This is an odd one.... My friend's PC is now rebooting during Studio 8 and Unreal Tournament (the "original" version, from a few years ago) in Direct 3D and Open GL modes. So far, the PC only reboots using these programs--that is, it never crashes while using Word or IE or anything else. When the machine crashes without a reboot, he gets either a BSOD (without any text!) or it just locks up. There are no entries made in the Event log at the time of the crash except for the occasional "1003" Event ID that points to "hardware or drivers" (but there's not always an entry). UT had been un-/re-installed 3 times, and he swears he's using the default system files (no mods) or anything else, but it's patched to v.436. The PC and UT had been running great since it was built in Sept. 2003, but now UT keeps either crashing (and showing one of those 3-mile long error messages that only UT engineers can understand) or rebooting the XP machine completely. This dual-boot XP machine also crashes in UT on his wife's XP installation, and she's added no new software in months. That leads me to think it's hardware- or heat-related. We've un-/re-installed the ATI 9600 Pro drivers, updated DirectX 9.0b, scanned the disk for errors and tested the 512MB of DDR RAM. In DOS, Memtest86 RAM checker showed errors in both chips, but rarely in the same place on multiple passes, and only in the 32-bit tests. GoldMem 5.07 and Microsoft/Micron's Windows Memory Diagnostic tests found no errors on the first set of RAM. The CMOS RAM settings are the same as they've always been, and appear to be correct, and the monitor states the temp hovers around 54C (CPU) and 30C (mobo). Voltage is 2.6. Crucial sent me more RAM (from a different manufacturer) and it failed the Memtest 86 32-bit test and one of the Windows Memory Diagnostic tests as soon as I installed it. Any ideas? And does anyone have a link to AMD's temp limits for the 2800+ processor? Thanks! -Steve Specs: Athlon XP 2800+ 333 FSB 512KB Barton (OC'ed to 3000+) 512MB Crucial PC3200 DDR SDRAM ATI Radeon 9600 Pro 128MB DDR (AGP 8X, not OC'ed) ASUS A7N8X-DX NForce2 DDR motherboard w/BIOS 1007 120GB Seagate SATA HDD Windows XP Pro, fully patched

For one 54°C for a that CPU @ idle is high. 0. Have you checked the shutdown temp in the BIOS?. 1. Disable automatic restart (Startup & Recovery)?. 2. What voltage is 2.6? (CPU vcore or memory) 3. What are the specs of his power supply unit (PSU)? ____________________________ The greatest risk is not taking one

Sabertooth, The BIOS shutdown temp is whatever the "default" is. I'm not sure I've even seen where I can adjust that for this BIOS (although I know I can set an alarm in the ASUS Probe software, but it reads 10­° off for everything, so it's not much help). I've disabled XP's auto restart "feature", which is why the PC only locks up now, but it still requires a reboot, sometimes. The memory voltage is 2.6...sorry about the confusion. Power supply is 450 watts. Latest update: I've set the machine to run at 2000+ (that is, it's way underclocked), and he said it's been running fine for two days, but the temperature is still the same. Obviously, I need the machine to run at least at the 2800+ for which it's designed, but I just wanted to see if it still crashed when underclocked. I'll keep you all posted. -Steve

i had simaliar problems. games crashing and i put a new larger powersupply in and that fixed it.

you probably need a bit more vcore, whats you got it at now? try 1.8v before that though you really need to get those temps down,what hs/f are you using and what thermal compond are you using please dont say the the little packet that came with the hsink? try loosening the ram timings aswell.

i suggest you change your cpu to either pentium4 or athlon 64. those are currently the best for gaming. especially if the game requires advanced hardware. Kaibani