this is getting pretty frustrating. a buddy of mine gave me his cpu. it has an athlon xp 1900 or somethin krazy like that. it works good every now and then, but now it's gettin to me. this is the problem. when i'm doin different things like surfin the net, or makin beats or whatever, in the middle of everything the computer just turns off, and i gotta unplug it and plug it back in just to get it to turn on. then half the time after that i gotta keep turnin it off and on just to boot windows up because the computer will keep freezin during the boot. i just hear a click then everything freezes after the xp screen. i'm not sure if he overclocked it or whatever, but stuff like this happens to me at least twice a week. i wouldn't be surprised if the computer just turned off as soon as i hit the 'post' button on here what do u guys think
Typically that's a heat issue. It could also be that the CPU is not seated correctly, but that usually ends up with a comp that won't start. I'd say, make sure there's just the right amount of thermal paste between the CPU core and the heatsink...just a drop. People sometimes smear it on there and it becomes more of a problem. Check to make sure the FSB and voltage for the CPU are set properly as well. Last but not least, make sure the power supply isn't overheating.
i do have a feeling it's overheating because the top of the tower ends up being very hot, and the power supply is usually the problem. as far as the voltage, i'm not really sure what it should be @, how would i be able to tell. if it Is the power supply, should i just go out and buy a new one?
The CPU's voltage is normally set to Auto in the BIOS...which for that CPU should be 1.5v if I remember correctly. If the PSU is getting hot, and you don't feel any air flowing thru it, it's time to replace it.
i can only feel a little bit of air, but still not sure if it's enough. it hasn't cut off yet, but i only been back on here for about 5 mins so i'll keep ya posted
