[lug] Seeking thoughts on this crash

[Nick Golder]

On 2004-01-05 11:41 -0700, Gary Hodges wrote:
> Gary Hodges wrote:
> 
> >Peter Hutnick wrote:
> >
> >>Chuck Morrison wrote:
> >>
> >>>While my first inclination would be hardware, testing with the 
> >>>original - worked once at least - system would point you in the 
> >>>right direction, I think. Of course if it's software it may be 
> >>>something other than the kernel settings. There could be libraries 
> >>>that could be different and cause issues too.
> >>
> >>
> >>Have you eliminated heat (chipset and CPU) as the culprit?
> >
> >
> >After the first crash I started monitoring the CPU temp.  If you 
> >believe the accuracy of lmsensors it was at 66.9 deg C once and 66.7 
> >deg C another time.  These are withing a degree that the original 1.4 
> >Athlon ran at, and the same temp as during my first performance test 
> >after installing the new CPU.  The HSF is from PC Power and Cooling 
> >and is rated for up to something like 3200+ CPU's.  I did replace a 
> >seized chipset fan at the time I replaced the CPU.  I didn't know it 
> >had seized before I observed all the fans with the case open.  Maybe 
> >the replacement has too.  I've had problems with other computers in 
> >the past due to heat, so it is something I'm always worried about.  I 
> >wish these CPU's ran cooler, but according to specs even 66 deg C is 
> >well under max operating temps.
> 
> It looks like heat was playing a part in the crashes.  I changed the 
> physical location of the computer and the CPU runs ~4 deg C cooler while 
> processing large amounts of data.  I have reprocessed data several times 
> now without crashing, so it must be that the CPU was getting too hot.  
> Before the break it also locked up while in screensaver mode which had 
> never happened before.  It seems to me that the CPU has become more 
> sensitive to heat.  I should probably RMA the bugger.
> 
> Thanks for all the comments on this.
> 

I just dug though the archives and my quick greps didn't reveal a
mention of the north bridge.  Do you have a fan on the heatsink of the
north bridge?  I did a similar upgrade to an Asus motherboard and the
difference of 2 degrees F would tip the system over the edge.  Dropping
a fan on the northbridge blowing down over the heatsink and adding a
case fan that would pull in ouside ambient air that just so happened to
blow over the north bridge made a huge different.

It has been my experience that the north bridge is more susceptible to
errs due to temperature changes than the processor.

-- 
-Nick Golder
http://www.hiveportal.net