupted your BIOS. This is usually not repairable, and means a "bricked" mainboard. (only good as a doorstop.)

 

::OPTION4::

(One of) the RAM sticks could be bad.

 

----------------------------------------------------------

Since your New videocard requires more power from the power supply, I mostly suspect the power supply as the cause.

 

What I would do:

I would first reset the bios. (actually reset the CMOS) This resets the default settings and is often enough to boot again.

You can look up how to do that in your mainboard's manual. Make sure to disconnect the computer from the mains power before going into the case to do this.

Then I would reconnect the power cord and try to boot.

 

If there is still no boot, no POST, I would try with only one stick of RAM.

Disconnect the power cord again and push the power button a few times so there is no residual current anywhere.

Open the case and disconnect your RAM sticks.

Connect only one RAM stick. Push it into Memory Slot-1

Re-connect the power cord and try to boot.

 

If it boots you know the other memory stick was probably bad.

If it doesn't boot, switch the ram sticks and try again.

 

If there is still no response from the PC (or just a short spin of the fans) I would replace the power supply.

 

One other thing you could try, Disconnect all non-essential parts.

Leave only the mainboard, one stick of RAM, and the processor and processor cooler and other fans connected.

Disconnect, the harddisks (remember what slots they go in), the videocard, any other pci cards, etc. Disconnect it all from the mainboard and from the power supply.

That way the power supply does not need to produce much current. That way you may be able to get through post. (hear the beep)

A monitor does not need to be onnected forthat test.

If you have a monitor connected ( to the onboard video) you will of course see "Invalid System Disk" (no disks are connected).

But that way you know the mainboard is still alive.

And that the cause was a weak power supply.

 

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

That is pretty much it.

A sudden shutdown caused by a damaged mainboard is possible. Unfortunately it is not easy to determine if a mainboard is faulty.

Since it could also be a faulty processor, testing further is a job for the shop.

 

A sudden shutdown should not have damaged the BIOS.

 

But updating the BIOS could easily have damaged it. Updating the BIOS is called 'Flashing' the BIOS. The Bios is not stored like files on a HDD or USB-stick. It is stored on a special chip, and writing to that chip is only possible with a special program. If anything goes wrong during this proces, one 0 is a 1, or a power failure dring writing. even the smallest error, corrupts the bios program.

It will mean the mainboard can't boot, but also that the bios can't be repaired anymore, since the mainboard would have to boot to run the special bios writing program...

Some mainboards (ASUS) have a option to repair the BIOS, even when the PC can't boot anymore. A special "boot block", a block of data that is never written to. That boot block is not enought to start thr pc completely, but it can still run the special BIOS writing program.

 

These last options are something for the shop to do.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

About resetting CMOS.

The Bios is the program that is executed to start the machine.

The CMOS contains the specifications of your computer parts. There you set the processor speed, RAM speed, Harddisks, etc.

Resetting the CMOS will not damage the BIOS.

All mainboards have a jumper (or a nice button) that can be used to reset the CMOS to Safe default values.

Usually default those values work fine.

 

That should allow your PC to pass through BOOT/POST.

The only thing that may not be set correctly after a bios reset is what your first harddisk is (if you have more then one). If that happens the pc will try to start from the wrong (non windows) disk and you will get the "Invalid System Disk" message.

This can be easily fixed. During the next reboot you press DEL (delete) to enter the Setup menu, and there you set the correct HDD that should be started first.

 

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I wrote this, from the point of view of, "what would I do if this had happened to me"

I recently built my own PC. And have taken a few apart and put them together again.

>I have had a BIOS-Flash update go wrong in the past, leaving me with a dead mainboard.

>I've had a power supply burn out, and take the Mainboard or the processor with it. (With a new power supply it still did not boot, I did not buy a new mainboard to test further...)

>I had a PC shut down randomly, and give bluescreens and that turned out to be a bad RAM-stick.

So I know the feeling.

 

When these things happens, panick sets in. Best to stay calm and just go down the options one by one. Sometimes it is an easy fix.

 

I realise, lots of info here. Maybe to much.

If you don't feel comfortable doing these things yourself I understand. No worries. Just take it to the shop.

I remember the first time opening a PC, and I know it can be daunting.

 

As you see, I listed all possible reasons for a non-bootable PC. But I still think a failed power supply is the most likely reason. Especially if you had the PC for a while and never had a problem until you got the new graphics card (and had the people at the shop work on it).

 

Hope this did not get to confusing.

il88pp.

[napamule2]

Annber,

That 850 PSU is not going to be zapped THAT easy. It should be fine.

 

Take rig back to shop. Tell them to disconnect all (D: drive, DVD drive) but C: (boot) Drive. Ask them to RESET THE CMOS (as that is a 'memory' chip that keeps a 'list' of hardware installed). Then ask them to go into the Bios on power up and to set THAT HDrive as 'Boot Device' and not 'other' (which COULD be the Optical drive (ie: cd or dvd)). Then ask them to RE-Boot the PC. It should now boot.

 

Your 'waiter' just got it wrong and gave you 'scrambled eggs' and not an 'omelet' like you ordered. Take it back to the shop. They shold NOT charge you anything to check if it will boot (but ask first, of course). So back to the future. But it's common. Happens all the time. One component is bad and the whole thing fails. That's electronics for you.

Chuck B

Napamule

[annber]

il88pp, thanks for such detailed post and the time you are taking to help, same goes to you Chuck and all who have posted, that's what makes flightsimming a great experience along with the actual simulator.:)

Anyway, I took the system to the shop this morning on my way to Lab. The tech guy attempted to boot, and it did boot, got the error message windows did not shut down properly and proceeded to Windows, then he noticed that one of the fans was overworking and the computer shut down before he could do anything else.

He asked me to leave it there until tomorrow, and I will be there at 9 am to show him your advice and recommendations and see where this goes. I will post as soon as I know, hopefully good news for a change.

[E-Buzz]

annber,

I have been following your post with much interest.

Please DO post what the shop says the problem was. Trying to diagnose computer problems via forums always interests me and helps all that may read it.

Thank you for sharing!

 

Good luck,

E-Buzz :pilot:

[W2DR]

I've been away in hospital for a few days and have not had an opportunity to post. That said, yes, please post the findings as many of us are interested.

 

 

Doug

[annber]

Guys, here is an update of what has transpired today. This morning at 10 am I went to shop, and was told that the computer kept shutting down on them and were testing, at 11 am I was told that they had connected either the motherboard or the card to a different port ( excuse my ignorance ), and that the computer was now staying on, they had done stress tests, everything worked ok, so I dropped by and had them run FSX, loaded with Carenado Hawker at Honolulu with all island photoreal. I Left to get something done and came back 2 hours later. That's when they told me that the computer had shut down again and they had determined that it had to be the motherboard because everything else appeared to be fine according to their testing.

That is what I know so far, I am supposed to go back there at 3:30pm my time to pick up the motherboard. If there is anything you guys think I should say, ask or look for let me know so that I can do that when I go back later. This whole thing has now officially become a nightmare. I already had to fight over the phone with newegg to get them to replace the board as they said it was 7 days over the turn period, it was bought May 22.

Doug, sorry about the hospital stay, hope everything is ok.

[darryl737]

Thanks for the update Annber, this really has me intrigued as to what is going on with your machine.

Asus motherboards are normally pretty good and of all the motherboards on the market they would have one of the best BIOS out there. But of course there's no such thing as perfect. Its unusual that a motherboard would force a shutdown without a warning of the issue beforehand or having a error message in the BIOS when it starts up again outlining the issue that shut it down.

It could be a corrupt BIOS of course and I am unsure if your model of Asus has the two BIOS option that some come with that has a backup BIOS should one become corrupted.

The system is clearly very instable which again the BIOS should pick that up.

Did the shop do temperature checks on the CPU and check the CPU cooler fan map to make sure it was keeping the CPU in the recommended temp ranges. Also a check of the overall temp in the case is worth doing to make sure it has good airflow coming in and being pushed out.

I hope that a new motherboard will do the trick.

Cant wait to find out.

[il88pp]

Could you give the part number of the ram? And all specs.

 

When it crashed today after two hours, was it running on a different power supply?

 

Did you select the parts together or did they?

[W2DR]

.

Doug, sorry about the hospital stay, hope everything is ok.

 

Thanks for the thought. I "think" everything is OK. I'll know more after more tests next week (heart-related stuff).

 

I don't have a clue to offer on your issue(s) but hang in there. These computer thingies, frustrating as they are, always work out in the end.

 

Doug

[annber]

il88pp, the ram part number and specs:

CORSAIR Vengeance Pro 16GB (2 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 2400 (PC3 19200) Desktop Memory Model CMY16GX3M2A2400C11

My understanding is that it was running on my power supply without any crash, and also on theirs, but it crashed 30 minutes after loading fsx with my power supply.

About the part selection, I started this back in 2014, there was someone here at flightsim that recommended parts through private mail, but apparently appears to no longer be around since there is no post from him or respond to my mails. Then I posted via the forums for the graphics card and ram. I was getting worried that perhaps things do not match?

Basically aside from the processor here is what I bought,

 

1 x WD BLACK SERIES WD1003FZEX 1TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard

1 x CORSAIR RM Series RM850 850W ATX12V v2.31 and EPS 2.92 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Full Modular Active PFC Power Supply

1 x SAMSUNG 840 EVO MZ-7TE500BW 2.5" 500GB SATA III TLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)

1 x Microsoft Windows 7 Professional SP1 64-bit - OEM

-1 x EVGA 04G-P4-2978-KR GeForce GTX 970 4GB 256-Bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 SLI Support FTW ACX 2.0 Video Card

1 x CORSAIR Vengeance Pro 16GB (2 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 2400 (PC3 19200) Desktop Memory Model CMY16GX3M2A2400C11

1 x ASUS Z97-PRO LGA 1150 Intel Z97 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

 

If this doesn't answer your request pls let me know, I get confused by some of terminology sometimes which probably makes me an idiot.

 

Darryl, the shop did temp checks and monitoring.

[darryl737]

All the specs of your Rig are fine Annber and there certainly isn't and issues with any of your hardware not being a good fit with each other.

All your hardware is good quality stuff which you will find that once the problem is sorted will give you some good results for general gaming.

The philosophy around building a system is so very vast and that goes with building FSX systems as well. Unfortunately many people come unstuck when putting together a FSX system together due to them not understanding how FSX was developed and how it uses the system. I intend to write a blog in the next couple of days on that subject with the hope that it may at least save someone who reads it time, money and disappointment.

As I said your system seems ok to me and I wouldn't worry about the components not matching up.

[E-Buzz]

Hmmm....

So, it shut down again after running FSX for 2 hours, but not during stress-testing? And it shut down while using YOUR power supply?

Any idea HOW they did the stress test? What program(s) did they use (ex: prime95, etc.)?

How did they monitor the temps? And what were they during the stress-test?

How long did they stress-test for? If it was for 10-15 mins with minimal stress, it probably wouldn't tell you much.

In order to eliminate as many variables as possible, the shop now needs to do the same stress-testing procedures AND then run FSX with both power supplies (YOURS and THEIRS) and compare results. Being methodical can be time-consuming, but it is also the best way to find your answer.

 

I agree with daryl737 that your parts are good to go, and lesh's idea about the thermal paste is an excellent idea to investigate.

How is the air-flow in the case? Airflow around the VRM's (voltage regulator modules/MOSFETS) is important - if they get too hot it can cause BSD's (Blue Screen of Death) or possibly shut downs. This is usually only something to look out for when doing high overclocks, and this may be unlikely as ASUS usually has great components in their motherboards. But you never know - there could be a defect - it happens...

I think things kinda point to being heat-related. We just need to chase down which part(s) is(are) overheating.

 

annber - we all feel your pain and want to help as much as possible. I start to get withdrawals when I can't run FSX.

Again, please keep us in the loop.

Good luck,

 

E-Buzz :pilot:

[MBKHOU]

Intel did have a problem with early 4790k's having a bad thermal connection to the lid

and were overheating. Might be something to consider if it is an early CPU from last

year. I'm assuming they got it straightened out with later CPU's, as I don't hear as

much about it now.

But I wouldn't expect that issue to show up until a load was run, unless the thermal

connection was really bad. I was worried about this issue when I got a regular 4790,

but so far mine doesn't really seem to have this problem. Or at least nothing like the

early versions. Mine is a 2015 chip, not 2014.

Naturally the best way to watch for this problem is to be monitoring the CPU temps

as any stress tests are done.

If the chip is overheating, in theory Intel should replace it if it's actually a internal

thermal issue. But many people just de-lidded them and replaced the thermal paste

themselves for a large improvement. Another sign of poor internal thermal conductivity

would be if you see large differences in the temps of the individual cores.

Normally, they should be fairly close assuming equal loads on the various cores.

[napamule2]

Quote: 'Intel did have a problem with early 4790k's having a bad thermal connection to the lid and were overheating.'

 

What this means is: the MECHANICAL connection between the CPU header (the flat surface where you smear the thermal paste (which is METALLIC compound)) and the cooler header is not a TIGHT connection. This happens when one of the four legs did not seat firmly in place (ie: snap in fully). This will result in a 'gap' between the CPU and the COOLER surfaces which will cause the HEAT to not wicked off by the cooler and the CPU will overheat (in no time). That simple. They need to re-seat the cooler on the CPU. But by now the paste is DRY and brittle (even rusted) so you must go in there and remove all traces of the old paste (use Q-tips and rubbing alchohol). THEN and only then, apply new Silver Oxide paste and re-seat the cooler on CPU.

 

The Asus MB you have is the BEST MB you can buy. It has everything. Even Wi-Fi. It is even FORWARD compatible (for upcoming 5th Gen CPU's in case 5 yrs from now you want to upgrade). It also has the AISuite 3 that can tune the Ram, the fans speeds depending on heat, the CPU fan depending on heat, and for setting Turbo features (ie: tune CPU cores). It has 2 dedicated devices built in to tune everything on the fly. Once set up it is going to work good. You say it runs at 4.0 Ghz. Well AISuite 3 can do better (ie: match the CPU to the rest of the components as a 'profile') and not hurt itself (which is the whole purpose of AISuite 3) by overclock the overclock, if you know what I mean. It acts to throttle things down depending on HEAT. So HEAT is your problem. The MB is 'smart' enought to shut you down when that happens. So that (shutting down) is a good thing. It points to a PROBLEM. In this case is probably a loose cooler, like I say. Trust me. I have been building my own rigs since 1970. Went into electronic (Air Force) in 1960. I still learn everyday, so don't feel bad if you don't know the WORDS. You can learn. Your rig will be primo, my dear, once you get it going.

Chuck B

Napamule

Edit: Oh, I forgot. Your power requirements (of all the parts you listed) will not EVER exceed 350 watts TOTAL. So you are not in ANY way possible 'loading down' your power supply. You have plenty of 'juice'. Look elsewhere (please).

[napamule2]

Annber,

Update: I just read that your i7 4790K REQUIRES a 'special' TIM (thermal interface material) made by Intel. Do NOT use just any thermal paste. Get the 'right' one. This paste, called TIM for short, is what makes the 4790K able to run at 4.0 ghz (4.4 Turbo) so it's made specifically for this CPU and you won't get 4.0 Ghz (and may even be the cause of heating problem and thus your 'solution' (pun intended). Cheers.

Chuck B

Napamule

PS: I TOLD I learn something new everyday. Ha.

[darryl737]

Some great points brought up about the cooler not having a good connection on the chip. I haven't ever overclocked any of my Intel stuff and I have found the Intel stock coolers quite good, but I wonder if your chip is overclocked and you are running the stock cooler, if that may be a cause also. With my AMD stuff which I do overclock the stock cooler is quite bad with AMDs anyway so a aftermarket cooler is a must with those.

 

Being that your system was built by someone who should know what they are doing I would of expected that they would of picked up on any CPU cooler issues either during the build or when they bench tested it.

[MBKHOU]

Quote: 'Intel did have a problem with early 4790k's having a bad thermal connection to the lid and were overheating.'

 

What this means is: the MECHANICAL connection between the CPU header (the flat surface where you smear the thermal paste (which is METALLIC compound)) and the cooler header is not a TIGHT connection. .

 

Well, that's true also, but the problem I'm talking about is internal. The old i7's

used to use a solder bond between the cpu dies or whatever and the header.

This was quite efficient at transferring heat. But I imagine to save costs, they

switched to using a thermal paste material inside the CPU instead of the solder,

and also started using some kind of glue to actually hold the external header in place.

And the glue is often part of the problem, as it seems to increase the gap between

the lid and the smooth surface underneath which they thermally bond to.

There is also an smooth internal header of sorts that the external header bonds to.

Which means they had to use more thermal material to fill the gap, which usually

decreases the transfer of heat. And they had some which the material had dried up

and was fairly useless.. Most that delidded the "hot" chips found the material all dried

up and funky looking.

There are a few utoob videos on this, and also on the web, Intel forum, etc..

Many got fed up with the overheating, and delidded the chips and replaced the

thermal paste, and didn't use the glue to hold the lid in place. That cured the problem.

I'm assuming Intel finally got a handle on the problem a while back being as I haven't

heard much about it recently. And my regular 4790 doesn't seem to have the problem.

[E-Buzz]

See, this thread is sooo informative!

It's great we have a number of people here that are lending their thoughts and experiences to help fellow flight simmers! This is a great place!

 

Here are some more thoughts:

The consensus here still seems to be something heat-related. My questions still remain about how the shop did their stress-testing and temperature monitoring...

When I stress test my new builds, (mostly for overclocking potential) I use Prime95 and HWmonitor (I believe there are probably better programs out there now, but I like to be consistent when I can). Prime95 stresses all the CPU cores which helps to generate the most amount of heat.

In my (fairly insignificant) opinion, if a CPU can "pass" prime95, it should be able to handle FSX. My reasoning for that assumption is when I run FSX, I see that only one of my CPU cores is constantly being utilized near or at 100%, with other cores dropping or rising as needed, but none of the other cores are running at 100% all the time. So in theory, prime95 should generate the most heat, at least more than FSX.

So, in saying that, your symptoms should have arisen during the stress-testing in a shorter time frame than when it ran FSX for 2 hours.

All of this is assuming (I know what you get when you "ass-u-me' :p) the shop performed a comparable stress-test.

And, the fact (at least that's what they told you) that they ran the stress-test on both power-supplies, and it shut down on your power-supply makes me want to put your power supply (even though it seems to be a good one) on the top of my rule-out list.

 

Would everyone agree that swapping out a power-supply is much easier than re-seating the CPU and reapplying the thermal interface material?

 

The other symptom that wants to make me suspect the power-supply:

 

"First, the computer shuts down by itself, then I would press the power button on and the computer would follow the steps you outlined, then there would be a message saying that it did not shut down properly giving me a message to go to safe mode or restart, I chose restart. Then windows would open. 10 minutes later it would shut off by itself again. At that point you cannot start the computer anymore. The only difference is that in the first episode and after the second shutdown I was able to push the power button on and it would stay on, but the screen would stay blank, no windows message or error message. The second time it happened this weekend, after the second shut down I attempted to push the power button on and it would immediately shut down again, like a split second later."

 

This leads to me to these questions for all to contemplate:

Was the CPU already overheating and the motherboard kicked in to protect it, or was the power-supply already overheating or faulty, which is why it immediately shut down a split second later?

Is it true that even if the CPU has overheated, would the motherboard still at least try to go through the POST?

And if the power-supply is faulting, you might see the split second shutdown?

 

annber - Is your power-supply still under warranty? I know you're not having much luck with the motherboard returns...

 

As napamule said, once you get all this sorted, you should have one hell of a machine and FSX should perform smooth as silk! :cool:

 

Please let us know the current status and the final verdict/solution annber.

 

We're all rooting for you!

 

E-Buzz :pilot: