System very unstable, overheating NB a possible cause?

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  1. Posts : 66
    Windows 7 Professional x64
       #1

    System very unstable, overheating NB a possible cause?


    Windows 7 professional x64
    OEM Version
    Hardware 18 months old
    Install 12 months old

    AMD Athlon II X3 440 AM3
    Gigabyte GA-870A-UD3
    Corsair 4GB DDR3 1066Mhz

    Basically a continuation from this old thread: https://www.sevenforums.com/crashes-d...-attached.html I've ignored the problem and used my laptop since then but I'm starting to need a more powerful rig.

    I uninstalled everything that was recommended and RMA'd the CPU but I still have an unstable system and RAM errors from MemTest. I'm having less bluescreens (not done anything memory intensive yet) but programs are still crashing a lot

    I was checking if my CPU heatsink was seated correctly and touched the NB heatsink and it was burning hot. Speedfan gives me a temp reading of 80C for one reading, which I assume is the NB.

    NB voltage is still stock at 1.2v but I have changed the CPU heatsink. It has a fan that blows air directly out the back and not against the motherboard. I assume that would generate some additional heat for the chips, could this be a root cause for the instability and RAM issues?
      My Computer


  2. Posts : 11,269
    Windows 7 Home Premium 64 Bit
       #2

    I sent a message to Dave76 to continue where he left off with you on that linked thread. :)
      My Computer


  3. Posts : 66
    Windows 7 Professional x64
    Thread Starter
       #3

    thanks!

    Just an update. I removed the NB heatsink, added some washers to the plastic pins so the springs are more compressed and applied some Artic Silver 5 to it. Speedfan still reports a temp of 80C immediately on startup so I assume it is a wrong reading.

    Tried to do a fresh install of windows but got a bluescreen during installation. This happened a few times so I gave up. Maybe the installation CD is damaged, not sure. I will use the computer for a while and see if there is any improvement.

    *edit

    Firefox still sporadically crashes so guess that didn't help much. I'll see if I can find something RAM intensive later
      My Computer


  4. Posts : 11,269
    Windows 7 Home Premium 64 Bit
       #4

    Akira181 said:
    thanks!

    Just an update. I removed the NB heatsink, added some washers to the plastic pins so the springs are more compressed and applied some Artic Silver 5 to it. Speedfan still reports a temp of 80C immediately on startup so I assume it is a wrong reading.

    Tried to do a fresh install of windows but got a bluescreen during installation. This happened a few times so I gave up. Maybe the installation CD is damaged, not sure. I will use the computer for a while and see if there is any improvement.
    What are the temperature readings given through the BIOS on startup?
      My Computer


  5. Posts : 66
    Windows 7 Professional x64
    Thread Starter
       #5

    I can check now, been running for a 15 minutes or so but my apartment is freezing just now so it should be okay

    Edit:
    Only 2 temperatures I see are System Temp: 37, CPU temp: 29 (don't think I swapped those numbers in my head)
      My Computer


  6. Posts : 11,269
    Windows 7 Home Premium 64 Bit
       #6

    Akira181 said:
    I can check now, been running for a 15 minutes or so but my apartment is freezing just now so it should be okay

    Edit:
    Only 2 temperatures I see are System Temp: 37, CPU temp: 29 (don't think I swapped those numbers in my head)
    Yeah in that case, I would say Speedfan is giving an erroneous reading. :)
      My Computer


  7. Posts : 66
    Windows 7 Professional x64
    Thread Starter
       #7

    downloading and installing 15 or so Windows Updates and just got a BSOD. Getting to the point where I am considering chucking the whole lot in the bin and starting again from scratch.

    Just thinking, with my system spec, 4 sata2 HDD and 1 SSD, and minimal USB devices, is my PSU big enough?
      My Computer


  8. Posts : 11,269
    Windows 7 Home Premium 64 Bit
       #8

    Akira181 said:
    downloading and installing 15 or so Windows Updates and just got a BSOD. Getting to the point where I am considering chucking the whole lot in the bin and starting again from scratch.

    Just thinking, with my system spec, 4 sata2 HDD and 1 SSD, and minimal USB devices, is my PSU big enough?
    What is your PSU rated at?
      My Computer


  9. Posts : 66
    Windows 7 Professional x64
    Thread Starter
       #9

    it's a Corsair 450W TX

    The rest of my rig is listed in the "My systems Specs" tab
      My Computer


  10. Posts : 11,269
    Windows 7 Home Premium 64 Bit
       #10

    Akira181 said:
    it's a Corsair 450W TX

    The rest of my rig is listed in the "My systems Specs" tab
    I see nothing to lead me to believe this is a PSU issue unless the PSU is failing. All your peripherals use between 200 and 250 Watts combined, and that's with a high estimate, so 450 Watts should be plenty.
      My Computer


 
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