Computer locking up don't know if it's mobo or GPU

[lilxkrn]

Hi, I just bought a new mobo, CPU, GPU, and ram for my old computer, because one of the pins holding the heatsink and fan on my previous mobo fell off (lucky me).

Mobo: GIGABYTE GA-P35-DS3L LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard
CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E4400 Allendale 2.0GHz
GPU: PNY VCG86GTSXPB GeForce 8600GTS 256MB 128-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16
ram: Patriot Extreme Performance 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400)

After installing everything, the only problem I had, initially was Windows failing to startup and giving me a BSOD, but this was resolved after repairing Windows using the install cd.

Now, whenever I try to play Bioshock my computer freezes/locks up after a few minutes. (I'm not exactly sure how to describe it, but the image that was previously on the monitor is still there, except extremely skewed, I can hear sound, there's no BSOD, and the computer refuses to restart/doesn't respond to ctrl+alt+del). I guessed that this was the graphics card's doing, so I downloaded and ran 3dmark 2006, and, sure enough, the computer locks up during stressful scenarios in this program also.

But, other than this, the computer is fine, which leads me to believe that it might have something to do with overheating.

So, I have a couple of questions: What is the normal fan speed for a Core 2 Duo processor? (Mine says 800 RPM, but this seems extremely low, since I switched from a P4)
Has anyone else had this problem before? Was it the graphics card or the mobo or someting else?
Is there any way to test which piece of hardware is experiencing the problems?
Could there be something wrong with my installation of Windows XP?

Thanks,
James

 

[Captante]

Based on your description I'd say the most likely culprit is your video card & that either you are correct about it overheating or its not getting enough power ... if you have a borderline power supply, that could be the problem.

Testing to see if anything is overheating is pretty easy, just pull the side off of your PC & if you have one, aim a window fan into it ... if the lockups stop then you've found your problem & you should be able to use your thumb to isolate the component. (Be careful somtimes the Northbridge can be hot enough to burn!)


Edit: Its also possible you have a RAM problem caused either by bad/failed memory or by the new motherboard not supplying enough vdimm ... either of these problems during Windows setup could result in a botched install that may or may not have been fully corrected by the repair ... I suggest you also run Prime 95 & Mem-test to rule that problem out.

 

[JustaGeek]

Turn off any kind of fan speed control in BIOS (Quiet Fan or similar) - make sure your CPU fan operates at ~2000RPM.

Increase your RAM voltage to the rated 2.2V.

Good luck!

 

[lilxkrn]

Thanks guys!
I'll try it ASAP, which'll probably be next week.

James

 

[Spaced Cowboy]

I'm suspecting you video card driver. Get hold of driver cleaner and install the latest driver from the nvidia site

 

[lilxkrn]

So, I ran memtest today and it keeps getting errors at test 7. I have no idea what this means. Does this mean that my RAM is faulty, and I have to RMA it? Also, I ran the computer with the case open, and the computer still crashed, so I'm thinknig that it's the RAM's fault now.

 

[deathwalker]

If you have 2 or more sticks of memory...take them all out and then run your mem test on 1 stick at a time.

 

[lilxkrn]

Originally posted by: deathwalker
If you have 2 or more sticks of memory...take them all out and then run your mem test on 1 stick at a time.

Alright, so I tested them one at a time, and ran memtest, and I found that BOTH sticks have errors on test 7. Should I RMA?

Thanks for all your help,
James