Mysterious Computer Crash Issue

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aznbigk

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I have been having a mysterious kind of computer crash issue...
Essentially, no matter what I am doing, the computer will sometimes just blink and all of a sudden, I lose the video feed.
The screen just says "no signal", the mouse and keyboard are unresponsive. The processor fan runs at max.
If I hit the 'restart' button, all that happens is that i can hear the fans slow down, but the video does not return.
The only way for me to 'reset' at this point is to force shut down.

I have ruled out core temps and Video card temps, and I have updated my video drivers.

I thought I could have been a PSU issue, because I have a 650W PSU. But I've been using http://www.thermaltake.outervision.com/Power to calculate how much power my computer needs, so far, it has been under 650W.

Does anyone have any idea what is going on?

What I was running when it happened the first time...
Antec 900 Case with stock 650W PSU
2 Gigs Corsair DDR3 RAM
AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition Deneb 3.2 GHz
VisionTek ATI Radeon HD 4870
Samsung DVD burner
Samsung 1TB 7200 rpm
Thermaltake XCONTROLLER 5.25"

What I have recently added
4 Gigs G-Skill Ripjaw series DDR3 RAM
Western Digital Caviar Green WD10EADS 1TB

Thanks.
 
ckaz

ckaz

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You say you have enough PSU power, but its quite possible that your PSU is dead.

If I were you, the first thing I would do is try and find a spare or replacement PSU (ideally, the same as your previous one), and test it out.

Now this isn't really ethical, but what you can do is go out and buy your new testing PSU, and then return it for cash back once your testing is done.
 
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aznbigk

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Could you elaborate on what it means for the PSU to be dead?
I am on the computer right now, and it still works... It did crash again since I last posted, but it starts up fine, and I can do my typical things with it...
 
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winkerbie

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YOu have a stock PSU, so we can deduce unreliability from that, remove the PSU and test it on a different system. I have exactly the same system, with a 650W which is enough power as it seems
 
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aznbigk

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I was just checking out my mobo on Newegg, the problems i am having, sound a lot like what these people said is wrong... Do you think that could be the other problem?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductReview.aspx?Item=13-135-236&SortField=0&SummaryType=0&Pagesize=10&SelectedRating=1&PurchaseMark=&VideoOnlyMark=False&VendorMark=&Page=1&Keywords=
 
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Kewlx25

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I agree with mobo issue. Your CPU fan is controlled by your motherboard. If the fan goes 100% and you drop video, that means your "motherboard" just locked up.

The few times I've seen issues like this, a BIOS flash to a different version fixed it, but this can be risky and may not work in your situation.
 
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aznbigk

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Soooooo... any suggestions? should i attempt this BIOS flash anyway? would that hurt my components any more than all the force shut downs might have already? and how can i test if it is indeed the Mobo issue?

My friend wanted me to hotwire my PSU just in case... and see if it randomly turns off...

I just really want to be sure... I spent a summer's earning on this computer... and i don't have much to spare... so i want to be sure, instead of getting a part, and still not actually having fixed the problem...
 
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aznbigk

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No no, it started crashing after a few months when i still was using just the 2 gigs of ram... maybe i should have explained it better...
it was crashing when i only had 2 gigs of ram... then once i came back from college, i added another 4 gigs into the computer... so i am just saying i have 6 gigs total now...
 
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aznbigk

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To those who believe it is the MOBO... I still have the disk that came with it... is it even worth it to turn it on and use the disk? or is it just time to say i need a new mobo?
 
masterjaw

masterjaw

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Are you daft? Remove the recently installed RAM (4gb gskill ram) and try to use only the previous one (2gb corsair) and check whether it would boot properly. If it won't then you can cross out the RAM problem but if it does then you know what it means.
 
ckaz

ckaz

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When I made the recommendation about the psu, I was under the false impression that it wouldn't turn o nat all. Now knowing what your actual problem, I would agree that it sounds like a problem with your RAM, or you mobo. Try switching out any RAM that you have recently added, even if it was a few months ago. If that still doesn't work, start testing your mobo.

P.S. it is always a good idea, that before you actually ship back an item, to swap it with a new one, so you know exactly that it is your problem.
 
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aznbigk

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I'm sorry that I didn't make it clear...

basically, run time varies... from 1/2 hour to a few hours...
Usually, however, the computer crashes when i put more load on the computer...

I will change out the RAM, test once with just the 2 gig sticks... i will run my virus scan to test, and then i will test the 4 gig sticks... I will attempt this tomorrow morning...

Any tips on testing the mobo? when i have more time, I will just google "how to test a mobo if it works or not"?
 
ckaz

ckaz

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first and foremost, check out the bottom of the mobo for any spots of black, or heavy discoloration, like how it shows in this picture.
mb1no1.jpg
If you find a spot like this, it means you have short circuited, or fried your mobo.

There are tons of people who wonder the same thing every day, so if you just Google, fried motherboard, you'll find some good tips.
 
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aznbigk

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lol thanks ckaz... I guess i should have taken apart my computer last night... :/

oh well... i'll test it all out sometime... im going to CA tmrw morning... I won't be able to work on the computer until about a week later... Thanks alot guys!
 
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aznbigk

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I already tried both removing both types of RAM and letting it go... the 4 gigs lasted about 2 hours... It is possible, the mobo locked up... because, right after I removed the 4 gigs, and installed the 2 gigs... and that lasted maybe 15-20 minutes... i doubt that the RAM is an issue...

I am about to take apart the computer finally... So i can get a look at the back of the computer...
 
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aznbigk

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Hello all, I am back from vacation... and I purchased and installed the ASUS M4A79XTD EVO mobo...

I thought it solved the problem (the computer stayed on for over 16+ hours)
but, just 5 minutes ago, I was playing a game when it crashed again.
 
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