kbk

My PC has been experiencing random crashes/freezing recently. I have recently replaced my power supply as my old one was failing. Both the new and old power supplies were 450W. This is the only hardware change I have made recently.

The crashing had occurred intermitently with the old power supply but that was usually if we turned the PC off after leaving it running all day, we would turn it off and when we rebooted it the next day it would freeze and crash a few times before it would start working, as a result we would leave it on 24/7.

Now with the new power supply we have been turning it off every night. About a week after I had the new PS installed the PC began freezing and crashing. We would be running a PS3 media server, and the server itself would crash, then the PC would freeze completely and had to be rebooted. PS3 media server we are running is PMS for linux. I am running Sabayon 4.2 with fluxbox. The only programs I usually have running are PMS and maybe a terminal. The errors received on PMS are java related errors, and then a network error at around the time the server froze. Unfortunately I am at work and do not have the full errors. I can get these if necessary.

Another problem I am experiencing is sometimes when I reboot after it freezes my monitor will not turn on. After a few more resets the monitor will come on and I will be able to login, but it will freeze either while loading the OS or shortly after login. I had thought the PC could be overheating, so I removed the cover and placed a fan next to it. Inside the case does not feel very hot.

My other hardware is:
MSI P43 Neo-F - motherboard
PNY Nvidia 7300GS(t?) 256mb - graphics card
1GB RAM
seagate 350GB HDD
Western Digital 1TB HDD
Diablotek PHD Series PHD450 - new power supply

Ideas are welcome. We are currently using my fiance's PC until we can get this one fixed. I have a feeling it is a motherboard problem caused by the failing PS. However I would liek to get a second, third, etc opinion .

ozar

I'm just guessing here, but perhaps something was damaged by the old power supply other than, or in addition to the motherboard .?.

Have you tried running any tests on the RAM, or substituting any RAM modules? If your system allows it, try removing a module to see if the problem goes away, then swap out the modules in order to test each one.

A hard drive that has been damaged can cause some intermittent issues, too. Have you tried disconnecting one hard drive or the other to see what happens?

Make sure the video card is well seated in the socket, and make sure it's not getting too hot.

Check all fans, and make certain the CPU isn't over heating.

Parts substitution works well for testing, but of course that's not practical for everyone.

Hopefully, some of the others will throw some ideas out there.

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oz

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Rubberman

As ozar said, make sure all the chips, boards, and RAM modules are seated properly. For the boards and RAM modules, remove and reseat them completely. That will make for cleaner contacts.

In any case, make sure you FIRST vacuum out the dust from the system. Then when you have removed the boards and RAM modules, blow out the slots/sockets they were plugged into with a can of compressed air. That will help remove any debris that might keep boards from seating properly. Finally, reseat the boards and RAM and start your system back up.

After all this, if you still have problems, then you might have some failing components. In such a case, try to find and run a diagnostics program, especially one made for your specific system.

FWIW, if you have a lot of power-sucking boards installed in your system, then you might need a better power supply, like a 750W unit instead of the 450W one you have now.

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ozar

kbk, you can use this PSU Calculator page to get some idea about the wattage of the power supply that you should be using with your current equipment:

Antec Power Supply Calculator

There are other such calculators online if you want to try them.

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oz

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