New PSU or the whole hog

chilled

At the moment my computer will crash everytime before it can load up windows XP if level 1 & 2 cache is enabled in the bios. But when I disable level 2 cache it works most of the time, Xp loads, and the performance is slower buts its not bad.

What happens is, when its loading up XP it hits a BSOD while loading up windows XP. The BSOD says 'Page Fault In NonPaged Area'. It tends to start working again when I leave it off for the night, this is with level 2 cache disabled, it never works at all if its enabled.

I have this problem for months now, when the PC is working its grand, but now and then I get this problem and I can't do anything for a couple of hours.

If its PSU problem should I risk just getting a new PSU, or go and just get a new system. I have about ~800 to spend and I don't need a new monitor or OS. I bought and built this system off Komplett. I am concerned about stability if I build my own system again. Do other people who built their own systems find that they are unstable like mine?

The system is
AMD XP2000
TwinMos 512Mb DDR Ram
80gb
Windows XP
PSU: Chieftec ATX 12V, Max Load 360W
Asus A7V333 Socket A Motherboard

netman

I've built my systems for years, but that was mostly because I couldn't get what I wanted out of a Dell Never had stability issues once it's all up and running.

Just reading about your problem, I very much doubt it's the power supply. PSU related problems just don't exibit symptoms like that, and 360W must be an overkill for your setup. I know Chieftec don't have the best power supplies, but they're not the worst either.

This sounds more like a CPU or motherboard issue. You could check the cooling as well, what temperatures are you getting in the BIOS? Have you checked that all the fans are spinning? Is the heatsink making good contact with the processor?

If everything looks good and you're still having problems with it and you're still thinking of trying a new power supply then decide if you want a new prebuilt system or if you want to build one yourself. If you're going the DIY route then you can just get a new power supply that you'll end up using anyway, sooner or later. Something that works for the latest Athlon 64 and Pentium 4 will also work for your XP2000.

Khannie

I have found my self built systems to be slightly less stable than the dell I had years ago, but nowhere near as bad as what you're experiencing. That sounds like a dodgy piece of hardware to me tbh.