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I have a custom-built computer with the following hardware:
Giga-byte GA-7VAXP Ultra Mobo
AMD Athlon XP 1500+ (1.3 Ghz) with the fan that was boxed with it
2x 512MB generic pc2100 ddr
1x 80GB IBM deskstar drive with the system/programs on it
1x 250GB WD drive for media
PCI-ATA adapter that came with the 250 gig (both hd's are on this card)
Color Power Radeon 9200SE AGP 8x cardThe trouble is with video, games, or anything else CPU-intensive, my computer just shuts off. The way it does this is strange. It doesn't turn right off, instead the monitor goes black, the hd light stays on for a few seconds, and then the whole system shuts off. I thought at first this was a CPU overheat problem but have been unable to record my CPU going over 75 degrees C, and my BIOS is set to only go off at 110 degrees C. Either the reading I'm getting from Sisoft SANDRA is wrong and it is actually hot, or it heats up very quickly for some reason and I can't see it in SANRA, or something else is causing the problem entirely.
I have gone through the benchmarks on SANDRA, and neither hard disk nor memory will crash the computer but both CPU and CPU Multimedia benchmarks crash it immediately upon running the benchmark. Any suggestions? Might my radeon be causing the problem? I know ATI's drivers are not always too nice to the OS.
TIA
brad_002
having the cpu set to go off at 110 is wayyy too high, since the highest temp rated by AMD is close to 90....set it to something like 65-70....
what size power supply are you using?immediately after the shutdown, touch the base of the heatsink and feel..if it's slightly warm, then you have a temp monitoring problem...then it is probably something else...
if it's tooo hot to touch, then you have a overtemp problem, more than likelywhat do you have for cooling?
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could be a psu (power supply) problem.
its probally trying to suck more power but not getting it.
i had the same problem and after upgrading the psu from 300 watts to 550 watts it seemed to cure the problem.
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Also check the FSB settings in bios. It should be set to 133Mhz. If it is set to 166Mhz, there is your problem.
YO
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The CPU shutdown temp. is hardcoded into my BIOS, so no luck there. I will try feeling the temperature of the heat sink and post my results. Using the CPU monito in sisoft SANDRA never shows the cpu going over 75, so that shouldn't be the problem. For cooling, I'm using a small cooler master fan that came in the retail processor box. It worked for a long time without any problems, but it may be overheating now because of all my new components. I just bought a 500 watt power supply to replace my 420watt power supply, mainly so that I could have more connectors for hard disks/cd-roms. Could this new power supply be causing the problem? Could this power supply be overheating my case (even though I have 5 case fans)? Do some power supplies cause voltage spikes that might force a shutdown?
thanks,
brad_002p.s. the athlon did come with thermal pad and grease, which I installed per the AMD instructions.
p.p.s. - i went into the bios to check the fsb setting, and my bios says that my cpu is running at 102-103 degrees c! it could be that SANDRA is reading the temp. wrong. the fsb is 100 mhz, i think, because that's what both the bios and SANDRA say.
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Well, well, well. I took the cover off my case to hand test the temp. of the heat sink, and the idle cpu temp. decreased to 65 degrees c. I ran the same CPU benchmarks that caused the crashes before, and tada! no crashing at all. So I'll go out as soon as I can and get a new fan. Thanks for your help, guys!
Brad
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brad,
The FSB should be set to 133Mhz but I wouldn't make any changes to that just yet due to the fact that if you increase it to 133 it would probably also increase the heat.
my suggestion would be to remove the processor from the puter and look at the underside of it. If the piece of paper on the bottom of it is burnt (black), your CPU is probably damaged. I would send it back to the store that I bought it from and ask for a new one if it has a warranty.
Just my opinion.
YO
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brad,
Oh BTW, 65 degrees c is much too high for an idle temp. Especially with the cover off. JMO.
YO
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I looked at my fan on the heatsink of the cpu, and I couldn't even see the metal of the heatsink due to an enormous layer of dust that had collected between the fan and heatsink and that was so thick it restriced the airflow over the heatsink in a major way. Thanks for the info on what my temps should be, I really had no idea that I was too high. I cleaned off the dust and put the cover back on my computer and now I'm running at about 50 degrees c. The benchmarks have gone fine, and I haven't crashed since then. Do you still recommend looking at my CPU to see if it's burnt? What errors would I be likely to see if my cpu is damaged?
Thanks for your help,
brad_002
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brad,
You're probably ok. Don't forget to up your FSB to 133. That is what your chip should be running at. At least that's what AMD says. Your temp will probably raise 2 or 3 more degrees after doing that. But you're probably ok. Glad to hear your got it cooled down.
YO
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Dear Brad,
It is good that you got the solution for CPU overheating. CPU Fan, Heat sink and case fan are very important for the proper functioning of the computer. You mentioned about the thick layer of dust. To avoid such problems, it is better to clean the inside section of the case, once a month. Your CPU will last long.Regards
Krishna
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