Computer Headaches

[Adam Leinss]

Hi guys.

I recently installed a watercooling kit from Danger Den that leaked
coolant all over my motherboard and adapter cards. This kit kept
leaking, so I pulled it all out. In the process of trying to remove
the waterblock from the CPU, I bent the pins off the CPU. So I went to
Newegg and ordered another CPU chip (P4-478-3GHZ). Put the chip in and
powered the system on...only powers on for 2 seconds and shuts off.
Narrowed the problem down to being the motherboard so I ordered a new
Asus P4S800D-X from Newegg.

Got the system all together last night and booted it up...worked great
for 3 hours and then the video all went to hell. I updated the video
drivers and once I rebooted the system never POSTed again. Grabbed
another AGP card from my other system and it booted just fine. I figure
the coolant burned this card out as well (it is a Asus 128 MB 9280S AGP
card).

So....I went to CompUSA this morning and got a cheap Geforce 5200FX AGP
card, 128MB. Throw in it my machine and it will POST ok. However,
when it gets past the BIOS I get either a "Out of Range" message, a
black system (system doesn't boot) or the graphics are all distorted.
I put this 5200FX AGP card into my other system and it works fine. I
took the 64MB Geforce2 card and placed it into my system and it works
fine?!?! However, it is no where as crisp as my other card as I was
hooking it up via DVI and now I'm using VGA.

Any ideas? BIOS appears to be flashed to the latest version.

Adam

 

[Guest]

I recently installed a watercooling kit from Danger Den that leaked
coolant all over my motherboard and adapter cards. This kit kept
leaking, so I pulled it all out.

Good, since water and high voltage can be a lethal combination.
www.silentpcreview.com can show you how to make a completely air-cooled
computer as quiet as a water cooled one. Always test for leaks before
setting the computer anywhere near electricity by blowing air into the
plumbing (not high pressure, 3 PSI is enough) and brushing small
amounts of shampoo or hand dishwashing detergent and water at each
connecton (not enough to drip much on the equipment).

In the process of trying to remove the waterblock from the CPU,
I bent the pins off the CPU. So I went to Newegg and ordered
another CPU chip (P4-478-3GHZ). Put the chip in and powered
the system on...only powers on for 2 seconds and shuts off.
Narrowed the problem down to being the motherboard so I ordered a new
Asus P4S800D-X from Newegg.

Got the system all together last night and booted it up...worked great
for 3 hours and then the video all went to hell. I updated the video
drivers and once I rebooted the system never POSTed again. Grabbed
another AGP card from my other system and it booted just fine. I figure
the coolant burned this card out as well (it is a Asus 128 MB 9280S AGP
card).

So....I went to CompUSA this morning and got a cheap Geforce 5200FX AGP
card, 128MB. Throw in it my machine and it will POST ok. However,
when it gets past the BIOS I get either a "Out of Range" message, a
black system (system doesn't boot) or the graphics are all distorted.
I put this 5200FX AGP card into my other system and it works fine. I
took the 64MB Geforce2 card and placed it into my system and it works
fine?!?! However, it is no where as crisp as my other card as I was
hooking it up via DVI and now I'm using VGA.

What happens when you try the other computer's power supply in this
one? And what power supplies do you have, including UL registration
numbers, if available? The fact a Geforce2 works where a 5200FX
doesn't indicates the power supply is marginal, either from aging
capacitors or inadequate design. By the way, all the video cards you
mentioned need only good-sized heatsinks for cooling, not fans and
certainly not water cooling.

I hope you live in the vicinity of a Fry's since they're better than
Compusa -- better selection, often better prices, and no 15% restocking
fee. They recently had a Radeon 9550 card for $20 after rebate, and
while it's no speed demon (even when overclocked to 9600 speed, which
is usually very reliable), it's certainly faster and cooler than an
5200FX.

 

[Adam Leinss]

(e-mail address removed) wrote in

What happens when you try the other computer's power supply in
this one? And what power supplies do you have, including UL
registration numbers, if available? The fact a Geforce2 works
where a 5200FX doesn't indicates the power supply is marginal,
either from aging capacitors or inadequate design. By the way,
all the video cards you mentioned need only good-sized heatsinks
for cooling, not fans and certainly not water cooling.

I bought this system complete from Monarch Computer Systems about 3
years ago. I believe it has a 430 Watt Enermax power supply. The old
AGP card worked for 3 years without any issues. It is only when I
decided to try water cooling did all of my problems start.

The other interesting thing is that my old Athlon 733 MHz has a 235
watt power supply and the Geforce 5200FX AGP card works fine in that
PC, so I don't think it is a power issue (box says you have to have at
least a 300 watt power supply...hmm....).

I hope you live in the vicinity of a Fry's since they're better
than Compusa -- better selection, often better prices, and no 15%
restocking fee. They recently had a Radeon 9550 card for $20
after rebate, and while it's no speed demon (even when overclocked
to 9600 speed, which is usually very reliable), it's certainly
faster and cooler than an 5200FX.

I wish, no Frys here. I just ordered a Chaintech 256MB PCI card from
Newegg. I hope this fixes the video issues!

Adam

 

[Paul]

(e-mail address removed) wrote in


I bought this system complete from Monarch Computer Systems about 3
years ago. I believe it has a 430 Watt Enermax power supply. The old
AGP card worked for 3 years without any issues. It is only when I
decided to try water cooling did all of my problems start.

The other interesting thing is that my old Athlon 733 MHz has a 235
watt power supply and the Geforce 5200FX AGP card works fine in that
PC, so I don't think it is a power issue (box says you have to have at
least a 300 watt power supply...hmm....).


I wish, no Frys here. I just ordered a Chaintech 256MB PCI card from
Newegg. I hope this fixes the video issues!

Adam

Did you remember to remove the old driver for the previous
video card, before trying another one ? A driver package installer
has to prepare for the hardware it finds, and using that driver
to control a new card could mean the new card is being mis-programmed.
Perhaps the services of a driver cleaner, or using the entry
in Add/Remove are called for. Then try a fresh driver install.

Paul

 

[Guest]

(e-mail address removed) wrote in

I bought this system complete from Monarch Computer Systems about 3
years ago. I believe it has a 430 Watt Enermax power supply. The old
AGP card worked for 3 years without any issues. It is only when I
decided to try water cooling did all of my problems start.

A 430W Enermax should have no problems, unless some of its capacitors
have aged, and around the time it was built the scandal over poor
capacitor quality had hit a peak. But the only way to tell is by
taking voltage measurements with a meter while the supply is running
its normal load.

The other interesting thing is that my old Athlon 733 MHz has a 235
watt power supply and the Geforce 5200FX AGP card works fine in that
PC, so I don't think it is a power issue (box says you have to have at
least a 300 watt power supply...hmm....).

Power recommendations tend to be very conservative, and many machines
rarely consume more than 200W. But the quality of supplies varies so
greatly that some so-called 550W units aren't as capable as other 300W
units.