computer restarts

[t260g]

when i try to run games in general, this computer restarts. the games i tried are age of empires, counter strike 1.6, dod, and star wars battlefront. the computer will restart after ~5mins of gaming. it will also restart if you have music playing, watching a video and having a browser open.
it can even restart when the computer is running idle, on occasion
i downloaded atitool, when i scan for artifcats, it will scan for 2 mins and then the computer restarts. heh

im thinking its a hardware issue, i downloaded avg free, and this computer has no apparent viruses. could it be a video card? perhaps RAM?
the RAM in this computer is some random brand called 'DRAM masters', so i doubt it is well made compared to cosair or something like that.
i went to administrative tools and checkd the event viewer, nothing is wrong with that...
PSU? Mobo?

this has been happening for about a year, then i replaced the hard drive, reformatted and the problem still occured. this is why i thnk it is a hardware issue.

is there some software that can monitor the computers performance?

[Jimmy 2004]

I think this sounds most like RAM. Could be PSU, but RAM would be my prime suspect. Run Memtest86 (something like tests 6 and 10) for half an hour or so and see if you get errors. If you have more than one stick of RAM you could try removing one and seeing if it stops crashing. Prime95 can also test but that is more aimed at CPU errors. Make sure you aren't overclocking or anything, and post back how you get on.

[t260g]

yeah i tried one stick of RAM, and it worked fine for a while...
then i restarted again... but it worked, so i was thinking of getting new ram, i can get some soon
ill try that software

[Random Murderer]

its not ram, or psu. i had this exact same problem with my old 754 rig. its your processor. its dying... :/ sorry man.

[JC316]

I would also vote RAM. Second memtest.

[tkpenalty]

>_>... Specs please? RAM or PSU. Before restarting does the hard drive click or spin down?

[DRDNA]

What no BSOD just restarts?:confused:

[Verizon]

one of your ram cards is bad when namslas90 upgraded his 3200 to 1g of ram he got a bad card and it only died when his son played games, my thoughts arwe that it doesnt use anyother time but once it does it kills the comp (kill as in restart)

[tkpenalty]

>_>... That would have to be the PSU giving up. No other explanation, because it probably temporarily powers off.

[JC316]

one of your ram cards is bad when namslas90 upgraded his 3200 to 1g of ram he got a bad card and it only died when his son played games, my thoughts arwe that it doesnt use anyother time but once it does it kills the comp (kill as in restart)

Yeah, mine will do it if I have the ram OCed too far.

[DRDNA]

raise the voltage on ram to 2.7 or 2.8 and see if that helps at all .
IF no luve try lower the ram settings a bit !!! like for example if its currently at 2.5-4-4-7 then try 3-5-5-10 and see if any luv.

[t260g]

this is what is in it:

p4 3.0ghz (how did random murderer know?)
dfi 915p - tag mobo
2x 256 RAM ddr400
100 gb maxtor hardrive, about a year old
350 watt psu, generic
x300se gfx card

unfortuanetly, i only have a spare psu sitting in my closet and its been in there for 1.5 years without any anti static/dust protection, so i dont know if it will work. i might be able to get some RAM soon, when i do ill try some more. like i said, if i take one stick out and leave one in, it worked for a couple of hours, so im thinking its RAM... but it could be PSU or CPU, like random said... i didnt know cpus failed heh

[t260g]

i was running prime95 for a minute and the computer restarted... i just took out a sick of ram to see how its going to do... time to start 1.6, if this computer somehow works, im going cal 0 agian lol

[rizzo]

It worked for a couple hours then rebooted again? Try memtest or swap power supply, whichever is easier to you. The old power supply should be fine to test with.

[Ketxxx]

whats your current system specs? it could be a simple case of something overheating or not enough voltage getting to where it needs to, in which case just increase voltages to your mobo chipset, ram and cpu a bit. alternatively it could also be that your psu isnt delivering enough power to the system or has developed a fault. worth checking inside your pc too for any loose\dodgy wires.

[t260g]

i just took out the ram...and the comptuer has been running fine, albeit slow...

its been running 1.6 for over 2 hours, no restart
i guess its a RAM problem

[t260g]

put some other ram from my old pc in, 512mb, still restarts... maybe its not ram, but when i took one stick out it worked fine last night

maybe its the cpu
could be hardrive/psu/gfx heh

[Random Murderer]

its the cpu. i stated this before, but everyone ignored me.

[evil bill]

Not saying Random murderer is wrong, but I had this exact problem with my PC and it was the RAM. I has 1Gb Aries Value Ram, other wise known as Elixir in 2 x 512MB. Random restarts, periods of stability usually just after installing something new for some reason but soon it all just started up again. I also had frequent problems with IE and Outlook Express crashing.

I ran memtest more times than I care to imagine, bought a Tagan PSU to replace the no-brand effort that came with my case, and tried various other fixes but without a load of spare PC parts lying around to swap about I got nowhere fast. Finally, memtest failed one and then both of the RAM modules. I bought my current RAM and have had not a jot of bother since.

Get some nice Corsair RAM like I did ;)

and if it is your CPU, well, you can pick up P4 531's for £50 these days

[65tweet]

I had the same exact problem with my first system build. My CPU ended up being defective. It was a P4 2.4 GHZ and at idle it was 54 degrees Celsius. Didn’t matter what I did with the cooling. Replaced it and problem went away. The point that I’m getting at is that it ran too hot and under any kind of load it would overheat and shutdown (safety feature). Check your temps and see if you have anything going on in that dept.

As for memory memtest is a good start but I don't think that's the problem.

[Jimmy 2004]

its the cpu. i stated this before, but everyone ignored me.

That was because you are basing it on one experience. The RAM and PSU are by far the most likely two culprits to cause behaviour like this, and if a CPU isn't overclocked it will probably go for years. Admittedly it could be the problem, but it sounds like the memory or PSU to me.

What happens if you run it with only the stick you took out inserted? Does it still run stable?

[t260g]

yeah i tried some cosair, and it still had the problem
i didnt overclock the cpu so, ... idk
but if i need to buy a cpu, ill get this

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819116013

because im cheap, and i think itll run cs1.6 fine so whatever
...
i could try another hardrive or psu, ill do that in the near future

[t260g]

would this work with my mobo?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819112206

im going cheap
my headphones cost more than this
i have a dfi 915p - tag mobo
i dont know anything about intel, and im too lazy to learn right now

[evil bill]

Celeron = waste of silicon imo

Seriously man, its only got 256k L2 cache - if you want to go really cheap, get a 2nd hand 530 or better on eBay, or even the 511 you talked about. This celeron wont run games worth a damn.

531 for $85 on the same site FTW - only $15 more than the 511 but with 800Mhz FSB and 3.0Ghz rather than 2.8Ghz. There are even open box ones for $70

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819116230R

[t260g]

yeah, celerons are crappy
id go with that 531 if it is infact the cpu

i put in that antech 300w psu, and that didnt help
im goign to try my old 5gb 5200rpm hardrive that is in a box in my closet...
but, i dont see why a hardrive would restart a computer.. seems more like a gfx card or RAM problem, it does it in games

i tried the prime95 test, but the computer restarted again

could it be the mobo itself or gfx card?

just need to check before i spend money on a cpu

[evil bill]

You know, it could be your GFX overheating. You say it happens 5 minutes into games and a few minutes into stress tests which does suggest a link. The flaw in this theory is that Im not sure an X300 actually generates that much heat :laugh:

It might be worth taking the heatsink and fan of your GFX card, giving it a good clean up to remove any dust and gunk, apply some new thermal paste and make sure it is re-seated properly. This costs you a few dollars on thermal paste

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16835100302


I'd do your CPU at the same time just to be thorough

[t260g]

yeah ill try that. im going to buy some things off newegg if the hardrive wont work ill probably get a new processor, that thermal paste and some other things.

i did all i could with the graphics card, put in new drivers and that didnt help. it doesnt seem like a gfx card problem?

do intel cpus really break down after 2-3 years of minimal use?

[evil bill]

Im gonna go out on a limb and say its more than likely NOT the Hard Drive. The way HDs fail is usually much more definitive, e.g nasty grinding noises than a dead PC.

it doesnt seem like a gfx card problem?

yes it does - restarts a few minutes into a graphically intensive task are classic signs of an overheating Gfx card. I should have read your initial post more carefully - I got sidetracked by the suggestion of faulty RAM since it happened to me

[t260g]

new heatsink maybe?
ill search to see what kind a x300se needs... probably a vf700
i like zalman

motherboard doesnt seem to be a culprit?

its a fanless heatsink.. probably doesnt perform well, im going to open it and clean then put some leftover thermal paste on it from my old vf900

[t260g]

ok i put on the new paste, didnt help
maybe the graphics card is just done?

if i take out one stick of RAM it works. sometimes. i seems to be something with the RAM... mabye its the slot itself?

i might just try that hard drive ...

[t260g]

i reinstalled the motherboard chipset drivers... it worked for a while, then i restarted the computer and it stopped working again. just like the RAM, it did the same thing

i might just try getting a new cpu.. but if i get one a it doesnt work, that would be very annoying.
does this sound like a dying motherboard or graphics card to anyone? or just perhaps the cpu?

should i try to reinstall some drivers for the motherboard?

http://us.dfi.com.tw/Support/Download/driver_download_us.jsp?PRODUCT_ID=3242&CATEGORY_TYPE=MB&STATUS_FLAG=A&SITE=US

if so, which one?(s)

[t260g]

i took off the heatsink after i installed the ITE Smart Guardian for Windows from the dfi site. the cpu was idling at 70c. bad. so i took off the heatsink and cleaned it out. it was very very dusty. the dust had created some insulation and put the cpu in the hotspot. then i put some zalman thermal grease on it and now its at ~33c. lets see if this is the problem.

[t260g]

yes, this fixed the problem.. now i can start scrimming in cal 0 with a new clan

i guess you just have to check the simple things before you get all paranoid about your hardware...

[Alec§taar]

See my subject-line/title in my reply here first of all... if this fails, looking @ it from a hardware-side perspective ONLY?

Try looking @ any EVENT LOG entries first... they MAY shed some light on this for you, specifically in the SYSTEM &/or APPLICATION sections!

(Look for the "WARNING" or "ERROR" entries in them that may apply here... you look in the column titled TYPE)

:)

* Barring THAT not showing you ANY clues, whatsoever? I'd suspect a vidcard driver first of all really, especially since you are gaming & not ALL "updates" are always improvements w/ all hardware mixes @ times w/ new-latest drivers (hence, why we see revisions)...

APK

P.S.=> Try an older vidcard driver MIGHT help... & on the hardware-side of things? Do you overclock?? I've hung my system TOO MANY TIMES TO COUNT IN GAMES, by 'pushing' either CPU, RAM, or VIDCARD o/c's TOO far... apk

[Alec§taar]

yes, this fixed the problem.. now i can start scrimming in cal 0 with a new clan

i guess you just have to check the simple things before you get all paranoid about your hardware...

Whoops... caught you too late! You just posted your "fix"... heat related it seems!

:)

* Oh well! I was going to say you're probably pushing an o/c TOO far, if you are doing o/c'ing your CPU/RAM/VIDCARD & you're heating up TOO much!

In your case though, literally (case of your problem AND your computer case, lol)? You're just dusty & overinsulated it seems & cleaning it off fixed ya up! Not a case of overheating due to TOO high of an overclock, but more due to dust heat buildup...

APK