Hey guys. I joined because my PC has a problem and I hope to find the answer here

my specs:
AMD Athlon 64 3700+
512MB RAM
ATI Radeon 9800 PRO
Maxtor 130GB
Win XP Home Ed.

Ok so here's my problem.

When playing games such as F.E.A.R. or Half-Life/Deathmatch my PC will randomly just shut off and then reboot.


I don't believe the problem lies with the video card. I use it at home, and when the school year begins I bring it with me to my campus. At home, I never have this problem. I don't know if that helps.

I don't know if it could be the CPU. I use my PC with the case wall OFF so that the air conditioning reaches the inside. Whenever the machine reboots while I'm playing a game I feel the fan and averywhere else, and it does not feel that hot.

I also use the same exact RAM from back home. When the school year begins I bring those too. I use two 256ddr RAM chips.

I've done research on this and I can never get a straight answer. It's always, "the CPU is overheating" or "check your video card" or "check ur wiring" or whatever.

What else can cause this to happen???

I hope yu guys cn help me out. If u think u have an answer, please explain in a specific manner so that I don't miss any valuable info. THX GUYS.

-mark

Hey there

Welcome to PCHF!

I personaly dont know what the problem is but I'm possitive that someone here does. I'm sure they will help you out soon.

PJ

i had a problem similar to this not long ago. I don't know if it will help you out much but, its either something overheating or your power supply might be failing or doesnt supply enough power. For me, it was my power supply, my system was sucking down more than it could supply. I changed it out and haven't had a problem since.

my power supply is 450w. i believe thats more than adequate?

It probably is enough, its just an idea. But, my psu was marked to be a 480W power supply but it didnt supply as much power as a 300W Antec. Mine was just faulty.

Have a look with this app to see what the voltage outputt of your psu is:

Download SpeedFan - Access temperature sensor in your computer

At the same time just to be sure also have a look at the temps it reports.

Post back with the readings it shows please.