I built my pc a while back it worked great for a while but not anymore. My problem is that it will shut down during any graphic intensive game usually at the same point and I cant seem to understand why. Ive tinkered with multiple settings including on the bios and nothing seems to fix the situation unless i disable the CPU external cache; it stops the computer from shutting down but games are than laggy and unplayable. When i first built my comp it preformed perfectly then just one day it stopped, ive also formatted my hdd multiple time and slapped a fresh copy of windows on it but i still cant seem to fix it.
these are my specs:
OS:
Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate x64
Version 6.1.7100 Build 7100
BIOS:
Phoenix Technologies, LTD 6.00 PG, 5/23/2008
PSU:
250w
Mobo:
Nvidia GeForce 6100sm
Processor:
AMD Athlon(tm) 64 X2 Dual Core Processor 5600+ (2 CPUs), ~2.8GHz
Memory:
2046MB RAM
Hard Drive:
Western Digital 137 GB
Video Card:
NVIDIA GeForce 9600 GT EVGA SSC Editon
Monitor:
Samsung SyncMaster 226BW(Digital)
Sound Card:
SB Audigy
Keyboard:
Logitech G15
Mouse: Razer Death Adder
Power supply is a little small for that setup...scratch that...REALLY undersized! could be part of the problem, also check your CPU, GPU Temps...could be an issue.
Can't find EVGA's power requirement data for your specific vid card, but EVGA GeForce 9600GT Low Power asks for 300W minimum, and e-GeForce 9600 GSO asks for 400W minimum.
As Bigblue says, you need to replace that as a first step. When you need lots of power for graphics, its just not there.
Specific recommendation? If I wasn't interested in providing for the future, I'd grab a 450W minimum from a quality supplier. You can't SLI with your current mobo, but . . . well, its up to you.
Dang, I just peeked the card specs on NVIDIAs web site and that seems absolutely right. I've considered that being the problem before and I just used a PSU calculator to check for myself but I guess it must not have been too accurate. It will be a while before I can get a new one but I'm sure that is the problem. I feel pretty stupid for not double checking such an obvious cause. Thanks for your help!
I've acquired a 450w PSU from a friend but a little thing that looks like a doughnut with wires wrapped around it has come out of some place. Im quite sure i can see where it belongs but it would require some novice welding. Do you think it would be a good idea to try to repair it or should i just not waste my time and just buy a new one?
My dad was an electrician, taught me a lot, I designed and built a few boards for automated model trains/PC interface . . . if you don't know what capacitors can look like, and how they can hurt you *bad* even with the plug out of the wall . . . no, I wouldn't bother.
the problem that causes the shutdown is an option in the Bios Setup.
enter the Bios Setup and under section "PC Health" you will find a temperature warning option. usually it is set to default 60 degrees. and instead of giving you a warning it shuts down the PC. so raise it to 70 for example and it will work!
i believe the CPU gets heated to 60+ in games and that causes the shutdown.