IP35 Pro eats hdd's?

[marknhl]

I have an ABIT IP35 Pro mobo that I purchased used a couple of years ago. It has 6 sata ports and on-board RAID. Everytime I have tried to use this RAID I run into issues. The RAID doesn't last or becomes unstable or a hdd goes. The mobo will randomly have problems on different ports - ALWAYS port 02 - but on the others as well. Now here's the biggest problem, I'm close to just replacing the board but I want to be sure... it seems that the mobo causes hdd's to fail. I have 3 Seagate 500GB hdd's and one 750GB hdd. I've RMA'd two of the 500GB's and the 750GB has held well forever, no problems like the others, but after putting it into a RAID again on the mobo the other day, that computer won't recognize it and I can't get any other computers to either?! Would it make sense that the mobo port/RAID issues are actually causing the hdd's to fail? I'm actually nervous about putting hdd's on this mobo now. Important note, before this last raid configuration, I tested all my hdd's and made sure they all passed the long generic test. and then after this the 750GB hdd appears to have failed since I can't get anything recognize it. Windows 7 just freezes for a bit and then doesn't see it. Sorry for the long explanation, thanks in advance for the help.

[mhanor]

It's unlikely that a working motherboard would kill HDDs, but a failing PSU could do it

[marknhl]

It's unlikely that a working motherboard would kill HDDs, but a failing PSU could do it

Could you please direct me to a thread that talks about diagnosing whether a psu is on its way out?

found this newegg.com review of the board that states the exact same symptoms:
* N/A
* 6/14/2008 10:53:50 AM
* Tech Level: Somewhat High4/5
* Ownership: 1 month to 1 year4/5


1 out of 5 eggsRating: 1/5Doesn't last

Pros: Feature set looks good

Cons: I've owned two of these and both have died the same way. For some weeks they work fine then the trouble starts. USB connectors quit working. The RAID controller starts throwing periodic fits which cause a blue screen--reboot and there are one or more missing drives in the array. Reboot again and the drives are back. A third reboot is needed to get it to actually boot. (This was a RAID 10 array.) I temporarily needed some extra storage and used the other two channels for another RAID 1--oops, when this one decided to fault (>50% of boots) windows would die during boot.

When the first board died this way I put in another to get my system back in operation quickly, intending to RMA the first one and have a spare board around. I've never gotten any reply from abit.

[mhanor]

If you're not able to reformat or do anything else with those HDDs, even on other PCs, I don't see how a mainboard could cause this... That review doesn't say anything about damaged drives.
An old PSU can kill. You should mention your PSU brand, model and how old it is.

[marknhl]

If you're not able to reformat or do anything else with those HDDs, even on other PCs, I don't see how a mainboard could cause this... That review doesn't say anything about damaged drives.
An old PSU can kill. You should mention your PSU brand, model and how old it is.

Power Supply ----------- Rosewill RP600V2-S-SL 600W ATX12V v2.01

no, the review states all the symptoms of using the motherboard. Like I said, I RMA'd two 500GB seagate hard drives that I've used in it, I've had another 750GB seagate hard drive that I've used for over a year with no issues, ran tests on it, etc. The other day I try to use it in a raid on it and then after that doesn't work, I pull it out of that machine and then that one doesn't work. big surprise. It certainly could be the psu, I don't know, that's why i'm posting on here.

original specs when I bought the pc (the WD drive has since failed testing but still works):
HARD DRIVE ---------- Western Digital Caviar SE WD5000AAJS 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s
RAM ----------- G.SKill 2GB (2x1gb) 240 Pin, DDR2, PC2 6400 (upgraded to 4GB)
MotherBoard ----------- ABIT IP35 Pro LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
CPU ----------- Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Kentsfield 2.4GHz LGA 775 Quad-Core
Graphics CPU -------------- EVGA 512-P3-N801-AR GeForce 8800 GT 512MB 256-bit GDDR3
Cooling ------- ZALMAN CNPS9700 LED 110mm 2 Ball CPU Cooler
Power Supply ----------- Rosewill RP600V2-S-SL 600W ATX12V v2.01

[mhanor]

http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php...Story3&reid=32
If your PSU is build like the one from this review, it's not looking good. Cheap components do age/deteriorate faster.
But nobody can give you a straight answer.

[marknhl]

yes, that looks like the psu. So there's no way to strictly diagnose the psu?

I mean, if it's not broke I don't want to throw it out. however, if it is broke, then I'm going to have to keep replacing hard drives. Perhaps I should replace the motherboard and keep the psu. Then if I keep having problems with the hdd's, it must be the psu... right? There is the possibility that I could fry the new motherboard, but it hasn't fried this one. idk.

[mhanor]

You need at least experience to diagnose a PSU and everything else in that computer. Do not easily make assumptions, such as " if I keep having problems with the hdd's, it must be the psu".
A PSU can be tested if you have the proper tools.

[marknhl]

You need at least experience to diagnose a PSU and everything else in that computer. Do not easily make assumptions, such as " if I keep having problems with the hdd's, it must be the psu".
A PSU can be tested if you have the proper tools.

define experience. I work in IT for a career, but rarely do I fix hardware on a desktop computer. If you don't want to tell me how to diagnose a power supply that's fine, but being condescending is unnecessary. Regardless of what experience someone has, I would tell them that they may break something but go for it. I mean why not try learning something. That's what a forum is for.

[marknhl]

Google has informed me. thank you.