Strange Crashes...mobo or CPU?

[foilfencer]

I just started gaming after a long hiatus (gotta use that Athlon for more than email...), and my computer does the XP Pro equivalent of a bluescreen whenever it starts working hard. That includes things like 3DMark or defragging a hard drive, as well.

I've swapped video, sound, RAM, the slot the RAM is in, and HDD, and this problem is constant -- after about 3-5 minutes of GTA3, the computer decides to die.

I've got a Shuttle AK31 / Athlon 1700+, and it has run fine in the past, but it's too pricey to replace both -- am I right in assuming that either the mobo or CPU has gone bad? I'm a software guy, not a hardware guru; is there any sort of diagnostic utility that can figure that out without buying parts and swapping?

Specs:
Athlon XP1700+
Shuttle AK31 mobo w/ newest bios
256MB Crucial PC2700 RAM
ATI Radeon 8500
Western Dig. HDD - 40GB
M-Audio Delta 44 (swapped out for onboard sound right now...my original suspicion was snd card)
Lite-On DVD
SCSI 4x CD-R w/ ancient PCI Adaptec controller

OS:
Windows XP Pro SP1

darius

 

[amdskip]

What operating system are you using?

List your system specs too please.

 

[EeyoreX]

Sounds like your problem could be either, or neither. Most likely culprit seems to be heat or RAM IMO. What temps are you getting? If they are high under load (which is when you seem to be crashing) they can cause instability and crashes. Also, I would try Memtest and make sure your RAM is okay. If you get no errors with memtest, try focusing on heat.

Oh, and how about PSU? This also could be a PSU problem. Do you have another one you can try?

Just some ideas, good luck.

\Dan