Power Supply Causing Crashes?

IkeRay

New Member
or lack of power from the supply, I should say?

My wife's computer, older Celeron 1.2Ghz Presario, used for office work, likes to crash when under load. I traced it back to it starting right after I had popped in a new RAM stick (256MB to boost her up to the max on the mobo), which was 2 years ago or so. I just thought about it being the RAM and did the memtest86 on both sticks. test ran for about 45 minutes to 1hr and came back with 0 errors on both sticks.

so if thats not the issue, would it be a cooling issue or power supply? it has the stock 250W power supply, and that is running 1 CD+RW, 1 DVD-ROM, 1 floppy drive, 1 IDE HDD (40 gb) and a new 1tb SATA (seagate barracuda). mind you, the computer was crashing prior to the SATA drive being installed. as for PCI cards, it has the 2 stock cards being network and 56k modem, plus a card with 4 USB ports (nothing plugged into it) and 3 sata ports (1 running the HDD). as for things plugged into the USB ports, nothing at the moment as I'm using the mouse and keyboard from my computer via synergy.

she refuses to let me spend money on a new computer as this one is "good enough for my work", but she complaining about the crashing. I figured I can get a 300-400w power supply for <$50 and she would probably be ok with that, but thats IF thats the reason for the crashes.


full specs of the PC can be seen at hp website plus upgraded:

512 MB RAM (2 slots of 256mb Samsung)
1TB Sata Seagate Barracuda 7200rpm back up HDD

power supply specs (for connectors needed):
Features:
High efficiency (Focus on HP System)
Low Ripple & Noise
Output over voltage protection
Short circuit protection on all outputs
Reset table power shut down

Technical Information:
Approved by UL, TUV, CB & CE
Complies with FCC part 15 subpart J Class B at 115VAC operation & CISPR 22 Class B at 230 VAC operation
100% burn-in under high ambient temperature
Vacuum-impregnated transformer
MTBF: 100K
100% Hi-pot tested
FULL RANGE 100~240VAC (250W)
AC INPUT: 115/230 Vac~ 10/5A 60/50Hz
Output +3.3V@14A, +5V@25A, +12V@10A, [email protected], [email protected], +5VSB@1A
Main Connectors: 4x Peripherals, 2x Floppy, 1x ATX12V , 1x video connector , 1x 6 pin AUX connector and 1 x 20 pin mother board connector.(PLEASE DOUBLE CHECK CONNECTOR BEFORE BUYING)
Dimension: 5.75"(W) x 4"(D) x 3.25"(H) / 100mm (L) x 150mm (W) x 86mm (H)


any help will be appreciated. I also use this computer as a media center for when I'm working on my own computer, watching movies or TV shows or just listening to music.
 
ok, well then can anyone answer this question:

which one will be better? both are 350w Rosewills and both have 20pin connectors for mobo. 350w ATX 1.3 RV350 or 350w ATX 2.2 RV350-2

both have good reviews. did the newegg watt calculator and it came up with 338w. I used another from journeysystems.com and that one came up as 278w.

Need the PSU to have connectors for 4 - 4pin (combo drive, cd-rom, IDE HDD, floppy), and at least 1 SATA, 2 would be better as I'm thinking of installing a sata dvd-burner for christmas. then a 20-pin for mobo, and I believe that is everything.

EDIT: after nosing around on newegg, came across PC power & cooling 370w couple of pluses on the last one, 100% 5egg ratings, 3 sata, 6 molex (4-pins?), 5 year warranty, and when I finally get to upgrade her computer, this can come with. Also the fact that its supposed to be "whisper quiet" and low-energy/high efficiency really is a plus.
 
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alright, so update. I installed a 500w OCZ power supply ($20) and the crashes still happened, so I swapped a new CPU too ($5) and that didn't fix it. I bought a motherboard for $10 and that fixed it, no more resets. It appears the motherboard made by intel for the Compaq Presario 5310 fails since many of places I read people were having the same problems but couldn't pin point them.

this is just incase anyone else has this issue...


tags: Compaq, Presario, 5310US, 5310, 1.2ghz Celeron, Random Restarts, Crashing
 
here is a resolution (in case anyone stumbles upon this via a search)

it turns out there were some bad capacitors that dealt with graphics. I soldered in some new ones and it works fine. resold the newer board.
 
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