2.8 non-stable sandra,!! help

[BlackWraith]

Well, just recently I bought parts and made a new system. The specs: Asus p4p800 deluxe mobo, 2x 256 corsair 3200, 2.8 ghz p4, radeon 9800 pro, 80gig wd 8mb cache hd, lite on cd/dvd drive, and an antec case (350 w power supply included). I figured the antec would be just fine because I was not overclocking or anything. When I was running the arithmetic test on sandra my comp just restarted. Also when im playing games/ stressing the system it restarts randomly. I asked my friends and they said it was because of the un-stable psu. I tried a sparkle 400watt the one on newegg for 63 $ and it still crashes. Im considering getting the antec true power 480 watt because of tom's hardware reviews but im still not sure. Anybody know what the problem is / how I can fix it/ what kind of a psu I need for everything to work nice and stable even under stress? Thank you!!!

 

[ZER0]

try either underclocking the ram or replacing it. if that doesn't help try the mobo although i know this will be a pain in the ass.

 

[BlackWraith]

You think it is because of the ram or motherboard??

 

[jmecor]

What OS are you currently running?
Try to check your BIOS and change it to optimal settings.

If GeForceFX 5800 Ultra is a failure,
why just sell it as a hair dryer.

 

[BlackWraith]

im using windows xp. What do you suggest changing in the bios?

 

[ZER0]

set the ram to run at either 333mhz or 266mhz first off. second if it still does it replace it.(i know its a pain) if that doesn't work the mobo is jacked.

 

[BlackWraith]

I assume you mean adjust the timings. The things with cas-. The bios doesnt have anything with adj mhz for ram. Maybe im wrong. plz explain

 

[ChipDeath]

You've probably got options called <b>FSB:RAM Ratio</b> or something. this is probably 1:1, if you can set it to 6:5 then your RAM will run at 5 6ths of your CPU FSB, or 166Mhz.

I'd try really slack memory timings first though. 3-3-3-6 or so.

you can use various bits of 3rd-party software (i.e. MBM 5) to monitor current coming from your PSU, and see if it fluctuates a lot...

---
$hit Happens. I just wish it would happen to someone else for a change.

 

[BlackWraith]

Well, no ratio options but I did set it to 3-3-3-6 and 8 as a burst rate. I tried it once more and it restarted on sandra arithmetic test. ARRRR it used to work. I downloaded that program but I didn't get to see if voltages were stable enough I saw 16 on 12 rail 3.319 on the 3 rail and 5.1 on the 5 rail at little load though. positive of course

 

[BlackWraith]

Do you think it could have anything to do with the psu though, and do you think that getting the antec true power 480 will help? I would hate to think its the corsair ram. Seeing as how corsair is supposedly very high quality

 

[patman]

I had previously been having problems with my computer randomly restarting, it wasn't necessarily in response to a heavy load is the only difference from what you described. I'm currently living in a newer house so the power should be pretty good, but it was a cheap UPS that fixed my problem, maybe that could be the same as yours. Just a thought.

 

[BlackWraith]

a cheap ups? You talking about some kind of house electric socket?

 

[patman]

a UPS is a Uninterruptible Power Supply. It is basically a surge protector with a battery so in the case that the power lags or goes down a bit, your computer will still get the correct power because it will be supplied by the battery. It has other uses, but that's what fixed my problem.

 

[BlackWraith]

can you give me more info about such a thing?

 

[sabbath1]

What BIOS version for your motherboard do you use?

Since you tried two different PSU's, I don't really think it's because of that, even though a Radeon 9800 Pro wants at least 350 watts to work properly. But nevertheless, I use an Antec True Power PSU myself, they're absolutely fantastic. So even though I don't think a 480W Antec PSU would remedy your crash problems, it couldn't hurt having such a PSU for upcoming needs. If you do consider a new PSU, however make sure that in case you plan to buy a SATA hard drive anytime soon, that your new PSU comes with SATA power cables. Those PSU's are if not available already, said to come pretty soon from what I've heard.

Ok, anyways, if I were you, I'd try another motherboard and ram. First try switching the ram, then the motherboard. That really should help. I had the P4P800 before of my current worthless MSI 875P Neo (NOT the board to get!), but that ASUS board never crashed in SiSoft for me. It only crashed in one game, but that problem is probably remedied now in the newest BIOS.

Sure, Corsair is high quality, but if you ask me, I think they're a bit overpriced, considering that there are other memory that performs almost equally fast at a much lower price. But who am I to speak, I generally prefer expensive computer stuff, if I can afford them.


My system: Intel Pentium 4 3.0, 800FSB / TwinMOS 1Gb DDR400 / MSI 875P Neo / Sapphire Radeon 9800 Pro / Antec True Power 550W / Western Digital Raptor / Hercules G.T XP /
Samsung DVD / Lite-On CDRW