Help no idea what's wrong with my PC... :(

[Alex1986]

Hello i have wired problem ok this will sound crazy but i think software actually damaged my hardware...

Ok about 1 month ago i did play 3 games Mass Effect 1 & 2 and Dragon Age...

Finishing Mass Effect i noticed slow downs prodobly something overheating no big deal i just cleaned up my PC from all the dust...ok i finished Mass Effect 1 and started playing Mass Effect 2...

And things did go a lot worse i had to set everything to default in my bios to default no more OC i just though it was heat issue becouse game was using cpu 100% all the time so well i did go with it...

After i finished Mass Effect 2 i started Dragon Age and finished it end my secound play though all shit started to happen...

Now im running on default bios settings and basicly i can't play 3d games either it crashes or i get bluescreen(very rare first one i had one but it was only for 5 secounds coulden't read it)...

My PC is only 1 year old its Pentium Dual Core E2160 2.0Ghz 4Gb ddr2 800Mhz and Radeon 3870Gigabyte 825/900 only thing that i had OC earlier was CPU to 3.0Ghz and ram to 960Mhz and my PSU is 450 wats but after playing those games im running default settings and i can't play other games that runned normaly earlier

Help me find what's wrong becouse it don't make any sense at all is there any software i can run for gfx and cpu? also no orthos or other bullshit i already did kill something with game that uses 100% cpu don't need to make things worse...

Also if you enter into google Dragon Age 3870 you get fev disturbing topics it looks like Dragon Age is killing gfx but if it would only be gfx why can't i run stable my OC to 3.0Ghz anymore so its CPU too or maybe PSU?

Edit:Im sorry my post is writed like that but im in state of panic right now i don;t got any money for new hardware and i need damn PC for work if it dies im toasted

 

[pebbly]

hi Alex1986, first and most importantly stop overclocking ,are you using the latest catylist drivers ,if so try going back a version or 2 see if that helps , a 450watt psu is a little on the under powered side for your system , i would go for at least 550watt

 

[Alex1986]

hi Alex1986, first and most importantly stop overclocking ,are you using the latest catylist drivers ,if so try going back a version or 2 see if that helps , a 450watt psu is a little on the under powered side for your system , i would go for at least 550watt

Hey im running default setting no OC for a long time...

Hm 450watt psu is not enought? things were running great until i played those damn games...

Basicly i need help or software that can log what's happening when i encounter problem becouse right now it looks like everything is wrong i can run windows,play 2d games,watch movies,browse web no problem but anything that requires more is failing...

Also i think i should mention this earlier when i had one of those crashes i could not load my windows it kinda did load very slow so i did reinstall it...

Installation is very slow no idea why its like something is slowing it...also another wired this is happening from begining when watch movies i get something like HD is turning it self off for 1-2 sec but no such thing happen when i play games or play music...

Like i said things don't make any sense at all...still any help is welcome becouse i have no idea atm....

Edit: Also warranty is not option i did kinda break it when i added 2 memory sticks but it was a year ago so it's not a case...

 

[pebbly]

try running the system file checker http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/1538-sfc-scannow-command-system-file-checker.html see if that throws up any thing

 

[mpcrsc562]

The first system I built was a barebone that had the psu supplied with the system. I think it was a 400 or 450 watt psu (also, it was a cheapie). I also had a Sapphire Radeon 3870 running in that system. My system behaved the same way you described. I got a new psu (500 watt quality psu) and never had that problem again.

ATI Radeon? HD 3800 Series System Requirements

 

[Alex1986]

The first system I built was a barebone that had the psu supplied with the system. I think it was a 400 or 450 watt psu (also, it was a cheapie). I also had a Sapphire Radeon 3870 running in that system. My system behaved the same way you described. I got a new psu (500 watt quality psu) and never had that problem again.

ATI Radeon? HD 3800 Series System Requirements

Hm still why now why not earlier i was running everything on max detail and never had those problems i think its something like 15 months i did run on same config...

Could it be that PSU is starting to fail? this could explain why can't OC now and when i require more power it restarts...

How can i cheak if its my PSU thats failing not other thing? also mpcrsc562 did you encounter those problems from first day or after sometime playing with your PC?

@pebbly i did have fev errors after scan but it was fixed already so that's not the issue...thank you if you have any other ideas they are welcome...

Right now im playing with windows browsing web etc and everything is stable shit happens when i need more processing power 3d games etc...

Im kinda worried that ram on my gfx could be damaged any way here is the topic http://social.bioware.com/forum/1/topic/58/index/706190/1 any way this is not only topic just use google there are a lot of people who report similar problems after playing Dragon Age maybe its not a myth

Still hm this could explain why my PC is running a little better with no OC less power needed...

Guys how can i cheak how much power PSU i delivering? and how much my PC is using?

OK i got stupid idea...how can i downgrade my 3870 so it will eat less power if i use catalyst and declock its core from 825 to 300 nothing bad will happen?

 

[gregrocker]

Stress test your memory overnight with bootable memtest86 CD.

Since you're testing hardware, test also your HD using maker's diag/repair CD full scan: Hard Drive Diagnostics Tools and Utilities (Storage) - TACKtech Corp.

Swap out your PSU to see if problem stops.

Try reseating your graphics card, reinstalling driver, making sure you have latest then if neccessary rolling back to previous version. Try running with and without full software package.

Finally, try defaulting to onboard graphics or swapping in another graphics card to see what changes.

 

[Alex1986]

1.Stress test your memory overnight with bootable memtest86 CD.
2.Since you're testing hardware, test also your HD using maker's diag/repair CD full scan: Hard Drive Diagnostics Tools and Utilities (Storage) - TACKtech Corp.
3.Swap out your PSU to see if problem stops.
4.Try reseating your graphics card, reinstalling driver, making sure you have latest then if neccessary rolling back to previous version. Try running with and without full software package.
5.Finally, try defaulting to onboard graphics or swapping in another graphics card to see what changes.

1.Hm im sure my ram is fine but can't hurt to double cheak.
2.I already did test my 3 hard drives and yes one of them is failing but im not using it for windows or other things that matter its basicly recyclebin...
3.Swap out you mean to get a new one?
4.Already did everything i did cheak catalyst 10.2 and 10.3 also windows 7 driver same thing...maybe i try 10.1 if i find it...
5.I don't got onboard graphics hm oh well this is what happens when you throw out perfectly fine 6600gt half year earlier

Preaty much im broke atm so i can only hope that i find issue with software and wait for next paycheak

Any way i hope its PSU it would be most cheap to replace maybe 550 would do...

 

[gregrocker]

You can always buy or borrow a PSU to swap in and return it if not the prob.

 

[pebbly]

alex1986 here is a link to an online PSU calculator just input all your drives, devices etc and it will give you a recommended psu wattage needed to run your pc Thermaltake Power Supply Calculator

 

[Alex1986]

You can always buy or borrow a PSU to swap in and return it if not the prob.

Atm i can't buy no money

And well all my friends have either damn consoles or netbooks(im actualy thinking about selling my PC ang getting one netbook its quite handy and not so much cables im too old for those lol)...

Any way i did some testing cpu load 100% but with no OC and no crashes,harddrives are working correct too,ram is fine too so only things left are...

Gfx or psu that's damaged hm how can i cheak wich one is it?

Any way i was thinking correct me if im wrong if gfx would be damaged it would cause somekinda artifacts or other issues with displayed graphics so i quess its actually psu thats at fault?

And if im not wrong 3870 is eating a lot more power at full load than pentium dual core e2160 right?

Also how its possible that my PC is still working if one of those things is damaged?

 

[Alex1986]

alex1986 here is a link to an online PSU calculator just input all your drives, devices etc and it will give you a recommended psu wattage needed to run your pc Thermaltake Power Supply Calculator

Hey sorry diden't notice your post earlier any way i did it and well it turns out my PC eats 475(with OC) and 444 on default basicly i pick 100% load i quess its PSU fault...

So guys answear me this why did my PC worked fine for almost 15 months and now its making problems PSU is dying slowly delivering less power its possible?

Im not expert but PSU can become weaker and not actually die instantly?

Basicly if answear is yes then its my PSU and i only need to replace and im happy i can still do my work on it but its days as gaming rig are over until i get new psu

Oh and thanks pebbly good website quite usefull

 

[pebbly]

im not 100% convinced it is your psu at fault , check your ram timings and set them at default ,see if that makes any difference

 

[mpcrsc562]

im not 100% convinced it is your psu at fault , check your ram timings and set them at default ,see if that makes any difference

Also, your specs stated that you had 800MHz ram running at 933MHz when you were overclocking. When you overclock your cpu, you overclock your ram--if you leave everything as is. So, what type of ram do you have? If it is a "value" brand, you might have messed up the ram. So as you know, what one person is able to do with their hardware / system setup, you might not be able to do with yours even if it exactly the same. Someone else stated to run memtest, so I'd try that to make sure your ram is still good.

 

[Alex1986]

im not 100% convinced it is your psu at fault , check your ram timings and set them at default ,see if that makes any difference

Well im not too but its thing that makes most sense atm...

Any way ram timing are all the same on default settings.

Any way im open to suggestions i even take in consideration that theory about Dragon Age burning ram on 3870 i read some things on google and it turns out some guys have similar problems they can run windows etc but when they try to run some 3d game all shit starts to happen after fev minutes...but still to thing that game burned my cards is kinda scary...

Also, your specs stated that you had 800MHz ram running at 933MHz when you were overclocking. When you overclock your cpu, you overclock your ram--if you leave everything as is. So, what type of ram do you have? If it is a "value" brand, you might have messed up the ram. So as you know, what one person is able to do with their hardware / system setup, you might not be able to do with yours even if it exactly the same. Someone else stated to run memtest, so I'd try that to make sure your ram is still good.

Actually it was running at 960Mhz and ram sticks are all from Kingstone not best but not bad too...

I will do secound ram test but not today i will run it tommorow everything is possible i quess...

Also no idea if its important but got now case open and i get wired sound like something is turning on and off(and like switch n and off) its hard to describe any ideas???

 

[gregrocker]

Kingston is one of the best at support and replacing defective RAM. Call them if you have any bad chips after memtest86 overnight stress testing.

 

[Alex1986]

Kingston is one of the best at support and replacing defective RAM. Call them if you have any bad chips after memtest86 overnight stress testing.

Ram is fine no errors...

OK considering i yesterday tortured my cpu 90-100% use all the time i quess its fine too...

So it looks like things go bad when i OC or try to use gfx for 3d apps or gaming...

Everything runs fine no errors sometimes after 5 or 60 minutes it can reset or bsod...

Also after i OC windows loads fine and it stops or is very very slow to a point restart is only option this could be caused by gfx? also sometimes it runs fine...

Hm and if gfx would be damage in any way diplay would be messed up right?(never had broken card so i have no idea how it looks...)

Edit: OK guys i did a make a big mistake psu is actually 400 watt SORRY and i think those wired sounds that were comming from my PC are from him 90% sure...

Any way its Tracer 4Life/400 i quess its piece of crap im right?

I quess its problem solved but answear me this why it was running fine until now? i don't quite understand how it can die slowy delivering less power...

 

[Alex1986]

Guys speedfan did give me those readings:

Vcore1: 1.22V
Vcore2: 1.90V
+3.3V: 3.31V
+5V: 5.00V
+12V: 0.96V
-12V: -16.72
-5V: -8.48V
+5V: 5.16V
Vbat: 3.12V

Are they fine?

Also i read a lot about psu failing symptoms and well actually im 90% sure its the case.And this tracer crap is suppose to supply only 200-300 watt not 400 watt so i quess its no suprise it did fail after 1 year...

Any way i did cheak and according to this web site http://thermaltake.outervision.com/ if i unplug 1 hd drive and dvd i will get 30-40 watts free should be enought until i buy new chieftec 450 watt its good right?

 

[mpcrsc562]

+12V: 0.96V

Are they fine?

Not fine. That is supposed to be 12v!

 

[Alex1986]

+12V: 0.96V

Are they fine?

Not fine. That is supposed to be 12v!

What's this +12v responsible for? hm im not sure but its gfx related maybe then it would explain everything.

And actually a good news i only need to buy new psu...

Any way i did unplug stuff that i don't need so it should work for sometime...

Hm still i don't understand how this can still work any way if i remember right about 1 month ago my sister told me something was burning i quess she was right

Ok so how bad is it?