Dying CPU? MACHINE_CHECK_EXCEPTION

[shaithis]

I have been trying to troubleshoot the above error on a freinds rig and think I have it narrowed down to the CPU....

Its an Athlon 64 3000+ on an Asus A8N-SLi with an ATI X800XL.....if we overclock the CPU even a fraction, it crashes. At default speed it hangs within no time and if we underclock it to 1400MHz (by lowering the multiplier) it runs for a while and gives recoverable MCE errors in Windows but will eventually BSOD. We couldn't even get Windows installed until we lowered the multiplier.

Could there be anything wrong with the motherboard or gfx card that lowering the CPU clock could indirectly effect or is it definatly the CPU?

TIA

[Hottentot]

It could be any bit of hardware (even a CD drive) that causes the error. All you can do is disconnect as much hardware as possible to try and locate the offender. Try the CPU in another system. From what you have described the CPU seems likely but not definitely the culprit.

[TheAnimus]

run something like memtest86+ for a fair while see if it dies.

MACHINE_CHECK_EXCEPTION can be anything pretty much, from HDD to RAM to motherboard.