Wouldn't this little Intel Active Monitor tell me if the computer is overheating? I am going to be hard to help with this matter as I have never been inside the case and don't really want to mess around in there! Should I be shutting down at night? I have been in the habit of leaving it on 24/7 and only shutting down during a storm. I will get back to you tomorrow with the mainboard specs. Sandi ----- Original Message ----- From: "GuitarMan" <gman.pctt@xxxxxxxxx> To: <pctechtalk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> Sent: Tuesday, May 06, 2008 8:45 PM Subject: -=PCTechTalk=- Re: Computer Problems following upgrade > Sandi, > My first thoughts are that your system is overheating more now than it > was before the new PS. When certain components get too hot, they start > emitting odd problems and you're getting odd problems all over the place. > So, have any of these issues cropped up between the time you turn on your > cooled down system and about 15 minutes later? Chances are they happen > after it's been running a while, instead. Again, this would strongly > indicate a possible heat issue. I'll also mention that upgraded devices > usually emit more heat than the less capable parts they replace. This > means > you now have a better (hotter) video card and a stronger (hotter) power > supply as well as a faster (hotter) CPU running the whole show. To be > fair, > parts also run hotter than normal when they're stressed (their > capabilities > are maxed out) and that includes the power supply if it's being asked to > power more parts than it was designed to can handle. I'm including that > last statement so that you don't get the wrong impression that I'm > questioning the upgrades he suggested. > > The first suspect would have to be the transfer of heat between the > newly installed CPU and its heatsink/fan combo. If there is not enough or > too much thermal grease between them, the CPU will not be able to shed > enough of the heat it produces and you'll get all sorts of issues occuring > (well, until the chip burns out completely). I would also look at the > efficiency of the air movement within the case. If you have two fans > sucking hot air out of the back of the case, but there are no intake fans > to > replace that hot air, you'll end up with a vacuum that causes less heat > being able to escape as well as more 'dead spots' where no air is able to > move at all. The opposite idea causes similar problems. If there's more > air being forced into the case than there are fans to exhaust it, you end > up > with a high pressure cooker that again causes much less air movement than > what is optimal. The ideal is a balanced intake/exhaust fan setup that > allows for more of a 'wind tunnel' effect that continually replenishes the > exhausted hot air with cooler fresh air moving from the front to the back > of > the case. > > If both of those check out fine (doubtful to me), then this is more > than > likely the result of a driver incompatability issue. Since the video card > utilizes the most complicated of all drivers in a system, I would start by > uninstalling it (uninstall its drivers and then physically remove the > card) > and see how the system acts with your old graphics in place. If all > issues > disappear, the card or something within its drivers is causing the > problems. > > As for the lack of any perceptable perfomance boost, some components > need a little tweaking before they get to really "strut their stuff". To > help determine if that's the situation here, please send in the mainboard > make/model or, if unknown, the entire system's make/model for reference. > > Peace, > Gman > > "The only dumb questions are the ones that are never asked" > --------------------------------------------------------------- Please remember to trim your replies (including this sentence and everything below it) and adjust the subject line as necessary. To unsubscribe or change your email settings: //www.freelists.org/webpage/pctechtalk To access our Archives: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/PCTechTalk/messages/ //www.freelists.org/archives/pctechtalk/ To contact only the PCTT Mod Squad, write to: pctechtalk-moderators@xxxxxxxxxxxxx ---------------------------------------------------------------