random reboots

[BriGy86]

my friend just bought a computer from this other friend of mine, appearently it randomly reboots and the computer was built from scratch, im pretty usre the PSU is 350 watts

it has a CD rom, CD burner, floppy, 1X120mm case fan, 4X80mm case fans (all fans have LED's) and one 80 gig hard drive

is that too much stuff for the PSU?

 

[Matthias99]

Originally posted by: BriGy86
my friend just bought a computer from this other friend of mine, appearently it randomly reboots and the computer was built from scratch, im pretty usre the PSU is 350 watts

it has a CD rom, CD burner, floppy, 1X120mm case fan, 4X80mm case fans (all fans have LED's) and one 80 gig hard drive

is that too much stuff for the PSU?

I think I found your problem -- you don't have a CPU, RAM, motherboard, or video card. Makes it hard to use the computer.

(you might want to try this again, and actually give the specs and model numbers for all your parts. However, there is a decent chance your PSU is bad, especially if it's a crap brand like Q-Tec. Listing its amperage specs would also help.)

 

[BriGy86]

sorry, i figured it was a given, lol

here is the exact case

as for the other things its an AMD chip 2000+ or 2200+ barton core i think

and a shuttle mobo

the vid card is a cheap one we found in an old desktop that was used in an office

the RAM is 2 sticks of 256 mushkin

 

[mechBgon]

I see Newegg conveniently forgot the close-up shot of the power supply this time I'm with Mathias99, get a quality-brand power supply for it. Also, if you could be a little more specific about what Shuttle motherboard, what Mushkin RAM and what CPU, I might be able to suggest some RAM timing/voltage settings for you.

 

[Matthias99]

Originally posted by: BriGy86
sorry, i figured it was a given, lol

here is the exact case

as for the other things its an AMD chip 2000+ or 2200+ barton core i think

and a shuttle mobo

the vid card is a cheap one we found in an old desktop that was used in an office

the RAM is 2 sticks of 256 mushkin

I take it you're using the PSU in the case, since you still didn't mention it. Can you find a model number and/or specs on the rails (usually printed on the back or top)?

 

[BriGy86]

sorry guys i'll try to find the specs, i figured if i removed some of the fans it might fix the problem since they wont be taking as much power

but when my other friend had it it didn't do anything like this

 

[BriGy86]

i think this is what it has just off the top of my head, i don't have the computer here with me now

CPU

MoBo

RAM

 

[BriGy86]

and yes he used the PSU that came with it, and thank you for your pacience

 

[mechBgon]

You should go into the board's BIOS to the Advanced Chipset Features menu and set the Memory Frequency to 100%. This syncs it to the CPU's FSB, which will result in higher performance even though it slows the RAM down from DDR400 to DDR333.

Also, I would go to the CPU Ratio/Voltage Control menu and raise the RAM Voltage Select setting to 2.6 volts for your RAM.

But my general view is: total case/PSU price = price of case + price of PSU. If you get a flashy, wowzy case for $xx.xx, that means that much more money went into flashiness and wowzyness, and that much less money went into a quality power supply. And which one makes your games run? Yeah. So snag a decent PSU for that thing, maybe a ~400W+ Enermax or Antec so you can comfortably throw in a fire-breathing video card later.

Good luck

 

[BriGy86]

thank you, but those changes wont over clock it will they?

my friend wont be using it for gaming, and i REALLY doubt she'll want to get a new PSU, would simply taking out some of the fans fix it?

 

[Matthias99]

Originally posted by: BriGy86
thank you, but those changes wont over clock it will they?

my friend wont be using it for gaming, and i REALLY doubt she'll want to get a new PSU, would simply taking out some of the fans fix it?

If it's the PSU causing the problems -- maybe. But if it's so close to instability that removing a few fans (generally <5W each) fixes it, the system is unlikely to truly be stable, and adding any sort of new hardware (like another hard drive), or even running any kind of strenuous program, would likely push it back over the edge.

 

[mechBgon]

The fans probably draw about 1 watt each, which is almost negligible. The CPU draws about 10-15 times that much power at full load. Now, if you sell the fancy fans, you might make enough money to pay for half of a good-quality power supply... :evil:

The settings I suggested will not overclock anything, nope. I have an AN35N Ultra with a 1GHz Duron and PC3200, and I do the same thing: run the RAM at 100% of the CPU FSB, which brings it down to PC1600 speed but lets it run synchronously to the CPU.

 

[thorin]

Test the RAM, RAM is often the source of instability and is quick and easy to check on your own.

MemTest86

It'd also be good if you told us what the temps are like.

" The fans probably draw about 1 watt each" unless he's got like Vantec Tournados in there or something which draw a crazy 9watts

Thorin

 

[Thegonagle]

A good 350W PSU should be fine.

The cheap PSUs that come with a cheap case, however, can be very flaky.

A modest $40 Fortron 350W should eliminate any doubts about an adequate PSU.

The MoBo also could be a factor--but I'm one of Asus's b*tches, so I'm not familiar with Shuttle as far as reliability is concerned.

The Mushkin memory should be OK, as that's a good brand, but every manufacturer can have defects. Run a good mem-test utility on this RAM in a known stable stytem for a good 8-12 hours to eliminate any doubt.

 

[BriGy86]

with that mem test it just repeats the cycle right?

and if the computer locks up during the test its bad RAM?

 

[thorin]

It goes through a number of test and loops back to the start, unless you specifically tell it which ones to do (then it just runs them and stops). Errors are output to the screen (and likely a log file). If it reports errors then your SOL and/or you should RMA, if it doesn't report errors then you're golden (RAM wise anyway).

What about the temps?

Thorin

 

[BriGy86]

oh sorry, her temp is usually at 82 F give or take

 

[BriGy86]

could it be software too?