freezing issue

[lord kikey]

Hey guys, I'm having quite the time with an older system, to start..

Athlon XP tbred 2400 @ 2ghz
Winfast K7S mobo
ATI Radeon 9800 Pro 128mb
2gb pc3200

The computer originally had a geforce ti4200 and the video card was getting so hot you could fry an egg on it. Of course the result was the video freezing and locking the comp from doing simple things like watching a movie in media player. So I replaced that with the 9800 pro and same issue. Stock heatsink on both cards operating normally and cleaned of dust etc.

The cpu is idling quite hot at around 55 C. It was at 60+ until I replaced the stock amd heatsink with a Thermaltake RX-K7 (2200RPM 38.7CFM) all copper. It's well ventilated also with 5 case fans.

I'd love to drop the voltage on the cpu and see if that would cool it down but this pos board does not allow me to do that, the default is 1.65v. I've tried software like CrystalCPUID and RMclock utility to see if I could change it that way but they won't allow it either, the option is not there.

I've also replaced the psu from some no name 400w crap to an antec earthwatts(500w) to bring some more stability. Still no luck there.

So is there anything I can do to get this thing cooler? Is the video card burning up a direct result of the cpu being so damn hot? Perhaps the cpu is on its last legs?

I'm at my wits end with this system so any help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks all

 

[BillParrish]

download memtest86+ and make a floppy boot with it and let it run a couple of hours. It will eliminate the memory from the things to consider.

 

[lord kikey]

I give that a try, I just added the second 1gb stick a couple days ago. I suppose I could just swap out the older one and see if it's causing issues.

 

[Skizzy]

I give that a try, I just added the second 1gb stick a couple days ago. I suppose I could just swap out the older one and see if it's causing issues.

How long has it been happening? I assume before that second stick, correct?

 

[lord kikey]

How long has it been happening? I assume before that second stick, correct?

yeah, I originally figured it was the ti4200 dying and needed a replacing but the same problem is occuring with the new card, video card gets super hot, and the comp locks.

 

[Farva]

I would almost start with replacing the motherboard, but without more diagnostics, it is hard to suggest that. I would almost say it is time for an upgrade. Socket A's are notorious for being hot (but not as hot as a Prescott). I have a decent after market cooler (all coper) on my 2400 and it idles at 45.