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Can a underpowered PSU cause this?

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My connection seems to be really buggy since I upgraded my mobo/proc to a prescott. It will go out every 10-15 minutes. Not only that, but games seem to randomly crash as well. Is this more a mobo issue with drivers (I didn't do a clean install of Win2k) or could an underpowered PSU cause it as well? I ask because I have a new PSU on the way, but I have a chance this weekend to pick up a new Mobo from fridays. Just wondering what you all think.
 
It CAN do it, have you checked the voltages to see what they are running at? They should not deviate more than 10% +/- of their norm
 
Yea. Nothing seems to diavate that much from the norm (at least when I check in bios) I'm not sure if under load...or even in normal operations it just can't keep up and random things just lose power for a moment. I've also been randomly rebooting as well...so I'm hoping this new PSU will solve the issue. Otherwise, I'll just pick up an ASUS and get rid of this ECS.
 
Your risking your hardware by powering it with an underpowered PSU. You could try underclocking your CPU by dropping the FSB as far as you can to decrease power draw by the CPU.

BTW, what are the specs of the system and PSU?
 
Originally posted by: Operandi
Your risking your hardware by powering it with an underpowered PSU. You could try underclocking your CPU by dropping the FSB as far as you can to decrease power draw by the CPU.

BTW, what are the specs of the system and PSU?
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300w PSU. Prescott 2.4a on an ECS PT800CE-A. 1 gig 3200 DDR ram, GF4 4600, Audigy 2 ZS.

As for an underpowered PSU...yes, I know. I hope my new 420w one arrives today. If it doesn't solve the problem, I'll go for a new Mobo.
 
Originally posted by: 0roo0roo
try a pci network card. if that helps then it isn't the psu.
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I tried that a couple of days ago. No go...just installed a 420w one from thermaltake. Lets see how this does. Eitherway, I'll probably pick up a new mobo/HSF so I can overclock to at least 3 ghz.
 
so you changed most of your hardware without a clean windows install? a quality 300w psu should be able to handle that load. could be more of a driver error.
 
Originally posted by: tfinch2
so you changed most of your hardware without a clean windows install? a quality 300w psu should be able to handle that load. could be more of a driver error.
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Yea, im thinking that as well, but I wanted to elminate everything else...i hate doing new installs. And my 300 w PSU was anything but quality.

Oh well, I'm gonna order an ASUS P4S800 so I can overclock reasonably well (not a huge one...but enough to keep me a little ahead of the curve) and for that, I know ill need a new PSU anyway.
 
Doesn't sound like a power issue. Sounds like a driver or other issue. I myself have never heard of a weak power supply causing network cut outs. Although a weak power supply can cause all sorts of crazy effects. Some more information about your network would help.
 
I'd say driver problems. To change mobo w/o a clean install could lead to these probs. I incorrectly installed a graphics driver once and it caused the pc to fail after one or two websites were viewed. I reinstalled the graphics driver and the problem was solved.

Looks like you hate to do reformat/reinstall, and are going to solve this problem by getting 3rd mobo. That would mean this OS would have been migrated 3 times w/o a reformat/reinstall. If the current problem is caused by driver conflict, this is likely to compound the problem.

Fern
 
Originally posted by: Fern
I'd say driver problems. To change mobo w/o a clean install could lead to these probs. I incorrectly installed a graphics driver once and it caused the pc to fail after one or two websites were viewed. I reinstalled the graphics driver and the problem was solved.

Looks like you hate to do reformat/reinstall, and are going to solve this problem by getting 3rd mobo. That would mean this OS would have been migrated 3 times w/o a reformat/reinstall. If the current problem is caused by driver conflict, this is likely to compound the problem.

Fern
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Oh no. I've tried uninstalling reinstalling drivers to no avail. Although I'm sure a clean install would help, I have since come to the decision that I want a Mobo that can overclock...so I'll do a clean install once I get that. It's just a pain in the A$$ until then.

I'm using the integrated NIC in the board for the connection. I just did a windows update, and things seem to have settled down. But I do need to do a clean install...otherwise I'm sure I'll have castcading problems the rest of the time.
 
your problem has nothing to do with power. if you installed a new motherboard without reloading windows, you just asking for problems. The least you should do is reboot into Safe mode, open device manager, and delete all motherboard devices. When you reboot you will need to install the software that came with your motherboard as ALL the bridges, drivers, etc are completely differant than you had before and all the inconsistancies are causing the system barf on itself.

Thnak You, Futurecomm
 
Futurecomm: Wrong. A clean power source is very important and can cause all kinds of weird obscure problems. It could be drivers but running power hungry prescott off of a generic 300watt PSU is also asking for problems. Either way Futurecomm?s advice is sound, anytime you install a new MB its a good idea to follow up with a OS re-install.

FallenHero how as the system been since the new PSU install?
 
System has been stable (no reboots like it used to) however the net keeps going on and off. It is a driver issue...but I'm willing to live it with for 2 more days until my new ASUS board gets here, then I'll just install 2k again or go XP...can't decide which since this prescott doesnt have HT.
 
I sometimes lose my network on my laptop, but only after a couple of days of work (programming, etc). I attribute it to memory leaks. I reboot and it works fine again. Also, I occasionally get out of memory errors when this happens.
 
your telling me. Everything else works fine now, but with the on and off net, it pisses me off. Do the drivers deside to work one second but not the next? Blarg!
 
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