Is this machine dead?

[aheartattack]

Hi there,
This is my current rig:

Quad core q6600 2.4Ghz processor
Abit IP35Pro MB
4 GB DDR 2 (800MHz)
Sapphire Radeon 3870 Graphics card (512 MB GDDR3)
2 x 7200 RPM 80 GB SATA RPM
2 x 10,000 RPM 160GB Raptor Hdds
Thermaltake Toughpower 650W PSU
1x Asus DVD RW

Please note, the machine is just over 3 years old.

For some time now, I've noticed noticeable artifacts on the boot screen which continue onto the windows boot screen. It then blue screens. This happens 2-8 times and then the artifacts go away and the machine runs perfectly for hours - I can run 3D games and virtually do anything. Sometimes, starting up videos might BSOD but that's rare and hard to reproduce.

Also, the bluse screen artifact + BSOD thing seems to happen more on cold days.

At first, I thought the graphics card drivers were off, but then I realized that can't be true as the boot screen has artifacts. I then thought the graphics card was faulty, but if so, how can it run for hours and hours in games once the machine has "heated" up?

My machine runs without one of its side panels attached (damaged in a flight). Yesterday, I disconnected a casing fan from the PSU (it's one of those really cheap fans on the casing and it seems redundant as a side panel is open). Surprisingly, although there are still artifacts on first boot, they go away on the windows boot screen and the system seems to be booting first time.

I've also reset the BIOS and took everything back to stock voltages disabling abit's motherboard overclocking stuff.

Lastly, resetting the bios also reset the alarm temps and in the BIOS, it shows about 85C for CPU temp and keeps on beeping. I disabled the temp beep and ran a CPU temp scan with RealTemp 3.6 and that gives me a CPU temp of 60-70C. [My BIOS is v17 which should have resolved the incorrect CPU temp reading of v16 of the BIOS]

My questions are:
1. Could it be the gfx card at fault?
2. Could it be the PSU? Am I stretching the 3 year old 650W PSU by having a quad, 4GB ram, a 3870 gfx (with a HUGE fan), 2x7200RPM hdds and 2x10K rpm hdds?
3. Could it be some simple settings issue? (although the artifacts on first boot have me thinking).
4. Is there any way I can pinpoint the problem?

Thanks for the help.

 

[superccs]

Its most likely that ABIT board. I had a e84400 system running on a ABIT IP35 Pro XE and was happy as a clam. Then my pc would just start doing weird things, cpu voltages stuck at 1.0V, the board just sort of started dying. I decided to sell off the DDR2 ram and cpu and got a PII x6 + 890gx DRR3 system combo at Fry's for a net $130.

I think its time to ditch that board before it fries your components.

best of luck.

 

[Fardringle]

I had exactly the same problem with my old PC. In my case, it was the power supply. When the PSU was cold, it wasn't able to provide enough power to the system so it caused artifacts in the boot screens that did not clear up until it warmed up. After the PSU warmed up, the system ran perfectly (sometimes for months) until I shut it down again. I haven't seen that same situation in any other computer I have worked on, but your symptoms sound very much the same so it may be worthwhile to see if you can borrow/obtain another power supply for testing purposes.