Weird freeze with screeching electronic sound and video artifacts

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hello hello

i was wondering if i could get a little help with this
i've been having some very weird crashes this weekend. it has happenned two times so far, and after a lot of googling, i've found too many possible answers.

First ill give you my setup:

Intel core2quad q9300
ocz flex2 2x2gb 1055mhz ddr2
2x caviar black 750 gb
motherboard asus maximus formula
the soundcard is an audigy2
it has a red scorpion heatsink s1283
a thermaltake purepower pro 600W PSU
and a brand new ati radeon 5850 black edition.

The computer freezes, emits a loud, electric-like sound, and resetting is the only thing that fixes. It has happenned only twice, and the second time, also threw in some video artifacts. However, the first time freaked me out a lot more, since the computer wouldnt start up for about five minutes. (Fans would start up, but no hdd activity, and no bios beep)

I've found several possible answers: bios too old, trojan infections, registry issues, an underpowered system, etc.

i've run several psu calculators, and even if i linger at the limits, they still tell me my psu is enough.

the computer is a year and a half old, and a 9800 gtx+ i had bought for it just recently died on me. I sent the entire motherboard to be checked, afraid it might be overvolting, but it came back with the technicians saying it was working perfectly. I even had some temp issues that were fixed after the computer came back.

I'm afraid that these could be symptoms of the same thing that killed my other videocard.
i havent started up my computer again since the second incident (just after i checked it booted ok) However, this particular kind of crash has not happenned to me before.

and i really don't know where to start.

any help or tests i might run to narrow the possibilities down?

thanks in advance!
 
after running a few more psu calculators, i see i need about 550W of power supply. The PSU, as well as the whole computer, with the exception of one hdd and the video card, is two years old. Could it be that the psu wattage is reduced by usage? the computer is heavily used, both for gaming and work. Should i upgrade or replace my PSU?
 
The first thing you need to look at is the temperatures. High temperatures may cause problems.

Also, is anything overclocked on your system?

As for the PSU, it seems fine. 600W should comfortably run your system. However, there seems to be 2 models of Thermaltake PurePower 600W. One of the models is a little low on the +12V volt amperage.

If you're having no heat issues you could try replacing the PSU. PSUs degrade with age. Consider something like the Corsair 550VX or 650TX.
 
my temps are fine, luckily. my motherbard came back from the shop with that issue fixed.

I lean also to the psu problems.
Are those corsair psus reliable? i really cant risk this computer, since it is also a workstation.

However, i've got mixed messages with this psu thing. An xfx technician i'm also consulting about this problem tells me its virtually impossible for my stup to eat more than 600W.

Then, ASUS psu calculator, tells me i need at least a 600W psu.

Dammit. I guess ill have to buy a new one.

Is it risky to use the computer with a potentially damaged one? Does underpowering deteriorate the components?
 
Corsair PSUs are among the most reliable in the world. In my opinion the Corsair 550VX will just about cut it. However, the 650TX would be a better upgrade path.
 
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