Computer turning off!

rob2win

Beta member
Messages
3
A month ago my PSU(250W) died, I have since replaced it with a 550W, all seemed well untill I tried to play video games. The game's I'm trying to play are warcraft 3, world of warcraft & counter-strike: source. My problem is, when I play warcraft after around 5 minutes my computer just goes off. I'm not saying it powers down, I can hear the fans going but it's not giving off any sound, video, keyboard & mouse isnt working etc. However it does let me play counter strike and this is what I don't understand, I can run cs on full settings without any problems but WoW and wc3 just kill my computer. Another thing, when I'm on the loading screens, in chat and playing any of the games(except cs:s) I hear a very fast clicking sound, I assume it's coming from my new PSU because I didnt hear any of the sounds before I replaced it.

I have tried reformatting, installing every new driver and update available, using lower video settings and I'm really getting bored of having a pc I can't use.

Pentium 4 2.4GHz
1gb (2x 512) DDR (upgrade from 1x 256 about 1 year ago)
ATI 9800 All in Wonder 128MB (upgrade from geforce 4 mx 440 64mb 1 year ago)
550W PSU cost me about £30 if that helps.
80gb hdd
I know this is my first post and I'm asking for help but help me out.
Gimme a shout if you need anymore info.
 
Couple of things to try , im not familiar with that gfx card but does it need a power supply directly to the card? if so is it plugged in, 30 quid is quite cheap for a psu so it might not be very good, i made that mistake and bought a cheapy one a while back...

what kind of power does that card require on the 12v rails, IF the psu isnt strong enuff in that department then it will fail, mine did this on the old psu with my 7950 gx2, upgraded it to one with dual 12v rails and the turning off stopped. If the supply is clicking it might be a switch mode supply, trying to do something it shouldnt be doing, you might just have a dodgy psu.

b4 i go to bed and forget ;) u sure the clicking isnt coming from the monitor? sometimes if its trying to display a higher Refresh rate than it supporst u will hear a loud clicking noise...
 
Anubis1980 said:
Couple of things to try , im not familiar with that gfx card but does it need a power supply directly to the card? if so is it plugged in, 30 quid is quite cheap for a psu so it might not be very good, i made that mistake and bought a cheapy one a while back...

what kind of power does that card require on the 12v rails, IF the psu isnt strong enuff in that department then it will fail, mine did this on the old psu with my 7950 gx2, upgraded it to one with dual 12v rails and the turning off stopped. If the supply is clicking it might be a switch mode supply, trying to do something it shouldnt be doing, you might just have a dodgy psu.

b4 i go to bed and forget ;) u sure the clicking isnt coming from the monitor? sometimes if its trying to display a higher Refresh rate than it supporst u will hear a loud clicking noise...
The clicking is deffinetly coming from my tower, whether its the psu or something else remains to be seen.

Yes it's plugged directly into the card, my old psu was 250W so I don't think its because its not giving enough power
 
I'm wondering if teh clicking is comeing from the hard drive. I have seen failing hard drives do this before, and seeing as how you're hearing some clicking, i'd look into that. Next you hear it click, put your head next to teh case (if possable) and see if its comming from teh back or front. unless you have a weird case, if the clicking is in the back, its your powersupply, if it's the front, its your hard drive.
 
A clicking from the backj doesn't necessarily mean it's the PSU. It could be various stuff. To me, It could be the hard drive. A PSU that quits can damage components, and you could of gotten one there.
 
Another good trick to pin down a noise is to roll up a magazine, stick your ear on one end and point the other at the object you think the noise is coming from. The magazine will act like an amplifier and you will be able to pin point the source without having to touch anything. I used to use this technique a lot whilst troubleshooting photocopiers, as they had lots of moving parts and they often made weird noises.
 
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