System keeps freezing!

J

jhego

[H]ard|Gawd
Joined
Jul 23, 2004
Messages
1,448
Recently my system keeps freezing randomly. I cannot pinpoint the problem. At first I thought it was HD with the bad SATA connections. But the system registers them at the beginning and i don't think it can cause a freeze-up unless it's the primary HD. Might be the RAM, but i ran memtest and it came out good as well, i'll probably do it again. Then the PSU, i had it for 5 years now. It might be the problem? Next is the OS. I'll probably run a diagnostic if its any of the software that is causing the problem. I really don't know guys, any suggestions?
 
PSU man. A 5 year old PSU is pretty old. try swap the PSU with another one. If you don't have one, Best Buy has the Antec EA500D for $70.
 
Before you start tossing money at the problem, do all the free stuff first. Return it back to stock clocks. Reseat all connections. Make sure you have all drivers up to date. Use one vid card at a time. Check your Reliability Monitor in Administrative Tools. Once you have all that done, then start with the hardware swapping. The parts in your sig look solid, so I would definitely go this route first.
 
My system has been working rock solid for about a year now with the same drivers, same OC clocks and such. I haven't installed any major drivers other than the Microsoft updates. Just recently it started freezing like about weeks ago. The only problem i came across last month was one of my storage HD not registering from time to time, so i changed the SATA connection and has been showing up since. I've also made sure that everything is connected properly to the mobo.

However, I noticed that the HDD light would stay solid after it freezes most of the time. When it gets stuck, I look at the HDD light to see if it will stay solid a second later and it does. I can also see that the SATA connection to the storage HD is a little wobbly, but i don't think it can cause the freezing since it's not the primary drive? Could it be my primary drive is the problem? And if there is no connection, it shouldn't register in the beginning right? If it's a software problem, wouldn't it freeze at the same time every time? The freezing is random, sometimes instantly and sometimes an hour later. Then sometimes not at all. I just played Left 4 Dead for an hour and did not freeze at all. The only thing left to blame is the oldest hardware i own which is the PSU. Is there a PSU stress test or some sort?
 
Get something that reads the S.M.A.R.T. data from your hard drive. I use Everest Ultimate. You can download a free trial to read your HD data. This will give you the important info about your hard drive health. You really seem stuck on the PSU. Borrow or buy a different one. I'm not convinced its the PSU yet.
 
jhego said:
  1. When it gets stuck, I look at the HDD light to see if it will stay solid a second later and it does. I can also see that the SATA connection to the storage HD is a little wobbly, but i don't think it can cause the freezing since it's not the primary drive?
  2. Could it be my primary drive is the problem?
  3. And if there is no connection, it shouldn't register in the beginning right?
  4. If it's a software problem, wouldn't it freeze at the same time every time?
  5. ... Is there a PSU stress test or some sort?
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1) yes it can
2) yes, run a drive fitness test on it (ubcd)
3) right, but if its a loose/poor connection, it can cause freezing; and so can a dying drive; try new cables/ports if possible
4) no; check event viewer
5) there's a psu tester you can buy, but that thing is old and I wouldn't bother testing it. replace it already.
 
Don't stress yourself too much dude. A run to your local Best Buy and picking up the Antec EA500D and doing a quick swap is not that much trouble. Plus, even if it's not the PSU you still can return the PSU. But, I can say that this happened to me also. Very similar scenario to what you are experiencing now. When I bought my Acer Aspire computer, I swapped the PSU in it and put in my Antec 480 blue in there because I upgraded the video card. The Antec 480 I had that for a good 4-5 years. The computer was running solid for over a year. Then, one day it just started freezing. It could freeze instantly when it starts up or it would freeze later. I would shut off the PC then turn it on again and then it would work fine after that. As time passed, it started to freeze more and more. I then decided to swap out the PSU with the Antec EA650 PSU I bought from NewEgg last year. Now, it does not even freeze.
 
Thanks for all your help. I'll go replace the PSU and keep you guys updated.
 
There is also the Antec EA650 for $100 at Best Buy. It's $30 more than the Antec EA500D psu but, it has more amperage on the +12v with 45A as oppose to 34A on the EA500D. But, the Antec EA500D will be enough for your setup. It's just that the Antec EA650 will give you more headroom if you decide to upgrade the video card down the road.
 
Hamakua said:
Just got that for a build for my girl. Only con I can see so far is that it doesn't have a modular cable system.
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What are the main advantages of a modular other than neat cable management?
 
enginurd said:
thats it. :p
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In that case, i'll just stick to the normal ones.

I just went ahead and bought the Antec 650. Price somewhat went up on the Corsair 650TX on Amazon. It seems to be the most suggested PSU on the forum especially by pros like HardwareGuru and Zero82z. Only gripe is i wish it was black, gray color looks old school.
 
Eh, Corsairs in general get suggested a lot. Earthwatts, Seasonics, Silverstones, and PC P&C are also good alternatives that get mentioned quite often. It really depends on the build, budget, and current prices. The Antec earthwatts 650W is $80 at fry's B&M, btw (in case you live near one).
 
enginurd said:
Eh, Corsairs in general get suggested a lot. Earthwatts, Seasonics, Silverstones, and PC P&C are also good alternatives that get mentioned quite often. It really depends on the build, budget, and current prices. The Antec earthwatts 650W is $80 at fry's B&M, btw (in case you live near one).
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I would get it at Fry's but amazon is free of tax and free shipping :p

Oh and i also meant that HardwareGuru and Zero82z are suggesting Earthwatts a lot. But the rest Corsairs....
 
jhego said:
I would get it at Fry's but amazon is free of tax and free shipping :p

Oh and i also meant that HardwareGuru and Zero82z are suggesting Earthwatts a lot. But the rest Corsairs....
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Well the vast majority of the builds we see here on the forums don't have the necessary budget nor need for the Corsair 650W and up PSUs. The Antec Earthwatts 650W, while not exactly a true 650W IMO due it only having 45A on the +12V rail when the average for a 650W seems to be 50A to 52A, is well priced. It's cheaper than many other 650W and even 550W PSUs out there yet offers a bit power than many 550W PSUs with their average 40A on the +12V rail. As such, the Antec Earthwatts 650W does get recommended quite a bit here in this part of the forum.
 
Got a question on the Antec 650. If i decide to upgrade in a year or so, will i be able to use this on a i720, newer GPU, etc.... Is this going to be enough since you say it is not a true 650W? I would hate to upgrade the PSU again when i could just have bought the Corsair 650TX.
 
Yes, it will be enough if you upgrade to an i7 and a new single vidcard.
 
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