Random Motherboard Functions/Problems HELP!!!

[aussieolie]

I have an AMD Athlon 500mhz, and ever since I got it, it keeps crasing and restarting for misc. reasons. I have kept my eye on it, and I have noticed that it sometimes (when it restarts) says problem with vcore, but it is set at default 1.6, also some times it will not give a temp reading and remain at 0 deg c, no matter what the operating system, it crashes, It crashes mainly when I am not using it and its on in windows.
I have kept it cool, crase open etc, and little to no improvement.
Can anyone help me please?

Thanks

aussieolie http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/cool.gif

[tjaymadison]

Regardless of the reported temperature, it sounds like you may have an overheating condition. There may be bad contact between the heatsink and the CPU, or the heat monitoring system has failed. Surely zero C is not a realistic reading -- you'd have frost inside the case. Take off the case cover and look inside to be sure the CPU cooling fan and the power supply fan are running. I would not recommend running your system in this condition.

[aussieolie]

Thanks for your advice, the CPU is cool, as I can put my finger on it and she is not even hot, just luke warm, when it does read the correct temp its about 29 deg c, thats what it is right now.
I get those anoying Blue errors that cause the machine to hang, and restart all the time.
Could it be a power supply prob?

Thanks

aussieolie http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/cool.gif

[tjaymadison]

Sometimes leaving the case open, especially for long periods, is not a good practice. As long as your fans are all working, the air flow is more effective with the case closed.

If you built the system yourself, did you make sure you got an AMD-approved power supply? What is the wattage of your power supply, and how many devices are you connecting to it? If you installed the CPU/Heatsink/Fan assembly yourself, did you put any thermal "grease" between the CPU and the heatsink? It still seems to me that there is some problem, either with the CPU-to-heatsink contact, or with the temperature monitoring program. You should be getting consistent readings, unless you have set the CPU to idle with the Power Management functions in your BIOS setup or Windows Control Panel. I would recommend disabling any of those features, so that everything is always on. If necessary, turn off the monitor with its own switch. This may also clear up your crashes and restarts. A final thought -- Are you overclocking anything?

[sleddog]

Are you *sure* the 29C is the CPU temp? This sounds to me a more reasonable temperature for the *motherboard*. No offense, but if you're misreading the motherboard temp for the CPU temp, it means the CPU could still be overheating. You say it feels cool to touch... what does? The heatsink? The heatsink *should* be warm, if it's effectly transferring heat from the CPU.

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sleddog
[sleddog.f2s.com] (http://www.sleddog.f2s.com)

[rmac]

Problem with vcore is either heat or voltage, I would pull the heatsink and see what it looks like. Don't run it without the heatsink just see if it is making contact.

[Paleo Pete]

Leave it open and place a small fan where it can blow into the case, see if it works better. That will tell you if it's a heat problem.

Chcek the heatsink as described above, and if it doesn't have some thermal paste, add a very light film and try it. Radio Shack sells it, about $3.

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[Randy_tx]

How long have you had the Athalon 500......some of the early motherboards were not quite up to the task of handling the Athalon chips and have since put out Bios Revisions.....one important revision moved the CAS latency from 2 to 3 as the default position. You might want to go into Bios and check to see if CAS latency is set at 3 (where it ought to be). Additionally, go to the website of the Motherboard Mfg of your mobo and get any updates they have for your specific model. Actually, the Athalon 500 runs pretty cool for an Athalon.
It might be the power supply......again how old is the system?
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"As hard as a rock & dumb as a brick"...Windows CEMeNT

[This message has been edited by Randy_tx (edited 03-31-2001).]