fitzscoob

Hi all, I have a relatively new pc (couple of months), and it only has two games running on it at the moment. Everquest and counterstrike.

Counterstrike runs fine, no problems whatsoever.

Everquest, is crashing me atleast a couple of times every 90 minutes or so.

This is the link to show you my exact pc.... http://maxxpc.com/maxx-computers-GG3393.html except I have radeon 9800xt 256mb

Crashes only happen in EQ, screen freezes and sometimes I will hear some squelchy noises (fragmented), sometimes the screen goes black - the only way to recover from this is to hit the reset button, ctr alt del does nothing.

Every now and then I get the mother of all crashes and the pc actually restarts itself.

I have tried running the pc with the side off the tower and running an extra fan to make sure it wasnt overheating - this didnt help at all.

Bearing in mind im not a technical whizz on pcs, if anyone has any ideas I would love to hear them as this is driving me mad :P

Thanks

_Meridian_

iTrader: (1)

While CS is a buggy piece if sh*t, it's not a strain on resources, but I believe EQ can be. Any number of possible reasons:

First of all, turn off auto-reboot in XP (System->Advanced->Startup and recovery - untick the "Automatically reboot" box.

Now, does it crash to a BSOD or just lock up and/or reboot still?

If it BSODs then the odds are it's a RAM or software problem problem, so is it ging the same message every time, or a different one - and what is that message? But on the whole I'd say this is PSU or CPU. I notice the ad doesn't give the PSU specs - they are on the label on the side of the power supply. Can you tellme what it gives as a) total wattage, and b) max combined power on 3.3 and 5V rails (this is NOT the same as adding up the separate figures!)

If your PSU is below 400W, or the 3.3+5V figure is below about 200W then it's the PSU. Otherwise the CPU is more likely.

Open the case up: does the motherboard have a Molex connector (similar to the power connector for a CD-ROM) on it? If so, is there a power lead plugged into it? If it's there, then it should be used. If not, don't worry.

If none of the above, boot into BIOS. Does the BIOS allow you to change the CPU voltage? If so, raise it a notch - it won't hurt and will make the CPU more stable.


M

fitzscoob

sorry to sound like a numpty but BSOD?

Ill check the others when i get home.

thanks

_Meridian_

iTrader: (1)

Blue Screen Of Death. Where the whole screen goes bright blue apart from a cryptic message in yellow writing starting something like "IRQ_NOT_LESS_THAN_OR_EQUAL_TO". That's the error message I need if it's there, but I don't need all the address numbers that follow - just check to see if they're the same each time.

But I nearly forgot: another MAJOR factor is heat. Run the comp with the side panel removed (if you've never removed it before, there are two screws/thumbturns at the back to remove, then pull the latch on the side forward to open the side, which swings forward then comes off) and see if it's more stable. If it is, you need more case fans. If not, try booting into BIOS and leaving it there for at least fifteen minutes. What is the CPU temp now? (you can read it in the Diagnostics section of BIOS) If it's above 50oC then it's running hot for some reason. Won't damage the CPU, but it won't help stability.

When the side is off, use a torch and check all the fans are turning: PSU (you can feel that one!), CPU, chipset (on the motherboard) and GFX.


M

fitzscoob

ahhh

I have tried running the pc with the side off and an extra fan - no joy there.

The crashes are not just BSOD, some will leave the screen as the game but not moving, some go blue, some go black, sometimes the pc restarts itself completely.

Manners

try downloading latest graphics card drivers and game patches also shut down any programs that are running in the the background that you don't need.

_Meridian_

iTrader: (1)

In which case inadequate power is my main thought. You might also want to try removing the RAM and GFX, but make sure the machine is powered off and switched off at the mains before trying. But leave the box plugged in to keep the earth path - as long as it's off at the wall you'll be fine.

Another thought: if you have more than one stick of RAM, then try running with just one stick.


M