[NTLUG:Discuss] PC Hardware Issue

[Dennis Myhand]

Lenrek Xunil wrote:
> I built my own PC.  It's got an Abit motherboard, AMD Athlon 64 CPU,
> 1.5gigs of ram (two cards), dual graphics card, SATA hard drive, LCD
> monitors,
> oversized quiet CPU element/fan, etc.
>
> This past month at random times, sometimes once a day, sometimes several
> times a day, intermittently and for no apparent reason, the displays will
> get all jagged.  The music will continue playing, then after a couple of
> seconds it stops.
>
> I would think it was the graphics card, but the whole system seems to stop
> shortly thereafter.  I've switched out the memory, reseated everything but
> the CPU, but it still happens.  I've looked at the bios settings, etc.
>
> I'm thinking it's my motherboard.  What do you all think?
>   
It could be the mobo or it could be a heat issue.  Athlon 64s are (from 
what I have seen in my own system and heard about from others running 
similar AMD 64 setups) very susceptible to heat.  I have a Venus 12 sink 
and fan on mine.  If the noise starts to get to me I put on headphones.
>
> Some lessons I learned in all of this:
>
> -Don't go cheap on the case.  I got an aluminum case and I regret it because
> I just get this feeling that things aren't firmly seated.  Also the back
> panel did not match the board so I had to cut it out.  It basically looks
> like a skeleton, especially since I don't have the lid on to maximize air
> flow.  Reminds me of the computer in that movie Pi.
>   
I use CoolerMaster cases.  I love them.  They look and feel solid.
> -If you're building a computer, don't buy from CompUSA.  You're going to pay
> 50% more for equipment that's 6-12 months old.  I only got the motherboard
> and the CPU there, but even though It's only been about a year and a half,
> my PC is already outdated.  For the other components I scoured different
> online stores and got great deals on good brands.
> -Never upgrade.  Always buy all of your equipment at the same time.  (I did
> this piece by piece).  Even after about 3 years, standards change, power
> requirements change, and the cooling requirements change.
>   
The span of time between major hardware improvements seems to be about 
6-8 months.  I bought my stuff all at the same time, from (SHAMELESS 
PLUG WARNING) newegg.com, and about 5 months later there were new chips 
running faster and using less power.  This seems to be the nature of the 
beast.  My system still works great for me, but it is no longer a 
top-of-the-line system.  It is now down on the low side of mid-range.  
In a year or so I will upgrade my wife's system by giving her my old one 
and build another soon-to-be-obsolete box for myself.  I think it could 
be your mobo, but I think it more likely to be a heat related problem 
which is causing the display problems and seizing up.  Might be both.  I 
did have to replace my first mobo and it was also an Abit.  Peace, Dennis
> Thanks in advance for your help!
> _______________________________________________
> http://www.ntlug.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
>
>
>