Hello everybody! I have put together a new system with the following spec: CPU:AMD Athlon XP2000+ Mobo: Gigabyte GA-7DX+ Video: Chaintech gforce4 mx (nvidia 4 440 MX) Sound: Onboard CT5880 (VIA AC 97) Lan:Zonet 10/100 Modem: Intel Ham Windows 98 SE This system seems to work OK - I have used it for many hours continuosly with no probs. ... HOWEVER ... I have just discoved that the FSB is running at 100 (I must have overlooked this when building ...), so I have switched over to 133. At this speed the PC locks up when loading Windows, at different times, with no error message. Safe mode starts, but freezes after a minute or two. I have checked the CPU Temp in BIOS at startup - its ~ 59degrees. If I switch to 100 it comes down to ~49 degrees. Is the system simply overheating ? I do NOT have a case fan installed (I was supposed to get one with my bundle but it seems to have been overlooked) Also, due to inexperience, I did not use thermal grease on the heatsink, but trusted the blue stuff that comes on the heatsink. SHould I clean this off and apply the proper stuff? Or is it possible that upping the FSB has caused a hardware problem for windows ? Any help greatly appreciated !

I would put on the thermal grease. I would also put on a case fan ASAP. Did you up your voltage on the processor when you increased the fsb? You should try upping it by .1 (ie: 1.5 to 1.6) and see if you are more stable. Hope this helps... -Carl

Thanks. The more I look into it the more I am sure its running hot. No case fan = bad mistake !

How hot is it? Get Motherboard Monitor and find out or use the Gigabyte temp utility. Your symptoms are frequently seen with an inadequate PSU.

OK, I've run the Gigabyte SIV utilitie (FSB at 100) and the temp is ... 64 degrees. Other stuff: +12V 12.484v +5v 5.004v +3.3v 3.255v VcoreA 1.751v Fan: 4551 RPM PSU: Tsunami LC-A300ATX (300 W I think)

Your 300 watt power supply is too light. Its made by L&C and they are not AMD recomended for any Athlon XP. it has a combined power output for the 3.3 and 5 volt lines of 160 watts. For your power hungery XP 2000+ and GF4, I would recomend a power supply that can provide a minimum of 200 watts combined output and a advertised max output of at least 350 watts. Your CPU temp does seam high especially since your underclocking it. Try to get your temp to drop and then get a better power supply

Thanks everybody. First I will get a decent case fan (any recommendations ?). Then I will get a decent power supply. I am angry becuase I was supposed to get a case fan with my bundle, and I specifically asked to check the PSU was rated for this combination of hardware, and was told it was. Salesman are bad, bad boys