Unstable New System

[akeira]

I recently put together a computer for my sister.

Spec:

Athlon64 3200
Asus A8n-sli (Standard) Motherboard
2x512mb of DRR 3200 RAM
XFX Geforce 6600GT 256mb PCI-E
Maxtor 80gb Diamondmax SATA HDD
LG DVD-ROM Drive

Basically the system will sit happily doing general windows task etc for hours without crashing however as soon as you start a graphically intensive game such as The Sims 2 it only last a few minutes before freezing.

I’ve checked temps under load and they don’t seem to get to high and I’ve run MemTest and Prime95 without problem.

So I’m wondering whether it’s down to the PSU. Its one of those cheap generic ones that you get with a case, it’s a 400w one but I know this doesn’t mean a thing if it’s not producing enough amps.

Any ideas/info would be greatly appreciated.

[Green Beret]

i used to have a 9800pro running off a 400w but it crashed everytime i pld a game. i would say try putting something like a 550w with good amp output and see if that works

[mike_w]

You should really consider getting rid of that PSU. Even if it isn't the cause of the problems, you'll probably be saving yourself some headaches later if you get a decent brand PSU now. You probably wouldn't even need a 400W PSU for that lot - the brand is far more important than the wattage.

The fact that it can do Prime95 without a problem suggests that its a graphics card problem, so you could try swapping in another card and looping 3DMark. Alternatively, the graphics card might not be getting enough power.

[Rick]

You should try getting a decent PSU first, than if that dosn't work then at least you have saved yourself from trouble later on as mike w said.

[Dingo]

GPU problem by the sound of it but it could be that because of the psu as Mike W says......any chance of you swapping them out to test?.

Alternatively download Motherboard Monitor and check the psu rails output from there....if you set it up to alarm with a 5% decrease it should give you a good idea about the psu.....if not that then go look at the GPU

[akeira]

Well I plan to get a new PSU in the next couple of days. As Mike W said its worth getting a decent one even if that isn’t the problem.

I did consider that it might be the GPU that was causing the problem but as this is the first PCI-E system I’ve put together I don’t have a card to swap with and check.

I used MBM 5 to check the voltages and although they do drop under load they don’t appear to drop by more than 5%.

I did however spot in the graphics cards manual that it recommends using at least a 480w PSU, so that might explain something. I knew there was a reason for manuals.

Thanks for the advice so far, ill post an update when the new PSU arrives.

[dannyboy83]

Does the card have an extra power connection? Wonder if that was missed... but if it was, I don't think you'd get any graphics at all.

[Max Tractor]

The gt does not have a power connect, does sound like the psu with it dropping out of games like that

[akeira]

Well I’ve now tried it with a 550w PSU which had 30+ amps on the 12v rail and the problem still occurred. This PSU however had a 20pin atx connector and not the 24pin one that newer boards use. (I’m still waiting on that PSU)

The Asus website does state somewhere that you can use a 20pin PSU in the 24pin socket as long as you connect the additional EzPlug connector on the board but I’m not totally convinced. I think I’ll still wait for the new PSU to arrive before I total rule out power as the problem.

To add to this puzzle further. I did manage to run 3dMark 03 for almost 2 hours without a single crash, but as soon as I started Farcry and the sims2 the system began to freeze again. This problem seems to be getting stranger by the day!

[Max Tractor]

550W Psu means nothing, it is down to brands I am afraid, although 30 a sounds fine, what make is the psu?

[akeira]

The PSU brand is ezCool. The one I'm looking at buying is the Tagan 480w ATX 2.0 PSU unless someone knows of one better for around the same price?

[mike_w]

The PSU brand is ezCool. The one I'm looking at buying is the Tagan 480w ATX 2.0 PSU unless someone knows of one better for around the same price?

Tagan 480W ATX 2.0 PSU? I have a slightly older version, and its been absolutely fine for me.

[GDVS]

Go with the Tagan.

[Max Tractor]

The ezcool which I found on the net does not look at all bad, your system does not pull loads of power.

http://extreme.outervision.com/index.jsp

http://www.jscustompcs.com/power_supply/

Couple of psu calculators.

The tagans, do I hear ticking tagans anybody?


==edit==

You should check your psu rails, the best way is with a multimeter, but try some software just now, I dont think MBM wil work with your board, but there should be asus probe, which would come on the asus cd, install and have a look. Test it stable, then try prime 95 and watch the rails

[akeira]

Ok so I got the new PSU and installed it today. Twenty minutes into Farcry and the system freezes again. This time however Windows was nice enough to give me an nice blue screen error message. This basically contained:

Error caused by the following file: nv4_disp

Device driver got stuck in an infinite loop etc

Tech Info:

STOP: 0x000000EA (0x85EBA610,0x860AC6F8, 0XF78BACB4, 0X00000001)

I've done a few Google searches so far but I've not really found anything helpful. Any Ideas?

[behappier]

Check you are using version 6.67 of the Nvidia Drivers. Solved my BSOD related to the LAN controller.