Random Reboots and Corrupt Graphics....

[jimborae]

Right well one thing is that I doubt that optimised defaults is best. Your temps are ok and i'd imagine by how much luv that Tagan PSU get's here that that's ok too. I think we first need to start with getting your bios settings right.

Hold on I'll reset mine to non overclocked settings & try & post piccies.

[Speed]

Any Luck?

Just a note, it seems the random reboots have stopped. God knows why!

[jimborae]

No I'll have to email them to you tomorrow, can you pm me your email addy please.

[exAndrzej]

...and people wonder why some customers choose to buy complete systems from a PC builder...



The advantage of 'going solo' is that you can mix 'n' match to your heart's content

The benefit of buying from a system builder is that they have a warehouse of spares and will simply swap stuff out until they hit a fix

What you need to do (and already seem to be doing) is isolating the 'dodgy component'

Any chance you can borrow a 100% solid working rig from a friend ?

You could then set up a test environment for your components

Something like this :-
- Set up friend's PC with 3DMark 03
- Make sure that they have the latest drivers (e.g. Cat 5.2)
- Run the DX9 game test only at highest resolution/quality setting possible for about 3 loops
- If everything is OK - then put in your graphic cards and repeat the test
- As each component finishes testing - put it in the 'working' pile
- Then try the memory, CPU etc
- If/when you have a pile of working components - you can begin to suspect the power supply

At this stage - you need a wise member of the Hexus Hierarchy to let you know how to dig deeper and resolve issues like that (nudge nudge PD !)

[Speed]

jimborae - You've got PM! .... Thanks

Andrzej - I'm well aware of the advantages and disadvantages of building my own system as I'm sure everyone is. I'd rather to be honest have these problems than have to buy a complete system from someone like Dell.

Moving on, thanks for your suggestion. Sadly its quite hard for me to find some one willing to let me play with their system. It doesn't help that alot of my friends don't own hi-spec systems or are not computer literate.

To be honest its more a case of money more than anything else, If I had the money I'd upgrade my Duron 800 rig to something half way decent and use that as the stable rig.

The problems have started to ease up now and are not as bad as they were. Although of course I still get the whole screen scrambled but games are playable. I'm going to order a Zalman ZF700-Cu to totally rule out heat, if that doesn't work I'll try and single out the faulty part.

[exAndrzej]

...Zalman...

Do you (or a friend) have access to a small/mobile air-con unit ?

These things are like gold dust in the summer...

...and sit around gathering dust in the winter

Maybe you could borrow one and send a stream of cold air toward the internals

I was talking with Sami (Finnish guy - one of the world's top overclockers) and he described this as the 'Helsinki mod'

As long as it is not snowing or raining - Nordic overclockers can put their PCs on a window sill with the intake vents pointing outside

Dropping the ambient by 20 or 30 degrees gives you a lot more headroom !

[Speed]

Sadly not, I thought using Aircon direct into a pc was a no no due to the increased water content of the cold air coming out them?

[exAndrzej]

<guidance required from Hexus Hierarchy>

Where is PD when you need him ?

I have not heard of that before

Do we have any experts in the forum on the effect of pointing the cold air stream from an aircon unit in the direction of your system's intake area ?

[Speed]

Well that was mearly what I thought and therefore likely to be wrong!

It matters little as I don't have access to one, trust me I wish I did for summer, I hate the heat.