Computer problem: motherboard or power supply

Have you opened the case to observe whether the processor and case fan are operating and that dust has not accumulated in mass?? You could have a problem as simple as poor ventilation due to dirt.

It could very well be both. 6.5 years places it in the era where bad capacitors were common. I'd suggest first checking teh CPU fan spins freely. Next, look at the capacitors on the motherboard and look for any that have bulging tops. If they look good, try replacing the power supply. If all else fails, the holidays are coming; treat yourself to a new computer.

PlainBill

I'll bet you could pick up a similar working computer for peanuts, if not for free. You could then swap parts around and establish where the problem is, and have loads of spares left over.

Gareth.

Have a look at "Badcaps" I think its "" Classic symptoms !

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Best Regards:
                     Baron.

Depending where he is I could give him one to play with.

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Best Regards:
                     Baron.

Caps don't need to "bulge" to be "bad". I check the names of the manufacturers. Also, I've seen "good" motherboards have issues when there were bad caps in the *power supply*!

If you think caps are the problem, just replace the machine (including power supply). They are cheap enough...

I have a home built PC with an Epox 8RGA+ motherboard. It has an AMD Barton 2500+, and a gig of ram. I use the onboard video and sound. My power supply is an Antec TruePower 420. Where would I look for a similar working system?

-- I don't understand why they make gourmet cat foods. I have known many cats in my life and none of them were gourmets. They were all gourmands!

Bad caps on the mainboard, in the PSU, dirty CPU cooler and/or none-functioning cooling fan on CPU or PSU. Take your pick and start eliminating one by one.

Here in Israel, you can buy a dual core system that would be faster, two Intel cores of 1.6gHz (if you want low power ATOM processors), 160g hard drive,

1g RAM (no optical drive), with ethernet, GMA 950 video and sound for $250, including 16.5% VAT.

If you crank that up to $330 (inluding VAT), you get a 1.8gHz dual core regular processor. 2G ram, 320gb hard drive, a 20x DVD burner, and a better graphics chip. Another $20 gets you a 2.gHz processor.

As for the power supply, the one included is a cheap generic that probably be tossed in a couple of years when the fan goes, however really good ones are not that expensive.

Geoff.

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Geoffrey S. Mendelson, Jerusalem, Israel gsm@mendelson.com  N3OWJ/4X1GM

Dude, there's LOTS MORE parts in there than those two. You can eliminate disk drive and software based on those symptoms, but removing/cleaning/reseating RAM and removing/cleaning/ reseating cards and CPU (and check the thermal contact area with the CPU heatsink, too) comes next.

Inspect for bulging or leaking-ooze capacitors while you do that.

Then find and run a memory check program, preferably from a hot-boot CD.

If that doesn't locate the problem, find a spare power supply somewhere and swap it for a test period.

The problem is neither the m/b or the powers supply. The clue that defines the problem is the "CPU is used at 100 percent".

Start by looking at the task manager ( control alt delete) and see what process is hogging the CPU. Then learn how to stop it from running. It could be malware or a valid application run amok. When you have identified the culprit do a Google search for ideas on eliminating the problem,

When it runs for a long time it is generating enough heat to force shut down.

Charlie

If the system can't run at 100% cpu, then it is broken.

There will always be tasks thad will run cpu usage to 100%, for example decompressing files. If the cpu crashes at 100% then you can't even install software or open a medium sized pdf.

Why not spend the $60 and replace the motherboard/cpu with someting made in the last 7 years?

Even with the CPU at 100% it shouldn't generate enough heat to shut down. I do agree that the heatsink should be clean and properly mounted also the fan on it should also be clean and running properly. But didn't the OP say that he was changing the buss clocking. Slowing that down improved the situation, which is typical of a noisy CPU voltage supply. This is the one on the mainboard and the one most likely to suffer bad caps.

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Best Regards:
                     Baron.

I had an Amd Duron mb that did the same thing under heavy loads, it was caused by bad mb caps. I replaced one cap that was bulged out and it worked for about 6 months till the other caps bulged. Binned the board when ran out of donor parts and it wasn't worth wasting any more money on it.

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They can have my command prompt when they pry it from my cold dead fingers.

"Geoffrey S. Mendelson" wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@cable.mendelson.com:

I had a microprocessor cooling fan load down the PS on my 900 Mhz Athlon system,a new fan fixed the problem.But it's had the PS replaced a few years after that.You can buy a replacement ATX supply for $20-60,depending on wattage.CompUSA carries them,so do most any computer store.

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Jim Yanik
jyanik
at
localnet
dot com

Why piss away $60 without trying the free s/w fix first?

It isn't a software fix.

"Charlie" wrote in news:hdpvfj$82e$ snipped-for-privacy@news.eternal-september.org:

Also,you don't just replace the MB/CPU,you also have to buy new RAM,perhaps a new hard drive(SATA instead of IDE),new video card,whatever other cards needed to fit the new buss connectors.....it adds up.

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Jim Yanik
jyanik
at
localnet
dot com

Even the cheapest system sold now is faster.

A $2 digital voltage meter should be more than good enough to tell whether the PSU or the motherboard is bad, and instructions for testing can be found in the forums at Overclockers.com and HardOCP.com, but the locations to measure the voltages on the mobo may not be obvious. But generally if the mobo is bad, you'll see some bulging electrolytic capacitors

has lots of info) around the CPU, next to the north bridge (has a heatsink on it), near the AGP card slot, or near the DIMM slots, but some caps fail without showing any physical signs.

Old Antec TruePower PSUs were made by Channel Well Technology (may say "CWT" on the yellow tape on the transformers) are famous for failing because of bad Fuhjyyu brand capacitors (Google "Fuhjyyu syndrome"), but changing capacitors in a power supply can be difficult because they're stuffed so close together and the better brands of parts tend to be fatter than the originals. So some of the new caps have to be installed way above the circuit board (long wires must be insulated with heatshrink) and physically secured with nylon ties or silicone sealer. I believe the new Antecs don't use Fuhjyyus because they're made by different companies, probably Fortron-Source (CapXon caps, not crowded), Seasonic (OSTs -- well, they're not as horrible as Fuhjyyus), or Delta (I don't know what brands of capacitors, but Deltas are among the best power supplies).