Massive issues, hardware or software?

[creationzero]

new built system. fresh everything.
hardware:
amd 9950 phenom
2x2gb crucial 4-4-4-12 balistix
gigabyte motherboard
saphire 4870 512mb
seagate 640gb 32m cache
ocz 600watt psu

OS: bought from newegg. win vista 64 bit

problem: I assembled the system no problem and began with installing the OS. Once vista was installed I started loading the Mobo drivers for audio and lan. That all went fine but soon after all my apps and programs started randomly crashing...constantly, and couldnt keep up the system very long w/o a bsod. So I installed my graphics drivers and couldn't get through that with out a crash. Tons of software/OS crashes later I decide to reinstall vista. Same experience 2nd time so I was about fed up with vista and decided to try windows XP. Format HDD and as soon as I got to the windows loading page it bsod's... i've tried 3 times and same result. Please help me. Any suggestions? My main issue is I just want to run vista, so I don't care too much about running XP.

 

[DiscoDuck]

I always run memtest before an OS install on new parts. If that passes, try booting an ubuntu live cd, if eveything seems to work then its not a hardware issue.

 

[shortstuff_mt]

+1 to DiscoDuck's suggestion of running memtest86+. Crucial has been having quality issues lately, so I wouldn't be surprised at all if you have a faulty stick of RAM. Did you manually set the RAM timings and voltage to the manufacturers specs in the BIOS? If you didn't, you should.

 

[creationzero]

do i have to buy memtest? how do i run it w/o an OS? cd-rom? and i had the timings and voltages set to manufacture specs at one point which didnt help. the default is 5-5-5-18 and manufacturer says 4-4-4-12. so i thought id leave it at that. I can try it again.

 

[shortstuff_mt]

I'd be more worried about the voltage than the timings. What is the rated voltage of your RAM. ?

Memtest86+ is free here - www.memtest.org. You can pick versions that will run off of a CD, thumb drive, or floppy disk. You don't have to boot into an OS to run memtest.

 

[creationzero]

it says its rated at 2.0v...not sure what its running at now. :S. thanks for the advice ill check the voltage, try out memtest, if thats goes good then ill try out ubuntu also. thanks for the advice.

 

[jkflipflop98]

Ballistix are junk. I had 3 pairs of them go bad on me. I'll never buy crucial ram again.

 

[creationzero]

i've got it running at 2.ov with no change... tried memtest with no errors, i dont know what to do now...thanks for help and any more much appreciated

 

[creationzero]

could it be that my motherboard says it supports my cpu in 140watt version? and that i have a 125watt version?