High end games kill my System?!?

jodel

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Since I bought my new PSU (see below)my system restarts itself when I play High end games like Halo, GTA Vice City and Max Payne 2.
It doesn't happen with other high end desktop applications and low end games like the Sims.

Could it be my Videocard? It is quite an oldie now.
Or is it more likely to be my PSU? I find it hard to beleve becouse it is an pretty good one. But it started a while after I installed it.

Any Ideas on how to test it? Unfortunately there are no spare parts available here like an other PSU of GPU.

If that is the only way to test it please say so, I will try to get some friends to gut their systems.

Jeroen

ABIT NF7-Srev 2.0
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Lokyst

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Thats interesting, i have the same exact problem even though i'm running a gf4 ti4200. Games like XIII and Morrowind make my system reboot. i've been told that the video card may be overheating which is possible since games like counter-strike and starcraft don't hurt my system.
 

jodel

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Dit it happen after you installed a new PSU?
It happened not so often before i installed it in my pc. Maybe because the videocard did not even get enough power to overheat? Games just crashed but my system did not restart. Only Halo crashes sometimes because I am too lazy to get it patched ;) My PSU wasn't even powerful enough to get al my IDE drives online... (CD, DVD, CDRW and one IDE- and one SATA HD)

Jeroen

ABIT NF7-Srev 2.0
XP1700+ @ 2195 (190x11,5)
NANYA PC2700 333 @ 380
ASUS V7700 GF 2 GTS
MAXTOR 120 GB DiamondMax +9 SATA 8MB
WD Caviar 40GB
Antec TP430
Tt DragonOrb 3
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cleeve

Illustrious
Bad PSU.

________________
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Lokyst

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well, lets see...
I've got a 350 watt psu for:

3 HDs
2 video cards (gf4 and voodoo3)
2 cd-roms
audigy2
controller card

btw..
my cpu is an AMD XP 2200+

What do you think?
 

spitoon

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You could try a program like Motherboard Monitor to check out your voltages. They should be +/- 5%

I recently replaced my PSU because my 5V rail was dropping to around 4.5V at times. Much more stable now that it is at 4.92V-4.95V.
 

cleeve

Illustrious
You should go name brand for that rig. Lots of power requirement there. Enermax, Antec, etc.

A good name brand 350 watter should be able to handle it, but I wouldn't go less than a 400 watt name brand with that many hard discs and video cards.

If you're going to go generic get at least a 450 watter. Even then it's a crapshoot with generic power supplies.

________________
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Lokyst

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my psu is an antec 350w. <shrugs> i guess i could try removing something and see if that makes it better.
 

cleeve

Illustrious
PSUs go bad, just like video cards, hard disks, motherboards.

Just because it's new doesn't mean it works. get a motherboard monitor and find out if all the rails are delivering the required voltages.

________________
<b>Radeon <font color=red>9500 PRO</b></font color=red> <i>(hardmodded 9500, o/c 322/322)</i>
<b>AthlonXP <font color=red>2600+</b></font color=red> <i>(o/c 2400+ w/143Mhz fsb)</i>
<b>3dMark03: <font color=red>4,055</b></font color=red>
 

jodel

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My PSU is an Antec True Power 430W.
It has got separate +5V and +3.3V output and al that [-peep-].
All the voltages are about what they should be.
+3.3 @ 3.25
+5 @ 4.89
+12 @ 11.80
-12 @ -11.73
-5 @ -4.99
No peaks or whatever.
I always have MBM5 Installed to check it.
Temperature of my mobo is always below 25*C.
Temperature of my CPU is 50*C stressed and 44*C idle.
Allways been extremely stable exept for those games I mentioned above.

I'll gut my little brothers PC from its PSU to compare the voltages and the restarts.
If it is the PSU it will go back to the shop.

Jeroen

ABIT NF7-Srev 2.0
XP1700+ @ 2195 (190x11,5)
NANYA PC2700 333 @ 380
ASUS V7700 GF 2 GTS
MAXTOR 120 GB DiamondMax +9 SATA 8MB
WD Caviar 40GB
Antec TP430
Tt DragonOrb 3
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jodel

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When I install my brothers Radeon 8500 the same problem occurs. Frequent shutdown during the games.
When I install his PSU the pc will not start up at al... Maybe because it is lacking power. (340W but with a 12 V conector.)

It is starting to point to a MOBO problem doesn't it? With my PSU thje system crashes, with my brothers PSU it won't start up at all...

Help please...

Jeroen

ABIT NF7-Srev 2.0
XP1700+ @ 2195 (190x11,5)
NANYA PC2700 333 @ 380
ASUS V7700 GF 2 GTS
MAXTOR 120 GB DiamondMax +9 SATA 8MB
WD Caviar 40GB
Antec TP430
Tt DragonOrb 3
3 Casefans
 

tombance

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Those voltages look a bit dodgy. Get a new PSU, preferably a name brand one (Fortron are the best, contact their salesman crashman for more info :wink: ).

<A HREF="http://service.futuremark.com/compare?2k1=6752830" target="_new">Yay, I Finally broke the 12k barrier!!</A>
 

jodel

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Dodgy?

They are within 1% of what they should be...
In the pc of the former owner the voltages were even closer... He had exactly the same MOBO and CPU.

ABIT NF7-Srev 2.0
XP1700+ @ 2195 (190x11,5)
NANYA PC2700 333 @ 380
ASUS V7700 GF 2 GTS
MAXTOR 120 GB DiamondMax +9 SATA 8MB
WD Caviar 40GB
Antec TP430
Tt DragonOrb 3
3 Casefans
 

cleeve

Illustrious
I don't think the voltages look that bad.

Well, it could be a heating problem I guess, but your temps look OK. And that shouldn't be affected by a new PSU, unless the fan on the new PSU isn't working.

Is it?

If it's not overheating it's damned peculiar. I wonder if you have a short somewhere or something.

Something to check now would DEFINITELY be your memory...
Download MEMTEST and run it.
That would be a good next step.

________________
<b>Radeon <font color=red>9500 PRO</b></font color=red> <i>(hardmodded 9500, o/c 322/322)</i>
<b>AthlonXP <font color=red>2600+</b></font color=red> <i>(o/c 2400+ w/143Mhz fsb)</i>
<b>3dMark03: <font color=red>4,055</b></font color=red>
 

jodel

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Done Memtest...
No errors in an one hour session...

ABIT NF7-Srev 2.0
XP1700+ @ 2195 (190x11,5)
NANYA PC2700 333 @ 380
ASUS V7700 GF 2 GTS
MAXTOR 120 GB DiamondMax +9 SATA 8MB
WD Caviar 40GB
Antec TP430
Tt DragonOrb 3
3 Casefans
 

cleeve

Illustrious
Well, I can't think of anything else off of the top of my head.

If it's only in 3d games that is crashes, I suppose it could be some kind of function call that crashes either the mobo or video card.

Did you try the card on another computer and see if it crashes there?

________________
<b>Radeon <font color=red>9500 PRO</b></font color=red> <i>(hardmodded 9500, o/c 322/322)</i>
<b>AthlonXP <font color=red>2600+</b></font color=red> <i>(o/c 2400+ w/143Mhz fsb)</i>
<b>3dMark03: <font color=red>4,055</b></font color=red>
 

jodel

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It is not the Videocard, I tried another card in my pc (a Radeon 8500 128 MB and the games crashed too.
I am totaly out of ideas now...
I think I am gonna return the PSU and hope it is solved with a new one.

Jeroen

ABIT NF7-Srev 2.0
XP1700+ @ 2195 (190x11,5)
NANYA PC2700 333 @ 380
ASUS V7700 GF 2 GTS
MAXTOR 120 GB DiamondMax +9 SATA 8MB
WD Caviar 40GB
Antec TP430
Tt DragonOrb 3
3 Casefans