return to TC, return OF the epic performance problems - Fixed after system reformat.

[cakes]

I'll look through the manual later, using my phone at the moment to reply.

** Looked through the manual now. In your BIOS goto Power Management and ensure HPET is enabled and HPET SUPPORT is 64-bit. If those are set consider my comments below. **

OK, if the max memory isn't ticked in MSCONFIG, I suggest you have one of the following:

Bent pins within the CPU socket on the motherboard.
An overtightened/unevenly tightened CPU heatsink, which may causing stress on the CPU/socket.
Your mounting bolts for the CPU cooler are in contact with the case and causing a ground.

I seem to remember this was a common fault on P55's. This is all assuming your RAM is fitted in the correct slots and the latches are FULLY engaged.

With two 4GB modules, the first should be in the slot closest to the CPU and the second module should be in the third slot.

[FlightJunkie]

I'll look through the manual later, using my phone at the moment to reply.

** Looked through the manual now. In your BIOS goto Power Management and ensure HPET is enabled and HPET SUPPORT is 64-bit. If those are set consider my comments below. **

OK, if the max memory isn't ticked in MSCONFIG, I suggest you have one of the following:

Bent pins within the CPU socket on the motherboard.
An overtightened/unevenly tightened CPU heatsink, which may causing stress on the CPU/socket.
Your mounting bolts for the CPU cooler are in contact with the case and causing a ground.

I seem to remember this was a common fault on P55's. This is all assuming your RAM is fitted in the correct slots and the latches are FULLY engaged.

With two 4GB modules, the first should be in the slot closest to the CPU and the second module should be in the third slot.

-HPET was enabled, but not in 64bit. i turned it in 64bit, but the only thing that worked is that ccleaner now sees all 8 Gbs instead of 3,5(like it did before) the rest of my system however, does not.

-recently i had to change the thermal conductor on my CPU, and i didn't notice any bend pins(CPU was never removed before that). i also made sure the cooler is properly placed. also the cooler uses 4 plastic pins, so this might not be the case.

NOTE: problems could not have been caused by my recent upgrades on RAM(corsair vengeance 8GB 2x4, PSU(corsair CX600), new thermal paste, as the problems pre-date the upgrades.

-slots 1 and 3(blue coloured slots) do not work by themselves if either 2 or 4(or both) are not occupied. once 2 and 4 get occupied, 1 and 3 appear to be registering normally on all software i check.

-currently i have installed the dimms on slots 2 and 3. the 3rd slot is registering and performance is as if i had only one slot installed(normal framerates but stuttering remains in X3TC)

PS:is there a possibility that the Mobo is broken beyond repair?

[cakes]

This gets weirder and weirder.

Remove all the ram and try only having one 4gb in slot one, then remove it and try the other matched 4gb in slot one. Then we can rule out the ram.

After that put the matched pair of 4gb in slot one and three. Ensure dual channel mode is enabled in the bios and make sure the slots are enabled in the bios.

Test in windows.

Have you tried a bios upgrade?

Everything is pointing to you using a none 64 bit OS. So a dreaded clean reinstall of win7 might be in order. Lets leave that as a last resort though.

[Alan Phipps]

I agree with cakes. "-HPET was enabled, but not in 64bit. " That may indicate that the BIOS (rather than the OS) is not picking up the current system/OS configuration. I would strongly suggest using the mobo support disk tools to do a BIOS check and update if necessary. The wrong BIOS would explain a lot of this puzzling behaviour and resetting to defaults will still be incorrect if it is the wrong one to start with.

Whether that then could have fooled the OS into configuring itself wrongly is a secondary matter to be addressed after the BIOS is checked and updated as necessary.

[cakes]

Re-reading the HPET sections in the manual again(page 55) it eludes to the fact that you need to enable the 64-bit setting PRIOR to installing Vista (we'll transpose this to mean Win7 in your case).

I'm now convinced your OS isn't properly using all parts of the extended 64-bit memory addressing - just a weird cocktail of them.

I hope we're getting somewhere with this.

[FlightJunkie]

all possible ram combinations have been tried.

i haven't touched anything in the bios since i bought the PC. im kinda afraid to resort in a bios update

format is not a last resort as i was planning it here and some time. also the OS not being able to address the ram properly can cause performance issues(in dual channel)?

[Alan Phipps]

Don't be afraid of a BIOS update as long as you have the mobo support disk and use the tools on that to do the BIOS check and update.

At the very least do a BIOS check which is completely harmless with no impact on the system; it may even tell you that you don't need an update.

[FlightJunkie]

when you say "mobo support disk" do you mean the mobo driver disk(its the only one i got)?

[cakes]

As Alan said, don't fear a bios update. Yes, in very rare cases you can kill your motherboard, so just read the manufacturer instructions carefully and don't rush. Most modern bioses in the last few years can recover from problems flashing them, not sure about your model for definate.

The instructions and names of software are in your motherboard manual link posted earlier. Either use the software on the disk or download them from Gigabyte.

I wasn't trying to get you to try ram combinations again, it was aimed at checking the modules and slots for errors with only one installed, then the matched pair.

Following a bios upgrade, then OS reinstall, if neither fix the issue it might still be a slot problem.

[FlightJunkie]

Hi all. After quite some time i decided to format my computer. I had my ram in single channel to avoid performance problems. I put it back in dual and formated the computer.

I'm completely unsure why, but it was the OS afterall. everything works like a charm.

just bring this up to let you know everything is ok.