Processors

[mpw]

I just tried each stick individually and sadly it still happens.

I am entertaining the PSU idea now! It's hard to get a spare PSU 750W.

[mpw]

Here is a screenshot of the spikes (bottom graph, frametime ms). Every time there is a spike, the frametime shoots up.

https://i.imgur.com/nkuvFy7.png

[mpw]

UPDATE

I secured the GPU in PCIe Gen 2 slot x16. Not the main PCIe Gen 3 slot. I loaded CS:GO and at splash screen, I noticed an increase of 120 fps (yes, I am not joking, what the hell?) I was hitting around 550-580 fps, when usually it is the low 400s. Even when I loaded the game, it reduced, but significantly higher in FPS.

YET, the stutters occured, and then I had a huge sequence of them and the system hard locked. This is exactly the same symptom I had with this board previously but with the PCIe Gen 3 slot. Previously, the Gen 2 slot was the only slot that would work.

Now, I am pretty convinced it is still the board. I have seen so many other horror stories about this board, and this is my 4th board after 3 RMA's in 6 months. Even after them asking me to change CPU (which I did), changing my GPU 3 times (1 time due to EVGA confirming a fault, and another testing an AMD GPU), and trying single sticks of RAM, etc.

Is it best to use Occam's Razor here and return this board for a final time, and change manufacturer? There is a chance it is the CPU.

[misterj]

mpw, I was going to suggest you spend more time on the ASRock forum.  I used to post on that forum and long noticed that your MB was problematical.  I would not hesitate to RMA the board again.  BTW, please DL and run GPU-Z.  It will detail your GPU including your connection - number of lanes etc.  Enjoy, John.

[mpw]

Hi John,

I am updating each thread in order to gain maximum exposure, so that others

can benefit from this. I hope you don't mind.

It's very strange, since putting it in the PCIE Gen 2 slot, the computer

now keeps freezing as it did before. The vendor is claiming I may not

return it because it is such a long time since the problem manifested, but

I have stated that the problem has happened over 4 times. ASRock claim they

cannot refund me because I did not purchase through them.

I have so many emails from ASRock confirming that it is a known problem.

I don't want another AB350m Pro4 board now. They have caused nothing but

trouble. I want a refund. I have just ordered an ASUS board, and I will

test on that. That way, I can prove (and I am 99.99999% sure) that the root

of these problems are the mother board. I mean, at the very least, a

motherboard should not continually freeze after switching to a PCIE slot,

then switching back.

[misterj]

You GO!  Best of luck, mpw!  Enjoy, John.

[mpw]

Changed RAM, changed SSD. Same motherboard. Far more stable, less stuttering, but it still exists. I cloned the SSD (so, it's not entirely foolproof plan).

I plan to next test the motherboard. If it is not the motherboard, then it is either the PSU or the CPU.

[mpw]

As can be seen here: https://i.imgur.com/G3QbAsq.png -- the spikes are still happening, but to a lesser degree. This is after a new SSD and new RAM.

[mpw]

As per this thread: https://forums.evga.com/The-hardest-stutter-to-troubleshoot-m2850576-p2.aspx#2852897  -- I have attempted to run the kill ryzen script to detect hardware faults. I do not know if there are false positives with this, but I do get the error.

C:\Users\mpw90\Desktop\Stutter Solving\kill-ryzen-win-master>bin\x64\Release\kill-ryzen-win || exit /b

bzip2.c

bzip2.c

bzip2.c

bzip2.c

bzip2.c

bzip2.c

bzip2.c

bzip2.c

bzip2.c

bzip2.c

bzip2.c

bzip2.c

bzip2.c

bzip2.c

bzip2.c

bzip2.c

bzip2.c

bzip2.c

bzip2.c

bzip2.c

bzip2.c

bzip2.c

bzip2.c

bzip2.c

Unhandled Exception: System.AggregateException: One or more errors occurred. ---> System.Exception: FAIL

at kill_ryzen_win.Program.<>c__DisplayClass0_0.<Main>b__0(Int32 x) in C:\Users\mpw90\Desktop\Stutter Solving\kill-ryzen-win-master\Program.cs:line 43

at System.Threading.Tasks.Parallel.<>c__DisplayClass17_0`1.<ForWorker>b__1()

at System.Threading.Tasks.Task.InnerInvokeWithArg(Task childTask)

at System.Threading.Tasks.Task.<>c__DisplayClass176_0.<ExecuteSelfReplicating>b__0(Object )

--- End of inner exception stack trace ---

at System.Threading.Tasks.Task.ThrowIfExceptional(Boolean includeTaskCanceledExceptions)

at System.Threading.Tasks.Task.Wait(Int32 millisecondsTimeout, CancellationToken cancellationToken)

at System.Threading.Tasks.Parallel.ForWorker[TLocal](Int32 fromInclusive, Int32 toExclusive, ParallelOptions parallelOptions, Action`1 body, Action`2 bodyWithState, Func`4 bodyWithLocal, Func`1 localInit, Action`1 localFinally)

at System.Threading.Tasks.Parallel.For(Int32 fromInclusive, Int32 toExclusive, Action`1 body)

at kill_ryzen_win.Program.Main(String[] args) in C:\Users\mpw90\Desktop\Stutter Solving\kill-ryzen-win-master\Program.cs:line 51

[mpw]

Okay, as much as it pains me to say, I don't think it's the ASRock AB350m Pro4. Though, thankfully it's not. After 4 RMA's!

I tried the Gigabyte AB350M-DS3H and the stutters were still occurring.

New motherboard frametime spikes 1 - https://i.imgur.com/WLzCW2z.png

New motherboard frametime spieks 2 - https://i.imgur.com/1zkMAHI.png

So, I am beginning to think this *is* the CPU.

So, I am at a loss still.. This CPU was manufactured in Malysia week 42 of 2017.

If indeed this is an AMD issue, I would actually be kind of furious. This has been 6 months of struggling to find the cause. Whilst I would be relieved to discover it is indeed the cause (what else can it be at this point), it would be my second CPU, 4th motherboard, 3rd lot of RAM, 2nd GPU, 2nd SSD, and 4 or 5 installation of Windows, and maybe 3rd installation of Linux.

Not to mention all the time consumed updating drivers, BIOS, disabling services, plugging and unplugging cables, and using the screw driver, and thermal paste, etc.

It's even worse that had this gone on, and I didn't know about it, my compilations would have been a nightmare had I just forgot about it. Thankfully, up until now, I didn't use it for any large compilations.