Zalman ZM600-HP / Beginner

[lemonadesoda]

Hello all, new at BC.net and FP. I came here via google.

I have been using Zalman ZM600-HP without issue for 4 years in a s771 dual Xeon system. ASUS DSEB-DG. 4x FB-DIMM and 2x E5420. (FSB 533, 2.5Ghz).
I run a FireGL v3750 which doesnt need additional power (power from PCIe slot). So power consumption/load is not high on this system.

Recently upgraded (within last month) to 2x E5472 (FSB 800, 3.0GHz).

This weekend I started getting unpredictable shutdowns. Sometimes when just at desktop, ie no load on CPUs or GPU.

Today I can't even get the PC started. Between 30 secs and 3mins after boot I get a shutdown. ie. will shutdown even within F2-BIOS utility.

I reseated FB-DIMMS. I reset CMOS. I removed one CPU and reseated the other. Same problem, no improvement.

I'm guessing MB failure/chipset or PSU Zalman ZM600-HP. Perhaps the higher FSB and new Xeons stressed the system. Or perhaps it is just natural aging of MB or PSU. Quick google of ZM600-HP brought me to this forum. So I thought I'd say hello and ask from your experience.

I don't have the equipment (scope, caps or soldering) to test or fix the PSU myself. But are there some visual inspections I can make to see if it was the PSU? I will then go out and buy a replacement. Any suggestions? Am I OK to stick with the same model, or would you advise different PSU for the dual xeon workstation?

Thanks for any pointers.

[cheapie]

Re: Zalman ZM600-HP / Beginner

Have you looked on the motherboard and in the power supply to see if there are any bad caps?

[lemonadesoda]

Re: Zalman ZM600-HP / Beginner

I've made a visual inspection of the mainboard.

- There are no obvious bulging caps, no explosion/bursts, no burnt or overheated discolourations.

I opened up the PSU since it's over 3 years old, I guess the warranty sticker means nothing.

- There are no obvious bulging caps, no explosion/bursts, no burnt or overheated discolourations.

Shame. A visual clue would have helped.

I've tried booting with just one CPU and one stick of FB-DIMM. And without HDD attached. While I can get to the BIOS menu, and disabled things like Speedstep etc for the CPU, if I leave it at the BIOS menu, sure enough after (randomly) a minute or so the machine reboots.

Any pointers welcome. New dual socket mainboards + EPS PSUs aren't cheap... so obviously want to target whatever has failed, and not have to buy both!

I should have mentioned in OP:
ASUS DSEB-DG
2x Xeon E5472
4x FB-DIMM 2GB=8GB
FireGL v3750

Is there any change a defective/failing GPU could damage a system/chipset? I swapped out the v3750 for an older v3400 and had identical issues. But could the v3750 have damaged the PCIe lanes in the chipset causing this. Am I fishing at straws?

[digge]

Re: Zalman ZM600-HP / Beginner

Try to get another PSU to try with, maybe borrow one or something. That would be the easiest thing to do compared to start measuring components and stuff. If that doesnt work you can start to dig deeper into the problem.

[selldoor]

Re: Zalman ZM600-HP / Beginner

As Above and /0r post really good pictures of the PS -experienced members may spot something. The caps may have pushed out the bungs at the bottom - if as in other posts regarding this PS they are Capxon caps then after 3 years they are probably done so changing them might fix it. They are not easy to work on so depending on equipment and skill level and the cost of parts may not be worth it unless you want the experience.

[lemonadesoda]

Re: Zalman ZM600-HP / Beginner

All caps are mounted with their bottoms on the PCB, so no obvious bottom farts.

Here are some pictures. The "yellow" you see on top of the caps in the first picture is deceptive. They are shiny silver, and are reflecting the colour of the yellow cables behind them.

Yes, they are CapXons. PSU over 3 years old. I'll start by replacing the PSU then.

[lemonadesoda]

Re: Zalman ZM600-HP / Beginner

Replaced PSU with SilverStone Strider Plus 1000W (somewhat limited options at the PC store...I would have preferred a 600-750W PSU). Workstation stable so far. (30 minutes + OpenGL tests). The old Zalman PSU had obviously developed a problem. Shame. Had worked well until last week. Expensive bit of equipment for relatively short life.

What should I do with the Zalman? Is it worth fixing, or is it for the bin?

[selldoor]

Re: Zalman ZM600-HP / Beginner

If you have all the equipment you could change the caps but then you have no use for it, so a waste of time?
If you have a Freecycle where you are someone might like it for free to try and fix up.