well almost i got xp installed and bought myself a 120 gig for my C drive, now i think its maybe the power supply, OR video card itself, when i try some games, about 5 secs to 30 secs the computer frezzes or restarts, i have upgraded to 3.8 drivers for my radeon 9800 pro, so it seems like im at the last straw...

So.... um

help

Only during games it locks up? What about other apps?

Have you watched the Voltages on > Mother Board Monitor< ?

If they are low, or fluctuate a ton, that would point to the P/S

ok, my +12v is at about 12.3-4
+5v is at about 5.0-2
+3.3v is at about3.0-1
and my V-core is at about 1.5-75

i have added a pic

Attached Thumbnails

 

I see you are running a P3 from your profile.
And you just stuffed in a new 9800, did you connect the extra power lead to the Vid card?
The 3.3 volt is a little low, maybe the 9800 is sucking to much power from your P/S. Have the old video card still?
What kind is it? I think they had less than 300 watts.

lol, just realized i forgot to update it, i just did, its all there so yea, no more p3, check it out again

well, yes i did connect all the molex connections in so no worries there, just that 1, i wanna see my video card graphics all out, (i had a small glimps before it crashed, very cool)

What power supply though? a generic 300watt or less will scream bloody murder on a P4 3.0c and a 9800

its a OKIA (thats what it says, so im assuming generic)
350 ATX (350W MAX)

that bad?

That is the minumum for a system like yours. Generic power supplies are known to be unstable, but I would try a few things first to make sure.
Try UNDERCLOCKING the video card (less drain on P/S and see if the card works at all)
Unplug all extras in the Comp, Lights, extra drives anything that will draw power.
Beg borrow or steal another video card to test.
Try older drivers, the new versions may have bugs.
All drivers on the Motherboard up to date? windows updated?
Corrupt install maybe?
Games have patches installed? How about OLD games, like Q3 or Half-Life, do they run?

EDIT-Here is a link to GURU-3D
They have Overclocking utilites, they also can underclock.
Riva Tuner and Rage 3-D tweek are popular
Drivers links on home page

hmmm, im gonna send u a PM

Was just gunna add , Did you check chipset drivers ?

i had lots of fluxuating voltages when i was running my F@H my 3.3v was low, like 2.1-3.1

so i think im gonna go waste a few more bucks on a new power supply and see if that fixes nething, if not,....lets try not to make me think there quite yet

yes, i have checked the chipset drivers, its a 865PE snd right now im lookin for upgrades,

Flashed the BIOS, upgraded drivers, and im still at the same position

If you get a good power supply, it is not a waste of money...LOL
I gained rock solid stability and 150 mhz when overclocking
My generic 350 watt just didn't cut it
I would recomend Antec True Series. They have one on sale for 70$ at New Egg.
There are other brands like Fortran that are a bit less expensive, Zennzzo swears by them

Antec TruBlue 480W, best money I ever spent.

Why need a bigger PSU? see my sig for my system and I am monitoring its power needs via a special monitor that goes between my computer AND monitor AND speakers and the wall. I have yet to go over 300 watts, more often around 250 and thats will everything on, with only my computer plugged in its below 200 watts most of the time

the only reason to ignore this is if you have more than 2 opticals, 2 hds and more than 2 agp + pci cards

Quote: Originally posted by Arkangyl Why need a bigger PSU?

Umm...because his 3.3v rail is dropping to 2.1v.

By the way - you can only have ONE AGP card on a system. Not 2. You may have lucked out on your power supply AA, but most generics are sh!t.

excellent, the new power supply is on its way (sent a friend to the next town for me ) so anyway, i figure i wanted it to get goin asap so i got a temp one for now its the Aspire - See Thru 500W Power Supply Blue its over at Custom Computers 4 U , it was like $119, but im tellin u guys im sure making an expensive lesson for everything

umm... seems like a rip off for a 500w, especially from a company like aspire, who hasnt made the best products i've ever seen, but if your power suply is the problem, it'll definetly solve it.

this is simaler to the problem i've been having, but not as extreme, but all the same i do have a generic 400w, like that makes a diff, but i am running alot of ****, w. CCs and 6 fans to boot- i'm gonna see if i can get me a new PS as well