Computer randomly shuts off

[The Dude]

Good evening all,

 

The main computer in our family is having issues where it will sometimes shut off randomly. The whole entire computer tower will power off. It doesn't have any issues turning back on after and it boots up normally. It is not overheating as I blow the dust out of the case on a regular basis. The BIOS shows the processor at 53 degrees Celsius.

 

Some specs of the computer:

 

HP 725n tower

AMD Athlon XP 2400+

2 x 512mb sticks of DDR2700

160gb 7200rpm

Onboard video

Asus Motherboard

Windows XP Home edition SP2 (maybe SP3, don't remember)

200 watt power supply

 

Since this machine is about 7 years old, I'm wondering if the power supply is going bad on it. Would that most likely be the root cause of random shutdowns?

 

I did some google searching and I have seen the power supplies for this machine go for ~$60. The only thing is that I don't know if it is worth spending the money for a new power supply only to have it not fix the issue. Even worse would be throwing money into a machine with other possible issues (motherboard?) especially when you can buy capable machines for internet/word processing for a few hundred dollars.

 

It typically will shut down on its own once a week and sometimes in the middle of my sister typing up research paper which causes her to lose the work. For now, we can live with it and just save more often but it seems to be becoming a more frequent occurrence.

 

Opinions? Bad Power supply? Failing motherboard/microprocessor?

 

Thank you.

Edited December 21, 2009 by The Dude

[Tx Redneck]

I'm gonna say PSU. I don't believe mobos or chips go gradually.

[KRAM]

Go to ebay for the psu. You should be able to get a new one shipped to you for right around $20.

[Andrew S.]

I know you said you blow the dust out regularly, but 53 is still pretty warm. Try pulling the side off and directing a floor fan into the inside of the case for a day or two.

A faulty or blocked cpu fan could be causing this.

[Joe C]

a 200 watt psu on a 7 yr old pc...yup, that would be the first thing I would replace too. A lot of HP's use the "micro" power supplies, a standard psu will not fit a lot of their cases, if this is what you have, newegg has the "micro" psu's you can get, and go with a 350 W as a replacement

http://www.biz.newegg.com/Product/ProductL...p;name=MicroATX

Edited December 21, 2009 by Joe C

[The Dude]

Thank you very much for the help. You guys are great saving me money. Places want $80 for a replacement for my machine (the original 200watt one).

 

I popped open the side panel. It has a 200watt BesTec power supply inside and the model number starts with ATX.

 

How does this one look?

 

300watt will be a vast improvement over 200watt.

 

Hope this fixes the problem.

 

7yr old HP: 1 hard drive failure + 1 potential power supply failure. Still not too bad for 7 years of service. I do think the rear exhaust fan needs some oil in the bearing though as it likes to groan when it awakes to life.

Edited December 21, 2009 by The Dude

[Joe C]

BesTec power supplies have a nasty reputation for taking out the mother board when they fail, do not use the pc until you replace the psu

[The Dude]

Thanks for the tip JoeC. I'll keep it unplugged until I get the new P/S

 

I'm going to order the one I posted above tomorrow.

 

I looked for a power supply built in the USA but they're all made in China. Guess that's the reality of things these days.

[Joe C]

yup...be sure to measure the size because not all HP's use a micro psu, beware that your psu that you posted is rated at 300W max, that's not the same as the normal output. Be sure to thoroughly check out the specs on these micro's before buying one, reading the customer reviews on newegg will help too

[The Dude]

Ok, I checked out my power supply. Found a website that gave some specs:

 

Bestec ATX-1956D

 

Connectors:

(1) ATX

(1) ATX 12V

(4) Peripheral Connectors

(1) Floppy Drive Connector

 

Dimensions 5.9"W x 3.4"H x 3.9"D

 

 

 

The one from newegg is listed as: 5”(W) x 2.5”(H) x 4”(D)

 

Seems this power supply is smaller, but I am assuming that is okay and that the screws will still be in the same place as they are both ATX form factor? Is my assumption correct? A few of the people who reviewed this unit said it fit perfectly in their HP chassis.

 

What is the difference if the power supply says 300watt max vs 300w rated? Sorry for my ignorance on this subject....been a few years since I built a pc.

 

Before, I took a look in the garage. Turns out I have an older 200watt power supply from a chopped up 700mhz celeron machine from back in the day. However, I don't plan on using it because it's the same small size as the (presumably) bad one and it has probobly 5 years of use on it. Rather spend the $20 and get it done right.

 

Thanks JoeC

 

 

edit: Found this list on their website

 

http://www.athenapower.us/prohtml/ap-mp4at...ssreference.pdf

 

My system is not listed there, so apparently it isn't the right one.

 

Here is one that works according to the cross reference pdf file (hp 725n):

 

http://www.athenapower.us/prohtml/ap_mps3atx25.html

Edited December 22, 2009 by The Dude

[Joe C]

You will need to measure the space inside the case, a standard ATX PS/2 size: 5.9"(W) x 3.4"(H) X 5.5"(L); 150mm(W) x 86mm(H) x 140mm(L) A micro might not fit (too small?), you can read psu reviews here

http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=...amp;recatnum=13

there is a link that goes into more detail about how they are rated too, if you have another pc with a standard size, just measure the distance between the mount screws and see if they are the same as your HP and then check the inside dimension

[The Dude]

According to the Bestec website my power supply is a PS3 form factor.

 

Found this

 

This one claims to replace a Bestec ATX-1956D

 

Think I'm just going to buy this one. Tired of looking at power supplies tonight.

Edited December 22, 2009 by The Dude

[Joe C]

read this thread first...

http://forums.pcpitstop.com/index.php?showtopic=158360

[The Dude]

The issue I'm having is not being to find a name-brand power supply that specifically states that it is compatible with my system.

 

Here is an example of products I get:

 

http://www.xpcgear.com/apmps3atx40.html

 

Says it is compatible with an hp 725 but it is a no name? If I could find an Antec or reputable brand for $50 I'd buy it at this point. Just don't want to get a piece of junk that is going to give me more headaches.

 

My question is this:

 

As long as I get a microATX 2.2 PS3 (which by my research is exactly what I need) that has dimensions that are the same or smaller than my current power supply, would it be safe to assume that it will work fine? I'm willing to krazy glue the dang thing in at this point if the screws don't line up.

Edited December 22, 2009 by The Dude

[Joe C]

I did not see your edit from your other post, if the athena psu will fit as per their web site states, then go with that one. I can not find a good well known mini/micro name brand psu. I know that seasonic makes good psu's and they make the mini/micro types but I do not know which brand they make them under. Seasonic does make some of the antec psu's amongst several other brand names

[The Dude]

Thanks JoeC,

 

Ordered this one which says it is compatible with an HP 725n. It is only 250watt but at least I know it is compatible. If the system ran 7 years on a 200watt this one should be fine. If my parents get another 1 year out of this computer they will be happy.

 

http://www.athenapower.us/prohtml/ap_mps3atx25.html

 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16817338005

 

Thanks for you help, much appreciated.

Edited December 23, 2009 by The Dude

[The Dude]

So I replaced the power supply and the restarts stopped for a while. Now it is happening again...almost once a day.

 

The case is clear of dust and the processor is running at 50 celcius (like it always has).

 

Could the motherboard be going bad?

 

Family can't afford a new system right now....need to piece this one back together for now.

 

[Tx Redneck]

So I replaced the power supply and the restarts stopped for a while. Now it is happening again...almost once a day.

 

The case is clear of dust and the processor is running at 50 celcius (like it always has).

 

Could the motherboard be going bad?

 

Family can't afford a new system right now....need to piece this one back together for now.

 

 

Just a thought, but check for "cold solder joints" where the 24 and 4 pin cables hook up. It sounds like there might be a loose connector on the mobo itself.