View Full Version : My brother-in-law warned me but I didn't listen...
rpmgrlca
6 Apr 2005, 6:03pm
I built a new pc recently and got most of the kinks worked out but one. My brother-in-law told me not to get an AMD because he had one and his computer kept shutting down. Guess what.. my pc is shutting down with Stop error 0x0000009c. It's fine as long as all I do is browse or something but when I make the machine work ( like downloading torrents ) it overheats and shuts down.
I have a 3200 Athalon with a built in cooler that came in a bundle with the motherboard (DFI with 400 fsb) and my case has a fan on top and one on the side. I have not overclocked (don't know how) and am now kicking myself for not listening.
Any ideas?
Thanks in advance,
Rachael
GHoosdum
6 Apr 2005, 6:22pm
I can tell you right now that it's not because you're using an AMD that it's shutting down on you. In fact, modern AMD chips run cooler than most Intel chips that are being sold today. I'm guessing your issue is memory related. Download memtest86+ (found at www.memtest.org ) and follow the directions to run it. Here is a great set of directions for use: http://www.short-media.com/review.php?r=276
And please tell your brother-in-law to do the same. He's either stuck in the '80s with his bias against AMD, or he's experiencing a similar problem to you.
Cyclonite
6 Apr 2005, 6:28pm
*Points up*
Listen to this man. :)
It's not an AMD problem, per se. I'd check the RAM first. Download and run Memtest86 (http://www.memtest86.com/).
TheBaron
6 Apr 2005, 6:57pm
while this isn't helping solve your problem, I just thought I'd say that my Intel 2.8C chip runs at 70 degrees Celcius under load using the stock cooler. my point? all stock coolers suck.
memtest sounds like a good way to start off though
primesuspect
6 Apr 2005, 6:59pm
AMD processors are superior to Intel processors in almost every way. Your problem has nothing at all to do with the processor. It's most likely a memory problem.
rpmgrlca
6 Apr 2005, 7:12pm
Thank you for the advice. It certainly eases my mind. I spent a lot of money building this thing and all we've done since, is fix problems. Hopefully this will be the last one. I'll try doing this when I get home from work tonight and I'll let you know what happened.
Rachael
GnomeWizardd
6 Apr 2005, 7:13pm
/me points up
Nuff said
/me exits
all stock coolers suck.
And all the ones for my AMD 64's keep them in the low 40's.
The $12 coolermasters are within one or two degrees of my $40 Zalmans. a coupel degrees for $28 bucks isnt such a good deal.
Tex
lemonlime
6 Apr 2005, 10:54pm
What model of DFI motherboard do you have?
DFI is known for their 'tweaking boards'.. and are not always the most friendly and stable, without a bit of tweaking.
I would also recommend doing a full memtest, but I would also wonder about your power supply. Problems like what you are describing can also be caused by an underpowered system. Did you take your powersupply from an older machine? or is it a unit that came with the case?
rpmgrlca
8 Apr 2005, 2:36am
OK. So I did the memory test and there were no problems found. I have a DFI NF2 400-AL shown here:
http://www.dfi.com.tw/Product/xx_product_spec_details_r_us.jsp?PRODUCT_ID=1982&CATEGORY_TYPE=MB&SITE=NA
It wasn't actually the one they were supposed to send me but once I got it I didn't want to have to send it back and go even LONGER without a pc.
I have a 350 w power supply that came with the case.
Any other thoughts?
Rachael
Liquid81
8 Apr 2005, 3:49am
is it a true 350 watt?
I had a PSU that was supposed to be 300 once, and I tested it to be 145!!! That machine restarted... a lot.
Liquid81
8 Apr 2005, 3:50am
was the heat sink attached by the factory?
primesuspect
8 Apr 2005, 4:19am
It could indeed be the PSU. What brand is the power supply?
rpmgrlca
8 Apr 2005, 4:43am
The power supply is "icute". How do I test if it really is 350 w?
The cpu came with the cooler attached already.
primesuspect
8 Apr 2005, 4:58am
That's probably your problem - that PSU is a no name brand, and chances are you are not getting good power from it. I would recommend a brand name PSU such as an Antec or OCZ.
I agree. That PSU is a peice of junk.
profdlp
8 Apr 2005, 5:39am
I agree with the other guys. At the same time, if it were my money I would try to borrow a (good!) PSU for a couple of days and make sure.
You'd be best off upgrading it in any case, but if you're on a tight budget it wouldn't hurt to be sure that's going to solve your problem. If the computer works fine with the borrowed PSU you'll feel a whole lot better about coughing up the dough for a new one. :)
rpmgrlca
8 Apr 2005, 5:51am
Good idea. My local shop doesn't have any of the brands mentioned but I can always order one. I'll give it a try and report back the results. You guys are so helpful!!
Thank you very much
what about the dreaded dust bunnies? grab a can of compressed air and blow out all of the fans in your case. pay close attention to the hsf on the cpu. also can try blowing out your "underpowered" psu...
primesuspect
8 Apr 2005, 6:34am
It's a new computer build, according to the first post in this thread. I don't think dust would be a problem on a computer just a few days/weeks old.
rpmgrlca
8 Apr 2005, 6:35am
Good thought but this is a brand new system. No bunnies yet
jef+pal106
10 Apr 2005, 8:26am
while this isn't helping solve your problem, I just thought I'd say that my Intel 2.8C chip runs at 70 degrees Celcius under load using the stock cooler. my point? all stock coolers suck.
memtest sounds like a good way to start off though
i second that! just dont have much time to buy a new HSF.. but stock fans really sucks! :scratch:
rpmgrlca
27 Apr 2005, 4:25am
Are any of these any good?
http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/category/category_slc.asp?CatId=1078&
rpmgrlca
27 Apr 2005, 4:31am
I did have 2 different power supplies in this thing with no change in performance.
When I browse or do nothing my temp stays around the mid 40's. When I do anything else (converting or downloading large files) it shoot's up into the 50's then reboots. Is the next thing to try a cooler for the CPU? If not then any new ideas?
This thing is frustrating me so much I almost wish I bought a pre-assembled pc from a name brand company. At least then if there was a problem I could send the damn thing back, you know?
Don't mind me, just venting a little.
jef+pal106
27 Apr 2005, 6:24am
I did have 2 different power supplies in this thing with no change in performance.
When I browse or do nothing my temp stays around the mid 40's. When I do anything else (converting or downloading large files) it shoot's up into the 50's then reboots. Is the next thing to try a cooler for the CPU? If not then any new ideas?
This thing is frustrating me so much I almost wish I bought a pre-assembled pc from a name brand company. At least then if there was a problem I could send the damn thing back, you know?
Don't mind me, just venting a little.
are there any fans that is attached in the casing like front or side fans? you can try turning it off just thinking if it causes turbulence inside... also check if the cpu fan is properly placed...
danball1976
27 Apr 2005, 7:41am
I did have 2 different power supplies in this thing with no change in performance.
When I browse or do nothing my temp stays around the mid 40's. When I do anything else (converting or downloading large files) it shoot's up into the 50's then reboots. Is the next thing to try a cooler for the CPU? If not then any new ideas?
This thing is frustrating me so much I almost wish I bought a pre-assembled pc from a name brand company. At least then if there was a problem I could send the damn thing back, you know?
Don't mind me, just venting a little.
Since my AMD Athlon XP 2600 (2.08GHz) will run in the 50's with 100% cpu load (Highest was 55C), I always keep the setting where it'll shut off the computer if it gets too hot turned off. I would first suggest turning that off in the BIOS that makes it shut down since AMD CPU's are designed to handle temps up to 100C, but never ever allow it to get higher than 60C, as the cooler you can keep it, the longer it lasts. My CPU, despite it always being at 100% usage because of folding, I bough back in February 2003 is still going strong, it is also overclocked to 2.25GHz during the summer since the A/C is on.
I have the Vantec TMD fan on it as well, and a Enermax 350W PSU.
I would get this one, 400W, max combined 400W:
http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=1028624&CatId=1078
Also, try to look for it at Newegg, you might get a better deal
Alternate solution: If your brother also has a computer, "borrow" his power supply. =P
rpmgrlca
27 Apr 2005, 12:36pm
Here's something wierd. I ran out of oil last night so my house is pretty cold while we are witing on the oil delivery. My CPU temp has dropped to the low 40's.
I tried converting a file again and the temp went up 5 degrees to 46. CPU usage when it's doing this is at 100%. The computer rebooted when it hit 46 degrees with that same error. 46 is not too hot so it shouldn't be heat that's the problem right?
Did you turn off automatic reboots in XP on errors? Do it now if you have not. We need to see the error.
Checked the systemlogs for errors? If not do that now.
Tex
Justin
27 Apr 2005, 3:12pm
www.newegg.com , all you will need for a new PSU or anything else.
edcentric
27 Apr 2005, 5:17pm
One thought is to dis-mount the Heat Sink Fan, remove the Thermal Interface Material pad, and re-mount using Artic Silver 5 paste.
profdlp
27 Apr 2005, 5:25pm
...My CPU temp has dropped to the low 40's.
I tried converting a file again and the temp went up 5 degrees to 46....computer rebooted when it hit 46 degrees with that same error. 46 is not too hot so it shouldn't be heat that's the problem right?
My computer's CPU runs between 47C and 50C, depending on the room temperature. I don't think your problem is heat-related. Even so, it would be a good idea to use the Artic Silver 5 paste edcentric mentioned.
I'd follow the advice Tex gave you in post #31. Often the answer is right there in the log or error screen just waiting to be discovered. :)
rpmgrlca
27 Apr 2005, 11:59pm
It reboots with stop error 0x0000009c. Also both PSU's that I tried are 350 wt.
How do I check the systemlogs for errors?
danball1976
28 Apr 2005, 12:40am
As we've all said, you need a quality PSU, I would imagine that both of those 350W are not quality PSU's.
It reboots with stop error 0x0000009c. Also both PSU's that I tried are 350 wt.
How do I check the systemlogs for errors?
Control panel/Administrative tools/event viewer.
Or just go to Help and Support and search for event viewer. It will probably cough up links to the actual program,
rpmgrlca
23 May 2005, 12:20am
It's fixed!!!
So here's what happened... I took it to a local shop where they kept it for 2 days but couldn't find the problem. They said they worked it to death and it didn't reboot once the whole time. So, I paid them their 30 bucks for their time and took the thing home and it rebooted within 2 min of me trying to convert a file. They are so full of crap.
Anyway, we've been trying different things with no change and today my hubby went into the BIOS which I know absolutely nothing about. The L1 and L2 cache were both disabled and the processor was set at 50%. He enabled the cache and upped the processor and my pc now works like a dream. It's good to have a computer that I can do more than browse on.
Thanks to all of you for your advice.
Rachael
Donut
23 May 2005, 12:53am
Glad all is well, sometimes it's the simple things that will get you. :thumbsup:
Leonardo
23 May 2005, 1:36am
Ah, good news! Don't feel about the errors. Modern hardware - for both AMD and Intel systems for the most part is good quality and generally compatible with different setups. Your specifications and setup are in good order for your machine. BIOS setup can be one of the most frustrating tasks for persons doing their first home build. I should know, I nearly tore my hair out when I first built a computer over BIOS settings.
Leonardo
23 May 2005, 1:39am
Side note:
Your brother-in-law. Whenever I hear someone say, "I'd stay away from AMD...", it's an indicator to me that they haven't paid much attention to hardware developments since 1999. Quite often well-meaning people think Intel is the only way to go. Pity. Don't ignore your brother in law in the future concerning computer hardware, but I'd backstop what he says by a visit your friends here at Short-Media.
Concerning the AMD thing. You know, I don't badmouth Chevrolet because the Corvair had problems in the 1960's.
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