Thinking of replacing Motherboard to stop freezes

[lucky777s]

So it looks like my GA z68-ud5-b3 board will not have a fix coming anytime soon for usb3, which I believe is causing my random crash issues with Skype, and sometimes just during non-use for extended periods. Its that multi language 'must restart' frozen screen although I can't see it when my monitor is asleep and its frozen.

Which is the best z68 board in terms of overall stability, usb3 working, and possibly sleep working if such a thing exists?

I have seen many posts saying the ud4-b3 board is working well.

Is there a list of boards that don't use the VLI hubs for usb3?

Appreciate any input. Loving my hack except for these random freezes that occasionally pop up.

 

[ptrezby1]

I can't speak for the things I don't have, but my UD4-B3 (F8) is super stable and has given no issues.

 

[WonkeyDonkey]

Are you sure it is the motherboard and not something else thats causing it ?

 

[lucky777s]

I am not 100% sure but I believe it is the USB hubs being VLI controlled on the motherboard that is causing most of my issues. I have multiple usb backup drives, kb/mouse, and the logitech c270 webcam.

I don't want to be constantly unplugging and re-plugging usb devices to deal with that.

My system runs super fast and I can work on it all day doing most tasks but things like Skype and Vuze seem to crash it quickly and if I let it sit idle for a full day or more it will be frozen.

I never get a kernel panic. Just that multi language freeze screen. Not sure how to test for other issues.

Is there an adjustment in the bios that will stabilize the usb ports, even if it disables usb3 speed. Or maybe a PCI card that will add stable internal and external connections.

 

[WonkeyDonkey]

Have you done a memory test using Memtest+ or something similar ?

I had exactly the same random freezes as you describe and thought it was all manner of issues relating to my mainboard (different to yours).

It turned out to be simply a memory compatibility problem. The memory itself was ok and so was the mainboard. But putting them together they didnt seem to agree with each other and I suffered crashes similar to what you describe.

Im simply pointing this out as (1) its easily overlooked; (2) I had the same symptoms as you; and (3) just because a memory stick is ddr3 running at whatever speed doesnt automatically mean it will work flawlessly in any given motherboard.

Its something you may be able to check if you havent already, to help eliminate possible causes of your crashes.

 

[lucky777s]

Thanks Wonkey,

That is exactly the type of advice I am looking for from people with similar experience. I downloaded MemTest and ran it from terminal in 2 times tester mode. Everything came back ok. Took almost 2 hours to run. I will try running it in long run mode overnight to make sure.

Did your test turn up an error message this way?

Any other tests that you ran on your system before finding that problem?

 

[WonkeyDonkey]

I got errors pretty quick really, and they were inconsistent too, which led me to suspect it was a memory issue. I also got some crashes where the console logs reported 'sigfault' errors, a good sign of memory issues.

One of the things i did was to go to the manufacturers website and also the Intel website to download the qualified vendors list (QVL) for my motherboard and chipset. They were both identical.

I also went looking on the web and found posts from people who had used non-qualified memory with exactly the same issues.

People often overlook this stuff; but buying cheap 'generic' stuff can be very hit and miss. I'll never buy another motherboard again unless im sure i can get the qualified memory for it too.

My existing system; I bought some Elixir (Nanya) memory for it which seems to have a good reputation out there on the web. On 16 Gb (4 x 4gb sticks) I let memtest run for over 60 hours to complete 20 fulls passes of the test suite and it passed with flying colours. Ive not had a single memory related issue since. Well worth the fairly moderate investment in the new memory.

The crashes I had were not reproducible as such. Sometimes when using Firefox, sometimes when Time Machine was working, others when it was sat idle. Not a large number of them, but even just one crash is one too many if youre a perfectionist.

If you search these forums, you will also find a well written guide by Notshy, about setting up your bios, doing memory and stress testing and such like. I would highly recommend it as a starting point for this kind of testing and also burning in any new system.