Power Supply Question

[Panther04 0]

Hello,

 

I have been having some issues with my PC randomly crashing (XP BSOD mainly), but some software crashes also. I was wondering if having only a 300W PS with the configuration below could be my main problem? I've reloaded the system more than once, I've transferred my entire system from on HDD to another, thinking it was a bad HDD, and I've added fans to increase cooling (Current temps: 39C - MB, 40C - CPU) Would increasing the PS to 400W help my crashes? Thanks for any feedback/suggestions!

 

The following are my system specs:

 

ASUS P4B 266-C

Intel Pentium 4 1.6 GHZ Northwood

512 MB PC 2100 Ram

PNY Geforce 4 TI 4600 128mb

Nvidia DET 4 29.42

Adaptec 1200A Raid Card

WD 30GB

IBM 10GB

SeaGate 40GB x2

PowerMan 300W PS

Windows XP Professional

Sound Blaster Audigy Sound Card

Cambridge Soundworks DTT 2100 Speakers

3COM 56K V.90 PCI Modem

12x Creative DVD IDE

Sony G400 19" Monitor

Microsoft Intellimouse Wireless

Microsoft Natural Elite Keyboard

[Cynan 0]

I'd say 300watts is fine for all that. What are the actually STOP codes from your crashes? When do they happen? Need more innnput

[Panther04 0]

They are pretty random, doesn't seem to happen in any particular pattern. Sometimes it just crashes while I'm working on it, then sometimes its after I first start to use it after being on all night.

 

The stop codes are IRQ_NOT_LESS_THAN..., PAGE_IN_NONPAGED_AREA, and most of the time there is no specific error code, or driver mentioned. Within XP, I get some software that just crashes with memory read errors.

 

I have had the memory tested and even tested it myself with a diagnostic tool and it did not find any errors. The temp of the system has gone up to 40C-MB, 41.5C-CPU, not sure if that could be a problem too?

 

I've been battling this for about 1 month now and still have not found the primary culprit. It started to happen about 1 1/2 months ago after a power outage, and since then I've replaced the MB/CPU/Memory and have gotten a new vid card. I haven't replaced the sound card or network card, but I guess those could be next?

 

Thanks again for any help in solving this...

[sapiens74 0]

Thats memory bro....

 

Try a new stick

[Panther04 0]

Well I have 2 -256 MB sticks, could it be both or just one, what's a good way to get it tested?

 

Thanks!

[Cynan 0]

I thought you said that you had tested it... hmm.

 

Try MemTest86.

[Panther04 0]

Downloaded and tested with that program and it reports no errors on the standard 7 tests it runs. Does anyone else have any other ideas on what might be happening here?

 

Thanks!

[pmistry 0]

Maybe the RAM settings in your BIOS are set to Turbo or something faster so that the RAM can't handle it, if this is the case, try setting the Asus board to set RAM timings automatically or use more conservative settings.

[Panther04 0]

I checked out the settings and they were the default, but to be safe, I moved them up to the most conservative settings. I also removed the stick of memory from slot 2 (this MB only has 2 slots) and I have not experienced a crash yet. Is there anyway to tell if it's the stick that is bad or possibly the slot on the MB? The memory is "supposed" to be Micron, but on the chip I took out, it's labeled Samsung; also both sticks are single sided DIMMs, does that make a difference or not as to why having 2 sticks might have been causing crashes?

 

Thanks for all the advice and help today!

[Brian Frank 0]

If it's Micron memory, I've heard they occasionally use Samsung if it's cheap enough for them to use or something like that. Samsung is very good, make no mistake. My thinking is that one stick might not be rated for the same speed as the other--even though it may have been marked as a certain speeed, it might have been accidentally mis marked as the higher speed. It happens.

 

Try the Samsung stick by itself in the same slot as the Micron and see if it causes problems. If that checks out try the Micron in the slot you originally had that Samsung and see if everything checks out. Process of elimination.