Making Asus P8Z77-V + 3770k stable

I have had this motherboard in my system running various versions of Windows Server with the latest ASUS bios (2104?) for years. It’s still a capable system, but it has never really been stable. It blue screens about once a week. I have just tried windows server 2016 on it and it’s not much better. To add insult to injury, hyper-v vms blue screen too, if the main machine doesn’t.

Running windbg points to driver problems, probably RAID RST but also possibly the Intel NIC. (I have used various, including the series 13 RST driver that comes with windows server 2016). The crashing VMs may be down to enabling turbo boost or cpu sleep mode settings (I am running the bios at normal, optimised settings, with raid and virtualisation extensions set, otherwise auto). Microsoft (and VMware) have issued various cpu microcode patches to deal with hyper-v issues (which I would have thought would be included in Server 2016, but who knows).

I am not worried about getting the last ounce of performance out of the system, but I do crave stability and don’t want to spend my life tweaking bios settings blindly.

What does the panel recommend by way of:

Most stable
(A) bios setting
(B) drivers
(C) modded bios firmware versions

for such a system, please?

@Godrick :
Welcome at Win-RAID Forum!
A few years ago I have used the excact same mainboard (ASUS P8Z77-V) and had no stability/performance problem at all with it. The OS (Win8/8.1 at that time) had been installed onto a RAID0 array.

to (A): I have used the “Optimized DEFAULT settings” (no CPU/Memory overclocking, RAID0 systems don’t like it).
to (B): Look into the start post of >this< thread. The by far best Intel RAID driver for Intel 7-Series chipsets is the RST v11.2.0.1006, but you should integrate this driver into the OS image and to remove the generic Intel RAID driver according to >this< to prevent any BSOD problems.
to (C): The really important BIOS modding actions concern the Intel RAID ROM/EFI modules and the CPU microcode and can be done with the UBU tool. Additionally I recommend to flash the latest compatible and safe Intel ME Firmware.

Regards
Dieter (alias Fernando)

Thanks, Dieter. I do remember the I originally got the system trying various different raid drivers (I have a couple of mirror sets). Some were very unstable. I can’t now remember which I stuck with. It looks like it might well have been 11.1.1006, from my various download folders. That was just less unstable than the others (lasting days, rather than hours or minutes before crashing).

The RST BIOS updates for RAID that I can see for the board, which has currently installed (via Asus Bios 1204):

1 - Intel RST(e) OROM and EFI SataDriver
OROM IRST RAID for SATA - 11.0.0.1339
EFI IRST RAID for SATA - 11.5.0.1582

is

1 - Update to v11.2.0.1527 only OROM
2 - Update to v11.6.0.1702
3 - Update to v12.9.0.2006
4 - Update to v13.1.0.2126
5 - Update to v13.2.2.2224/13.2.0.2134
6 - Update to v13.5.0.2164
7 - Update to v14.8.2.2397
8 - Update to v15.1.0.2545
T - IRST TRIM-in-RAID0 Addon for Intel 6-Series motherboards
0 - Exit to Main Menu

So should I go for the 11.6, 12.9 or a 13.x version? (All of these being different from the 11.2 drivers.)

So UBU works OK with the ASUS cpu microcode updating?

Is there any merit in updating the Intel NIC code?

Thanks.

I still run my mines with a 3770 non k as my main WS (very little reason to upgrade even now, maybe when Ryzen matures). It has give me many years of stable usage even though I update everything firmware wise whenever possible mostly because I like to experiment. I think most if not all issues comes from installed software or driver combinations. I load up my system and test tons of software. Ive had the occasional bsod and other issues but not hardware issues as far as I can tell.

I have been using the 13.1.x orom + IRST 13.1.x for about a year now, and before that the 12.9.x series. Without a single issue ever on my raid array.
I always matched orom-irst series as suggested by the win-raid guide.

I used UBU to update microcode and Intel NIC. There was also some Intel nic firmware updater a few years back as well I used.

I have even updated Asmedia USB and SATA firmware as well.

I have always used WIN 7, so I can’t speak about 8.1.
One of these days I will upgrade.

The first thing you should do is rule out memory and power supply. A good AC power supply from UPS or Voltage Regulator doesn’t hurt either.
Once you have a solid base then you can troubleshoot better.

I use gskill ram and it fails the row hammer test in memtest but thats the only concern about my hardware. Not really worth it to change out RAM at this point in its life.
The next issue could be what drivers you use. I normally try and use whetever is the latest release @ station-drivers.com

Well so far I have tried

* RST v11.2.0.1006 (seems a bit more stable, but needs .NET 3.5 to get the GUI, which is a pain on Windows Server 2016)
* memtest (full) – no problems
* Intel CPU Diagnostic tool runs in a Win 10 VM without problem (although it sticks on the cache test)

The power supply is a 750W one that is overkill. The system seems to draw only 40-100W

So we are down to looking at the microcode. Windows Server 2016 comes with an Genunin_Intel microcode update library 10.0.14393.0 (July 2016). The BIOS has Ivy Bridge CPUID 0306A9 - 17. (I don’t know which patch the Windows library applies.) The microcode patch list shows:


No CPU MicroCode Patch present in Volume 2.
±-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| MMTOOL 5.00.0007 |
| Copyright (c)2014 American Megatrends, Inc. |
±-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| CPU Patch Information |
±----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|Vol|No| Boot |MicroCodeID|Platform|CPUID| Revision |Date(YYYY/MM/DD)| Size |
±–±-±-----±----------±-------±----±---------±---------------±-------+
|03 |01| NO | 0126A604 | 12 |06A6 | 04 | 2011/11/14 |00002000| | | | | | | | | | |
|03 |02| NO | 0126A917 | 12 |06A9 | 17 | 2013/01/09 |00002C00| | | | | | | | | | |
|03 |03| NO | 0126A810 | 12 |06A8 | 10 | 2012/02/20 |00002800| | | | | | | | | | |
|03 |04| NO | 0126A507 | 12 |06A5 | 07 | 2011/09/09 |00002400| | | | | | | | | | |
|03 |05| NO | 0126A407 | 12 |06A4 | 07 | 2011/09/08 |00002400| | | | | | | | | | |
|03 |06| NO | 0126A208 | 12 |06A2 | 08 | 2011/05/18 |00002000| | | | | | | | | | |
|03 |07| NO | 0126A728 | 12 |06A7 | 28 | 2012/04/24 |00002400| | | | | | | | | | |
±----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Total Patch Size: 00010000 |
±----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
±-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| MMTOOL 5.00.0007 |
| Copyright (c)2014 American Megatrends, Inc. |
±-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| CPU Patch Information |
±----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|Vol|No| Boot |MicroCodeID|Platform|CPUID| Revision |Date(YYYY/MM/DD)| Size |
±–±-±-----±----------±-------±----±---------±---------------±-------+
|04 |01| NO | 0126A604 | 12 |06A6 | 04 | 2011/11/14 |00002000| | | | | | | | | | |
|04 |02| NO | 0126A917 | 12 |06A9 | 17 | 2013/01/09 |00002C00| | | | | | | | | | |
|04 |03| NO | 0126A810 | 12 |06A8 | 10 | 2012/02/20 |00002800| | | | | | | | | | |
|04 |04| NO | 0126A507 | 12 |06A5 | 07 | 2011/09/09 |00002400| | | | | | | | | | |
|04 |05| NO | 0126A407 | 12 |06A4 | 07 | 2011/09/08 |00002400| | | | | | | | | | |
|04 |06| NO | 0126A208 | 12 |06A2 | 08 | 2011/05/18 |00002000| | | | | | | | | | |
|04 |07| NO | 0126A728 | 12 |06A7 | 28 | 2012/04/24 |00002400| | | | | | | | | | |
±----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Total Patch Size: 00020000 |
±----------------------------------------------------------------------------+

and

Enter number:s
Enter CPUID, example 0306C3 :>0306A9
Enter Platform ID, example 32 :>12

000306A90000001200000007201111210000240010CD8E18
000306A9000000120000000820111207000024003D3CB1AD
000306A9000000120000000A20120106000028006F1725F4
000306A9000000120000000C20120113000028009FF3BB06
000306A9000000120000000D2012020600002800B9A0526D
000306A900000012000000102012022000002800D54739E3
000306A900000012000000122012041200002C0044BB9C4A
000306A900000012000000132012071600002C00B80C344B
000306A900000012000000152012080700002C006AA8BAC8
000306A900000012000000162012103000002C006D587ADE
000306A900000012000000172013010900002C003546450B
000306A900000012000000192013061300003000E8EC0584
000306A9000000120000001A2013120600003000B2DFB017
000306A9000000120000001B2014052900003000579AE07A
000306A9000000120000001C20150226000030002F737D45

Not sure what all that means, but

Enter number:1

Select Microcode for CPU IvyBridge (LGA1155)

7 Version 7 Date 21-11-2011
8 Version 8 Date 07-12-2011
0A Version 0A Date 06-01-2012
0C Version 0C Date 13-01-2012
0D Version 0D Date 06-02-2012
10 Version 10 Date 20-02-2012
12 Version 12 Date 12-04-2012
13 Version 13 Date 16-07-2012
15 Version 15 Date 07-08-2012
16 Version 16 Date 30-10-2012
17 Version 17 Date 09-01-2013
19 Version 19 Date 13-06-2013 - Best overclocking
1A Version 1A Date 06-12-2013
1B Version 1B Date 29-05-2014
1C Version 1C Date 26-02-2015
0 Skip

suggests that I should be looking at creating a BIOS with version 1C to try to stop my VMs from crashing randomly.

Can anyone suggest any other diagnostics before I start groping around in the dar with BIOS mods?
Thanks!

EDIT by Fernando: Put the CPU Microcode patch list into a spoiler (to save space)

I finally got around to flashing a modded bios after the original machine (Windows Server 2016) got itself into a state where it couldn’t install updates. (I suspect as a result of installing .NET 3.5, which the original 12 series drivers seem to need.)

I installed the 13.1 Intel BIOS because that it what is recommended here as the last native one for the z77 chipset. It is a reasonably close match to the 13.2.1022 driver that comes out of the Server 2016 box. Also I updated the cpu microcodes to the latest versions.

The system is, indeed, more stable than it was. I have removed all but the (ssd) boot disk pro tem. The intel bios does’t appear on boot, presumably because I don’t have enough disks to make it worth doing so.

BUT: My hyper-v guests are not much more stable than they were before. But that may be hyper-v and the 3770k cpu. More troublingly is that when I transfer across large ISO files, they don’t seem to be read reliably. (The file size is constant, but the SHA checksum is usually wrong and can change when running the checksumming twice in succession.). This is odd, as the OS itself runs ok, although it presumably does not do large sequential reads.

Ultimately I think that a new machine is the way forward, unless someone has some insights.

----

Later: I tried memtest86 instead of the windows build in memory test and it found a problem. Replacing the memory has resulted in a stable system without having to mod bios or use very specific drivers. Ho hum. We live and learn.

No Intel RST driver needs the .NET Framework, but all Intel RST Console Software versions need it.