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- STRESS TESTING YOUR COMPUTER
- BACKGROUND
- ----------
- Today's computers are not perfect. Even brand new systems from major
- manufacturers can have hidden flaws. If any of several key components such
- as CPU, memory, cooling, etc. are not up to spec, it can lead to incorrect
- calculations and/or unexplained system crashes.
- Overclocking is the practice of increasing the speed of the CPU and/or
- memory to make a machine faster at little cost. Typically, overclocking
- involves pushing a machine past its limits and then backing off just a
- little bit.
- For these reasons, both non-overclockers and overclockers need programs
- that test the stability of their computers. This is done by running
- programs that put a heavy load on the computer. Though not originally
- designed for this purpose, this program is one of a few programs that
- are excellent at stress testing a computer.
- RESOURCES
- ---------
- This program is a good stress test for the CPU, memory, L1 and L2 caches,
- CPU cooling, and case cooling. The torture test runs continuously, comparing
- your computer's results to results that are known to be correct. Any
- mismatch and you've got a problem! Note that the torture test sometimes
- reads from and writes to disk but cannot be considered a stress test for
- hard drives.
- You'll need other programs to stress video cards, PCI bus, disk access,
- networking and other important components. In addition, this is only one
- of several good programs that are freely available. Some people report
- finding problems only when running two or more stress test programs
- concurrently. You may need to raise prime95's priority when running two
- stress test programs so that each gets about 50% of the CPU time.
- Forums are a great place to learn about available stability test programs
- and to get advice on what to do when a problem is found.
- The currently popular stability test programs are (sorry, I don't have
- web addresses for these):
- Prime95 (this program's torture test)
- 3DMark2001
- CPU Stability test
- Sisoft sandra
- Quake and other games
- Folding@Home
- Seti@home
- Genome@home
- Several useful websites for help (look for overclocking community or forum):
- http://www.overclockers.com
- http://www.arstechnica.com
- http://www.hardocp.com
- http://www.anandtech.com
- http://www.tomshardware.com
- http://www.sharkyextreme.com
- Also try the alt.comp.hardware.overclocking Usenet newsgroup.
- Utility programs you may find useful (I'm sure there are others - look around):
- Motherboard monitor from http://mbm.livewiredev.com
- Memtest86 from http://www.memtest86.com
- Cpuburn by redelm: http://pages.sbcglobal.net/redelm/
- TaskInfo2002 from http://www.iarsn.com/
- WHAT TO DO IF A PROBLEM IS FOUND?
- ---------------------------------
- The exact cause of a hardware problem can be very hard to find.
- If you are not overclocking, the most likely cause is an overheating CPU
- or memory DIMMs that are not quite up to spec. Another possibility is
- you might need a better power supply. Try running MotherBoard monitor
- and browse the forums above to see if your CPU is running too hot.
- If so, make sure the heat sink is properly attached, fans are operational,
- and air flow inside the case is good. For isolating memory problems, try
- swapping memory DIMMs with a co-worker's or friend's machine. If the errors
- go away, then you can be fairly confidant that memory was the cause of
- the trouble. A power supply problem can often be identified by a significant
- drop in the voltages when prime95 starts running. Once again the overclocker
- forums are a good resource for what voltages are acceptable.
- If you are overclocking then try increasing the core voltage, reduce the
- CPU speed, reduce the front side bus speed, or change the memory timings
- (CAS latency). Also try asking for help in one of the forums above - they
- may have other ideas to try.
- CAN I IGNORE THE PROBLEM?
- -------------------------
- Ignoring the problem is a matter of personal preference. There are
- two schools of thought on this subject.
- Most programs you run will not stress your computer enough to cause a
- wrong result or system crash. If you ignore the problem, then video games
- may stress your machine resulting in a system crash. Also, stay away from
- distributed computing projects where an incorrect calculation might cause
- you to return wrong results. Bad data will not help these projects!
- In conclusion, if you are comfortable with a small risk of an occasional
- system crash then feel free to live a little dangerously! Keep in mind
- that the faster prime95 finds a hardware error the more likely it is that
- other programs will experience problems.
- The second school of thought is, "Why run a stress test if you are going
- to ignore the results?" These people want a guaranteed 100% rock solid
- machine. Passing these stability tests gives them the ability to run
- CPU intensive programs with confidence.
- FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
- --------------------------
- Q) My machine is not overclocked. If I'm getting an error, then there must
- be a bug in the program, right?
- A) The torture test is comparing your machines results against
- KNOWN CORRECT RESULTS. If your machine cannot generate correct
- results, you have a hardware problem. HOWEVER, if you are failing
- the torture test in the SAME SPOT with the SAME ERROR MESSAGE
- every time, then ask for help at http://mersenneforum.org - it is
- possible that a recent change to the torture test code may have
- introduced a software bug.
- Q) How long should I run the torture test?
- A) I recommend running it for somewhere between 6 and 24 hours.
- The program has been known to fail only after several hours and in
- some cases several weeks of operation. In most cases though, it will
- fail within a few minutes on a flaky machine.
- Q) Prime95 reports errors during the torture test, but other stability
- tests don't. Do I have a problem?
- A) Yes, you've reached the point where your machine has been
- pushed just beyond its limits. Follow the recommendations above
- to make your machine 100% stable or decide to live with a
- machine that could have problems in rare circumstances.
- Q) A forum member said "Don't bother with prime95, it always pukes on me,
- and my system is stable!. What do you make of that?"
- or
- "We had a server at work that ran for 2 MONTHS straight, without a reboot
- I installed Prime95 on it and ran it - a couple minutes later I get an error.
- You are going to tell me that the server wasn't stable?"
- A) These users obviously do not subscribe to the 100% rock solid
- school of thought. THEIR MACHINES DO HAVE HARDWARE PROBLEMS.
- But since they are not presently running any programs that reveal
- the hardware problem, the machines are quite stable. As long as
- these machines never run a program that uncovers the hardware problem,
- then the machines will continue to be stable.
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