View Full Version : help with pc
kininigin
26-01-2011, 14:29
I have a problem which is driving me mad.Whenever i watch anything in flash video format my computer randomly switches it self off.
Im guessing the cpu is overheating and protecting it's self.So do i need a better cpu or better graphics card? Are there some tweaks i can do to my pc?
Anyhelp would be appreciated.Also if i watch any divx video format it is perfectly fine so what gives?
It could very well be a heat problem.
Is it a laptop or stationary?
If it didn't use to be a problem previosly it might be time to remove some dust.
You could download and install Speedfan to get some information on temps in idle and during load http://www.almico.com/speedfan442.exe
You also got a PM
kininigin
26-01-2011, 17:24
It could very well be a heat problem.
Is it a laptop or stationary?
If it didn't use to be a problem previosly it might be time to remove some dust.
You could download and install Speedfan to get some information on temps in idle and during load http://www.almico.com/speedfan442.exe
You also got a PM
hi jan,
It's a desktop im using and i clean it fairly regularly although it is probaly due a clean,but even after it has been cleaned i get this problem.
I use a program called CPUID hardware monitor and it says the temp when idel
is about 64-66 degrees when flash video is used it can go above 90 degrees.
Here are some of my pc's details,taken from belarc advisor.
Processor
3.60 gigahertz Intel Pentium 4
16 kilobyte primary memory cache
1024 kilobyte secondary memory cache
Hyper-threaded (2 total)
2048 Megabytes Usable Installed Memory
Main Circuit Board
Board: Freeline Freeline Series Ver1.0
Bus Clock: 200 megahertz
BIOS: Phoenix Technologies, LTD 6.00 PG 10/29/2004
Display
Radeon X1300/X1550 Series [Display adapter]
Radeon X1300/X1550 Series Secondary [Display adapter]
LG L226W [Monitor] (23.0"vis, March 2008)
is about 64-66 degrees when flash video is used it can go above 90 degrees.
There's your problem. Make absolutely sure the CPU fan is working properly and that the heatsink is not caked with dirt. If there are no signs of a problem then remove the heatsink from the motherboard, clean both the heatsink and CPU surfaces, and reapply heatsink compound.
Really, the CPU should never go above 65-70C even when working hard.
Ohh a good old Pentium4 goblin... I would guess that when it is running full speed it burns 125-150 watt... so good cooling is needed.
When the temp reaches 90-95 the CPU will shutdown to protect itself.
Besides obvious dust bunnies it is also important to remove dust between the cooling fins. Sometimes you can get most with moist cotton swaps othertimes you need preassured air. Remember to prevent the fan from spinning and use short burst of air.
Otherwise update drivers, especially for you graphics http://www.amd.com
Other updates are also Adobe Flash and Adobe Acrobat Reader. One reason is that they have been targets for the bad guys in the last 2-3 years.
Another reason is that Flash has been optimised lately so that it can use the graphics hardware instead of the CPU... actually even more improves is on the horisont.
The question is if they can use your "old" ATI card...
Uninstall and then get the fresh stuff from
http://www.adobe.com/go/EN_US-H-GET-READER
http://www.adobe.com/go/EN_US-H-GET-FLASH
Remember to deselect Google Toolbar
Found this so you are out of luck as Flash can't use your current graphics card for acceleration.
http://www.instantfundas.com/2010/04/hardware-accelerated-adobe-flash-player.html
So you have to sort out your heating/cooling problem.
kininigin
26-01-2011, 18:16
There's your problem. Make absolutely sure the CPU fan is working properly and that the heatsink is not caked with dirt. If there are no signs of a problem then remove the heatsink from the motherboard, clean both the heatsink and CPU surfaces, and reapply heatsink compound.
Really, the CPU should never go above 65-70C even when working hard.
I did all this not so long ago and the best idel temp i got was about 58c.
I cleaned every nook and cranny and removed the heatsink numerous times used artic silver paste have 3 noctua fans working 100%.
Heatsink fan spins at 2000rpm is this quick enough?
kininigin
26-01-2011, 18:20
Found this so you are out of luck as Flash can't use your current graphics card for acceleration.
http://www.instantfundas.com/2010/04/hardware-accelerated-adobe-flash-player.html
So you have to sort out your heating/cooling problem.
Donkey balls,i have gone as far as i can heating/cooling wise i think so i just need a compatible graphics card?
I did all this not so long ago and the best idel temp i got was about 58c.
I cleaned every nook and cranny and removed the heatsink numerous times used artic silver paste have 3 noctua fans working 100%.
Heatsink fan spins at 2000rpm is this quick enough?
Noctua good stuff.
And you are sure that the heatsink has been aligned/installed 100%?
Do you have the option to change the speed of the CPU fan to a higher setting or is 2000 RPM it?
Is the fan a 120mm, 90 or 80?
I have not had much experience with the late P4's, but I would expect 65-70C when working hard and around 50-55 in idle.
Donkey balls,i have gone as far as i can heating/cooling wise i think so i just need a compatible graphics card?
Wait a sec before you molest your credit card, it should be able to work.
When you have the lid of also check that all the fans are running AND is blowing in the right direction ;-)
kininigin
26-01-2011, 18:50
Wait a sec before you molest your credit card, it should be able to work.
When you have the lid of also check that all the fans are running AND is blowing in the right direction ;-)
lol ok i'll check everything again, i swear i've done this about 5 times all ready.
Ok heatsink fan (80mm) should it blow onto the cpu or away? Atm it's blowing onto with an intake fan (120mm) drawing in air and the remaining exhaust fan(120mm) blowing out of the case.
I have an antec sonata II case which came with an air duct which is now removed as this seemed to restrict airflow.I'll replace after i have cleaned and checked everthing.
kininigin
26-01-2011, 18:55
Noctua good stuff.
And you are sure that the heatsink has been aligned/installed 100%?
Do you have the option to change the speed of the CPU fan to a higher setting or is 2000 RPM it?
Is the fan a 120mm, 90 or 80?
I have not had much experience with the late P4's, but I would expect 65-70C when working hard and around 50-55 in idle.
I don't have an option to increase fan speed,at least im not aware i can.
Im pretty sure the heatsink has been aligned/installed properly.
Possibly buy a larger heatsink/fan combo. You really should be able to maintain 65C max if all is working well. The CPU fan should be blowing air into the fins, the chassis fans should create a draft through the case, so it sounds as if you have it all set up properly.
Found a review of Antec cabinet; reviewer not to fond of the airduct thingy
http://www.legitreviews.com/article/217/1/
And you also clean the front intake filter ;)
I am not familiar with CPUID hardware monitor; can you see fan speeds for all fans and various temps... e.g. harddrives chipset etc.... are there other things than the CPU that looks hot?
The faster P4's really need a copper heatsink with a high speed fan,If you use to much of the silver grease it will over heat also just a thin coating dose the trick.
The mother board could also be getting to much heat,my P4 had a aluminum Antec case with no less than 6 fans running.It sounded like a B29 taking off! there was even a fan on the Nvidia 6800GT video card. It ran at 110F all the time,the video card ran up to 120F!
But it was over clocked to nearly 4 gigs. And at that time 2 gigs of Ram was alot.
MY old P4.
But it was over clocked to nearly 4 gigs.
Eek! I far prefer a reliable PC over a fast PC. Of course, it's nice to have both (says I looking at my four cores running at 3GHz and 8GB RAM), but I would never overclock as I need the machine to run 24/7 and be crash-free. Then again, I work in IT.
When you applied the heatsink compound, how much did you use? If you use too much, you break the contact between the CPU and actual heatsink. Too much is a bad thing!
You will be able to tell if the heatsink isnt red hot at closest to the cpu when the PC shuts down.
If it is, then yes you may have an air flow problem. You need to get the air moving inside the case. If you have more than 1 case fan venting to atmosphere, make sure they turn in different directions. I'd work on the theory that you want to draw colder air from the bottom and exhaust hot air from the top. If your flow is the otherway round, you may well be drawing the already exhausted hot air back into the PC
Hope that all makes sense!:cool:
Edit - Sorry, just noticed Jeff already mentioned about too much compound
lol ok i'll check everything again, i swear i've done this about 5 times all ready.
Ok heatsink fan (80mm) should it blow onto the cpu or away?
Hi Darren,
Are the fan and heatsink the standard Intel items? If they are, the cpu fan should be drawing the heat away from the heatsink. The P4 is renowned for running a bit toasty so it is critical that your cooling solution is working efficiently. Check that your fans are all working together pulling air from the front of the case through to the back (and up through the top of the case if it has a top fan) and that you don't have cables hindering the airflow. A good way to check the airflow through your case is to remove the side panel and hold a lit ciggie near the intake on the case front, then observe the path the smoke takes as it travels through the case. Any turbulence could mean you have a problem. It should flow smoothly through and out. I have an Antec 300 case and fitted two 120mm fans to the front panel (there are positions for them in this design but Antec only supply a top and rear fan). Initially I'd fitted them the wrong way so there was a tug of war going on between the two existing fans and the new ones... :lol:
I'm not familiar with the mobo you're running, but I'm guessing from the age of the components that it sports an AGP graphics port rather than PCIe. I seem to remember that the ATI card you are using is also a warm runner. I found this http://www.crescentelectronics.co.uk/sapphire-radeon-hd-4650-graphics-adapter-radeon-hd-4650-1-gb-2.html after a quick search online. It's a later version ATI card with DX10 support and will be significantly quicker and more heat efficient than your current card. It supports up to AGPx8.
If the problem persists it might be advisable to order one of these http://www.ebuyer.com/product/176157. I use one on my Core2Duo and idle temps are 26c and don't climb higher than 34c under load. If you decide to buy one, the device should be fitted with the heatsink fan facing towards the front of your case.
Hope this helps ;)
Are the fan and heatsink the standard Intel items? If they are, the cpu fan should be drawing the heat away from the heatsink.
I haven't seen a CPU fan that sucks air away, all the ones I've installed blow air downwards onto the heatsink - you can check by looking at the curvature of the fan blades.
Eek! I far prefer a reliable PC over a fast PC. Of course, it's nice to have both (says I looking at my four cores running at 3GHz and 8GB RAM), but I would never overclock as I need the machine to run 24/7 and be crash-free. Then again, I work in IT.
The P4's lend them selves to over clocking,not all prossesers are so coaprative.
Mine ran into 3.8 very stable but 3.9 produced more heat so we backed it off a little.
You could hit 4.0 but with a water cooling system (very populer then).
It had 2 huge fans at each front and the back pluse it had 2 in the power supply.
I added another big fan in the rear close to the hard drives running in serial raid and mounted a couple of high speed card slot fans as well.The video card had a fan on it and I bought a huge copper heat sink with a fan for the prossesser. It basicly sucked a stream of air from front to back and the side panel had to be removed once every 2 weeks and the dust and lint blown out as this thing moved alot of air and the screen in front would start to look like an AC filter. It had 2 digital read outs and 2 heat probes that sandwinched between the prosseser and the heatsinks to show a constaint temp reading.It was a fantastic XP computer when I got this laptop 3 years ago I gave the whole thing to a freind.
I recomend the slot turbo fans and the big 180 mm fans as volume of air is as importaint as air speed.across the whole mother board,an aluminum case helps too.
Darren,
Let us know when you get it all sorted out.
kininigin
31-01-2011, 16:47
Sorry for late reply guys been really busy last few days.
Ok,so i have cleaned my heatsink as it was caked in dust,far more than usual.
I only use a very small amount of heatsink paste as instructions indicate so no issues there.
Checked airflow with smoke and it flows from front of case straight through to the rear so that is fine also.
I don't want my fans running any quicker than they are atm as i want it as quite as possible.
My graphics card is PCIe as far as i can tell,it is a fanless design to help with noise.I had a tv card next to it which has now been removed as i don't use it.
This should help the graphics card get rid of heat more easily.
Harddrives run at normal heat levels,between 30-35c.
So temps now when idel at room temp are about 57c and under 100% load is about 78c without shutdown.
The problem seems to be my lazyness with cleaning :lol:
Thanks for all your suggestions on a solution.
Nice one. Filthy heatsinks and bad RAM are responsible for the vast majority of desktop PC repairs that we see.
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