After the 2 BSODs I took karlsnooks' advice and ran the game. The game did not crash within 5 minutes and in fact ran for about 30 minutes with no issue. I then put the cover back on like before and played the game again. The game played fine for about 2.5 hours without a blue screen, the longest it has ever gone.
The problems don't sound like heat issues. I'd say you can scratch that angle from the list.
Memtest ran for 7 passes without any erros.
Scratch that one too.
I know ivy bridge runs hotter than previous generations of cpus, not sure if this is too hot though. I'm using a stock fan on it and haven't overclocked it. Turbo boost must be why it's at 3.6GHz.
For stock clocks with stock fan it looks normal.
Since the CPU is 3.4Ghz normally, with Turbo Enabled - on a single core it's default max is 3.8Ghz. When multiple cores are 'under load' - it's 3.6ghz
HWiNFO64:
idle temps: 35, 38, 38 ,36 ---fluctuating by about 2 degrees
max load temps: 76, 80, 81, 78 ---usually the temps were fluctuating in the mid/high 70s
All within the normal range for stock cooler. But it doesn't hurt to triple check that all the 'plugs' are firmly secure.
(Ideally when you install the stock cooler, you use a 1,3/2,4 method.
ie Firmly attach plug one then diagonally attach plug 3; then plug 2 and lastly plug 4 instead of plugging and locking in a 'clockwise' pattern. This ensures an even attachment)
VCore: idle at 1.032, load at 1.096, currently at 1.008. ---This fluctuated under idle from ~0.98 to ~1.12, under load it was around 1.096 occasionally changing to 1.104. The fluctuations weren't happening very often.
The drops are vdroop/vdrop - voltage drops. That's normal. Whether it's a manual setting, or on AUTO - the voltage set in the BIOS will differ to what's reported inside Windows.
Out of all your errors, the core failures under OCCT are the biggest 'stand out" issue. This can cause crash dumps to erroneously point the finger in numerous directions. (Like your wireless card)
The fact that you are failing / having core errors with OCCT suggests insufficient vcore (cpu voltage) under load.
This is the first place to concentrate on.
There are a few things you can try during the trouble shooting phase:
► remove the wireless card (just for the moment. It eliminates one variable)
► Increase Additional Turbo Voltage. Since you aren't Overclocking, this should be your first adjustment. Basically you're increasing the vcore when Turbo kicks in.
+
► Adjust your LLC (Load Line Calibration) This is the setting that dictates how much vdrop/vdroop is allowed. It basically forces a more constant voltage.
Alternatively you can basically Overclock by:
► Disabling Turbo and Increasing your overall CPU voltage. With stock cooling, you'd be looking at aiming for for the same speeds/volts you'd get with Turbo On, except it would be more uniform. For Ivy, a +040 offset is more realistic than +.005.
As it stands, we're looking at eliminating hardware issues first. We can look at software/drivers later if need be.
But for now:
► In the OC tweaking section of your BIOS, increase the "Additional Turbo Voltage".
Atm, this is most likely on AUTO so you'll have to experiment with the manual settings. I believe the default is around 0.04v - This will need to be increased. Use CPU-Z to monitor to monitor the vcore adjustments. Use OCCT to test.
► Disable Internal PLL Overvoltage (not needed unless aiming for a really high overclock)
For now, you can leave the rest of the settings on Auto. If it still fails OCCT, we can look at extending plane/ duration settings later.
► If you have not already done so, enable your RAMS X.M.P profile. This will set all your RAMS timings/voltages for you.
► CPU Load-Line Calibration - I'm not sure about your boards settings. It may be a simple enable/disable/Auto or it might have increments.
If it's a simple enable/disable setting - Enable it. If it has increments set it to around 50% to begin with. If you still fail OCCT, you can set it to maximum.
Using the apps mentioned by Dave, Monitor the max vcore and temps. You are correct in the fact that IVY does run hotter. You are more likely to hit a thermal wall than a voltage one.
Don't be surprised, or alarmed if you see core temps in the low-mid 90c's
