Strange CPU ( I7 4930k ) behavior.

[Chilly-NIlly]

Hello guy's,

After struggeling for many weeks i'm asking you guy's for help.

My setup:

CPU: I7 4930k
CPU Cooling: H100i GTX
RAM: Corsair Vengance 16 GB, 4 x 4 gb C9
MOBO: Rampage IV Extreme
GPU: 2x R9 290X
SSD: Samsung 840 PRO, 256 GB
PSU: Seasonic 1000 WATT Platinum
BIOS v. : 4901


Let's start from the beginning.
2 years after allot of research, and i mean allot I finally had my pc running good.
My settings where :

CPU oc to 4,6 Ghz
Offset was + 0,075 (= 1.32 V on 4,6 Ghz)
LLC : High
Current: 150%


And so on, my point is, my I7 4930k was a good chip, nice stable speeds on low voltage.
But now the problems come's. 2 weeks my Corsair H100i had a pump failure.
After 2 boot's I had seen the problem, I could get into the UEFI but my cpu was 83 degrees with a shut off as result.
I brought my cooler back under warrenty (1 year old) and i could get the H100i GTX back in return.

After installing the new cooler I would get a Q code 9A - b6 - OE or 03 with always the VGA led.
After allot of trouble shooting, after work, i gave up and brought my pc to the pc store. (because i thougt something was wrong with my VGA)
A week later I picked my pc back up, it was fixed they said.

I came home and indeed my pc booted into windows. I restarted to have a look at the bios.
They put X.M.P on, witch i had OFF for about 2 years. And they had to put 1,4V on the proccesor to get it to boot. At stock speeds.

So would it be possible my motherboard is bricked or my proccesor ? And wich one would it be ? Or maybe my RAM ?

So to make the story short. Before CPU overheating (deu to cooler failure) CPU speeds was 4,6 Ghz on 1,32 V
CPU now 3,9 GHz on 1,4 V. When I raise the multiplier to 40 i have to put it on 1.43 v to get it to boot into windows.
But even then it wil crash on Prime.

I can't use offset mode now, and something seems bugged in the BIOS, before, when i put + 0.075 I would get 1.32 V on the core.
Now I would get 1,121 V on the core ( BIOS readings )

So thinking my BIOS might be bugged I orderd 2 new chips.

Sorry for my crappy English and long post but I'm just running out of options here.

Greetings

[John_Au]

That's a bit of a shame.
What frequency is the RAM running at?
Have you tried saving the bios profile that the shop did for you, resetting bios to default/optimized, and try apply your old O/C?
When you say you used to have 1.32V vcore, was that idle voltage?
Did you do any stability tests back then and see how high temperatures were getting if there was load?

[Chilly-NIlly]

Hello,

Thank you for your response.
The RAM is running on 1600.
The 1.32 was the voltage on load, while gaming. I also benched with prime and AIDA.
On idle is was on 0.94 voltage.
Temp was max 37 degrees on the core on load. Except for that one time the cooler failed.

I had these settings for months without a problem.

I hope i will be getting the new bios chips today, so I can test them out.

Thanks for your reply.

Greetings

[Arne_Saknussemm]

Before anything I would reflash the BIOS...BIOS flashback method and then try to load F5 defaults and see if things are still the same...try both BIOS chips on the board...

It is possible the CPU is damaged from overheating but if you only booted a couple of times for a short time this is unlikely...if you were running for a long time before noticing then maybe CPU could be a bit toasted?

Try with one stick of RAM and try different sticks to eliminate RAM problem....and try with one GPU at a time in first slot and then maybe in third slot and check in GPUz they are running at x16 link speed

That kind of thing.

[Chilly-NIlly]

Thanks for your reply Arne,

I reflashed my BIOS so many times now i forget how many 😛 .
Also tried clearing the BIOS with the cmos button and with taking the battery out.

Checked all the RAM's, also when looking at the DIMM positions i the BIOS all wil report ok.
GPU-Z is reporting both cards on 16X speed, CPU-Z is reporting my RAM is running at 1600.

Now i'm at Stock clocks, at 1.35 V ( no offset ) and Prime, Bf4 and Hardline are both crashing.

Also tried BIOS 2 but no luck :-(.

But thanks for the respons.

Greetings

[Arne_Saknussemm]

Hmmm right you are....well I guess wait for the new BIOS chips and see if that unscrambles something...weird the same offset now giving different voltage.

Difficult to know at the end of the day whether it is board or CPU that has gone...if you or the guys at the PC store can swap out the CPU for a quick check/test you would know for sure.

Frankly they owe you one for sending the chip home with 1.4 volts running through it!

[Chilly-NIlly]

So,

Couple of day's ago I recieved the new BIOS chips.
I replaced the BIOS2 chip, so if something went wrong i knew I could switch back to BIOS1.

I cleared the CMOS, took out the battery for a couple of hours. Then switched the BIOS chip.
Put the battery back in. Also reseated the CPU in the progress, because i had to know the details on the CPU, to check my warrenty on the CPU.

But no luck, I will get the different Q codes again. A combination of 0E, 03 and A9. Always with the VGA led on.
I tested the GPU in the other slots, also tried a other GPU but still no luck.

I also called the pc store again, asked them if they could test my CPU. They said, " we can test the CPU, but or only job is to get the pc the boot"
So also if the CPU needs like 1,6 V to boot, it's still good enough for them.

They tolded me to order a new board at there shop, so that I can test it at home. If it's the CPU that is broken I can still bring back the new board and get my money back.
They have a 14 day, return and no questions ask policy. So I ordered a rampage IV extreme black edition board. But now i have to wait 10 day's.
Because it was out of stock :(.

But it got me thinking, when i resteated the CPU ( for like maybe the 10th time now) I noticed that I didn't here the pressing sound of the
socket pins bending under the proccessor, if you know what I mean.
So could it be possible that the pins are not at the good angle and not making enough contact with the underside of the CPU ?

Greetings

[Chilly-NIlly]

Also, by checking the CPU's warrenty on the intel website, they said it is covered under warrenty to juli 2017.
But I don't have the box or reciept annymore.

Is it still possible to send the CPU back under warrenty ?

Greetings

[Arne_Saknussemm]

Hi Chilly,

I think so yes...the CPU can be sent back without box details...just need the details on the chip itself as far as I remember.

The pins sound....I'm pretty sure that if you bed the chip in by taking it in and out a few times the noise is nowhere near so noticeable as on a fresh install so that might be a bit of a red herring....

I presume you have checked the socket carefully to see if any pins are bent/displaced?