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Comp make dies and makes weird noises.
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bridq
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24. December 2004 @ 16:00 |
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Hey guys, I was wondering if anybody can help me out since I'm about ready to toss my computer off the balcony. My computer randomly dies and starts making weird beeping noises. My computer will be on before the screen goes black and I hear a high pitch tone, a low pitch tone, then a high pitch tone, and then it finally just shuts off. Sometimes when I turn it on immediately afterwards the cycle repeats and it turns off again.
I thought my comp was overheating so I cleaned out all of the dust; it still crashed. I formatted my hard drives and reinstalled windows; it still crashed (now one of my hard drives is messed up for nothing. If you think you can help please see my other post http://forums.afterdawn.com/thread_view.cfm/124527).
It seems to crash randomly; even when it is not doing anything but remaining on. If anybody has any idea what is causing this or has any suggestions please let me know. Here are my specs:
AMD 2600 2.9 GHZ, 1.0 GB RAM, Sony DRU-500A DVD Writer, Maxtor 6Y200P0 ( 250 GB Drive only recognized as 128 GB), Lite-on LTR 52327S CD Writer, ATI Radeon 9200.
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ddp
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24. December 2004 @ 18:04 |
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if you have a 2600+ running as a 2.9ghz that could be part of problem as it should be about 2ghz
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bridq
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24. December 2004 @ 18:57 |
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sorry ddp, I misread the speed. It's running at 2.09 GHZ.
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ddp
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24. December 2004 @ 19:09 |
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do you have another video card to see if your card is doing it or not. what does hardware monitor show in bios for temp, voltages & fan(s) speed(s)
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Divinus
Suspended due to non-functional email address
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24. December 2004 @ 19:39 |
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That high pitch / low pitch / high pitch sounds like when you have the bios warning enabled for when your processor reaches a certain temperature. The turning off part could be when it reaches the "turn off" temperature to protect the processor.
Athlon 4200+ X2 @ 2.2 GHz | Asus A8N | 1x250GB SATA WD | 7900GTX | 512x2 Corsair PC3200 3-3-3-8 | NEC3500A 2.18 |
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bridq
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24. December 2004 @ 20:43 |
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Unfortunately I don't have another video card to test. How do I check the hardware monitor to see the status of temps, voltages, and fans? Divinus I'm not sure, but I think you are right. I think it might have something to do with temperature. Any ideas on how to fix it? The shut off is sporadic and random; my computer has been on for about 3 hours with no problems.
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Divinus
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24. December 2004 @ 21:25 |
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I'd find and install SiSoft Sandra 2004. Run it and see what it says your CPU temperature is. If you can't get ahold of this program there are tons of programs out there that will tell you what your CPU temp is or will get pretty accurate.
In your BIOS, there should be a power settings or somethnig similar area. Head to it and you should be able to see the current CPU temp, etc... This area should also contain the warning temperature for your CPU and the shut off Temp. See what these two are in porportion to your CPU temp.
Athlon 4200+ X2 @ 2.2 GHz | Asus A8N | 1x250GB SATA WD | 7900GTX | 512x2 Corsair PC3200 3-3-3-8 | NEC3500A 2.18 |
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ddp
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25. December 2004 @ 06:06 |
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check your manual & motherboard cd as might have info & program to check temp & voltages
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vato_loco
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26. December 2004 @ 13:00 |
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and if you can get into the bios.. reinstate optimized settings... it might be in the advanced settings, or one of the "F" keys... look to the bottom of the screen where the "F" keys are stated
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bridq
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27. December 2004 @ 07:43 |
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I went into my bios and checked the temperatures like you guys said. Here's what I found:
Current system temp 30 degrees C
CPU Temp 68 degrees C
CPU Fan Fail Warning (Disabled)
System Fan Fil Warning (Disabled)
Are these numbers normal?
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ddp
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27. December 2004 @ 08:05 |
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cpu is to high, check cpu fan is working & that the heatsink is seated properly
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bridq
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27. December 2004 @ 08:15 |
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So what should the ideal temperature be for a CPU?
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ddp
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27. December 2004 @ 08:28 |
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high 30 into 40s for amd if i am correct & enable cpu fan failure warning. how many fans in system total
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Divinus
Suspended due to non-functional email address
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28. December 2004 @ 01:38 |
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Yeah, ddp is right. 30s and 40s are accurate for AMD. If you're sitting there idling in the BIOS and your CPU has no load what so ever and running @ 68°C, that's bad. When you boot into windows and start putting loads on it I'm sure the thing is probably getting into the 70°Cs. I think 85 or 90 is the kill temp for Athlons.
Make sure you enable that CPU Fan failure warning as it's running fairly hot as it is.
The only things I can think of that cause it to get this hot are:
1. Crappy Crappy fan, I have a Volcano 5 on an Athlon 1800+ and it runs near the 70s at times.
2. Bad thermal grease application. Sometimes when it's your first time and you're really not sure how to put it on you tend to put either too much or not enough and the heatsync base doesn't sit right on the processor dye.
3. Your fan is going bad. Slowing down and not cooling the processor like it should.
I'd also like to take the time and ask you what the average temperature in the room where your computer is. This can have a huge impact on your cooling. Albeit, your case temperature seems ok so I don't think room ambience is the culprit.
Athlon 4200+ X2 @ 2.2 GHz | Asus A8N | 1x250GB SATA WD | 7900GTX | 512x2 Corsair PC3200 3-3-3-8 | NEC3500A 2.18 |
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bridq
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28. December 2004 @ 16:30 |
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30 to 40 degrees! Wow guys I'm in the danger zone then. Today the fan temp went all the way up to 96 degrees!I looked at the CPU fan and it had a lot of dust on it and appeared to spin slow. So I unscrewed the fan and cleande the dust with q-tips. I let my computer cool down before booting up to see what would happen. When I started it up again and let the comp sit in bios mode the temp rose from 60 degrees all the way to 80 degrees.
Divinus, you bring up another good point. My computer sits right in front of the air conditioning unit. It's winter time here in San Francisco and my heater is on. So I guess that might have something to do with it indefinitely. Tomorrow I will go to Fry's electronics and try to pick up a new fan. Any recomendations on fan types?
Also, what is a heat sync and how difficult is it to replace. I'll take whatever precautions to cool my comp down. Is the heat snyc that thing that is directly under the fan? Thanks again for your help everyone; your assistance is much appreciated.
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ddp
Moderator
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28. December 2004 @ 17:09 |
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it is actually heat sink not heat sync. try the volcano series 5 or bigger
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Divinus
Suspended due to non-functional email address
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28. December 2004 @ 18:07 |
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Yeah, lol sorry about my grammatical mistakes. The heat sink is just the metal piece that actually connects with your prcoessor's dye. The metal is a good conductor of heat and draws the heat directly off of the processor dye. The fan then sits on top of the heat sink and pulls the heat off of it. Basically when searching for a heat sink it's good to get one that's made of copper or at least has a copper base as copper is very conductive.
I'd go with something that's Thermalright brand but that's just what I've used from experience. I hear Zalman and the higher end Volcano series from Thermaltake are quite good.
Also, where did your current fan/heat sink combo come from? Was it stock with the processor?
Athlon 4200+ X2 @ 2.2 GHz | Asus A8N | 1x250GB SATA WD | 7900GTX | 512x2 Corsair PC3200 3-3-3-8 | NEC3500A 2.18 |
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bridq
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28. December 2004 @ 22:34 |
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My heat sink/fan combo is stock I guess. It is the one that came with my computer. I will go to the electronic store tomorrow and purchase both parts. I'll keep you guys posted on how it goes.
Oh, by the way I forgot to tell you how many fans I have in my system. I have to fans on the side cover of my computer, one on the CPU, and one by the power source.
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Divinus
Suspended due to non-functional email address
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28. December 2004 @ 22:48 |
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Yeah, good idea. I'd go ahead and get one of the higher end Volcano series.
Just make sure that you're careful when mounting the heatsink on the board. Honestly, I would never even attempt to mount a big heatsink on a board without it being out of the case. You could potentially crush your processor dye and even smash the socket (seen it done before). A lot of the time it can be difficult to get the side prongs to latch onto the socket, especially with non-stock big heatsinks. Just be careful and you should be fine. I'd also grab some nice Arctic Silver thermal grease while you're at the electronics store. Good luck!
Athlon 4200+ X2 @ 2.2 GHz | Asus A8N | 1x250GB SATA WD | 7900GTX | 512x2 Corsair PC3200 3-3-3-8 | NEC3500A 2.18 |
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bridq
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29. December 2004 @ 08:30 |
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Thanks Divinus and DDP I'll give it a try. I've never replaced a heat sink or fan before; but it's not too difficult? What does Artic Thermal silver Grease do?
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ddp
Moderator
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29. December 2004 @ 09:10 |
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transfer heat better between cpu & heatsink. post results of operation, not to gruesome please
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Divinus
Suspended due to non-functional email address
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29. December 2004 @ 17:12 |
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I'd honestly take your motherboard out of your case when doing this. You'll also need to clean the old thermal grease or pad off of the processor dye. You MUST do this. Don't squirt arctic silver or any other thermal grease on top of old thermal material (pad or grease). I find alochol and a cotton swab does a descent job. You just want to clean the dye (little square glass piece on top) off. Get it nice and clean so that the new thermal grease will function correctly.
Your new heat sink and fan may have a pad on the bottom ready to use. I'd really recommend going with a nice grease though.
The other thing is sometimes if you get a big big heat sink and fan combo it can become extremely annoying trying to get the prongs to attach to the socket. I find that a nice big flathead screwdriver gives you good leverage and will allow you to fasten it easily.
If you have any other questions, feel free to ask!
Athlon 4200+ X2 @ 2.2 GHz | Asus A8N | 1x250GB SATA WD | 7900GTX | 512x2 Corsair PC3200 3-3-3-8 | NEC3500A 2.18 |
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bridq
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29. December 2004 @ 17:31 |
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Ok guys, I went to the store and bought what I think I needed. Did I buy the right heat sink/fan combo? I purchased a Volcano 11+ Xaser edtion. on the box it says : P/N A1725 Volcano 11 + Xaser Edition
Application for AMD Athlon XP up to 3400.
This thing is huge!! It dwarfs my old fan. It also has 5.25 drive bay fan speed control do I need this?
I also picked up the syringe of thermal grease, but I'll admit that I'm chicken Sh*t to apply it because I heard that if you apply too much or too little you can damage your system. This is the first time that I have done anything like this on my system. I will take the mother board out of my case if I know how. I basically have to disconnect everything right?
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ddp
Moderator
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29. December 2004 @ 17:54 |
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i don't think you need to take motherboard out. just unclip old heatsink/fan from motherboard. if old heatsink has grease on it, put about same amount with new grease on new heatsink than clip onto socket carefully as don't want to break socket clip. fan control might come in handy as you can regulate fan speed which changes cpu temp
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Divinus
Suspended due to non-functional email address
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29. December 2004 @ 19:09 |
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If you're going to keep the motherboard in the case, BE CAREFUL. With those size heat sinks they can require some pretty damn good pressure to get them to clip onto the socket. My SLK900A had me standing up with my weight on it, for example.
It's extremely easy to install. I'm sure the instructions give you pictures. Basically you'll want to hook one prong down first and sit the heat sink on top of the dye. Make sure you're not sliding the heat sink around or rocking it back and forth on top of the processor. Hook that one clip on, sit the heat sink on the processor and you should see where the opposite site clip snaps onto the socket. This is where it takes some presssure to get the heat sink prong to snap onto the socket clip. Like I said in the previous post, a big flat heat (straight) screwdriver will help tremendously.
The reason I recommended taking the board out is if you have no experience and are not careful... the force you put down on the heat sink prong when you're trying to get it to hook on the socket clip can be pretty heavy. If you notice your motherboard bending inward and warping any make sure to stop and reapply pressure again. Basically just be careful that you don't let the screwdriver slip off the prong and go straight through the motherboard. The only good the motherboard being out of the case does is that it's on a flat surface and the pressure transfers onto the flat surface. When it's mounted in your case it's sitting on screws or clips and it can bend and flex and break somewhat easily.
I believe if you're careful you should be fine. Just take it slow and easy and don't get frustrated.
Athlon 4200+ X2 @ 2.2 GHz | Asus A8N | 1x250GB SATA WD | 7900GTX | 512x2 Corsair PC3200 3-3-3-8 | NEC3500A 2.18 |
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