i recently upgraded to an EPox EP-8KTA3L+ (brand new)
also got a 950 mhz Athlon (don't believe it was brand new)
256 mb RAM

Windows 98 SE

i am running ATI Radeon 7500 in the AGP slot

also SoundBlaster live, an ethernet card.

but the problems did not start until i put in a Pinnacle Studio PCTV pro tv card. when i would do capture for more than about 30 minutes, the screen would go black.

that was about 3 weeks ago. last week, i started experiencing some problems w/ the system frezing up after about 30 minutes use. i would reboot and it would freeze up during reboot, even in BIOS. only thing i have installed and ran/used since the tv card is Outlook Express

In the bIOS, the vCore reads are 1.81 and the CPU speed is 953 mhz. temp is around 107 degrees F after 30 minutes use.

i am also noticing the CPU load is around 30% - 50% when idle, but there are random "spikes" going all the way to 100%, and when working it will occasionally remain at 100% for around 10 seconds or so. so here is what i have done:

ran antivirus program. - still problems
defragmented disk - helped for a couple days - but still problems
removed tv card and uninstalled software for tv card - still problems
reinstalled ATI video drivers and VIA motherboard drivers - still problems
disabled all unnecessary programs on startup - still problems, however it helps a little.

turned graphics acceleration off, set screen resolution to 800x600 and stepped down color settings to 16 bit true color. - no freeze ups so far after about 1 hour.

but processor load is at 81%

what i am wondering is this something to do with the video card or the CPU settings?

Did you C-A-D the Desktop and check to see what's running?
Shut down everything except Explorer and Systray and see what happens.

Hey,

I'm thinking the vcore voltage is too high. I have an Athlon 1.2GHz that has 1.75v vcore as its normal range. Unless you are overclocking, which it seems you're not, I would back off on the vcore voltage. I am not familiar with that board, but I assume that there are BIOS options to set the vcore?

Freeze ups are a pain in the arse to pinpoint. It could be bad RAM, or maybe the RAM is not optimally seated. Try reseating the RAM module(s). But, before you do that, clean the contacts with a soft rubber pencil eraser and use some compressed air to blow out the DIMM slots. If you can, try other known good memory in it.

I assume you have a warranty on that board? If so, don't mess around too long in trying to fix it. All the things you did were fine and dandy to do, but you shouldn't have to do them just to get the computer to run right. Ya know?

Good luck.

BB 66

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"From up on the roof top there came such a clamor, I ran to the window and threw up"
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you are right. the vcore is too high. someone else told me that the 950 Athlon should be 1.5 and not 1.81

i am not sure how it got reset. the BIOS is Award Software. it has frequency/ voltage control option | CPU Host/PCI/Spread Spec. I am gonna look at it again right now.

there are also on/off switches right by the CPU a set of 6 for vcore and 5 for ratio. i tried setting them by the manual's instructions to set it to 1.5, but the computer would not boot so i put them all back to default (auto)

something somewhere changed my settings. the only thing i can think of is the tv card. this mobo is very good at auto-configuring settings (until now) so i will try and set the correct voltage manually.

thanks for the input and if it does not work, i will come back.

i think i got this one narrowed down to the AGP port. when i have acceleration turned off, the ATI video drivers won't load, and i have not experienced crash with the acceleration turned off.

ok, so i just went into BIOS and looked at the voltage control options. there are quite a few options i can have for settings. it goes like this:

CPU Host/PCI/Spread Spec.

ex:
100/30/-.25

the first values are between 100 and about 140/the second values are between 30 and around 45/the third values are mostly "Off" but there are soem settings that are like -.25, .5

so is there anyone familiar with this BIOS who knows the correct settings for the AMD 950 athlon?

also, the vcore is 1.81 and fluctuates every few seconds to 1.82, then back. the AGP vcore is 1.56

should these numers be close to the same to keep my video from crashing the CPU?

Well this happens more than you would like to imagine. That is, the manual does not match up with the silkscreening on the motherboard, or its directions are totally useless.

I would contact the manufacturer of that board for some tech support in trying to get the vcore set correctly. While you're at it, ask them about that BIOS setting and what it should be. Not sure about the spread spectrum, but the first number represents the FSB and the second one represents the speed of the PCI bus. They look OK, and if you can, set the spread spectrum to Auto or default.

Good luck.

BB 66

------------------
This space reserved for highly intelligent observations and witty remarks.

"From up on the roof top there came such a clamor, I ran to the window and threw up"
-- Tommy Smothers