Help !! Newly built machine keeps rebooting

[IrIdIum]

Hi guys, im really hoping someone here will be able to help me out with ideas as to what could be causing my problem.

Heres my spec:

WinXP
Athlon XP2100
512Mb Crucial 2700 DDR
Epox 8K3A (latest BIOS)
IBM 60gig Deskstar
Maxtor 40Gig DX740
Pioneer 116 DVD drive
Yamaha 2100e CDRW

Anything else I've forgotten u need to know just ask.

Its not overheating, idle at 44 and 48-50 load.

Heres the prob:

Every so often the machine will just reboot, this varies from just browsing, d/ling something, or ripping a CD.

It also just rebooted whilst installing Office XP. When I got back into windows, i tried to re-install Office XP, but it happened again, almost immediately.

I'm running out of ideas

[[N8]]

when ya say latest BIOS, which do ya mean? i.e. 2328 = latest official BIOS, 2508 = latest beta BIOS.

What kinda mem timings/speed are ya runnin? 9 times outta 10 for me, random reboots have been a memory issue.

How about ur power supply?

[mookydooky]

You probably have a weak power supply. How many amps on the 5V line?

[IrIdIum]

Sorry bout that, BIOS = 2328

Memory settings are untouched set to run at 'Normal'

[[N8]]

try pulling one of ur memory dimms out for now, see if you can repeat the rebooting.

[IrIdIum]

Originally posted by mookydooky
You probably have a weak power supply. How many amps on the 5V line?

I have no clue, how can i find out ?

[[N8]]

Originally posted by IrIdIum

I have no clue, how can i find out ?

you can check ur voltages in the health monitoring section of the BIOS. have a look, see if anything looks abnormal

[IrIdIum]

Originally posted by [N8]


you can check ur voltages in the health monitoring section of the BIOS. have a look, see if anything looks abnormal

Heh, thx
Excuse my ignorance, but what would be 'abnormal' ?

[SteveI]

Sounds like an underpowered or defective PSU. Open the case and look at the label of your powersupply. What is the brand, model, total wattage, and amps at 3v and 5v?

I had the same problem running my celery box with lots of components with a 250w PSU a long time ago. Your rig uses a lot more, at least 350W and a strong line at 5v is critical for you.

[[N8]]

abnormal would be something like a +5v reading of say 4.6v
this is too low I don't remember the exact acceptable tolerances on these voltages, but I prefer them as close as possible to the desired value...and a little over if possible

please do report ur power supply model

[SteveI]

Originally posted by IrIdIum

Heh, thx
Excuse my ignorance, but what would be 'abnormal' ?

You'll see readings for 3.3v, 5v 12v, CPU and a few others. Most components are built with a fault tolerance for +/- 5%. Watch the screen, and you should see some fluctuation. If it ever goes outside the 5% range, it is a good suspect for you problems. This isn't foolproof but a decent indicator.

One thing it won't catch is if your 12v is underpowered. The 12v powers most drives and fans. While during normal operation, the drives are accessed frequently, while your in the bios, it isn't. On the other hand the 5v line is the most likely culprit. Most AMD boards power the mobo from the 5v line, and if that falls low you WILL have problems.

[[N8]]

must be nice to get such quick help

3 ppl helping this person within a couple minutes, lol.

[SteveI]

Originally posted by [N8]
must be nice to get such quick help

3 ppl helping this person within a couple minutes, lol.

We aims t' please, lol.

[IrIdIum]

Originally posted by [N8]
must be nice to get such quick help

3 ppl helping this person within a couple minutes, lol.

And its very much appreciated

Just back from the BIOS:

PSU Side panel:

Chieftec - Model: HPC:340:201 ATX12V

AC Input: 115v 8a
230v 5a
Frequency: 50-60Hz
Max Load: 340

DC Output:
+5v = 30A
+12v = 15A
+3.3v = 28A

-5v = 0.5A 2.5W
-12v = 1A 12W
+5VSB = 2A 10W

----

BIOS PC HEALTH:

+5v = 4.94v
+12v = 12.40v

[[N8]]

check for 3.3v+5v combined wattage on the side of the PS

it appears to be a 340watter.....a little on the small side, but I would think it should work

the 5v and 12v in ur bios look ok, how about the 3.3v?

[IrIdIum]

Originally posted by [N8]
check for 3.3v+5v combined wattage on the side of the PS

it appears to be a 340watter.....a little on the small side, but I would think it should work

the 5v and 12v in ur bios look ok, how about the 3.3v?

Above was everything that was written on the side of the PSU

The BIOS didnt contain any reference to 3.3v either

[mookydooky]

You have a 300W PSU. You don't mention what kind of video card you have. If you have something like a GF4-4600, you might be short of power. You have a lot of devices, but that shouldn't pose a problem with your setup unless you have a power hungry video card. The situation could also be exacerbated by any additional PCI devices, such as sound cards.

[[N8]]

pull 1 DIMM and try to recreate the reboot

if it does, i'd blame the PS

[IrIdIum]

PSU is 340W

GFX card - GeForce2 64mb

I also forgot to mention i have a Yamaha CDRW2100E

/me puts on moron hat

[[N8]]

Originally posted by IrIdIum

The BIOS didnt contain any reference to 3.3v either

my mistake, 3.3v is called VIO in the BIOS