HDD Failing while multitasking

[distinctly]

Ok, So I just got a computer that had a virus and completely shut down the HDD. I went out and purchased a new HDD installed windows 8 no problems. However doing some basic browsing with some minimal multi tasking causes the HDD to fail and I have to reboot. The PC was originally Windows 7. Cannot figure out what is causing this to happen. Also wondering if it is becaue I installed 64bit rather than x86

Windows 8 64 bit
AMD Athlon II X2 240 @ 2.8
3gb Ram
1Tb WD HDD
Integrated AMD 4200 GFX
300w psu

Just ordered last night 600w psu, gfx card, and 4gb of ram (maybe that'll help?)

 

[Onus]

What did you order? What motherboard do you have?
When you say the HDD "fails," is there an error message? What are the symptoms?

 

[distinctly]

ma785r mobo it came with this dell inspiron i was given

SAPPHIRE 100366-2L Radeon R7 260X 2GB 128-Bit GDDR
Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3
Thermaltake TR2 TR-600 600W ATX12V v2.3 SLI CrossF

There are no messages the only symptoms before the crash is that the computer freezes up. 50% of the time it'll unfreeze and continue. 50% of the time it freezes, the screen flickers a bit then I get the message that the HDD has failed on a basic black screen with text.

-edit

I've been reading around and have found nothing but terrible things about dell mobos. I'm considering just buying a new one and a new processor for ~150 and that would hypothetically eliminate the problem if I cannot get it resolved right?

 

[Onus]

A Windows license is keyed to the motherboard, so you may need to replace that as well. Does your current mobo have a UEFI BIOS? I thought that was required for Windows 8.x; someone please correct me if that is wrong.
You could get a Pentium G3258 and an inexpensive H87 board to go with it. If you're going to play high-end games though, IMHO a budget increase that would allow you to get an i3 would be a safer choice. Apparently the Pentium can have stuttering problems in some demanding games, even when overclocked. For general use and casual games, the Pentium would most likely be sufficient.

 

[distinctly]

I'm going to mess with it and see if I can downgrade to windows 7 tonight. I am however, looking into going that direction of a new mobo and i3 if that fails. Thanks for the help.