off topic arcade computer troubleshoot

[mrserv0n]

Hi ive been running this mame pc for about a year now, it was my old main computer, athlon 4000, 2gb ram, 350w generic psu, 6800gt, sb audigy.

Well for the last month it just shuts off in the middle of playing. Well now when I go to play I am updating my gameex list and it cannot make it through the full update without shutting off, I bought a new 120mm fan since the old was siezed thinking it prolly overheating.

Well By looking it the diagnostic in the bios screen upon boot up im getting 57 degrees Celsius, Ive let it sit idle for about 10 minutes now in the bios and its climbed to a steady 63 degrees celsius, and thats without any tasks at all just bios. My cpu fan appears to be running full speed.. 3233 RPM . Is this a PSU issue or do I need to replace my cpu fan even though it seems to be running full force, or the cpu itself have something wrong that its not cooling? Im not sure.. its 67 degrees now ...

thanks

[Tempest]

Hi ive been running this mame pc for about a year now, it was my old main computer, athlon 4000, 2gb ram, 350w generic psu, 6800gt, sb audigy.

Well for the last month it just shuts off in the middle of playing. Well now when I go to play I am updating my gameex list and it cannot make it through the full update without shutting off, I bought a new 120mm fan since the old was siezed thinking it prolly overheating.

Well By looking it the diagnostic in the bios screen upon boot up im getting 57 degrees Celsius, Ive let it sit idle for about 10 minutes now in the bios and its climbed to a steady 63 degrees celsius, and thats without any tasks at all just bios. My cpu fan appears to be running full speed.. 3233 RPM . Is this a PSU issue or do I need to replace my cpu fan even though it seems to be running full force, or the cpu itself have something wrong that its not cooling? Im not sure.. its 67 degrees now ...

thanks

I've had computers not boot becaause of problems with dust. Is yours clean?

[Brian Hoffman]

Get a better fan/heatsink and use the thermal paste.. Dont be cheap.

Otherwise maybe the damage is done.

[fRequEnCy]

Yeah dust has always been a problem for me with those issues. I spray mine with compressed air about once a month. Just live in a place with a lot of dirt.

[mrserv0n]

Yea i keep it clean , its not dust.. I was thinking the same thing after watching it for a bit hoffman, I had the cpu for god seems like 4 years or something so Im thinking maybe a fresh coat of thermal paste might do the job, as far as buying a new heatsink, it has the stock amd one, I mean its running smooth .. think that needs to be replaced too or just maybe reset with some fresh paste

[Brian Hoffman]

Yea i keep it clean , its not dust.. I was thinking the same thing after watching it for a bit hoffman, I had the cpu for god seems like 4 years or something so Im thinking maybe a fresh coat of thermal paste might do the job, as far as buying a new heatsink, it has the stock amd one, I mean its running smooth .. think that needs to be replaced too or just maybe reset with some fresh paste

Well around here a fan/heatsink is 15.00 and will likely come with thermal paste. Id go for it.

[mrserv0n]

Well around here a fan/heatsink is 15.00 and will likely come with thermal paste. Id go for it.

Yea, Ill get one tomorrow and let ya know what happens.

[jthompson]

Yea, Ill get one tomorrow and let ya know what happens.

Before you spend any money, make sure the clips that hold the heatsink to the cpu haven't slipped off. I've seen that happen a few times.

Jay T

[Orclord]

What is the EXACT model of your Athlon ? and Socket.....

[shaunopp]

Before you spend any money, make sure the clips that hold the heatsink to the cpu haven't slipped off. I've seen that happen a few times.

Jay T

Sometimes a new computer is just easier, especially if you've had yours for 4 years.

You can get a lot of computer these days for relatively cheap at places like the Dell Outlet store online. I've purchased 3 of my Arcade PC's from them. $219 for a Scratch and Dent Inspiron AMD Athlon 64 Dual Core - 2100, 1GB RAM, 250GB HD. http://outlet.us.dell.com/ARBOnlineSales/t...;l=en&s=dfh

I'm all for saving a dime but by the time you calculate the time and frustration it may take to fix your problem plus $$ for a new power supply is it really worth it? You could have your setup duped and on a new comp in a couple hours. Just something to think about, obviously $300 may not be doable for everyone but the headaches it can save are significant.

Of course we all have a bit of sadist in us when it comes to investing time, money and energy in this hobby so.. carry on!

[bkenobi]

Just an FYI, if you want to get a new box for a good price and live in the states, you can get a decent machine from sears.com for ~$185 after a $100 rebate. Just FYI.

Link

Be aware that this includes no OS. But, if you are retiring your old rig, you could just put that OS on this one.

[mrserv0n]

Well I went and got a nice heat sink and paste for $16.00, put it in and BAM went from 70+ cel to 28 lol , been running the machine for 5 hours now no problems... Lucky cheap fix!

[mrserv0n]

Just an FYI, if you want to get a new box for a good price and live in the states, you can get a decent machine from sears.com for ~$185 after a $100 rebate. Just FYI.

Link

Be aware that this includes no OS. But, if you are retiring your old rig, you could just put that OS on this one.

that is pretty cheap, but without the keyboard and speakers I could built a dualcore athlon with 2 gigs for $280 on newegg.com

[bkenobi]

Agreed (I just put together a Athlon X2 for ~$250). However, MAME would run fine on this one and it's $100 less. Plus, you wouldn't have to build it (some people don't want to...).

Anyway, I was just throwing it out there for what it's worth.