Comp crashes when playing mmorpgs but can't find a solution!

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i originally posted this in the gaming and consoles forum, but i got a reply and they said to post it here.

now, i know this subject has been addressed before, but i couldn't really find a solution. i also just joined this website/forum, so bear with me.

the problem: i recently began playing world of warcraft again. i switched from FFXI because i wanted a change. my stepdad built my computer for me, and it's a lot better than my old compaq presario. when i got the computer, i installed FFXI again, but this time the computer kept restarting after about 5-30 min of playing time. when i restarted, i got an error saying it had something to do with my ATI card...so i replaced it with an NVIDIA GeForce 6600. everything was fine and i could finally play FFXI without any inturruptions.

well, now i play world of warcraft...and the same thing is happening to me, except this time, it restarts 5-10 min into the game. i tired lowering all graphic settings for the game but had no luck. the game will freeze for about 5-10 sec and then restart, neither recording errors in the event viewer nor in the errors folder for world of warcraft. so basically, i'm stuck without any type of log to see what my problem is. i've done error checks with windows, vuris scans, checked for bad ram, and nothing.

the one thing i did find while searching the forums, was how a lot of people brought up power supply. well, i'm more of a software person than a hardware person, so i don't know what my supply is. is there a way to check it without opening the case?

specs: [if anyone needs anymore specs, just ask]

Windows XP Home Edition
ASUS A8V Deluxe
AMD Athlon 3500+
Nvidia GeForce 6600 GT OC
1 GB RAM
CoolMaster 380w Power Supply
 
You say your power supply is a coolmaster, do you mean coolermaster?

I can't seem to find any info on "coolmaster" psus... which is scary.

If it is a no-name psu then I think this is a good bet that we have found your problem.

But first, I would update EVERYTHING if you haven't already. Motherboard drivers (chipset) and BIOS. If that doesn't fix you up, next test your ram:

www.memtest.org let it run for 6 or 7 passes. It doesn't sound like a ram problem, but might as well rule it out anyways. Take a look at the sticker on the PSU itself and see what the company name is.
 
sorry that was a typo...i meant coolermaster*

i'm not hardware literate at all...so do you know where i could get driver updates for an asus motherboard? i actually tried doing that but their website confused me. same thing with BIOS...not too familiar with that stuff.

i'll try that test tho and thanks!
 
You can get your drivers here:
http://support.asus.com/download/download.aspx?SLanguage=en-us

Select "motherboard" then "socket 939" then "A8V deluxe".
You want the VIA drivers.

This bios is a little trickier to update, and I am thinking it may be best to suggest you get a friend who knows a little about computers to do it for you, or to bring it into a shop to have it done... up to you of course. I don't know you level of knowledge, but get the impression you are in the danger zone here ;)
 
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