4600 constant graphics driver crash

[RDe_l6]

Hi everyone,

I built my PC last year with the following configuration:

• Intel Core i3-4360
• ASRock H81M-HDS LGA 1150 mATX Intel Motherboard
• HyperX Fury Black Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model HX316C10FBK2/8
• Crucial M500
• Inland Gold Series ILG-400-2 400 Watt ATX Power Supply
• Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit, later moved to Windows 8.1 64-bit
• Dual monitor setup through HDMI and DVI. Sound through HDMI to the built-in speakers in the monitor

Ever since I built it I've been having constant graphics driver crashes and I would get the popup of "Graphics display driver has stopped working and has recovered". The problem will arise constantly whenever there's some kind of strain on the integrated graphics from the CPU. The thing that is really annoying is that the strain it takes to crash it is ridiculously low: watching videos on my HDD, online videos, whenever there's a website with GIFs, even when I scroll down a website "fast")

At first I talked to Intel and ASRock support. They both suggested installing and uninstalling different versions of the Intel graphics driver (ASRock website, from Intel's website and from other websites as well). Then both Intel and ASRock suggested it could just be corrupted OS installation, so I went and performed a clean install of Windows 8.1 64-bit. The problem persisted.

Intel's support then proposed to run a diagnostic test on the CPU with their own tool: Flawless according to the software. Then they suggested a RAM diagnostic tool: no problem as well.

I kept trying with different driver ans the problem persisted. Finally I ended up sending my motherboard to ASRock for service since it's still under warranty. I got it back yesterday and assembled my PC back only to find that the problem persisted. I updated the drivers to ASRock's website driver again without success, and then updated to the latest driver for the 4600 HD from Intel's website with the same results.

Can someone think of anything else to do here? My BIOS is up to date, all the other drivers in my computer are as well. The computer works perfectly and is blazing fast. The only problem I run into is the annoying constant graphics driver crashing.

Please help

[ROBERT_U_Intel]

Hi Rodolfo

It looks like you definitely did a good job trying to root cause the issue. I have a couple of questions for you.

1. Do you have all the Microsoft Windows update installed?

2. Would it be possible for you to test with different memory? Also you could remove one stick of memory and run one at a time to see if the behavior changes.

3. Do you see the issue with only one display attached? Test with one display at a time to see if the behavior changes.

Thanks

Robert

[RDe_l6]

Thanks for your reply Robert. Yeah, sorry for the length of the post but I wanted to be as thorough as possible. I'll give it a try with one memory stick at a time and see if I have any other memory lying around.

[RDe_l6]

Ok, so I tried each memory stick separately and on each memory slot, no difference whatsoever. I tried different RAM sticks from my other PC and I still get the graphics driver crash.

Any other suggestions?

[ADesc2]

Hi,

Is the RAM manufacturer suggesting a different voltage than 1.5V? If you're using an XMP profile, try SPD timings.

Another problem you might face is the CPU voltage being set to fixed or normal mode rather than "Offset mode". Modes other than offset stop the CPU from setting core voltage correctly, as it keeps changing speed when idling or going into turbo speeds.

Is the motherboard using the latest BIOS?

Is the SSD on the latest firmware? (Could cause OS corruption, but probably not CPU trouble)

You already tried a single RAM stick so this could rule out the RAM sticks. I've had RAM work trouble-free on some systems and work on Memtest that just wouldn't work stable with a particular CPU no matter what I tried.

I'd look at the PSU or the CPU next. A $25 power supply can cause lots of weird problems.

Nothing tells that the GPU part of the CPU works well with a CPU test.

Last note: have you monitored your CPU temps? It might be overheating.

[RDe_l6]

Hi antdes45,

thank you for your reply on this matter. Here's what I tried:

• My RAM voltage is set to 1.5V which is what the manufacturer suggests.
• I bought two new RAM sticks in an effort to get a "fully supported" RAM by my MoBo and the problem's still there
• BIOS is up to date. All my BIOS settings are set to default or auto. The only thing I changed was my boot sequence
• SSD is on the latest firmware
• CPU temps are usually between 35-41°C
• My PSU is new. I changed it from a crappier one I had before because I thought that might be the issue. This one has worked perfectly and I'm pretty happy with it
• I don't know what the XMP profiles and SMD timings are. Never played with those settings. Neither with the CPU speed or voltage.

Please help on this issue. Right now I don't even know if getting a dedicated graphics card will work.

Thanks