computer restarts

[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

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/Downlo...D=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]

IF IT'S NOT FAULTY HARDWARE, after trying what the hardware folks state here?

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