So, my computer would shut off after a few seconds, no video. Fans and everything would start but after 2-3 seconds, it automatically shuts off. People say its the PSU but I use a Corsair TX650W for my AMD Dual Core(dunno exact but I bought it like 5 years ago, so its low line dual core), ASUS M2N-SLI mobo(also 5 years old), 2 x Patriot 2GB Ram, and 2 GeForce 8600GTS. It never had any problems with power, but this morning it would turn on for a second or two then shut off.... So I tried taking out one of the RAM sticks and 1 of the vid cards and it booted up. I put them both back in and it wouldnt start. So I ended up leaving both vid cards in and 1 RAM out(didnt start). Both ram in, 1 vid card out(didnt start). I took em both out, and it didnt start for some reason! Any ideas what the heck is going wrong with my pc?

I am sure it`s the ram --- have seen it already...

Definitely sounds like overheating to me. Try re-seating the CPU cooler. Now fully Se7ened.

um...if it was overheating, how did the system work with only one ram then ? if the PC was overheated, then it would NOT work in the both cases

Yeah, well, still sounds like it's overheating to me. Bad RAM won't cause a mobo to cut off the power...if the stick of RAM is bad, the system will beep constantly or reboot when it starts loading the OS. An overheating CPU, on the other hand... Now fully Se7ened.

Hi everyone, So I ended up moving my SATA cables around(1 RAM stick and 1 video card is out) and it booted up. Some people had trouble when playing games, but I have Dragon Age Origins(lowest settings possible) on right now, doesnt seem to be a problem. I'm afraid that if I put the ram and video card back in, it wont start. I also have 3 internal hard drives(1 WD Velociraptor 10k, Seagate 7200 320GB, and 1 Seagate 7200 500GB).

My apologies, probfixer. Looks like you may have been right all along. :) Still, run SpeedFan anyway just to get an idea of how hot the system is getting...you never know. A CPU above 70C is a cause for concern. Have you tried running the seemingly faulty stick of RAM by itself? Does your motherboard have a Molex power connector near the PCIe slots? If it does, it should be connected to the PSU when you're running two video cards. Many older Asus SLI boards (such as the one I'm using) have this connector; newer ones don't. Have you tried running Memtest86 on the various memory combinations you've tried? And last question of the day: Do you have another PC you can test the RAM (and video card, if necessary) with? Speedfan: http://www.almico.com/speedfan.php Memtest86: http://www.memtest86.com/ Now fully Se7ened.