Computer randomly restarts on idle

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malekmark

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Hey guys, im new so hi everyone :)
I registered to this forum because i have a problem with my computer, maybe someone can help.

My pc restarts in idle like 2-3 times a day randomly.
This pc used to work perfectly before i did some hardware upgrades.
The following upgrades took part:
7900gtx 512mb to a 4870 512mb
2gb ram 677 to 4gb ram 800Mhz
Also from 1 250hd i put two new 250s in raid

So current pc specs are:
4600+ x2
m2n32-sli deluxe wifi
4870 512mb
4gb ocz sli edition 800Mhz
OCZ 500W psu


From my knowledge i believe it should be either the new Ram which might be faulty or that the psu isnt strong enough to cope with the new gfx card.

Any ideas on what to try to find out with is causing the problem? I want to make sure its the psu before i buy a new one.

Note: fresh copy of vista with nod32 and firewall so no chance that a malware or virus is causing the problem.

Thanks in advance
 

lucuis

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I can almost garantee it's because the PSU is too weak. Check on the box of your 4870, it should say how much current (amps) is required on the 12v rail. Then check you PSU specs, to see if you have enough amps. My guess is no.
 

malekmark

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on the graphic card box it says:
500 Watt or greater with 75 watt 6-pin PCI express power connector.



On the psu it writes:
AC input 220-240V 12/6A 60/50Hz
DC output l +3.3V l +5V l +12V l -12V l -5V l+5VSB l
Max output current l 28A l 45Al 26A l 1.0A l 0.8A l 2.5A l
Max combined voltage l 220W l 312W l 12W l 4W l 12.5W l
l 430W l 28W l
Peak load (60sec) 550W


Its a bad diagram but i dont really understand what you mention i need to check... maybe the info is in here?
 

lucuis

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Hard to say for sure, but it does look like it's be maxing out the psu. However you say it reboots randomly at idle? That could more likely mean a PSU about to die, or like you said the new ram could be faulty.

If you can put the old videocard back in to see if the reboots persist. If they do try removing all but one stick of ram, test all the new ones. If the problem still persists, plug in your old stuff to see if that fixes it.

If none of the above fix the problem then chances are the psu is failing.
 

chookman

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random reboots at idle? is this because of a BSOD? or it just flicks off... if it just flicks off its more than likely PSU. If its BSOD it will more likely be RAM or HDD issue. I would do a chkdsk on your OS drive to check for bad sectors (old drive could be going or your new one could be dodgey) and run memtest86+ bootable to check the RAM (as said by lucuis if you get memory errors try removing a few sticks and run again to narrow down the bad stick)
 

malekmark

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Hey guys thanks alot for helping out, i had run already memtest and there werent any errors. By checkdsk you mean just rightclick on hd, properties and error-checking? And if there are no errors that means that the hd is ok?
Also today i will get my old memory and v.card back because i gave them to a friend so i can test those out one at a time too.
So let me sum it up to see if i understand:

1) check hd (btw please explain if you mean from properties)
2) try old ram which i know was ok
3) if problem persists try old video card
4) if still problem then its the psu?

Thanks again
 

malekmark

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Ah btw i haven't seen a blue screen of death, (not that i was at the pc because it restarted again when i was sleeping, but it didn't get stuck on a blue screen) only when i tried to overclock but thats just because the RAM wasnt timed good with the rest of the system.
 

chookman

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running a chkdsk will show bad sectors but not much else (usually what goes wrong with drives anywho)... i usually do that at a command prompt with this line: chkdsk y: /v /r /x (where y is the drive letter).

You could also make sure that auto restart is not on so that if it does BSOD it doesnt just auto reboot and youll see it in the morning. Thats in My computer properties somewhere
 
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