My computer exploded

[donkeybat64]

I have a Optiplex Gx 280 a small mini tower. It comes with:

1.twin sticks of 256 maxtor pc 3200 ddr 400 ram

2.radeon x300 video card (crap)

3.pentium 4 /ht 3.2 ghz processor

4.250-300 W powersupply not sure(cant find out)


I was sick of this set up so i decided to up its specs.

i added

1.Geforce 7600 GS 256 ddr2, this is the nvidia version, not GIGABYTE or BFG

2.twin sticks of Corsair value select ddr2 240 pin DIMM
Product number: VS1GB533D2

The ram came in first, so i added the ram first, works like a charm.

Then the video card came the second day, i added that, worked fine after a few hics.


Day 2, i turned on my computer and found a beautiful blue screen of death waiting for me.

a few of the greetings it displayed were:

1. Page fault in non paged area
2. Caused by Ntfs.sys
3. IRQL not less or equal

then when i pressed the power button, my computer started whirlling with all its strength, and it got soooo loud i was scared i pulled the plug.

I am not a big techy, so anything would help, THANK ALL OF YOU who can help me

 

[kimsland]

Unplug the addon video card and test again
If all is then OK, then it can only be one of two things:
New Video card faulty
Power Supply faulty (probably this one)

 

[mica3speedy]

also try a different driver for the video card

 

[donkeybat64]

hi, thanks for your response.

The video card is not faulty because it is working right now.
The power supply is also not faulty, because it is working right now.

I am running the same computer with the original 2 sticks of 256 mb ram

its just when i add the 2 gigs of ram it fails. I run it separately, it fails, i take it out, any combination works.

 

[donkeybat64]

also try a different driver for the video card

Do you think that will work, i think you might be right, because i get these


1. Page fault in non paged area
2. Caused by Ntfs.sys
3. IRQL not less or equal

when i boot up.

I have the latest nvdia driver. i downloaded directly from their site

 

[kimsland]

Here's another good idea Memtest
By the way the power supply can still be faulty, even though it is presently working, this can be due to, too low maximum output, and also voltage fluctuations,

 

[donkeybat64]

oh. darn i wish i can use memtest. but i broke my cd drive. so i need to upgrade to a new one before i can use this program ill try the usb version.

What are some signs of powersupply issues? it looks very normal. Thanks

 

[donkeybat64]

so for the usb one. do i just download and add it to the usb, and if so which one do i download, i see more than 1.

Thanks

 

[kimsland]

Actually I haven't used the USB one - as your computer requires USB boot option
Even though it may have this, there is still the issue of the computer loading the correct DOS drivers. It might be better to get a new DVD drive.

The powersupply (which I believed was likely cause) depends on what's written on the label inside.
Manufacture?
Output wattage?

If it's output wattage is 300Watts or lower, I'd say replace (this can cause a debate with long termers here) but I've seen this from experience, I believe that you require minimum 500Watt. I use 650Watt (again the debate - too much!) But too low wattage causes the power supply to strain too much (above 30%) under load.

 

[donkeybat64]

found out the problem, it is one of the corsair ram, it is defective, thats why you should not buy "value select" because it is value, im sending it back right now, one stick works fine, so right now i have 2 256 and 1 1 gig, but ill send them back and get new ones.

btw, a min powersupply rating is based on the assumption that you have all of the power connectors connected, a actual rating for a 7600 gs is around 30 W. But i do want to up my power supply to make the system more stable.