hi , looking for some advice with a computer i’ve built for my son , spec is amd64 3000 processor , asrock dual sata mobo , 512ram , ati radeon 9800 pro graphics card , the problem with it is hes getting random lockups which can be gotten out of by using the taskmanager , the psu is a 350w one is this going to be underpowerd or is that ok , if its ok anyone got any other ideas ? any advice would be appreciated. :ohah:
Might be a software issue, so make sure that your programs are up to date, if they’re not already. If not, look below.
Even if it’s a good quality power supply from the likes of Antec or Enermax, 350W is pushing it, and I’d be even less sure about the unit if it came with your case. Newegg has a couple of cheap power supplies that should offer substantially more power than what you have. Don’t let the wattage fool you, the Fortron AX400-PN and the AX450-PN both pack a punch you probably won’t find with any other comparable wattage power supply.
Outside of the power supply, you might be running into some memory issues, so you’ll want to snag [google]Memtest[/google] to put on a floppy or CD. Let that run overnight at least (a good 8 hours or longer), and see if you turn up any errors. If you do, let us know and we can go from there.
The last thing I’d look at would be the CPU cooling. You can see the temperature (at least in most BIOS) in a PC Health (or similar named) menu. If the CPU temp is reading much past 50*C, and particularly if it’s closer to 60 or higher, check your CPU heatsink installation and that the fan is actually working. However, I’d try the other two things first, as it doesn’t quite jive with a CPU overheating issue.
Hi , thanks for that advice…i’m in the uk cant seem to find a supplier of the psu’s you’ve suggested…any ideas on a decent psu i can get over here…btw the psu i have at the moment is the stock one that came with the case .
Hey there, OcUK & MicroDirect are two reliable retailers I have used in the passed many times (especially MD). So I would recommend, this Antec TruePower 2.0 430W PSU for £53. Which should be a good reliable power supply.
Another cause of these ‘lock ups’ could be caused by Virii. Which you may be aware of. Just make sure you have up-to-date virus definitions and software and a good Firewall. 
Give your system a good scan, to get rid of any spyware/malware, it wouldn’t do any harm to do a check if you aren’t infected anyway.
Regards,
Chris