Hello!
Since yesterday I've started experiencing freezes, crashes and approx. 3-6 bluescreens - all while playing games. However, it seems some games are unaffected, while others are giving me a hard time.
I started investigating and found out that my PSU-fan has stopped working (or stopped spinning). However, I'm not sure if it's even been working before, I'm assuming it have, as my computer is at least a couple of years old? Does the PSU fan have an own cable that needs to be connected to the motherboard, or should I assume the fan is actually dead? The mobo-manual indicated 2 connections that the PSU needs to be plugged into, and they both are - so my conclusion on that one is that everything is hooked up as it should be, since I can't see any "loose cables" hanging free from the PSU (apart from HDD and PCIe cables and such).
My system:
Asus A8N-E nForce 4 Ultra
AMD Athlon 64 3500+
Sapphire Radeon X800GTO Fireblade ed.
Western Digital 200GB HDD
2x512MB Ram
Antec Sonata II Miditower, with supplied 450W PSU*
WinXP Pro SP2
Realizing the PSU-fan might be dead I tried using SpeedFan to check for I-don't-know-what, but everything noticeable there looks normal, except my HDD which is at 51C, while all other temperature-indications lie around 30-40C.
Is a HDD-temperature of 51C something to worry about? If so, would the solution be to install a new fan? And once again, if so - where exactly does one install a HDD-fan? Cooling has never been something I've really messed around with alot, neither has PSU's as you probably can tell. Would it be so simple as to somehow(?) fasten a fan to the HDD-compartment(s) of the Antec Sonata II?
Lastly, I've started considering upgrading.
Thought about replacing my X800 with a 8800GTS, and perhaps throw along an extra 1GB stick, along with any new PSU I might end up needing now. I've also read that the 8800GTS requires a 450W PSU, correct? Also, would this upgrade be "smart", or should I consider something else? (Mainly after gaming-performance, and also doing video- and image-editing.)
So to sum it all up:
1: PSU-fan. Can it be a connection-problem, or should I consider the PSU "dead" (or soon to be, from cooling-issues?)?
2: HDD-cooling in an Antec Sonata II? Is it necessary at 51C, and what's the best (cheapest, easiest) way to do it?
3: Upgrade. Would it be wise to upgrade from my current setup to a 8800GTS, and perhaps an additional 1GB ram, together with a new PSU? With "wise" I mean, will the performance-difference be big enough to make my current setup appear somewhat/extra puny? =) And what PSU-wattage is needed in the case of that upgrade? (The alternative would be to buy more new parts and re-use some of what I have now, but I'd rather not spend that kind of money right now)
I'd be grateful for any answers or tips you may give me, thanks!
Since yesterday I've started experiencing freezes, crashes and approx. 3-6 bluescreens - all while playing games. However, it seems some games are unaffected, while others are giving me a hard time.
I started investigating and found out that my PSU-fan has stopped working (or stopped spinning). However, I'm not sure if it's even been working before, I'm assuming it have, as my computer is at least a couple of years old? Does the PSU fan have an own cable that needs to be connected to the motherboard, or should I assume the fan is actually dead? The mobo-manual indicated 2 connections that the PSU needs to be plugged into, and they both are - so my conclusion on that one is that everything is hooked up as it should be, since I can't see any "loose cables" hanging free from the PSU (apart from HDD and PCIe cables and such).
My system:
Asus A8N-E nForce 4 Ultra
AMD Athlon 64 3500+
Sapphire Radeon X800GTO Fireblade ed.
Western Digital 200GB HDD
2x512MB Ram
Antec Sonata II Miditower, with supplied 450W PSU*
WinXP Pro SP2
Realizing the PSU-fan might be dead I tried using SpeedFan to check for I-don't-know-what, but everything noticeable there looks normal, except my HDD which is at 51C, while all other temperature-indications lie around 30-40C.
Is a HDD-temperature of 51C something to worry about? If so, would the solution be to install a new fan? And once again, if so - where exactly does one install a HDD-fan? Cooling has never been something I've really messed around with alot, neither has PSU's as you probably can tell. Would it be so simple as to somehow(?) fasten a fan to the HDD-compartment(s) of the Antec Sonata II?
Lastly, I've started considering upgrading.
Thought about replacing my X800 with a 8800GTS, and perhaps throw along an extra 1GB stick, along with any new PSU I might end up needing now. I've also read that the 8800GTS requires a 450W PSU, correct? Also, would this upgrade be "smart", or should I consider something else? (Mainly after gaming-performance, and also doing video- and image-editing.)
So to sum it all up:
1: PSU-fan. Can it be a connection-problem, or should I consider the PSU "dead" (or soon to be, from cooling-issues?)?
2: HDD-cooling in an Antec Sonata II? Is it necessary at 51C, and what's the best (cheapest, easiest) way to do it?
3: Upgrade. Would it be wise to upgrade from my current setup to a 8800GTS, and perhaps an additional 1GB ram, together with a new PSU? With "wise" I mean, will the performance-difference be big enough to make my current setup appear somewhat/extra puny? =) And what PSU-wattage is needed in the case of that upgrade? (The alternative would be to buy more new parts and re-use some of what I have now, but I'd rather not spend that kind of money right now)
I'd be grateful for any answers or tips you may give me, thanks!
