xfx 680i memory problem

[t0m]

hi from bc

im having a problem with my new system, and im hoping for some advice.

i recently got an xfx 680i motherboard (MBN680ISH9) with 2 gigs of ocz reaper memory (OCZ2RPR1066A2GK). everything ran perfect for about 3-4 weeks...but now i have a real problem. a few nights ago (watching heroes) i experienced a full system lock. i reset the system and it happened again instantly. sometimes it would boot/run for hours, other times it would lock within minutes, and a few times, it wouldnt even post.

i tried updating the bios to p31, and i tried my memory individually, in all slots. at that point both sticks were bootable, but the crashes still happened no matter what. it only got worse the more i tested things, and now one of my sticks wont even boot the system, and the other boots to windows and blue screens.

now, to my questions...

is it possible that my ram was bad, but working fine for 3-4 weeks?

if its the mobo killing the ram, will it happen all the time, or am i just 'lucky' this time?

is there a way to fix it?

is this common with these boards, or can i get another one with confidence that it wont keep happening?

what about the 780i? none of the shops i go to have them in stock yet. is it worth the wait? (i would like to have the option of sli)

what would you replace my mobo/ram with? (brand names/parts #s/reasons please)

finally, am i totally off base and the problem lies somewhere else in my system?

at this point the system is costing me money on a daily basis by not working, so im in a bit of a panic and would like to get this resolved without having to ship everything back and wait around for new parts.

also, i have been waiting to hear from xfx tech support for about 4 days now.
thanks folks

full specs
cpu - e6850
mem - 2x1 gig ocz reaper pc-8500
mobo - xfx 680i
video - xfx 8800gtx
psu - silverstone zeus 750 (SST-ST75ZF)
along with a few sata hdds, a sata burner and a coolermaster ammo case...

[3.0charlie]

Can you try the Ram in another rig? I'm asking since I've had 1 650i and 2 680i motherboards that all had memory controllers failures. All 3 boards died about 1 month after being built. It just may be your case too.

Oh, and welcome to the forums!

[t0m]

unfortunately my older rig doesnt support anything in my new one (its old lol).

when you experienced problems, did your ram or motherboard permanently die? thats one of the things i have been wondering myself. is the ram actually dead or the mobo, or both?

im trying to get my ram over to a friends place, but hes a bit worried about putting it in his new machine in case it was the ram causing the problem.

[3.0charlie]

Unfortunately, both motherboard and Ram were dead and had to be RMA'ed. I have never seen / heard defective Ram killing another component. Your friend's rig should be fine if you wish to try your Ram on is motherboard. If you do so, just make sure that your friend's rig is running stock.

[t0m]

ill try to convince him to let me try it im not holding out much hope though, im pretty sure at least one of the sticks is totally dead now.

this is frustrating, because i really need to have this pc working as soon as possible. the fastest thing i can think of is to try more ram and hope it doesnt die in there. the motherboard seems to be fine still, as i can get into bios with the stick of ram that still (partially) works. is there any ideas out there on why this happens?

thinking on the long term though, i dont want this to happen again, and my trust in this platform is pretty much broken. i really liked the performance and stability of it for the first few weeks, but im not sure if i want to run another 680i system and worry that this could happen at random in the future.

[3.0charlie]

I would not put my hopes up; i would RMA both board and Ram. Good luck.

[enaberif]

Originally Posted by t0m

ill try to convince him to let me try it im not holding out much hope though, im pretty sure at least one of the sticks is totally dead now.

this is frustrating, because i really need to have this pc working as soon as possible. the fastest thing i can think of is to try more ram and hope it doesnt die in there. the motherboard seems to be fine still, as i can get into bios with the stick of ram that still (partially) works. is there any ideas out there on why this happens?

thinking on the long term though, i dont want this to happen again, and my trust in this platform is pretty much broken. i really liked the performance and stability of it for the first few weeks, but im not sure if i want to run another 680i system and worry that this could happen at random in the future.

680i = garbage!

965 4 life

[Prof. Dr. Silver]

Hmmmm...you make me think now....Until recently I have never had ANY issues whatsoever....but now since a week....my rig is running like garbage....one after the other BSOD! OCing??? Forget about it.....completely unstable at all speed and voltages....

I just swapped my E6600 for the E6850 and my OCZ ram for Tracers...ever since then it is like this...I just replaced my PSU, in the hopes it was that....but nope! Even after putting everything back the original way....it's crap.... maybe the mobo is a goner too?
I believe my RAM is fine...

HELP!!!!

[enaberif]

Originally Posted by Prof. Dr. Silver

Hmmmm...you make me think now....Until recently I have never had ANY issues whatsoever....but now since a week....my rig is running like garbage....one after the other BSOD! OCing??? Forget about it.....completely unstable at all speed and voltages....

I just swapped my E6600 for the E6850 and my OCZ ram for Tracers...ever since then it is like this...I just replaced my PSU, in the hopes it was that....but nope! Even after putting everything back the original way....it's crap.... maybe the mobo is a goner too?
I believe my RAM is fine...

HELP!!!!

Your board is crapping out :) Just like mine and we share the same.

[t0m]

ok both sticks work in another machine? one of these wouldnt post at all yesterday, the machine acted as if there wasnt even power plugged in with it, today it works fine (alone and in a pair) in another box?