Computer abruptly shuts off randomly

[starbot]

Hi! A friend of mine suggested this forum to me for computer help. So hello people!

Anyways, my old Epox 8RDA+ motherboard died (diagnostic store said that the defective capicitators were leaking), so I set out to buy a new motherboard/cpu.

The problem was that I didn't want to upgrade my video card, since I don't really need the latest/greatest of hardware.

I first bought a Gigabyte K8NSC-939 with an athlon 64 3200+, but it kept shutting off whenever I was using a lot of resources (the nvatabus and IDE "fixes" didn't really accomplish much). So I switched to another system, which is what I'm using now.

AMD Athlon 64 3200+
ECS KV2 Lite (VIA K8T800 Pro)
2x 512 MB Ram (Dual Channel)
400W Power Supply
BFG GeForce 6800 OC (AGP 8x)
Sound Blaster Audigy
120 GB WD Harddrive (Main); 250 GB Maxtor Harddrive (Storage) [Both IDE]

I've updated every driver, except ones that weren't recommended, such as IDE drivers. For this computer, I get random lockups, which are soon followed by a reboot of the sytem. Nothing is overclocked, and I've done a brand new installation of Windows XP. CPU temperatures have remained consistent (around 30 degrees C)

Event viewer doesn't show any errors that look like are related to my computer (the last one I saw was that my time was off). I updated the firmware on my motherboard, so now I'm in need of help!

What are some suggestions? Or if suggestions aren't plausible, where can I buy a good motherboard/cpu that can support my video card (AGP)? If I'm going to replace my motherboard/cpu, I'd like to replace just those.

Thanks in advance for any help!
-Steve

 

[BadThad]

Power supply....I'm taking bets, lol. What brand power supply is that?

 

[starbot]

It's a Powerlink 400W. What would be a good power supply to switch to?

 

[BadThad]

Originally posted by: starbot
It's a Powerlink 400W. What would be a good power supply to switch to?

That, my friend, is the root of your PC's evil.

I highly recommend either a Seasonic or OCZ brand. On the budget side, Fortron makes a decent PS.

 

[starbot]

Looks like the power supply was the problem. I bought a 500W Antec Smartpower and everything worked fine! On the downside, I think there's something wrong with the coils. It's making a dreadful high-pitched whining noise.

Can you use a power supply that has a fan on its top (instead of its back) in a case that doesn't have an outlet on top?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817104154

My case doesn't have a slot on top to let that fan go out (I'm basically wondering if you can take that power supply and flip it upside down instead).

 

[BadThad]

Yes, you can flip the power supply. You definately want the intake (bottom) fan toward the mobo and NOT the top of the case (where it can't get enough air).

Glad the new PS is working.