Burn in

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SDR

Where can I find out more info on "Burn In". I have a P4C800 motherboard
with a P4C 3.0GHz processor and would like find out if I need to do this
step.

Thanks,
 
"SDR" said:
Where can I find out more info on "Burn In". I have a P4C800 motherboard
with a P4C 3.0GHz processor and would like find out if I need to do this
step.

Thanks,
Click to expand...

Burn in is a process my former employer used to test equipment. After
equipment is manufactured and assembled, it is placed in a chamber
for 48 hours and the temperature is ramped up and down while the
equipment is operating. Equipment that passes the test is then
crated and sent to customers.

In that context, the purpose of burn in was to accelerate failures
in components that would normally happen once the equipment was
on a customer site. Any components that might suffer from "infant
mortality" would fail in the test chamber, instead of at a customer
site.

If you are constructing a system for yourself, running a test
program like Prime95 or CPUburn or the like, runs the processor
at 100% utilization, and heats up the Vcore regulator circuit.
Doing this kind of a test within the first 15 days of ownership
of a motherboard might cause any early failures on the motherboard
to occur within the period in which you can return the motherboard
to your vendor. Since the board is being operated in a normal
mode, without any excessive stresses, this is a fair test and
should not endanger the long term operation of the board.

So, it is your choice. If you can afford to leave the system
running in a test mode for several days, you might find an early
failure which would otherwise happen in a couple of months time.
If you have other computers to fall back on, there probably isn't
much value in doing this, as during the month it takes to RMA a
motherboard, you could be using one of your other computers.

Typically, burn in is done when you are building equipment for
someone else. Better to have it fail on your premises, than
while a customer is using it.

HTH,
Paul

Note: Temperature ramping is intended for devices with no moving
parts. A disk drive, for example, would be a bad candidate for
temperature ramping, as a drive can be stressed by rapid temperature
changes. Any equipment tested this way must be studied carefully
before being subjected to a test. Just so no one gets the wrong idea...
 
SDR said:
Where can I find out more info on "Burn In". I have a P4C800 motherboard
with a P4C 3.0GHz processor and would like find out if I need to do this
step.
Click to expand...

Burn In is a process where the machine is put under load running programs to make the CPU work to
its full capacity under normal conditions. This ensures that the cpu/ram/mb/hd are all working properly and
quickly exposes faulty hardware.

This process is normally done by the store or vendor you got your computer from (and if they dont, they should,
checkout places like www.ncix.com and read their information about what they do when they assemble it for you:
Each PC is tested with:

1. MEMTEST86 is run to insure that your memory is error free and working to specifications
2.To insure your hard drive is functioning properly, a major operating system is installed
(it will be removed after testing if an operating system is not purchased with the system)
3. Each system is started and shutdown at least three times from the OS
4. Test video and audio using DirectX test
5. Each PC Builder system is stress tested using 3DMark or Hot CPU Tester (depending on the video options purchased)

If you built your own, installed an OS, been using it more than a week, and benched it a couple of times, congrats, you did your burn in already.
 
Where can I find out more info on "Burn In". I have a P4C800 motherboard
with a P4C 3.0GHz processor and would like find out if I need to do this
step.

Thanks,
Click to expand...

All it really means is testing every part of a system for a number of
continuous hours (24 to 48 hours or so) so if there are any bad parts in
the box they would fail in that time and could be replaced before you
ship the system to the customer. I think SiSoft Sandra 2004 has one
built into their free version you can try.

This site just did a review on CPU stress test utilities.
http://www.systemcooling.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=1599

Ed
 
SDR said:
Where can I find out more info on "Burn In". I have a P4C800 motherboard
with a P4C 3.0GHz processor and would like find out if I need to do this
step.
Click to expand...

I think it's bullshit, personally.
 
SDR said:
Where can I find out more info on "Burn In". I have a P4C800
motherboard with a P4C 3.0GHz processor and would like find out if I
need to do this step.
Click to expand...

I prefer Toast.exe and Prime95 for CPU burn in. Memtest86 ver3 is good for
testing RAM and 3DMark2001SE ran in an endless loop is good as well. If a
system will not crash, hang, or burn during 24 hours of all three, when
overclocked, I tend to say "Good 'nuff."
 
I think it's bullshit, personally.
Click to expand...

If you overclock your cpu, memory, videocard, etc, it's a pretty
necessary step to save yourself a lot of grief over the long run.

Fire up something like Prime95 and let it run for a day or two.

Real manufacturing burn in is based on a statistical failures chart
called a bathtub curve. Most component failures happen either at
initial power up or in the first 72 hours or so. Failures then
flatten out for the life of the machine until they start to rise again
at end of lifetime. \______/ a bathtub shapped curve ;)
 
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