computer instability

[moochi635]

I recently put together a system with:
ahtlon XP 1800+
radeon 8500le
60gb imb harddrive
gigabyte mobo
512ddrram

I installed Windows XP and all the drivers. Everything was working fine for about one hour, then the system froze all the sudden. When i shut it off and try to turn it back on again, the computer turns on but nothing comes up on the screen. However, when i turned it on at a later time, it worked and went to windows, but it froze the same way as before. I have some ideas on the problem, but im not really sure. I think it has something to do with the cooling and/or videocard. The video card has fans and the whole system also have many fans, so im not sure thats the problem. The actual videocard was not made by ati, so that might have something to do with it. Please post some suggestions.. thanks. http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/frown.gif

[mjc]

AMD chips are particularly heat sensitive and about an hour then freeze sounds about right for heat....sometimes more fans actually makes the cooling worse, they end up interferring with each other.

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mjc
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.

[ski]

mjc is on the $ regarding AMD CPU's and heat.
Assuming that heat transfer compound was applied between the CPU and its heat sink, then make sure it has been properly applied and that the heat sink is properly installed(no gaps between the heat sink and CPU surfaces).
If they're ok, then check the CPU temp in your BIOS. If it gets up to 60+ deg C, then you may want to consider installing a higher capacity fan(35-40 cfm).
Finally, remove the computer's case and run an external fan blowing on the innards. If this solves the problem, then you need additional ventilation and/or fans.