Hardware Problem?

[Fieldcrest]

I know this is a fairly common question and I have looked through the posts but am still not sure of the best route to go. And I would like to add a little more detail.

About six months ago I put together a rig as follows:

Antec ATX 400W
Western Digital 160 GB 7200rpm SATA
MIS K8N Neo2 Platinum Socket 939
XFX GeForce 6600GT 128MB
AMD Athlon 64 3200
Corsair 1GB (2X512)

I didn't have too many problems in putting it together. One thing was a lack of sound but I assumed that I would just have to download an appropriate sound driver and was going to get around to doing that.

Recently, the following happened:

When I turned on the computer it would run for about ten minutes before the monitor would go blank with "No Input" message only and that too would quickly go black. The computer itself was still powered, fans going etc. I would turn it off and back on hoping it was just some weird glitch but then after a minute or two the same thing would happen.

While the computer is on I noticed the following:

1. some of the pixeling seemed off, a little brighter than they should be. particularly on the log on screen for XP, the bright pixleing seemed to follow the cursor.
2. the system was generally sluggish and things weren't opening etc.

I had recently installed a game so the next time I got on the computer I uninstalled that. I also did the compressed air routine hoping that it was some overheating problem. Neither of these has fixed the problem.

I run Trend Micro's PC-Cillin and Spysweeper and was pretty confident that it wasn't a virus problem. I tried to run them both and some diagnostics but the problem is that the computer shuts down before I get anywhere with that.

I've been told to look at the power supply, video card and mobo. How should I test out these components? For example, I've been told my power supply is a little weak - should I just go ahead and replace it or is there a way to test it? Any thoughts suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

[yeoamuca]

your power supply should be fine for what you are running i wouldnt say its weak but it might be going bad
first thing i would do though is check and make sure that your video card is seated properly (a lot harder to do with pcie but pci was a common problem)
second if you have a second monitor try that
i have a monitor that overheats after about 20 min of use
about 10 min it the screen will start shifing and the pixels will start overlapping and then it shuts off and i have to let it cool
(older 23 inch viewsonic pretty sweet monitor)
thirdly i would try a new power supply

[MakeYourslf2012]

It sounds like a GPU problem. try another video card if possible.

Also, try using a different monitor.

[Cricket]

From what you described I would look at the video card first, then the motherboard and the power supply last.

Do you have any spare parts you can swap in to test with?

Cricket

[Fieldcrest]

Thanks everyone for your suggestions. I can find another monitor to test out and I will definitely make sure the video card is stuck in properly. But for the power supply, mobo and video card, is there a way to test them short of going out and buying new parts (I don't have any I can swap in)? If not, I'll look to buying new hardward but I would like to avoid the cost. Thanks.

[Cricket]

Do you have friends with similar computers that you could test your parts in?

If not, you can take the parts to a computer shop and ask them to test your stuff. Of course they'll probably charge you for the service.

Cricket

[Fieldcrest]

Hey Everbody, I just wanted to report back. The most likely culprits were mobo, video or power supply. I swapped in a power supply last night (just b/c one was available) and it seemed to fix the problem. I tooled around on the rig for about an hour with no problems. So I will keep my fingers crossed for when I go home tonight.

For my own education, if it was the power supply is it a case of it just happening to go bad? Its only six months old so I thought it would be ok. And what are some of the tell tale signs of a bad pc v. mobo v. video?