Help - PC freezes/locks up

[jinman1883]

I have recently built my first PC.

Foxconn 915A03 Motherboard with a P4 3.2
200GB SATA DiamondMax Plus9
2 x 512MB PC3200 RAM
ASUS Extreme AX600XT/TD RADEON X600 XT - 128 MB
LITEON DVD-Burner
Windows XP Home Edition with SP2
Novatech 550W PSU.

I have all the drivers from the CD software provided.
I bought my motherboard, CPU and heatsink as a bundled set.

Trouble is it locks up all the time. Especially when installing and loading games. After about 5 minutes it just locks up. My CPU temperature is about 40-42 degrees and system temperature is 39 degrees when not under any load. Just before the computer locks up the fan inside does spin very fast and loud. I do not have an additional cooling system

Any ideas why it locks and how to solve it?

Any help would be much appreciated.

Thanks

 

[gutharius]

The fans spin up you say? Sounds like in internal issue with the motherboard and its heat sensors being wacked. Would try asking for a replacement board. Is the memory generic or brand name?

 

[jinman1883]

Its generic memory.

Do you think it could be something to do with the DVD?

 

[iTWoRxbRo]

maybe the cpu heatsink/fan isnt seated properly?

 

[Fern]

Download and install Motherboard Monitor 5 (D/L HERE). Use the Interval/sys log feature to write a text.doc logging your temps and voltages. After a lock up, reboot and go look at the text.doc to see if anything went funcky.

Otherwise, I woulda said test your ram with memtest86. But the fans speeding up sounds like other than ram.

Fern

EDIT: If you need help on setting up MBM5 go HERE and check out my post.

 

[alm4rr]

DL and run Memtest and post if you get any errors

 

[jinman1883]

It looks like I solved it.

I took out the old 512MB and put in my new 512MB in DIMM slot 0. I'm only running 512MB but the system is stable now.

I don't know why that would be though? Why would having two same spec modules of 512MB RAM make it lock or crash? They are different makes, does that make a difference?

 

[Fern]

Looks they are not similar enough to run in DC together.

I'd be curious if loosening the timings would allow for them to "place nice together"

Fern