[01010]

You did try looking at what the beep codes for your motherboard meant, didn't you?

Because before I ****ed around with anything, that's what I'd do.

::EDIT::

Seems if you do a google search on your board model, it seems to be a very unreliable board.

[Turnsky]

it's Catcus by the sounds of it DG,(any aussie would know what i mean )

[Black Ace]

Um... can I offer a word of advice? Money may be of no concept to you, nor friends for that matter...

...because if you keep blowing up CPU's you're going to have none of either...

[Turnsky]

what you'll be left with, is smelling like burnt silicon for quite a while...

and i'm thanking my lucky stars you can't go near my pc..

[IceFire]

Originally posted by diamondgeezer

A bloke called Ade, who is a professional computer god and knows more about PCs then all you lot combined. I mean, we're talking a dude with caseless PCs strung up allover his walls. The guy knows his ****. He did, however, say that this was something he'd read in the last week or so...

For all that those guys know...I swear the knowledge just combines into some kind of form of paranoia.  YEAH, just about every bloody thing can break the other thing and yes drivers are bad for your computer and yes this company does that and you could burn out your monitor or shoot a lightning bolt through the CPU to your hand or something but its not bloody likely going to happen except in a rare instance with a particular combination of parts, voltages, and only during a three quarter moon on the fourth night of june during the second year before the apocalypse.

He knows his **** and you should stop listening most of the time because its probably never going to happen.  However, you should call him in to fix your problem

Sounds like you blew something in there and have now managed to fry several boards.  Voltages and the clocks on those systems are very touchy...especially older model Athlon XP's.

[diamondgeezer]

I did blow something, Ice - my CPU. I already said that bit. My graphics card is also dead, though whether one death caused the other we shall never know. I then blew my house mate's CPU in testing, and we blew another friend's chip during subsequent tests. Luckily, replacement chips are only 45 squids so that's doable.  The buggerish bit is paying 100 squids for a new GF4. Sigh.

Incidentally, could those learned in such matters take a quick butchers at this here page o' PSUs... these are the cheapest line on the website, are they going to be OK do you think?

For those debunking the GF4 breaking the CPU theory, I ought to point out that I picked up the crad at a computer fair for about half the price you'd pay on the web. Just so, you know, you've got all the facts

[Black Ace]

Originally posted by Turnsky
and i'm thanking my lucky stars you can't go near my pc..

stop while you have some componants left...

[Styxx]

Originally posted by diamondgeezer
A bloke called Ade, who is a professional computer god and knows more about PCs then all you lot combined. I mean, we're talking a dude with caseless PCs strung up allover his walls. The guy knows his ****. He did, however, say that this was something he'd read in the last week or so...

Ooooh, I'm humbled.

[Martinus]

[color=66ff00]Just to ask the obvious but... You guys earthed yourselves right? I mean you weren't doing all this whilst standing in nylon jumpsuits with pockets full of coins or something?
[/color]

[CP5670]

hehe

I had a similar problem about a year ago (computer making funny beeps on startup due to a cooked processor), but in my case only the processor was damaged and not the motherboard.

[Turnsky]

how do you want your athlon?

Original recipe? or [glow=red]EXTRA CRISPY[/glow]



a friend of mine accidently broke some of the fins that were on his heatsink fan, and he ran it for a while and he ended up chipping the core..

[CP5670]

on a side note, are the old Athlon TB 1400s supposed to run pretty hot or something? I seem to have heard something to that effect in various places on the internet, and that was the processor that got fried for me (I got a free replacement from the warranty so I didn't bother to upgrade it at the time).

[diamondgeezer]

Originally posted by Styxx
Ooooh, I'm humbled.

Oooh, a sarcasm detector. How very useful.

New processors are inbound as we speak. Going graphics card shopping tomorrow. Going raiding and pillaging the day after to pay for it all.

[Martinus]

[color=66ff00]Well to be honest having computer components open to the environment is not a good idea in the long run, actually it's quite silly. Inside an enclosed case parts are less prone to the effects of humidity, heating via direct light and of course 'computer bug syndrome' i.e. something physically touching the electronic components. Something as stupid as an untimely sneese could royally fubar your computer.

The only benefit I can think of in the long run is that you don't get the same level of dust buildup. I don't think that the ability to swap out components quickly is a benefit, as you wear down the contacts and increase the level of oxidation they undergo. I'm looking at this from a purely electronic point of view though.
[/color]

[vyper]

Originally posted by Maeglamor
[color=66ff00]as stupid as an untimely sneese could royally fubar your computer.
[/color]

Now that would be classic, if expensive, moment.

[Liberator]

My computer doesn't run very well with it's case on.

It one of those Compaq economy jobs:
(Default Configuration)
AMD K-6-2 500mhz
64 MB 100mhz SD-RAM
10 GB HD
Trident onboard video
ESS Allegro onboard AC-'97

and with the extra hardware I've got in it:

2GB HD
Geforce 4 MX 420 w/64mb SD-RAM

combined with the frame's generally poor airflow leads to a build-up of heat that causes the system to become unstable.  I've run for nearly 2.5 years without a case and have had no problems.  

It all boils down to the fact that I'm too cheap to go buy a decent case fan at my local Staples.

[diamondgeezer]

Righty, I purchased meself one of them new fangled Geforce FX thingies, a 5200 flavour one. Who'd like to jump on yon soap box and tell me what you think (I haven't tested it yet, processors haven't turned up). Paid 90 squids, if anyone's interested.

Thing that gets me is that it came without a fan, only a BLOODY GREAT BIG heatsink. Reviewers have said that these FX chipsets generate about half the heat of the old GF4s, but all the same... I really feel I ought to rig up a fan for it. Specially since I'll probably try and overclock the bastard. Thoughts?

[IceFire]

Originally posted by diamondgeezer
Righty, I purchased meself one of them new fangled Geforce FX thingies, a 5200 flavour one. Who'd like to jump on yon soap box and tell me what you think (I haven't tested it yet, processors haven't turned up). Paid 90 squids, if anyone's interested.

Thing that gets me is that it came without a fan, only a BLOODY GREAT BIG heatsink. Reviewers have said that these FX chipsets generate about half the heat of the old GF4s, but all the same... I really feel I ought to rig up a fan for it. Specially since I'll probably try and overclock the bastard. Thoughts?

Hrrmm...I can't remember if the FX 5200 was typically equipped with a fan or if you just managed to get one of those with the silent cooling system.  Either way, it should be sufficient in a decent case.

FX 5200 I think is a good card but a tad bit underpowered.  Compaired to the raw power of a GeForce 4 TI...it comes a very close second.  However, when you get the DX9 stuff coming around, the TI won't be able to touch that stuff while your FX will happily continue to move along.

For instance, when Doom III comes out (and the like)...you won't have any problems.