I have been having problems with my computer restarting when I try and play some games. My PC has an AMD Athlon XP 2000+ processor, Geforce FX 5200 video card, & 512 Ram (forget kind). Sometimes, not everytime, my computer restarts while I am trying to load up or playing games such as Planetside, Everquest, Sega Of Ryzom, and Tron 2.0. I have a cable internet connection so that is not a problem. I am thinking of adding 512 more ram but am not sure that with solve this issue. Any suggestions?

Stillgard

I would re-download the motherboard drivers and see if that changes anything. If it doesn't then, lower the hardware acceleration rate(if it's set as full)and see if that does. If THAT does, then there's quite possibly a problem with the video card. You'd need to go to the card website manufacturer and download the latest drivers.

I had a similar problem months back. I updated drivers and it still happened and began happening more and more frequently. I thought RAM might be the cause but the PC was only 1 1/2 years old and I had seldom heard of RAM failures. Someone recommended taking it to a shop and having the RAM tested. I found out that the type of RAM (RDRAM, RAMBUS RAM) was extremely expensive, had to be installed and tested in pairs, and nobody had a board that would test it.

I heard about MEMTEST86 and downloaded it. It is absolutely excellent. You have to install it to a bootable floppy, then boot with it, and select your test option. It's very easy. I ran the most comprehensive set of tests for a while and sure enough, the RAM was bad. As an additional confirmation, a friend had a RAMBUS motherboard and put it in his machine ... failed in less than 15 minutes. I bought and installed new RAM ... problem solved.

Here's the link

www.memtest86.com/ (http://www.memtest86.com/)

It's a nice diagnostic to have. Good luck.

In addition to memtest, I would suggest running the harddrive diagnostics. The diagnostics can be downloaded from the harddrive manufacturer's website.

Random reboots are very often bad RAM, a bad Power Supply, or heat related.

You can check for heat related problems by monitoring the temps with a program such as MBM5 and by removing the case cover and allowing a fan to gently blow on the innards...

A bad Power Supply is best just swapped out with a known good working supply...

Also, welcome tohttp://www.pcguide.com/ubb/pcgubb.gif Forums!

I agree, the problem is with the heat. I suggest you open up the case and clean all the dust off. Leave the case open while you play that game to see if restarting happens again. Some techs suggest you put a fan next to your case "to blow air inside" while you do that testing.

If the problem primarily happens with games, there are a couple of different things you can do...I am assuming that your components meet the minimum system requirements of the games you're playing. As a preliminary step, run DXDIAG at the Run command. Go through the various tabs and choose to run any tests there are. If there are no problems, continue on.

Download and install the latest version of DirectX, if you haven't already. Second, download and install drivers for your video card.

You might want to stay with an earlier version of video card driver, since Nvidia's latest drivers benefit the latest video cards...and don't necessarily provide better performance for your brand of video card.

I opened my tower up and put a fan next to it and ran a few games, and.... I had no problems! Now I just need to get a few more fans! Thanks for all the help! :D

Stillgard

What's your CPU cooling situation?? Are you with a stock fan and heatsink?

Yes I have stock fan and heatsink. I have another problem now. My computer just shut down on me. I don't seem to have power. (using my wifes computer to write this) I am going to try replacing the power supply this afternoon.

Stillgard

I installed a new power supply and its rebooting the way it was before. Taking off the side panel and putting a fan does not do anything now. I have recently updated drivers for video card and have the latest direct x.

Stillgard

Did you test the RAM? As I said, I had almost the same problem and it was RAM. I suspected heat first and installed additional fans and things were better for a while. I used a coolant spray on the RAM and things were "cool" (sorry for the pun) for a while. Memtest86 showed the RAM was BAD. Here's the link: Memtest86 (http://www.memtest86.com/)

I would also suggest having a look at the capacitors on your motherboard inspecting them for bulges or leaking fluid...

When I suggested swapping the power supply with a known good supply, I meant to grab one that would fit from another known working computer...

I do keep a power supply on hand just for troubleshooting purposes...

I would suggest, though, that you troubleshoot first with the non-monentary tasks first...memtest, harddrive diagnostics, visual inspection of the motherboard's capacitors...

You may need to have a look at the heatsink/processor interface...Also, have a look for "dust bunnies" on the sink and elsewhere. A can of compressed air works well to clean things up...

Bulging, leaking caps on a MOBO would be MOBO death, I would think. I did discrete component repair when I was in the USAF but I can't imagine taking a soldering iron to a MOBO these days.

Dust bunnies are nasty. I live in/own a really old dusty house and the bunnies get out of control real fast. They breed like ... well bunnies.;) After periodic cleaning, ensuring a positive pressure inside the case (that is air blowing out) really helps. You can purchase an inexpensive fan that sits in an open slot and it will do just that. I also installed an HDD fan. You can't have too much cooling.

Bad Capacitors:

http://www.pcguide.com/vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=25482