OK OK OK
I have to post here first (this is a thread mop-up, so appologies to any mods who read this more than once, at least I warned ya up-front!)
I wish, oh how I wish, I were a better listener! Many told me to try taking sides off and pointing fans - having got (I thought!) a decent well-appointed barebones off E-bay (99.9% satisfaction) I did not take that seriously.
Now I know better....
After... many many restarts,
STOP errors (1003 events, almost always),
Driver updates, trials, tribulations (I am sure you know),
XP complete re-install (traumatic!)
second (or was it fourth!) reinstall to get a clear one?
Ventures into recovery mode (for missing windize DLL!)
experimentation with Knoppix Linux to eliminate hardware failure,
Burnt out DVD R/W from failed firmware burn with system (ouch!)
.....
anyway - after all that and all it cost me in lost earnings while I was not developing/maintaining the ancient software upon which I labour (see user name)... Guess what I found out...??
My DDR RAM, whilst completely within spec., appears unable to tolerate case temps (as measured by ASUS/MBM) much beyond the 42/43oC mark before instability results. missed this initially because I was more or less completely focussed on the processor heatwise (this is well protected and has not given problems).
It took me a while to test - apart from frantic driver bashing I need to allow time to learn something is stable. Once side was off and floor fan blowing in (reducing temps about ten degs all around) then system suddenly had no more bad memory reads!
Thaink about it - drivers are "driving" all the time - if memory fails they will report it about nine times out of ten (I know from bitter experience!). And of course in this case when you run memtest, or any other tester of memory your system is not driven hard enough to raise the temp to fail memory! I should write to the memory testers to suggest they drive processore up to 95% while testing and use a little graphics on top.... then they would have failed MY memory!
So there you have it
I will be contacting my barebones supplier on Monday - if he odes not ship fans he looses goodwill/future order/a possible 0.1% off his Ebay rating!).
I hope this is of some help to anyone who had the misfortune to follow my threads of woes - and I thank you all for your support through what has been tricksome times!
PS - currently testing with floor fan blowing into closed case - as kinda "road test" for adding fans, it is looking good, but borderline - anyone thinks this test valid? Will fans be better, or worse than floor fan blowing into vent slot?
PPS - It's not all bad news, despite loosing DVD R/W I have installed router (WHY or WHY did I not get one sooner?) and gone wi-fi (oh yeah, that was why!)
Laterz - thanks again guys - threads to mop now...
