do i need new memory or is my power supply to weak

[nathanj]

im having random crashes during gameplay. i ran a memtest and got 24 errors before it crashed again. i was going to get some new memory but i remember reading on a couple of forums that if your power supply is to weak that can also contribute to memory errors. i have a 8800 gtx and an amd fx60 dual core processor. i only have one harddrive. should i get new memory is is the power supply the problem.

 

[Joe_The_Dragon]

what psu?

 

[chookman]

With out more specs on your machine it is hard to tell.

Although, if you are getting mem errors in memtest(dos or windows based?) then its more than likely RAM, as your video card will not draw enough power away from other components running a memtest.

If you are running memtest off a boot cd in a DOS environment than it memory for sure.

 

[nathanj]

my computer is
asus a8n32sli deluxe mobo
2 gigs of memory
one sata 2 hdd
one 8800 gtx
fx60 dual core processor
and i forgot the make of the power supply but it is 550 watt

i ran memtest while windows was running since my computer wont boot off of a cd even if i change the load order in bios.

 

[chookman]

Id still stick with ram...

If your machine wont boot from a CD however did you install windows?

Download WindowsUltimate boot or Hirens Boot cd burn and give them a shot

 

[nathanj]

when i tried to change the boot order in the bios it still loaded up windows and not the memory diagnostic i had on the cd in the drive. ill try the ultimateboot thingy.

ps my harddrive was from previous computer and already had windows on it.

 

[chookman]

I would think the CD you are using isnt bootable.

And if you are changing motherboards, you should have done a reinstall of your OS as this can cause all sorts of issues (even if it does boot windows.

 

[lordszone]

this is simple that if memtest have found 24 errors, then your ram is faulty. try to replace it ir buysome new ram. hope i helped.

 

[chookman]

Try just one chip installed then the other doing testing on both (assuming you have 2 x 1gb sticks)
Most times there will only be one stick faulty.

 

[sailer]

my computer is
asus a8n32sli deluxe mobo
2 gigs of memory
one sata 2 hdd
one 8800 gtx
fx60 dual core processor
and i forgot the make of the power supply but it is 550 watt

i ran memtest while windows was running since my computer wont boot off of a cd even if i change the load order in bios.

My computer is very similar to yours. That ASUS board can be very picky about ram. Worse, if its one of the early boards, it can underpower some types of ram and cause errors. I don't know the brand and specs of your ram, but you might try bumping up its voltage in the BIOS. I had to do that on mine to stop the errors.

You should open the computer and check on the make and specs of the psu. If its an old one, or one of dubious quality, it may be giving out as well. If it starts to fail and doesn't give sufficient power to the motherboard, you can also get ram errors. I had to replace my psu because of this, though it didn't fix all the problems.

Last, if you have a floppy drive, install memtest on that and try it. I couldn't get memtest to work on my computer when using a CD, but it worked fine from a floppy. Don't know why, but that's what happened.