Quick help with a friends PC!

[User5]

Okay, my friend has a problem with his computer he built. He has had trouble joining the forums, so here would be his reply:
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Hey everyone. Lately my computer has been cutting out after playing any graphics intensive game for a while. The monitor goes black(blinks as if computer were off but monitor were on) and the computer freezes, and I must restart to get it back to normal. My specs are a 2.6C ghz P4, 512 mb pc3200 ram, a radeon 9800 XT, and a 450 watt power supply that came with my chieftec case. I reformatted today and cleaned the computer of dust with compressed air today, and I still get the problem. I suspect it may be the power supply causing the problem, because it's been buzzing and the lights on one of my led fans just cut out, but I'd like some help from you all before I accidentally purchase a new power supply. Any input would be appreciated, thanks in advance.

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Thanks guys!

 

[nick1985]

what are the CPU temps?

has he run memtest86?

has he ran prime95?

what are his voltages on his rails?

 

[HermDogg]

Hmm... I recently had a similar problem (albeit with not as good of a video card). My Radeon 9550 would cut out after awhile, with the monitor acting like it was in hybernation mode. My problem was fixed by switching the AGP from 8X to 4X, at the advice of tech support. Dunno if it'll help you, but that's my $.02

 

[User5]

Originally posted by: nick1985
what are the CPU temps?

has he run memtest86?

has he ran prime95?

what are his voltages on his rails?

"My processor and motherboard temperatures are 22 and 24C, and my radeon runs as high as 55C"

He hasnt run memtest or prime, but I told him to. He is unsure of his voltages on his rails. Its one of the powersupplys that comes with the flashy cases that usually arent very good.. I tried to search for it, and they dont even include any info about the included powersupply.

Thanks for the reply.

EDIT: Thanks herm, ill tell him to try that

 

[Jeff7181]

His processor is not 22 or 24C... that's room temp... impossible unless he's using water cooling.

 

[User5]

Doesent seem right. But anyways, I will tell him to try the 4X AGP speed. Does it look like the powersupply could be a culprit here?

 

[Jeff7181]

Originally posted by: User5
Doesent seem right. But anyways, I will tell him to try the 4X AGP speed. Does it look like the powersupply could be a culprit here?

Sounds more heat related... PSU problems are exaggerated during cold boots because that's when power demands spike.

If you check voltages, do it with a DMM connected to a molex connector... don't rely on MBM or the BIOS to give you accurate readings... more often than not, they're wrong. The only way to get an accurate reading is to measure it yourself with a DMM.

 

[Jiggz]

If could be heat related. So you need to take that question out of the equation by running the system with covers removed and directing a fan into it. If the problem goes away, hey, it's heat!

 

[Yanagi]

It sounds to me as it was a heat issue. If he really can tho. Make him borrow a quality PSU from someone (if hes able to) and put it in. If it helps. sure a power issue. But most likely to be a heat issue anywayu. cant hurt to try though?

 

[islandtechengineers]

hey, i'll be another user that states its heat related (that came in my mind as i read your post). i may have over looked to quickly and not noticed, but on the cpu and or video card.. did he properly secure the heat sinks if he's not using a liquid cooling rig. did he use proper thermal paste or a pad on the cpu/heatsink and was it a good contact? hey it could be the video card also.

 

[User5]

Originally posted by: HermDogg
Hmm... I recently had a similar problem (albeit with not as good of a video card). My Radeon 9550 would cut out after awhile, with the monitor acting like it was in hybernation mode. My problem was fixed by switching the AGP from 8X to 4X, at the advice of tech support. Dunno if it'll help you, but that's my $.02

Thanks for all the help everyone.

HermDogg expecially, thank you very much for that advice! He tried it and it worked and his games arent freezing!

 

[islandtechengineers]

thats wierd, even for tech support to offer the switch. have you tried the most newest/updated drivers out for it and your monitor? I did a search and a couple of places does say the 9550 support Agp 8x and 4x. I thinks its wrong for a company to produce a product with a claim that it runs at 8x, but you have to run at 4x = if that's the case of course.