martillo7878

Hello everyone,

I need help with my PC. I dont know what happened but it seems some component is damaged, may be the CPU.

I'll tell everything that happened until now:
I was playing GTA San Andreas and suddenly some strange lines appeared in the screen. It seemed a problem with my old Ati Radeon, may be caused by the heat (it was a very hot stormy day, like 37 ºC)
I quit the game, and noted something wrong with graphics also in my desktop. I turn off the PC, waited some minutes and turned it on again.
Strange lines appeared on the desktop again, and it was frozen. But not frozen like a windows crash, it was something else.
I restarted the system again but this time Windows didnt load, with a black screen instead. Tried several times and the same thing happened: reboot and everything fine until windows screen had to show up.

I checked the BIOS, everything seemed to be fine, except that the CPU was at 70 ºC.
I opened the case and there was a light smell like burned wires inside it, near the CPU and PSU.

The Motherboard light is on, and no beeps sounded at any time.
The CPU fan is working, although its pretty dirty. PSU is working too.
Monitor works fine, I can see the BIOS, so I think the Radeon is ok. I cant remove it because I dont have an onboard card.
I tested memories in another system and they worked.


My system:
AMD Athlon XP 3000 2.2Ghz
MB: Asus A7N8X-X
VGA: Sapphire Ati Radeon 9200
PSU: 450w
RAM: Kingston 1 DDR400 1Gb, and 1 DDR400 500Mb Total 1.5 Gb
HD: 120 Gb Maxtor
DVD-RW Pioneer DVR 110D
CD-RW Liteon
OS: Win XP Pro SP3

Picture

I've been using this PC for 5 years now, never had a problem, although is on almost 24/7. I only have the CPU cooler, no extra fans.

Any idea?

Thank you

Phædrus2401

Sounds like the graphics card is dying, or suffering from a condition that could lead to it dying. Those lines are called artifacts and occur when you get corruption in the graphics card VRAM. A graphics card can die for one of a few reasons; overheating, bad voltage from the power supply, or just plain being worn out.

Overheating: open up the case and clean all the dust out using a can of compressed air. Also google GPU-Z; use it to monitor your graphics card temperatures.

Power supply: What is the brand and model of your PSU?

martillo7878

Thanks, I will try to replace the Radeon with an old Riva TNT I found, and see what happens.

PSU: I can read "Sorian" on its side ¿? obviously is a cheap one.

Phædrus2401

Hm. Can you see anything else on the PSU? You can unscrew it from the case without unplugging anything (make sure the computer is unplugged ), to see if there's any more info on a side that was hidden.

martillo7878

It seems you were right my friend. I replaced the Radeon with the Riva TNT and Windows started with no problems. So we can confirm that CPU, motherboard and hard disk are ok

Nevertheless that smell is strange, and the CPU is too hot (Last time I checked the BIOS it was at 54 ºC, one minute after I turned on the PC).
May be it was the heat that killed the Radeon, and/or a bad PSU

By the way, the PSU says the following on its side:

"SORIAN Switching Power Supply Model: 450ATX
Input 115v~230v~,8/5A
60/50 Hz
Output: 450w
+5v and +3.3v Combined load maximum 200w
Total Output maximum: 450w"

Thanks

Phædrus2401

So it's a 350W PSU masquerading as a 450W PSU. Well, the 9200 didn't take too much current so that's why it lasted this long. If you want to get a replacement PSU and graphics card please state your budget.

You're right, that CPU temp is quite high for idle. How many fans does your case have? Give the computer a thorough de-dusting. Also consider reseating the CPU heatsink; you'd need a bottle of 90% isoprpyl alcohol, some paper coffee filters, and a tube of Arctic Silver 5 (you can get it at newegg.com for $7).

martillo7878

The case has no extra fans, just the CPU cooler, I know its a bad thing. I will follow your advise and do a deep clean on the case and heatsink

I will buy a better PSU and a cheap AGP card. I wanted to rescue this PC although I'm buying a new one soon, probably a Phenom II x4 955, with a HD4870 like the one you have ;)

Question: how do you know the PSU is 350w masquerading as 450?

Thanks a lot

martillo7878

Look, I tested the 9200 in another computer. WinXP loaded this time, but those rare lines and graphics appeared. I took a screenshot so you can see what i was talking about.
http://img267.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=78087_Clipboard_122_375lo.jpg

we can do nothing to save the 9200? Is it dead already?

Phædrus2401

Yeah, looks like the VRAM is fried. The 9200 is a goner.


I don't *know* the power supply is actually a 350W, not without knowing the +12V current rating. But it's a fair guess if it's a cheapo.



If you plan to upgrade to a 4870 (nice choice--alternately, consider the 5770 or 4890) then pick up a quality 650W PSU. Something like the Corsair TX650W or SeaSonic S12D 650W would be ideal. Or go 750W. Then you won't have to buy a new PSU when you build your new computer. In the meantime I can help you pick out a cheap-o AGP card that would be compatible.

Download GPU-Z: http://www.techpowerup.com/gpuz/
And take a screenshot of the info page. Just upload the picture to the site (options at bottom of post screen), don't bother with an off-site upload.

martillo7878

Thanks for all the tips. 4890 and 5770 are too expensive here, and after a long thinking and reviews reading I choose the 4870 over the 260GTX, which are the most suitable for my pocket

About the PSU for the new computer, sadly here there just a few brands available. I was to order a 550w Thermaltake, but they have also 600w. Do you say 600 is not enough? What do you think about Thermaltake?
http://www.thermaltakeusa.com/Category.aspx?C=1247

And for the Athlon, a "real" 450w would be enough?

I cant do the GPU-Z thing right now. I removed the graphic card from the Athlon and not plan to turn it on again until I finish cleaning the case and heatsink

Phædrus2401

If you go with a Thermaltake, pick a Toughpower unit rather than a Pure Power. A Toughpower 600W would be good for a 4870, not my #1 choice but still quite capable. The Pure Power units are garbage, frankly, with most not able to deliver their rated wattage.

For your current system, if you go with a graphics card comparable to your old one then a good 450W would suffice, yes.

What country are you in? I might be able to point you to a good retailer.

martillo7878

Thanks. I live in Uruguay

Phædrus2401

Ah. Well, I regret to say I don't know anything about computer retailers in South America... If you can't find a quality PSU (I'll list brands in a second) then at least avoid the Huntkey Green Star/V-Power power supplies. Huntkey power supplies are not sold in the US because they don't meet safety regulations, and they aren't sold in Europe because they lack active PFC. They're only sold in Asia and South America. The Huntkey Green Star/V-Power PSUs are literally some of the worst there are. They will explode if you try to draw their rated wattage, they have terrible efficiency, bad voltage regulation... The list goes on. Whichever PSU you end up purchasing, make sure it isn't a Huntkey.
http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/527/7



Our recommended brands:
Corsair
SeaSonic
Channel Well Technology
PC Power and Cooling
Thermaltake Toughpower
CoolerMaster Real Power Pro

And to a lesser extent:
OCZ
Antec

martillo7878

hehe, I supposed that, no worries. Never heard of Huntkey, but thanks for the advise. Thermaltake, Coolermaster and Antec, and some Corsair can be easily found in stores.

martillo7878

Ok, I will go for a Coolermaster Real Power Pro-750w, you agree?

Phædrus2401

An excellent choice. I don't usually use CoolerMaster PSUs, but their Real Power Pro line is very good.

martillo7878

Thanks for all your help Phædrus. I'm sorry if finally the problem was not a "Motherboard, Bios & CPU" but a graphics one. Dunno if someone needs to move this thread to the correct forum

cheers