My P.C. keeps reseting !!!!

[Stalsy]

O.K. here we go !

I have a new mbo - MSI K8MM3 Series board - MS-7181 (v2.X) Micro ATX

Cpu - AMD Athlon 64 3400+ - new FAN !

Grpahics - Nvidia GeForce 7800 GS OC

mem - DDR400 sticks 2x256 & 1x512Mb - can only use 2 in new mbo !

Now in normal use the P.C. works fine , spreadsheet stuff and the wife shopping on e-bay - that sort of thing !

However when I start playing ET online !! that's when things go wrong !

Fairly erratic etc thus at anypoint the PC will shutdown, then reboot !




ALL COMMENTS ARE MOST WELCOME !



SORRY POSTED THIS BEFORE LOOKING AT THE FORUM - TOPIC IS ALREADY BEEN DICUSSED LOWER DOWN !!



Stalsy !

 

[Stalsy]

You name it I tried it !

I now have more dianostic software on my P.C. than bloody games !

Anyhow just a short post - I have fixed my P.C.

Using a dual screen setup and software kits like cpuz , memtest86, radiate and PCalert4 and a Screen capture trial software I tarcked the problem to my cpu !

I did have a AMD Athlon 3400+ Clawhammer but it was running erratically - thus after watching this - I replaced the cpu with a slightly lesser AMD Sempron 3000+ ( cos it's a 754 socket )

48 Hours now and no reset !

Thus this system can be passed onto my kids - I'm building a new one for Xmas !

Thanks

Stalsy



P.S. I play ET all the time - new rig is for Quake Wars !

 

[EricLegge]

I thought that the probem was most probably faulty memory or a faulty motherboard. It's not very often that the CPU is the cause, so that's bad luck.

 

[Onus]

It still may not be. He may be just at a thermal or PSU limit somewhere, and going to the lesser CPU dropped back just enough for his system to be more stable.
What is the wattage of the PSU in that box? Since it only croaks during games, perhaps it doesn't have the juice for the video card.

 

[Major_Trouble]

I totally agree. A poor quality PSU can really confuse you when trying to troubleshoot. I'd recommend getting the good quality PSU you would get in your new rig. Bung it in your now faulty rig and see if your problems go away. If they don't you still have the PSU ready to go for your new one.

 

[Onus]

Good idea, unless it's an older Dell or other proprietary system that may have different wiring. Check the pinouts first to make sure they are standard.

 

[Vorador2]

Yep, probably a thermal or PSU problem IMO, and switching to the less powerful CPU solved the problem. But if you're satisfied with your current hardware, i wouldn't mess with it anymore.

 

[Stalsy]

+3.3v 28A
+5v 35A
+12v 30A
-5v 0.5A
-12v 0.8A
+5vsb 2.5A

BFG told me this fine for my card !

Nvidia GeForce 7800 GS OC

What do you guys think ?

Thanks

Stalsy

 

[Onus]

That should be enough, assuming the PSU is actually up to those specs. It may not be, or its cooling fan isn't cutting it [any more]. With a -5V rail, is it really old now? What brand is it? If you say "Powmax" or some other cheap brand that came with the case, you're likely to see a lot of "Ah HA!" responses.

Do you have an aftermarket cooler on your VGA card? The problem could be there too, although a change in CPU isn't likely to have fixed that. Maybe you blew out a lot of dust from various heatsinks when you changed the CPU?

 

[Stalsy]

Hmmmm

I will check and come back. !

8)