Comp freezes when running gmes

[kaptainkikote]

Hi - since i do not know exactly the source of the problem i am posting this in a couple of forums - sorry for the repeat

recently my power adapter died. i replaced it (together with a new box and more ventilators) and apparently everything works excpet that when I run games (even games that worked perfectly before the incident), computer freezes completely with a hissing noise coming out of the speakers. I have tried changing some of the settings, both in the sound card and in the graphics card, and still no luck. the freez ups occur randomly, sometimes right after starting the game, other times much later.

Any idea what could be damaged? Could this be a problem due to the fact that I installed the latest directX 9.0a?

I tested my RAM and apparently it is fine.

Here are the specs of my computer:

- MB is ABIT BD7, ID=i845-W83627HF-6A69VA1DC-6H
- P4 1.8 GHZ
- 2 DDR RAM, 1 of 256 , 1 of 512
- Gaphics Card is Visiontek Xtasy with Nvidia GeForce MX 400
- Sound Cards is Sound Blaster Audigy

- Running Windows XP Home Edition

- All latest drivers and Windows Updates installed


Any help would be appreciated - thanks!

 

[dwellman]

1) you have a new power supply, it could still be the culprit. Faulty power supplies usually case crashes all over the place, not just in games. Freezing is usually a sign of faulty power, however, if you get STOP errors as well, then the beter chance is one of your DIMMs is faulty.

2) When you say you tested you RAM, did you run with only one DIMM at a time? Try different slots?

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<b><font color=red>Three great virtues of a programmer are: laziness, impatience, and hubris.</font color=red><b>

 

[kaptainkikote]

i tested the DDR RAM with a software - it did not find any error when running tests on the memory

what is a STOP error? the kind of problem I get is all freezes ( i have to do hard reboot) and I get hissing noises out my speakers.

I also just found out that my vcore voltage is out of range - any idea if this could be related?

thanks

 

[dwellman]

A STOP error is when Windows NT/2K/XP experience an unrecoverable error (like a kernel panic) go to a blue or black screen with some error text. Your computer is essentially shutdown, at that point.

VCORE voltage out of range is indicative of bad regulators or insufficient power. Could definitely be related. Or the HW monitor software is not exactly compatible with the chipset.

It is possible that what killed your old PSU made it to your mootherboard cirutry and did some minor damage. Check the capcitors around you CPU socket. If they look swollen or have any kind of discharge (brownish goo), your problem is there.

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<b><font color=red>Three great virtues of a programmer are: laziness, impatience, and hubris.</font color=red><b>

 

[addiarmadar]

Had a similiar problem with a client's machine and was a bad mobo, bad IRQ distribution. Its definately a Direct x issue there buddy.. Try flashing your CMOS, Reinstall DX9a and the AGP and sound drivers. You may wanna do a complete dump and reinstall too if those are no good. The software is having problems allocating stuff to the hardware. Hopefully you got a good PSU too. Check you BOIS to make sure you have the proper voltage going to your AGP, Ram, CPU, etc. This should get you started....

 

[kaptainkikote]

if the mobo turns out to be [-peep-] up instead - what do you recommend for an upgrade? i was quite happy with performance until now, so i would like to spend a minimum in new stuff (memory, etc) - thanks!

 

[dwellman]

Since you have a 478 board, you must have a 478 processor. That's very good news.

My mantra has always been: buy the best motheboard you can afford. In this case, I would really go with Abit IS7-G/IS7. (IS7-G shows a bit more performance, for some reason). An even better performer, albeit, less feature rich is the Soltek SL-86SPE-L. I've been using Soltek baords exclusively for the past two years and have been very impressed with their service and support. The major knock against Soltek is their propensity for legacy connections in the I/O (2 serial, parallel, game-- no IEEE 1394) I should write them a letter.


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<b><font color=red>Three great virtues of a programmer are: laziness, impatience, and hubris.</font color=red><b>

 

[qquizz]

This is one of those "not so easy to diagnose" issues. First off, assuming you have a clean installation of your operating system and have properly installed drivers, I still would suspect the power supply first(even if it is new) The first thing I would look at on the power supply is the wattage and the reputation of the manufacturer. Can you tell us what brand it is and how many watts it's rated eg. 250W, 300W. Normally, the suggested minimum is 300 Watts when using a GF4 vid card.

...patiently waiting for 10Ghz processors and immersible virtual reality.

 

[kaptainkikote]

wattage is 300 W - i would need to look up for the brand -
i use the also 2 extra fans in my box
thanks!