Is this motherboard failure?

Question

So, my home-built computer has been acting really strangely lately. First, I started getting graphical glitches, crashes, bluescreens etc. and then the power supply went out. So I replaced the power supply and everything seemed fine for a couple of days. Then I started to get graphical freezes and some crashes with graphics-intensive applications. The music still goes for quite a while, but as far as I can tell no input gets through--difficult to say because I couldn't see anything of course. I had made up my mind to replace the graphics card, but now my keyboard is no longer working. I plug it in, and the lights flash to tell me that it's plugged in properly, but it just never detects. However, it works just fine when plugged into another computer, which tells me that it's not the keyboard failing.

I ran some tests and it seems like the RAM is fine, no problems indicated. My mouse and some of my USB ports are working. Is this pretty conclusively motherboard failure, or should I take it to a repair shop to run some tests? I just really don't want to spend the money on testing if it's pretty obvious that the motherboard needs to be replaced. For one thing, I may not have the money to replace it after the tests, lol, 'cos I'm not made of money.

If there are any resources--forums, etc. or a site where I can ask advice, programs that I can use to run tests to make sure--all would be appreciated.

Answer 1

There are a lot of experienced guys on tomshardware. Try asking the question there.





From what i see though, i don't think it's the motherboard. I think it's the graphics card. Which one do you have? How old is it? Is it new or you bought a used one?





Each time the applications require graphical support and put the graphics card in use, it freezes. What else could it be?

Answer 2

Cascading failures can be a pickle. The issue starts in one area and slowly makes its' way to the other end of the system. This is usually caused not from a hardware malfunction per se but instead hardware inadequacy . Could you please tell us which program you were using. "graphics-intensive applications" is EXTREMELY vague and does not give any real information that would allow me to offer an informed answer. YOu can download this http://download.cnet.com/Speccy/3000-2094_4-75181811.html and then run it and then right click on the summary page and then select all and then copy and then come here and click add details and then paste your speccy information over here. We would then need to know which "graphics-intensive applications" cause this failure. Take my Speccy copy and paste for an example



Operating System

MS Windows XP Media Center Edition Professional 32-bit SP3

CPU

Intel Core i5 2500K @ 3.30GHz 32 °C

Sandy Bridge 32nm Technology

RAM

8.00 GB DDR3 @ 665MHz (9-9-9-25)

Motherboard

MSI P67A-G43 (MS-7673) (SOCKET 0) 34 °C

Graphics

COMPAQ FS7600 (1024x768@60Hz)

512MB ATI Radeon HD 3800 Series (Diamond) 38 °C

Hard Drives

156GB Seagate ST3160812AS (SATA) 36 °C

977GB Seagate ST31000528AS (SATA) 31 °C

Optical Drives

ASUS DRW-22B2S b

Audio

Realtek High Definition Audio



The first thing I see is that I am using a 32bit operating system and I have 8GB of RAM. I need a 64bit operating system. Since I am building this on a VERY tight budget it is coming one piece at a time. Second issue would be my OLD graphics card. The older GDDR4 and less than a GB of the GDDR4 memory is going to cause issues with ADOBE CS5 while trying to render in 3D a high resolution image. Lets say 1920x1080. Gimp would LITERALLY tell me the action you are about to try is going to exceed the allotted memory( back when I had an old Compaq and 1.5GB of system RAM ) and can cause system instability. Said something about do i want to continue. While that was not verbatim it does warn me when I am exceeding my hardware's capability in respect to RAM. If i then attempted it the action would take FOREVER or the system would crash and my music I was listening would continue or it would just flat out crash and become unresponsive. As you can see I pasted my information and was able to spot some issues that could cause problems. With more specific information we can help you a lot better. When you bring your car to your mechanic, or if you do it or a friend or whomever is mechanically inclined in your life they will undoubtedly need to "pop the hood" to diagnose a performance/electrical issue. We also need your PSU's make and model which is usually located on the side on a sticker.

Answer 3

You can download ccleaner for free here: http://bit.ly/1Bk5V5C



First open CCleaner

Go to the Cleaner tab and you will be confronted by a very confusing lineup of checkboxes.

To make this brief, below is my recommended setup:

Under internet explorer check temporary internet files, cookies, and last download location. Most users don't really need this stuff. keep history and bookmarks unchecked, history is a maybe, but you don't want to lose bookmarked sites. You can normally leave Windows Explorer, System, and Advanced alone.

Run CCleaner and it will start deleting files.

afterward it will present you with a list of the files deleted, you really don't need to go through it as it will be several pages long.

The registry cleaner is recommended for slightly more advanced users. Use it after uninstalling programs as they will often leave behind incorrect registry entries.

If you decide to run Registry cleaner then review the items detected and always back up the registry (I keep a folder aside for this)

The Tools tab lets you uninstall programs and set startup programs. Why do you need this if Windows has all of these features? Especially with Vista Home Ed. The windows defender software explorer( startup programs) doesn't pick up some entries (however software explorer is easier to use).

Using CCleaner to uninstall programs and then check for leftover registry entries takes less time.

Under Options you can determine how CCleaner cleans your files. I leave this alone.

Answer 4

it ought to be RAM, capability grant, intense temps or perhaps an intermittently defective fan yet much less possibly the motherboard. a million. For the RAM, you need to verify w/ memtest. 2. For PSU, verify voltages in BIOS each now and then. deploy a monitoring application such simply by fact the single that could have come w/ your motherboard, or Everest, and so on. verify for strange fluctuations. replace PSU if mandatory. 3. verify temps in BIOS each now and then. deploy comparable in merchandise 2. greater perfect have the temp displayed at decrease applicable tray. If the two processor and device temps are intense, attempt improving ventilation first. If in straightforward terms the processor temp is intense, improve to a greater perfect cooling answer this is properly matched w/ your mobo and your workstation case. 4. basically my own adventure. The defective fan could have been sending electric powered spikes that are inflicting records errors.

Answer 5

something about this tell me that either your fan and or the cpu fan is not working for so many things to be going wrong all at once sounds like overheating or the pc is not getting enough power check the manual that came with your motherboard to see if your using the correct wattage power supply unit (psu).



not enough power can put a strain on the psu leading to the psu overheating if the psu overheats then other things start to overheat.



also did you use thermal paste when you installed the fan on top of the cpu.



what ever the problem i think something is over heating

Answer 6

I would check the HDD first, and if that passes, then I would try to do a complete system restore.



If those 2 are completed successfully and the problems still exist, then I think that you've taken all reasonable steps to conclude that it is a motherboard failure. Most PC repair shops will not take steps beyond what you have taken.

Answer 7

The first thing to do to speed up pc and get rid of malwares and viruses is cleaning the registry with a program like CCLeaner http://bitly.com/UrANQc

I love it!

Best