Random Restart Problem

[hsncool]

hi, my comp randomly restarts evry now and than, and its reli starting to *annoy me*! what should i doo?

the spec...
AMD Athlon 939 3200 @ 2.6Ghz
ASUS A8V Deluxe
Corsair TwinX CPT3200 2x512MB 2-3-3-6
1xSeagate IDE 80GB
1xHitachi Deskstar IDE 250GB
1x Maxtor DM10 SATAII (@ SATAI) 300GB
6600GT AGP
random water cooling shyte
and...
COLORSit 400W *crappy* POWERSUPPLY!!

ok, so, i used to overclock cpu and ram, and thought it was because of this. also, my ram apparently wont run at CL2 on AMD systems, i originally forced it to 2, bt i bumped it up to 2.5 and put evrything else at stock settings.....BUT IT STILL RESTARTS!!

im thinking it might be the powersupply not coping well. it is powering a 64bit cpu, ram, 3HDD's, 2 Optical drives, a 6600GT AND a water cooling system.....and the PSU is a bit *rubbish*

usually it will restart while playing a game that requires gud GFX power. it rarely starts wen im jus in 2d windows, and if it does, its wen im doing something processor intensive, like Video encoding.

...soo, i am now using 2 PSU's, 1 for the comp, 1 for the GFX....but it still happens!! whyy!!! what will fix this?

as for temperaturs, my CPU never goes over 45'c, idle is 35'C
(i kno, *poor* water cooling!), and graphics are 45 idle, 65 load, and the shutdown threshhold was auto set at 127'C :O...so thats all good. please help. thanx

[Captain Fizz]

Right click My Computer -> Properties -> Advanced
UN-check "Automatically restart in case of BSOD".

Then next time it would reboot, it will actually give you a blue screen.

Note down what's on that blue screen.

Type that into the MS KB and/or google.
(Also post the stuff here... Like process name, message, memory locations etc)


EDIT - I would say you have an unstable system.
Whether due to drivers or overclocking too much we can't tell at the mo.
Can you run Prime95 for 24 hours?
I'd expect not.

Tried resetting ALL clocks to default and see if the problem still exists?

[hsncool]

it is unchecked. i bluescreened from time to time, i kno what that kind of thing is...but thats ot what the problem is here, it just restarts.

to be exact...it actually freezes....for about 5-10 seconds...no actvity what-so-ever. mouse wont move, capslock wont change. and then, after the 5-10 secs, it restarts, back to post screen.
...thats why i feel it might be the PSU.

i have tride at default settings, EVRYTHING! at default, still happens. ill try prime95, wen io dont need my comp for a day....probs xmas day, and get back to you, bt its usually wen im in a game. the intese CPU usage crash doesnt happen wen i stop overclocking, so prime will be fine....its just games. btw,m the seperate PSU on the GFX is only 350W, but i guess thats k, coz its the only thing on it.

[Captain Fizz]

...ill try prime95, wen io dont need my comp for a day...

Erm... prime95 doesn't stop your system, it can run completely in the background.
(Don't choose the option that eats 700mb of system RAM, choose the one that uses like 8k - The ones nearer the top use less RAM and is completely invisible even when gaming/doing anything else. It runs at low priority, same as SETI)

The fact that it's freezing then rebooting would say to me it's either the PSU or the HDD.
You tried swapping over the PSU's?
Using the 350W for your system, the other PSU for your GFX & HDD?

Ran a HDD checking util on your OS drive?

What does your event log say?
Any errors around the time you reboot?

[DeSean]

hello

It seems to me that you already know the answer. It is almost certainly your PSU. Unless you are careful (and even if you are), using 2 PSUs isn't a brilliant solution. It is ineffiecient and can make problems of its own.

I realise decent powerupplies are expensive, but you usually get what you pay for. Visit xtremesystems and look for the PSU thread there. They have a list of the best manufacturers based on the components they use and who assembles their PSUs for them.

[hsncool]

lol, i know, i was thinking of 3dmark for some bizare (it reboots while gaming) reason, and im running prime now.

yes i have tried switching PSU's, but same problem. i still think its the PSU though, as there both kinda crappy, and theres a lot of load. especially form this gay water cooling system. its custom, and not for PC's, the pump is for fishtanks :S. and i just thought the PSU's didnt have enough power.

as for HDD logging, ive never heard of such software, could you recomend something,a nd ill try it out

[hsncool]

...about my HDD's,

smart shows, that the 2 extra HDD's are perfect.

the boot HDD has Full performance, but only half fitness :|

[Captain Fizz]

Start -> Run -> Eventvwr.msc
Have a look through there for the times it's rebooted.
(It will be just before the "Event log service has started" events)

TBH - It sounds like a PSU Problem.
Cannot be certain, but 3 x HDD's puts a fair load onto a PSU along with that CPU. (GFX Card also draws a wee bit)

One good PSU > 2 carp ones.
The fishpump may also be spiking it's current use - So I'd may be try it on it's own PSU for a while...
Rest of system on.. Well... A decent PSU.

[hsncool]

hello

It seems to me that you already know the answer. It is almost certainly your PSU. Unless you are careful (and even if you are), using 2 PSUs isn't a brilliant solution. It is ineffiecient and can make problems of its own.

I realise decent powerupplies are expensive, but you usually get what you pay for. Visit xtremesystems and look for the PSU thread there. They have a list of the best manufacturers based on the components they use and who assembles their PSUs for them.

i didnt see this post. and ye, i know.
i really find it hard parting with like £100 on a powersupply, when i know i could buy one for £10, or even, get one free, and think they do the same thing. theres no performance increase! so its not worth it, my brain tell's me.

also, im only 17, livin at home, my comps on 24/7, and my dad really doesnt like the 400W rating of my current powersupply. the second PSU is only on when gaming as my card seems to cope pretty well with adjusting to it being on/off whenever i want it to be. having a new PSU at like 500/600W wont impress my dad.

anyways, Forget that!, im not parting with £80-100 for a PSU! ive lost my job already! no cash, need driving lessons.

ok this is turning into the story of my life, so i shall stop.

what good powersupply's would fix my problem, that are cheap / easily bought second hand cheap, and possibly, one of those high efficiency ones, which are like 300W but same power as a 600W Tagan. or are those rubbish? feedback please!

[hsncool]

One good PSU > 2 carp ones.
The fishpump may also be spiking it's current use - So I'd may be try it on it's own PSU for a while...

im not running 3 PSU's!!!!!! mygosh!
im short of enough kettle leads for that anyway!
and ill end up forgeting to switch it on with rest of my comp and fry the CPU!

..what powersupoly should i buy?

[Captain Fizz]

...my dad really doesnt like the 400W rating of my current powersupply. ...

Whether you run a 300W or a 1Kw PSU - It will still be powering the same equipment...
So use the same amount of power.

In fact, a better quality PSU will use LESS power than a cheap one due to the fact that they are more efficient at converting 230VAC -> PC Power.

Even comparing lower wattage PSU's to higher wattage ones...
Say a 400W PSU @ 90% load will be running at an efficiency of 60%.
A 600W PSU would be running at 70% load, but would be nearer 80% efficiency - So use LESS power.
(Actual values picked out of the air but the principal is the same - The efficiency of different PSU's changes, but the cheap ones are terrible)

The wattage of the PSU does not determine the power use, only the equipment connected to it.

Explain this to your Dad!

Concering paying £100 on a PSU...
Would you buy a Ferarri, then run it on "Bob's home made petrol".
No, you'd probably use high octane stuff from a reputable garage.
Same idea with the PC - You have a fairly good system there, so why power it off a "generic" PSU which is the equivalent of a QTec?
(QTec are the same build quality as the many generic PSU's you get)

To me, system stability and buying ONE PSU to last me 5 years is more cost efficient than purchasing 2 or 3 cheap PSU's and replacing them, and any equipment they take out with them once a year or two.

PSU's I would recommend, for on a budget - FSP.
I use a 600W for the system on the left hand side and it hasn't burped or farted once since building.

I'm sure other peeps can recommend other PSU's but I've had a bad experience with Enermax.

[Mossy]

At 17 years old you shouldnt really be using language like that I think especially on a forum, were here to give advice and my advice would be to miss out the bad language.


Also it does sound like a psu problem so I suggest you look at replacing this.

Regards

[hsncool]

At 17 years old you shouldnt really be using language like that I think especially on a forum, were here to give advice and my advice would be to miss out the bad language.
Regards

sorry, all has been removed.

[QUOTE=Captain Fizz;949674]
PSU's I would recommend, for on a budget - FSP.
I use a 600W for the system on the left hand side and...
QUOTE]

thats £86.35 from scan! hardly a budget PSU!

never heard of FSP. how do they compare to hiper, Akaska, OCZ, Tagen...etc ???

[Mossy]

http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/Produ...oductID=446788


On special offer today only

http://www.scan.co.uk/todayonly/

Very good PSU and very quiet keep your Dad happy

also top reviews! I have one

[hsncool]

:| if you had told me that half an hour earlier, i could have nipped to the bank and got money on my card to buy it :|:|:|.

is there any chance that you have the power to reserve one for me, and let me pay 2moro =D =D =D ???

[hsncool]

...ignore that, its same price on ebuyer, ill just get it in the new year when i can afford it. thanx guys

btw, does anyone want a colorsit 400W PSU? its REALLY GOOD! lol