cpu or memory problem ??

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munchy

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hi guys hope you can help a newbie with a problem

got a pc running xp which keeps jamming up (my technical term for not being able to move the mouse around the screen ,im sure you will know what i mean ) anyway the comp starts up no problem and loads windows without any bother but once the system seems to heat up after a few minutes it jams ,then wont start up again until about 5 minutes later ,seems to have to cool down before it will work again cos when i try to start in up straight after it jams i dont even get a beep or anything on screen,

thinking its a hardware problem i remove the cpu which is scorched ,put in a new hsf as the one that was in is really small and rubbish and in my opinion isnt sufficient for the athlon amd xp2500 cpu ,it then run for about 30 minutes before jamming up

but i have been told it may also be the ram which casues the screen to jam

is there anyway i can test for sure which of these components is causing the problem or does anyone else have any other ideas on what the problem is as i dont want to go spending money on parts i dont really need

thanks in adavance and i hope ive explained this well enought :p
 
sounds like its getting hot, take the side of the case off and blow air in with a desk fan and see what happens

what heatsink is on it ? what thermal compound did you use ?
 
To check your memory, download memtest from Here, either the ISO version to burn a bootable CD or the floppy disk version.

Then boot from CD or floppy and let memtest run through at least twice, it will soon show any memory problems. If there is a fault, check one stick at a time to verify the faulty one.

How do you mean, your CPU's scorched?

To me, it does sound like either a memory prob or more likely overheating, so try what me_2001 suggested as well.
 
heatsink is a cooper coolermaster and the thermal compound is coolermaster high performance premium thermal compound

when i said the cpu is scorched i meant that when you look at the pin side of the cpu the centre of the cpu is burnt and discoloured


gonna try the memory tester
thanks for the help so far
 
munchy said:
heatsink is a cooper coolermaster and the thermal compound is coolermaster high performance premium thermal compound

when i said the cpu is scorched i meant that when you look at the pin side of the cpu the centre of the cpu is burnt and discoloured


gonna try the memory tester
thanks for the help so far
Click to expand...

Sounds like your CPU cooler is not seated correctly?
 
sounds like its got really hot at some point and may have damaged it
 
i know the cpu has overheated which is why i put the new heatsink on which is running fine and seated correctly ,i now need to find out if i have totally ruined the cpu or if i have ruined the ram when the cpu overheated the first time ,

the scorch marks on the cpu means i have obviously overheated it , but i dont know if i have totally ruined it or wether i have ruined the ram in the process of it overheating the first time

just dont want to buy new components that i don't need

would a pc start up with a damaged cpu ?
 
... would a pc start up with a damaged cpu ?
Click to expand...
Yes ... however, a damaged CPU and or 'bad' memory will give/show similar problems.

If your CPU is 'scorched' on the underside, then this is a good indication of some damage being done. AMD CPUs don't like being fried.

:(
 
i'd say you need a new CPU, you can pick up an OEM 2600+ for around £60 or you may be able to find a second hand 2500+ online

have you been able to run the memory tester at all ?
 
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