Yesterday I installed a new videocard (ATI Radeon X1300 Pro (AGP), upgraded from an ATI Radeon 9200). I'm running Windows 2000 OS (SP4), with a P4 3.0 gHz and 1 gig of Crucial DDR RAM, and an Intel D865PERLX Socket 478 Motherboard (800 MHz FSB). Except for the video card, this is the system I've been running problem free for the last two and a half years.
A few months ago I replaced my power supply and upgraded to a 450W one. Yesterday, after I replaced the video card, my machine shut down twice due to overheating. All I can figure is that the machine was running a little hot and the new videocard produces more heat than the old one, enough to push me over the threshold. I'm running some utilities that give me my core temp and voltages, but I didn't install it until yesterday, so I don't have a healthy baseline to go off of.
Before it shutdown, the processor was registering about 68 degrees C and system 2 (whatever that is) was registering 70 degrees C.
Any suggestions? All I can think of is to move the tower from underneath the desk to on top of the desk, and clean all the fans. I have 5 fans, btw, PS, processor, video card, harddrive, and case fan.
[ April 23, 2006, 05:27 PM: Message edited by: El JT de Spang ]
Posted by DarkKnight (Member # 7536) on :
Cleaning will certainly help, are you sure all of your fans are running?
Posted by Primal Curve (Member # 3587) on :
I suggest immersing your computer in liquid nitrogen.
Posted by The Pixiest (Member # 1863) on :
DK is right. Check to make sure all your fans are actually running.
Usually when a machine starts acting wonky like that the CPU fan is not moving.
Posted by BandoCommando (Member # 7746) on :
Ditto Pixiest and DK
Posted by El JT de Spang (Member # 7742) on :
Update: I can't get it to power on today at all, after the second overheating last night.
I'm not sure about the fans, beyond the case fans.
I have a green LED on the motherboard lit up, which indicates to me that the PS is working (kinda). I think next I'll strip out every card, peripheral, the processor, and the ram and try to fire it up with just the motherboard, to see if it still works. After that I'll just start adding stuff until I can isolate the burned out component.
Any advice?
Posted by Earendil18 (Member # 3180) on :
When you say you can't get it to power on, what do you mean exactly?
Some mobo's have a built-in safety feature that shuts the computer down before the CPU explodes. So if you hit the power button and about 1/4 a second later the computer shuts off, most likely your CPU heatsink is not properly mounted on the CPU, or you put too much thermal grease in between.
If you hit the power button and NOTHING happens, check to make sure the "POWER" cable is connected to the motherboard, and leads all the way to the power button with no breaks.
Posted by The Pixiest (Member # 1863) on :
Do you have a POST card or an LED read out that flashes 2 hex digits as you boot?
Posted by El JT de Spang (Member # 7742) on :
I mean, I hit the power button and it begins to boot but quickly stops, as in your first example. But I haven't done anything to the CPU in over two years, so I can't see how the heatsink could've unmounted. And thermal paste isn't supposed to wear off, is it? I put a nice, light, even layer on back in the day. Hmm.
-----
Nope, no LED readout nor POST card.
Posted by Jon Boy (Member # 4284) on :
Do you have any spare components that you can use to swap out with your current parts? Try your old video card again for starters. If your new one blew up on you, that could keep your system from POSTing.
Posted by Primal Curve (Member # 3587) on :
I would do what Jon Boy suggested.
If you think you might have a cooling problem, open up the side of the PC and blast a box fan into it while you try and turn it on. It should eliminate any hot spots and allow you to check and see if the fans are all spinning.
Posted by El JT de Spang (Member # 7742) on :
I'm now leaning towards the possibility that I blew another power supply. I'm gonna lease one from Best Buy tomorrow and start from their.
I stripped out every peripheral, and it still wouldn't power up.
Posted by Boothby171 (Member # 807) on :
I hate to ask: is it a Dell?
We have a Dell Dimension 4600 that had a squonky power supply. It has a local thermal cut-off switch that eventually decided it wanted to be a thermal bandpass switch. Not only would it shut the P/S down if it got too hot, but it would not let you turn the P/S on if it was too cold! (Some suggestions included pre-heating the P/S with a hair dryer to allow it to turn on!)
Symptoms: Pressed the button and absolutely no reaction (nothing changed state), but the little green "I'm awake" chip LED on the MoBo was lit.
I found out about this when I actually shut the compy down after a month of leaving it on, with no problems (I was adding an extra gig of RAM).
Fingers point to...Power Supply!
Posted by Jon Boy (Member # 4284) on :
What brand is your new power supply? Do you still have your old one, and if so, how many watts is it? Even if it's fairly low, it should be enough to power up your system. Graphics card makers say that you need tons of juice, but that's really only when they're at full load.
Posted by El JT de Spang (Member # 7742) on :
I put in a new 500W Dynex PS and everything's up and running. My old new power supply was a 450W Echo Star.
Anyway, she's fixed (for now) but if I burn up one more power supply I'm definitely gonna start asking questions.
Posted by Primal Curve (Member # 3587) on :
Damn. I had a post in this thread about the power supply, but I deleted it when I re-read your first post and you mentioned installing a new one two months ago.
Posted by Jon Boy (Member # 4284) on :
Just a word of advice about power supplies: brand name apparently counts for a lot. Just because something lists a high wattage doesn't mean it won't die a horrible flaming death within a month.
Of course, in my last computer I used the stock power supply that came with the case, and I never had any problems.
Posted by El JT de Spang (Member # 7742) on :
I immediately suspected a PS problem, because I've had constant PS problems. I have 4 burned ones sitting within 20 ft of me right now.
Posted by Jon Boy (Member # 4284) on :
Good grief, man. You must be cursed or something.
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
Clearly, he emits some kind of weird EMF.
Do you also kill wristwatches?
Posted by El JT de Spang (Member # 7742) on :
Either I'm cursed, or my motherboard has taken to frying power supplies. I'm hoping it's option A, because I can't afford a new motherboard right now.
Posted by aspectre (Member # 2222) on :
Are you using a power strip with a surge suppressor? Cuz a power supply can be fried by arcing / voltage spike caused by power outages, or by a faulty on/off switch either on the computer itself or on the power strip or on a power massager, or by the wall switch. For that matter the power supply could also be fried from being directly connected (ie without a surge surpressor) to the wall socket into which is plugged a washing machine, refrigerator, air conditioner, faulty fluorescent lighting, or other piece of machinery which deliberately creates&uses a large power surge when it starts up.
Posted by Primal Curve (Member # 3587) on :
quote:Originally posted by rivka: Clearly, he emits some kind of weird EMF.
Better re-route power from the auxilliaries, shunt the plasma conduits into the thermal power couplings and reconfigure the phasers to fire tetryon particles.
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
Silly. That's what you do in response to an EMP!
Posted by Primal Curve (Member # 3587) on :
Well, in that case, we'd better fly over to that nebula, use the tractor beam to collect some ionized gas, then we'll feed that to the deflector dish and add a subspace particle emitter to a photon torpedo.
Posted by Irregardless (Member # 8529) on :
We'll need to recalibrate the Bussard collectors to be compatible with the new bio-emetic self-sealing stimbolts.
Posted by Earendil18 (Member # 3180) on :
The recipricator was stuck in the optical refraction.