is my system under powered?

kalelreturns · 27 Jul 2011

I ran to the store and picked up a 3V battery for my mobo to see if that did anything, but it didnt

kalelreturns · 27 Jul 2011

essenbe said:

We can try to help you find out what the problem is, but be aware it is a long drawn out process. It basically involves eliminating one problem at a time. Let us know when you are ready. The easiest thing to start out with is to run in an elevated command prompt (start button-type cmd-right click cmd and select run as administrator) in the command window that opens, type sfc /scannow you can copy and paste that if you like, but notice the space between sfc and the / if you decide to type it. It is a system file checker that will verify all system files. If everything is OK it will eventually reply that it found no integrity errors.

Go to Asus website and make sure all drivers are updated and update your video card drivers. Go to AMD's website, they usually have the most updated drivers there.

Next, ram is usually the most likely suspect. read this tutorial and follow it, Test with Memtest86+ . That is quite time consuming, remember we are testing both the ram and the MB dimm slots. So, there is a lot of testing. each test needs to be run for 8 passes (usually 6-8 hours) you can stop if you get errors and go to the next step in the tutorial. Let us know how it comes out.

would love to, but my computer wont even boot now. I have also noticed that the top leds on my ballistixs tracer sticks stopped lighting up, and just the leds on the bottom are on.

essenbe · 27 Jul 2011

Try reseating the ram. While you are inside the case, check all connections from your PSU. Make sure they are plugged in the right connections, in the correct orientation and are fully seated. It would also be a good time to ensure that there are no bare or frayed wires. The problem you describe sounds more like ram that is not completely seated or is getting insufficient power. Of course, the LEDs could be burnt out too. What happens when you turn the computer on? Do the lights and fans start running, do you see anything on the screen?

essenbe · 27 Jul 2011

Also, this may sound silly, but it happened to me once. Pay close attention to the 24 pin connection. The plug from the PSU is a 20+4 pin connection, meaning the 4 pin section can come loose from the 20 pin. When inserting it, the 4 pin can seperate and not fully seat.

kalelreturns · 27 Jul 2011

yeah, i had that problem with my 750w psu, the 4pin, kept coming loose, but this new corsair has really good connectors that sit pretty tight, and the 4 pin connector is pretty securely attached to the 20pin, so it won't come loose. as for the memory, I tried it in another system, and the memory worked fine, when I turned on the power, it did the exact same thing as what I have been experiencing, everything turns on, lights and all, but the monitor didn't turn on, and didn't hear any activity from the computer. tried reseating the ram, dont see any bare wiring. however, there was an extra 4 pin connector on my other PSU, that I connected my motherboard, by my cpu, but this new PSU doesn't have that extra 4 pin connector. Is that a problem?

kalelreturns · 27 Jul 2011

scratch that part about the 4 pin, connector, I overlooked my cables. windows started up fine. I'll try running that prime95 test again.

essenbe · 27 Jul 2011

If you only had 4 pin connector plugged into an 8 pin ATX +12V, that could be the problem. That connection supplys power to the CPU.

kalelreturns · 27 Jul 2011

i have a 4 pin on the mobo, but i didnt have the psu connected to it. silly me. I ran the prime95 test and it crashed again about a minute in at 48C. I hate to say this, but I'm starting to think that the mobo is the problem. I have read many reviews on newegg (Newegg.com - ASUS M4A78T-E AM3 AMD 790GX HDMI ATX AMD Motherboard) and many are experiencing the same problem, and there customer support is supposedly horrible. If this is the case, it looks like I just might have to trash this one and get another, but I'm not really sure, what good brands are out there.

essenbe · 27 Jul 2011

I am not aware of any of the mobo brands that have decent customer support. But, even if I bought a new mobo, I would RMA that one. Wouldn't hurt to have an extra around. And with an extra PSU now and another MOBO you have a good start on another system.

I would still try to run memtest on the ram though. A lot of issues are caused by ram problems, and I don't think it puts a lot of strain on the CPU.

Dave76 · 29 Jul 2011

kalelreturns said:

could someone tell me if my system is under powered?

phenom II x4 3.5ghz 970
Asus m4a78t-E motherboard
4GB crucial ballistix tracer ddr3 1600
seagate barracuda 1Tb 7200rpm
2x radeon hd 6850 in crossfire
blu-ray burner
cooler master gx 750w
razer lycosa
razer mamba
razer megalodon
2x 230mm led fans
2x 140mm led fans
2x 120mm led fans
cooler master gemeni II cpu cooler

I believe that is everything that runs off my power supply. nothing is overclocked

I have seen 1600MHz RAM frequency cause a lot of BSoDs on AMD CPUs.
Post the information requested below and we can change the settings and see if it will help your system become more stable.

D/L CPUZ and post a snip of the CPU, Mainboard, Memory, and SPD tabs.
For posting the information , enter 'Snipping tool' in the Start button > Search box, hit enter. Select the area you want to post and save to a convenient place.
How to Post a Screenshot in Seven Forums

Have you been checking your temperatures?
Use Core Temp, to check the CPU temps when at idle, under load and/or testing.
Let us know the minimum and maximum temps you get.

Go to your BIOS and tell us what the CPU, RAM and the CPU integrated memory controller voltages are.

There is a known issue with AMD CPUs integrated memory controllers having problems running RAM at 1600 MHz and above.

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