Need Help with Freezing Computer

[bhk7594]

My Specs:
OCZ OCZ2N800SR4GK 4gb (2 Stick) SLI ready RAM
Apevia X-Jupiter Jr. Case
(Quad-Core)Intel(R) Core(TM) 2 Quad Q9400 @ 2.66GHz 1333FSB 6MB L2 Cache 64-bit
EVGA 750 SLI NVIDIA 750i SLI Chipset LGA775 Supports LGA775 FSB1333 DDR2/800 Mainboard w/GbLAN,USB2.0,&7.1Audio
635 Watts Power Supplies Sigma Shark SP-635W PSU
9800 gtx

Alright so I have had problems with freezing since I purchased my computer in 2008. The computer would freeze mid game but only during gameplay and usually about 10-20 min in. This was when I had 2 9400 gt in SLI. Then I called the company that built my computer and they sent me a new motherboard. I replaced the motherboard but after that I got a ps3 and stopped gaming on my PC.

Recently I got myself a 9800 gtx and upgraded to Windows 7 Ultimate. Now during gameplay the computer will freeze. By freeze I mean I need to hardboot to get the computer to run again. The mouse and keyboard wont work and the game will freeze on the fame its at.

Now I have tried a bunch of things:
- First things pointed to heat issues because my computer runs a little hot (60 c on GPU in game and 50 c on cpu in game) I cleaned out the case and all of the dust and got the temp to drop about 2 c This did not fix the problem
- Second I tested the GPU thinking it was a faulty card using 3d mark. Came back fine so that knocks out the GPU
- Third I tested the RAM first with testing program then by popping one stick out playing until it froze and then trying the other. The computer froze with either one in knocking out the ram.
- I had to replace the motherboard so that knocks out the motherboard

Recently a new problem has arose. When the computer is in sleep mode for an extended period of time I will have to hardboot to get the computer to work. Sometimes it resumes windows and sometimes i need to hardboot twice to get the option to delete the resortation data. I am not sure if these two problems are related.

Any help would be great

 

[shortstuff_mt]

Here's some nice power supplies that have plenty of power for your system:

Antec TruePower New TP-650 650W 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power Supply $99.99 - $20 MIR

OCZ Z-Series OCZZ650 650W 80 PLUS SILVER Certified Active PFC Power Supply $99.99 - $20 MIR

CORSAIR CMPSU-650TX 650W 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply $89.99 - $10 MIR

SeaSonic S12II 520 Bronze 520W ATX12V V2.3 / EPS 12V V2.91 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power Supply $74.99

 

[Raidur]

Ah.

GL! Let us know how it goes.

 

[bhk7594]

When using Memtest86 I just made a bootable disk and its going now are there any settings I should change? Will it just keep going until I stop it?

 

[swifty_morgan]

Don't go by watts when buying a power supply. Look at the amperage. Get something with 52-60 amps minimum and make sure it has enough connectors to get the job done.

The evga/xfx...etc. motherboards are known to be heat mongers. Regardless of what temps you are reading I bet in reality they are higher.

The video card/s would be my first thought. Next thing I would do is to pull the heatsink, ( processor + video ) scrape off whatever thermal material is there and reapply paste. Do this with the board out so you can get the heat sink hold downs to seat properly.

Next thing would be to remove the heat pipe system and scrape off that hard crap they use for themal paste and put whatever you're using on the processor heat sink. It'll take time to get this stuff off but it's worth it in the long run. All too often it's not applied right and sometimes it misses the chip underneath and sits off to the side.... doing nothing.

 

[bhk7594]

When I replaced my motherboard I got a better CPU cooler and applied Artic Silver so I should be fine there.

 

[Raidur]

Memtest86 will run either until you stop it or the PC freezes from instability. Default settings should be fine. Let it go for a good couple hours to be sure your ram is stable. (usually unstable ram will show it in the first few minutes)

 

[bhk7594]

Ok it just finished the first pass at a little over a hour. I will let it continue overnight and post the results tomorrow morning. Thanks for your help.

 

[bhk7594]

Alright I ran Memtest86 for 9 hours and had 7 passes
Everything came up with no errors
So now what? I will test the PSU?

 

[N.Broekhuijsen]

yep

 

[bhk7594]

Ok I ordered one of these a few months ago and never really opened it. It was for a friend but he never used it.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000EF1JGA/ref=oss_product
Could I use this to check out of my PSU is the problem without having to test the computer with a different PSU?

 

[N.Broekhuijsen]

I suppose you could, I don't know how to use it but I can't imagine it be too hard.

 

[bhk7594]

I read the reviews and it says it will only show you if your PSU is completely dead.
Mine is not so I think I will just test with a different PSU.

 

[N.Broekhuijsen]

try it anyways, who knows...

if it doesn't help, then yeah, test with a different PSU.

good luck

 

[bhk7594]

Yea I am building a new computer in Sep. so I will go and buy a power supply that I can use in my new computer.
Probably something around 800 watt. Hopefully that will solve my problems.
I will updated tonight after I hook up new PSU!

 

[N.Broekhuijsen]

alright. If you need help with new rig come right back for help. 800 watts, nice!

Anyways we'll see tonight if a different PSU changes the story!

tennis now

 

[bhk7594]

http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0316086
I think that is the one im going to get.
Can someone briefly explain the voltages to me in case they dont have this one in stock.
What should I ask/look for in a power supply around 800 watts?

 

[shortstuff_mt]

http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0316086
I think that is the one im going to get.
Can someone briefly explain the voltages to me in case they dont have this one in stock.
What should I ask/look for in a power supply around 800 watts?

That's a nice PSU. If they don't have that one, be sure to look for one from a known quality manufacturer. I already posted what I think you should look for in a quality PSU. I also posted some known quality manufacturer's.

There isn't a good way for a home user to test a PSU. The only way is to replace it with a quality unit from a known quality manufacturer like Corsair, PC Power & Cooling, Seasonic, Antec, etc...

The things to look for in a quality unit are active PFC (no little red voltage switch on the back of the PSU), at least 80 Plus certification, and more output on the 12v rail(s) than on the 5v and 3.3v rails.

The OCZ unit satisfies all these conditions. It has active PFC, is 80 Plus Gold certified (the best efficiency you can currently get), and puts out 71A on the 12v rail. It also has a 5-year warranty.

 

[bhk7594]

Ok perfect and does 160 seem like an appropriate price?

 

[shortstuff_mt]

$160 is pretty high for a PSU, but that is one of the best PSU's available. I linked to some quality PSU's that are considerably cheaper higher up in the thread. Those would work great for your system too if the price tag of that OCZ unit is giving you a little heartburn.

 

[bhk7594]

No just wanted to make sure it was not overpriced I am getting this one so I can use it with my new build in a few months. Should be fine. Thanks for your help will update tonight.

 

[N.Broekhuijsen]

may I be honest:

Yes, a very high end PSU is a good thing, but you don't really need it.

from what you had, "It's not hard to improve on garbage"

anything from cheaper companies is plenty good. As long as it's 80 plus certified it should do the job just fine. just make sure it's a well known manufacturer, and that it has enough watts.

 

[N.Broekhuijsen]

I just quoted COD 4, modern warfare

 

[shortstuff_mt]

There's a whole lot more to a quality PSU than being 80 Plus certified and a wattage rating. What's most important is active PFC and the Amp output on the 12v rail. The wattage rating on cheap PSU's doesn't mean anything because they output most of their power on the 3.3v and 5v rails.

 

[bhk7594]

Just compared the new one to the old one and the old one had 2 12v rails at 20A and the new one has 1 12v rail at 71A not sure what that means but its a large numerical improvement

 

[N.Broekhuijsen]

true... maybe I should just stay out of this one..