Computer switched itself off whilst playing a dvd? Overheating graphics or bad psu?

[goatywoaty]

I have just started to watch a dvd using Media Player Classic (came with K-Lite codec pack) and the computer just switched itself off about 15minutes into it which really worried me. This is the first time i've watched dvd on this computer as I tend to use my TV for dvds...

I popped a new 3d card in yesterday which I had bought from the forums - an ATi Radeon x1300 Pro which is passively cooled and I had no problems with that.

Then today I recieved a new monitor - a 24" Dell 2407 which runs at 1920x1200 resolution, could it be the new resolution which has stressed the 3d card and made it overheat possibly, or does it not sound like that would cause the computer to just turn itself off suddenly?

Comp specs are:

amd 4200+ X2 cooled by arctic cooler 64 freezer pro
2gb geil 3200DDR ram
dfi lanparty ut nf4 ultra-d motherboard
80 and 500gb samsung sata II hdds
antec p160 case with one 120mm case fan
jeantech 450 watt psu (http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/specpage.html?jea-450ap &P=1)

Could it be the power supply?

I really do not want this to happen again and im worried it will, if anyone could give their thoughts that would be great,

Cheers,

Goaty

 

[Naqv]

LCD's tend to run at their native resolution, so your monitor is 1920x1200 and your graphics card is outputting at that (most likely).
A DVD at that resolution should be no problem for the graphics card.

I don't know if your card requires an external lead, but yur MOTHERBOARD MAY required a extra power lead to be connected to supply power to the PCIe socket. Check this.

Here are pictures of your motherboard:
http://techreport.com/reviews/2005q1/dfi-lanpartynf4ultra/index.x?pg=2

See the 5th Picture DOWN, it shows the PCIe power connector, this should be filled, Check this.

Nice motherboard by the way

If everything is connected, I actually think that your graphics card "ain't man" enough to handle 1920x1200, especially since it is passively cooled. So after 15min, it probably couldn't handle the resolution, therefore it tried its best by using more power, which resulted in more heat and thus the shutdown.

This is the most probably cause of your shutdown. It was MOST LIKELY because of your graphics card, but the power supply was the ACTUAL CAUSE of the shutdown......due to your graphics card.

 

[goatywoaty]

Hiya Naqv, you're up late just like me lol

Many thanks for the response, I thought those power sockets allowed you take take power FROM them in case you needed to power a fan or something like that lol whoops!

I've just scanned the manual just to double check and indeed you are correct - it says that if using two graphics cards then popping a power connector in there will make it more stable. Even though im only using one, I think I will try it.

Thanks - it is a nice motherboard, i'm just a bit worried about the power supply though, is 450watts enough for the processor and things I have?

Apparently jeantech arent the best quality psu makers from the things ive been reading, and I wouldnt want to stuff my whole system up because I risked it (thing is it came with the computer - I didnt choose it )

I have windows set at 1920x1200. Its strange that it did that when running a dvd for only a short while as I didnt think it would use that much processing power of the graphics card. I was playing quake 4 and doom 3 earlier albeit on lower resolutions (1024x768 and 1248xXXX) but on high quality settings and it worked perfectly.

Computers are strange things at times

Thanks again for the comments, appreciated

 

[Andy98765]

My son has the dfi lanparty ut nf4 ultra-d motherboard and experienced similar problems. The cure for him was to go into the bios and tell the Bios exactly what memory he had, the CAS rating which = 3 and the timing which was = 2T and NOT leave it on auto, that was with Crucial memory.

 

[Naqv]

Your power supply is fine, as I have use a cheap (£5) 400 watt power supply to power a dual core processore and an X1900 XTX (This baby takes 2!!!! power leads).

You need to have the motherboard PCIe connected to the power supply, REGARDLESS of whether you have 1 or 2 graphics cards in my opinion, as my computer also used to shut down randomly and I found out that the cause was the extra power lead.

 

[goatywoaty]

Thanks for the replies guys, With the memory I found I had to put the timings in manually too as if it was on auto it ran it at 333MHz speed and not 400MHz which puzzled me, works fine now though so i'm not sure if it was that which caused the shutdowns as i'd previously corrected it - thanks for that though.

I will try plugging an extra power lead into the m/b slot now and hopefully I wont have the problem again

Thanks again