What to do... My comp is crashing randomly

[Weenus]

Ok im moving off to college in the end of sept. so i bought a new sff case and sff mobo to go along with it...

Its an msi via mobo for amd 64 processors...

Iv had it set up and running for about a month now and iv been reformating just about weekly ever since then...

My computer has recently been crashing at random id say mostly when i play games though, the moniter will sometimes turn off or ill get all these wierd colors on it and i havta do a hard restart...

Ive noticed that my case says my cpu has been running at about 45 C when i play games, im not sure if it overheating is whats causing this or not...

But im sick of this, i cant rely on this machine at all and im thinking about going out n jus buying a new processor and mobo...

I checked the error log in windows and it said something about a DCOM, i looked that up and it has something to do with network drivers or something i dunno... but all my drivers are up to date with windows sp2

Is this the right thing to do or do you have any suggestions? plz
ty much =)

 

[Kaspian]

What type of cooling do you have on your cpu, vga and case? Also, are the fans on both the cpu and vga working properly? Check heatsinks for dust bunnies. Are the intake/exaust vents free of debri? Re check all of your cables and reset your cpu, vga and mem. Start there.......keep posting, good luck

 

[wpshooter]

If you are going to give up on the system, you could always ship the parts to me !!!

But seriously, you did not mention the power supply you are using. That is usually always one of the first suspects. But with your mention of DCOM, are you sure you have all the latest chipset and other component drivers (including the latest BIOS update for your motherboard) for your hardware from the MSI website ?

 

[Weenus]

I have a 420w power supply, it came with my ASPIRE|X-QPACK case, i have the same fan and heatsink that my amd 64 3200+ came with...

 

[Weenus]

Running at 45 C is not right, correct???

im thinking of replacing my my heatsink fan thingy on my cpu, then if that doesnt work get a new mobo

 

[Adonix]

Originally posted by: Weenus
I have a 420w power supply, it came with my ASPIRE|X-QPACK case, i have the same fan and heatsink that my amd 64 3200+ came with...

There is your problem - Qpack PSU = garbage with voltages on 12 rail going bellow 10.5

 

[Weenus]

Is this the probable cause for my problems you think?

If it is ill go out n get a new psu...

The only problem is that the psu that it came with the case is smaller than a normal psu, do they sell psu's that are different sizes??

 

[birdpup]

Get a good PSU and if it does not fit in your current case, then purchase a new case it will fit into. The PSU is responsible for all the components in the case. It is not good to rely on a cheap PSU.
Read Power Supply 101 for more information.
Fortron, Antec, PCP&C, Enermax, OCZ are some of the better PSU brand names I can immediately remember.
XClio is cheap and a few people have purchase these but I believe no general consensus has yet been reached.

45C is a perfectly normal temp. You do not want to go above 60C and should be alarmed at anything over 55C. My system runs at 45C at load.

It is mentioned the drivers are up to date with SP2. Ensure the individual component drivers are up to date with the latest drivers from that component's manufacturer. Motherboard chipset, bios, and video card are the important components to update.