Hello!
So my computer is getting quite old, and has been acting up for the better part of the year.
The symptoms, precisely, is that it sometimes shuts down for no good reason, and without any kind of signal. I have seen it shutting down abruptly, as if the reset button was pressed, and sometimes as if I had "properly" shut it down through the Windows command.
The annoying part is this: after shutting down, nothing but pure luck seems to get the computer running again. Sometimes it works straight away, sometimes I have to manually power it up and down 10, 20, 100 times. Letting it rest for short or prolonged periods doesn’t seem to affect the process. It seems, to me at least, absolutely random.
When it does boot, though, everything works as expected. Since this is a gaming and work computer, I had to resort to keeping the computer running as long as possible in-between crashes (that might be separated by hours or days). I know it is a bad habit, but I was out of (free) options.
After reading quite a lot on the subject, and performing the usual tests (removing / swapping ram, unplugging everything non-critical as I don’t have any spare parts I can use), I have come to the conclusion that this was most likely a power issue; and power issues break stuff, so they’re not fun.
As I understand, the two most likely culprits would be the power supply unit and the motherboard. I’m thinking of replacing parts, now, but since I have a low budget, I was hoping I could do it in steps, upgrading my machine in the process.
As I understand it, replacing the PSU is a pretty straightforward procedure. But my Corsair 520W sounded pretty durable when I bought it (long ago), so I feel like the problem is elsewhere.
Replacing the MoBo looks more complex. My pieces are old, so I would most likely need to change my CPU and RAM as well. I feel as though it would be more helpful, though.
So what do you guys think about all of this? Am I completely wrong?
If replacements are in order, I was thinking of going along the lines of the 600$ computer presented in this article: http://lifehacker.com/5840963/the-best-pcs-you-can-build-for-600-and-1200
What I read about the pieces suggest they are reliable and, generally, good deals, especially for someone like me who doesn’t need a top-of-the-line machine; the end-goal would be to change the whole thing over a year or so.
My current machine, as I recall, is this:
CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E8400
GPU: Radeon HD4850
MoBo: Really cannot remember. Relevant?
RAM: 2 x 1gb, 1x 2gb. Can’t remember the brand.
PSU: Corsair HX520W
Thanks for the help.
So my computer is getting quite old, and has been acting up for the better part of the year.
The symptoms, precisely, is that it sometimes shuts down for no good reason, and without any kind of signal. I have seen it shutting down abruptly, as if the reset button was pressed, and sometimes as if I had "properly" shut it down through the Windows command.
The annoying part is this: after shutting down, nothing but pure luck seems to get the computer running again. Sometimes it works straight away, sometimes I have to manually power it up and down 10, 20, 100 times. Letting it rest for short or prolonged periods doesn’t seem to affect the process. It seems, to me at least, absolutely random.
When it does boot, though, everything works as expected. Since this is a gaming and work computer, I had to resort to keeping the computer running as long as possible in-between crashes (that might be separated by hours or days). I know it is a bad habit, but I was out of (free) options.
After reading quite a lot on the subject, and performing the usual tests (removing / swapping ram, unplugging everything non-critical as I don’t have any spare parts I can use), I have come to the conclusion that this was most likely a power issue; and power issues break stuff, so they’re not fun.
As I understand, the two most likely culprits would be the power supply unit and the motherboard. I’m thinking of replacing parts, now, but since I have a low budget, I was hoping I could do it in steps, upgrading my machine in the process.
As I understand it, replacing the PSU is a pretty straightforward procedure. But my Corsair 520W sounded pretty durable when I bought it (long ago), so I feel like the problem is elsewhere.
Replacing the MoBo looks more complex. My pieces are old, so I would most likely need to change my CPU and RAM as well. I feel as though it would be more helpful, though.
So what do you guys think about all of this? Am I completely wrong?
If replacements are in order, I was thinking of going along the lines of the 600$ computer presented in this article: http://lifehacker.com/5840963/the-best-pcs-you-can-build-for-600-and-1200
What I read about the pieces suggest they are reliable and, generally, good deals, especially for someone like me who doesn’t need a top-of-the-line machine; the end-goal would be to change the whole thing over a year or so.
My current machine, as I recall, is this:
CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E8400
GPU: Radeon HD4850
MoBo: Really cannot remember. Relevant?
RAM: 2 x 1gb, 1x 2gb. Can’t remember the brand.
PSU: Corsair HX520W
Thanks for the help.
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