A7N8X-E Deluxe not stable -- please lend your expertise

[helas]

Hi all. I've been perusing the forum for tips on making my system stable and have tested a bunch of different configurations to no avail.

I'm using a pair of Corsair CMX512-3200XLPT and an Athlon XP 3200+ with this board, but for the life of me I cannot get it to run stable at 200MHz FSB. I've tried different BIOS versions (1012, 1013, 1013 mod), different RAM timings and BIOS configurations, different drivers (stock nForce, nForce Unified Remix), different DIMM slots, etc. According to Corsair's website it should be stable at 200MHz with RAM speed at 100% and timings at 2-2-2-5, VDIMM 2.7v, CPU multiplyer 11x and VCORE 1.65v. My system will POST with these settings, but if I try to run any programs that require some resources, it'll lock up.

I am perfectly stable with 166 FSB and stock settings, but I'd love to have this machine running to full spec, as I don't plan to upgrade for a while.

If you guys have any ideas at all, I'd greatly appreciate it. I wouldn't mind if the bottom line is I need a different CPU or more compatible RAM.

Thanks in advance.

[Radiohead57]

Have you run memtest on both sticks separately and then together as a pair? It smells a bit of a RAM issue. Never hurts to try. What if you run the machine at 200FSB with a single stick? Same result?

[federoco]

The same to me with Kingstom PC3200 Valueram.

[Radiohead57]

Have you had a close look at all the onboard capacitors? Any sign of bulging or leaking?

[federoco]

Stable (by nowt) at190 bus speed.

[Radiohead57]

Did you do the things I suggested ie memtest and close visual inspection? Are you useing the mobo default speeds for the RAM or are you physically entering the values at 5-2-2-2?

[Radiohead57]

Just noticed your Vcore setting. Is that a default value or one you entered as well. Also what are you running in the way of cooling?

[helas]

hey sorry it took me a minute to respond.. i've been busy with the holidays.

i just got back home and am running memtest right now. i'll test the ram together and separately to check for errors. i ran tests when i first set up my machine but it's been so long i can't remember if those tests were done at 200 fsb.

i'll have a closer look at the mobo capacitors once this test completes/fails.

the vcore setting is default. the ram timings, if set to "Optimal" are 2-2-2-5, but i entered those manually anyway. like i said though, i've tried different timings.

my system is running in a thermaltake xaser iii case with like 7 adjustable case fans, and my cpu cooler is a thermaltake volcano 12. the memory has flat heatsinks. i keep the cpu fan at a reasonable rpm.

thanks for the suggestions. i'll get back to you with test results. honestly i'd be relieved to find out one of the sticks went bad and i simply need to replace it. ram is cheap now.

[daglesj]

DDR2 ram is cheap. DDR and below isnt.

[helas]

ok i ran memtest.

166mhz fsb, 11 passes = no errors (7 hours run time)
200mhz fsb, 16 passes = no errors (8 hours run time)

so i leave it on 200mhz and boot into windows, run prime95 and do a torture test. it doesn't last 1 minute before telling me there was a hardware failure.

thoughts?