System hangs when playing some games

[skinnypimp]

http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/mad.gif I have a Athlon 750 that I built myself. It ran fine for about a year but lately I have had trouble running most 3D games. The games will run fine for a while but then the system freezes up and I have to end up doing a hard reboot <cntrl-alt-del doesnt even work>. I have updated ALL of my drivers for every piece of hardware I have in my system. There are no conflicts within the system. I even turned down my graphics performance tab. Still to no avail. If any one can help me out Id appreciate it. A quick run down of my system follows.

Gigabyte 7IXE mobo <recent bios update and chipset drivers>
AMD Athlon 750 slot A
300W power supply
ATI all in wonder 128 <recent drivers>
Soundblaster Live <dido on the drivers>
192 MB ram
60 gig Maxtor HD
Diamond homefree wireless networking card
scanner card <PCI>
Pioneer DVD Drive
Acer CDR-W Drive
Ole trusty A: drive

I only include everything because I am thinking it is a lack of power. I wanted some other opinions on this matter before dropping $80 on a 400W power supply. So is it a power <or lack of> problem or is a something else like a graphics card problem? I need help. Im getting frustrated playing a game for 20 min then having to reboot. I shouldnt have any trouble playing a top end game on this system, but I do. If you need more info feel free to e-mail me at skinny_pimp2@yahoo.com.

[Whyzman]

Hello skinnypimp,

Welcome to http://www.pcguide.com/ubb/pcgubb.gif Forums!

It certainly doesn't appear that you're running an inordinate amount of wattage gobbling hardware! I would say your 300W would suffice for your system.

When you Ctrl+Alt+Del what have you running in the Task Menu?

Is it just my need for glasses? Did you give us your OS?

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May all your dealings in life be win/win!


Whyzman
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Reserved for Punishing Humor...A Pessimist's blood is always B-negative!

[This message has been edited by Whyzman (edited 03-15-2002).]

[ski]

Your problem may be due to overheating. Your system is taxed to the max when playing games, especially the CPU and video card, and the resultant heat can cause what you're describing.
First, make sure all cards, specifically the video card, and all memory sticks are securely seated.
Then, check that all fans are running, there's no internal dust buildup(check the fan blades too), all vents are open, the computer is not located in an enclosed cubicle or near a heat source, no wires or cables are obstructing any fan's air flow, etc.
If the above is ok, and your video card does not have a cooling fan, then your problem may be solved with a $10 fan. I had the same problem with my system until I installed a fan to cool the video card's heat sink. But before going thru the hassle of installing a fan, remove the computer's case and run it with an external fan blowing on the video card's heat sink. If that solves the problem, then you know what has to be done.
If the external fan does not fix the problem, then check the thermal compound between the CPU and its heat sink. Some brands of compound tend to thin out and run when exposed to high temperatures over a period of time. If it appears suspect, then clean off the old compound with 99% isopropyl alcohol and apply new compound. Arctic Silver 3 is the best on the market, IMHO.

[skinnypimp]

OK, I forgot the OS its Winders ME.

I have two fans now in my case. Ill try the external fan idea and check the heat sink on the video card and the processor. I know its not dust because I religiously clean the inside once a month. I dont live in a high dust area. During these cleanings I also check the seating of the cards so I rule that out too.

As for the programs running in the background, I shut every thing down before playing any game, cept for Zone Alarm. So I do not believe its a mem problem. I also have a mem manager that i use to ensure I always have available mem. The problem happened before using this as well I rule the mem manager out as shutting them down.

Im glad I didnt have to up my power. I was afraid of that. Thanks for the advice and quick responses. http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/biggrin.gif

[saphalline]

Definitely not a power problem, your CPU & video card don't look nearly power hungry enough to tax a 300 Watter. I'm using a 300W power supply with an Athlon 1.2GHz and a GeForce2 Ti, if that gives you an idea.

If it's not a heat-related problem (tho extra cooling is NEVER a bad idea), it could be improperly configured RAM. Check your BIOS to make sure you aren't running your RAM, or anything else, out of spec. Also make sure your video card isn't completely incompatible with your games (some games are weird about this).

You could also try defragging your hard drive or maybe even a full reinstall of Win ME. ME never was as carefree as 98SE, and after a year of full-on gaming http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/smile.gif it could be time to clean your windows.

Check your cooling first, tho. From your descriptions, it sounds like a hardware prob.

[mjc]

One other thing to check out would be DirectX. Go to the Search box and type in DXdiag, then run the tests.

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mjc
Links list:Computer Links (http://www.dreamwater.org/tech/mjc/index.htm)

Celts are the men that heaven made mad, For all their battles are merry and their songs are all sad.

[skinnypimp]

http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/biggrin.gif Heat, who would have guessed?
I tried the external fan idea today.

I ran a graphic intense game, MS Flight Sim 2002 with all settings set on high for about an hour and a half. This is more than half the normal time I could play with minimal settings before. It bogged the system down but no freezes. I actualy had to end the game myself for once. I will try Red Faction, another culprit to freezes later on today.

Looks like the $10 fan and repositioning my CPU wins. I thank everyone for thier expert advice.

BTW, it was mentioned to look into reinstalling winders and defraging. I defrag like every other day and I all ready re installed winders to try to cure this problem. I know ME isnt known for its stability, but I got it cheap when I bought the parts to put this thing together. http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/wink.gif Thanks again.

[ski]

You're welcome, skinnypimp.
Thanks for posting back with the solution.
And glad to hear that it's an easy fix.