PC crash

[trial_07]

Hey guys!

I bought the computer in 2004. A few months after, the motherboard blew up when an Mp3 player was plugged in one of the USB ports. Asus replaced the motherboard with the warranty, this took nearly 3 months though. Monday night, the same thing happens: PC crashes and won't start up at the exact same time I plug a USB wire. So I thought it was the motherboard again. I bring the computer Tuesday morning to the shop I bought it from and I explain the situation to him. I also ask that the other components be checked just to be sure. The first time this happened, only the motherboard was affected. So I come back Wednesday afternoon, the person in charge tells me he has bad news. Bad news indeed: Motherboard cooked (this I knew), dead video card, hard drive, and 1 out of 2 512 mb RAM chips. MY DAMN 300$ VIDEO CARD :ohmy: I was stunned. It costs about 500$ to rebuild the computer as it was (oh but the processor survived). At this price, I consider replacing the whole
PC for a PCI-express one. Warranties of the broken parts are to the manufacturer meaning that transportation is paid by me and the process could take very long. And I don't have 500$ to spend on a PC.

I was very dissapointed and I still don't know what to do! Any other bad experiences to share? Anybody? How could a simple USB wire cause this huge crash?

 

[Moparman1539]

what are you trying to plug in on the USB cable?

 

[trial_07]

The first time was an Mp3 player. This time it was only the wire, I was going to add my Mp3/Video player afterwards. I plugged this wire thousands of times, only one time too much.

 

[Patman]

Looks like it's time to upgrade. Hech they have slightly increased the speed of EVERYTHING since 2004 anyway.

 

[trial_07]

Well a 3.2ghz processor with 1gb DDR RAM was not out of date either. I'm currently writing with an old 430mhz laptop and I can see the difference.

 

[Moose]

Maybe I missed it somewhere in the post, what brand/model was it?

 

[thebleakness]

Save up some money and buy a new computer, this time build it yourself. You will save much money and get a much better computer than what you would pay for pre-built. I dont know why plugging in a USB device would crash the computer, maybe a short somewhere?

With the technology that has come out in the recent months you would be amazed in the differences between yours and a new computer. AMD X2s have dropped dramatically in price and even AM2 cpus and motherboards arent that expensive. Or you could go with an Intel Conroe E6300 and have a nice Intel setup.

 

[trial_07]

The computer was built, not pre-built. As for AMD, they've dropped because of Intel's Dual Core rocking them too much.

Here were the specs of my computer:

Intel P4 3.2ghz HT
512mb x2 Kingston DDR chips
Asus P4P 800-E Deluxe (motherboard)
ATI 9800 Pro AIW (video card)
500w Bestpower (power supply)
120gb Maxtor hard drive

Did I forget anything?

 

[Moose]

Are you sure it didnt have anything to do with the way you built it,

 

[thebleakness]

I think it was your PSU. Most people dont think that they are important but they are critical. Plugging in that single USB device was just too much for your PSU and it took the rest of your computer with it.

And by pre-built I meant built by yourself, did you pick out each individual component and build it put it together yourself?

I personally wouldn't buy a Conroe. AMDs are still better for my purposes and now they are cheaper. I have had excellent experiences with AMD with intel....not so much.

 

[Patman]

Well a 3.2ghz processor with 1gb DDR RAM was not out of date either.

It sure is in my world. :laugh:

Anyway... The power supply idea is very valid. We've built a bunch of units and cheap power supplies took out 2 motherboards in 4 months a couple years back. Since then the person that was "saving" us money has learned that quality componants equal up time which is where we make money. Downtime not only has somebody sitting on their hands but a person trying to fix the problem.

 

[trial_07]

The computer was built by the store, but I chose the components. I was thinking the power supply could have something to do also. It is still working, but I seriously consider replacing it with a higher quality/safer one. I think I'll take this as an opportunity to switch from AGP to PCI-express. I know Patman that a P4 is outdated, but the computer suited my needs. I'll be glad to update for Intel Dual 1.6ghz processors. I've heard they can be overclocked quite significantly without affecting the system's stability. Never had any experiences with AMD though.

 

[bsmith]

Are you sure it didnt have anything to do with the way you built it

I had a one from the factory bomb, so I doubt it!

I also rebuilt one back in 2001, put a new Mother board, more memory, updated graphics card and added a networking card, however I used the same chassis with the 20 watt power supply. It kept nuking on me and it was determined I needed a new Power Supply. So could be a valid problem, especielly if you mp3 player is drawing extra juice in order to charge it.

 

[thebleakness]

A 20 watt power supply? You can barely run a light bulb... ;)

I checked out the psu that you mentioned, $30 canadian for a psu? I am now really thinking that was the problem. Next time you pick out your parts spend alittle extra and get a decent one. Antec, OCZ, PC Power and cooling, fortron. The fortron is a good choice if you low on budget.

 

[Patman]

We run several over clocked AMD's with a liquid cooling system and have seen no issue. Next up will be an Intel to see how it does or doesn't handle it. FYI we tried over clocking the AMD's with just a mega cooled box & fan combo with little success so it's one of those go big or go home deals.

BTW there is nothing wrong with a system that does what you need.

 

[trial_07]

Finally I chose to rebuild the system similar to as it was since the Intel Dual Core system or AMD on a PCI-Express motherboard was too expensive. So here are the parts I chose:

- Asus P4S800D-X motherboard
- Kingston PC400 DDR 3200 512mb (To make the system 1gb)
- Zalman 80mm fan x2
- XFX Geforce 7600GT AGP 256mb video card
- Antec TruePower Trio 430W power-supply

I think that psu will keep me out of trouble. A good power-bar would be a smart buy also. Thanks for your help guys!