"Factory configuration"? Athlon1200 overheating lockups

[Vern]

Hi All,
I recently purchased a Athlon1200 with a ASUS A7M266 mainboard. The computer seems to run OK in windows, but ALL my games would crash randomly. Windows also was locking up during simple file installs. After pulling the cover off the case, and setting a room fan to blow air from my fairly cold apartment into the open case, I can play some games without lockups, and am not getting lockups in windows. Still, programs like 3dmark2001 will eventually lock up the machine. My ASUS probe utility says that the CPU temp is 42 degrees C when sporadic lockups occur. Below this temp the computer doesn't lock up. This seems rediculously low. The temp of the Geforce2Pro card and the mainboards don't seem to budge more than a degree from their stable temp.

The question to those experienced overclockers out there is: What temperature should I expect a factory cooled Athlon to run at (as measured by the ASUS mboards? I had heard that anything below 60C is pretty good, but I am not sure how that was measured. Secondly, do you think that this problem is likely to be a faulty CPU (or even a bootleg overclocked one) or more likely a fault in some other component to the system. The system vendors are absoulely useless in this case, telling me that I need a more expensive case and fancy coolers just to run the computer in factory condition - what a load of #$@%@#.


Thank you for your help.

Vern

[Fiz]

You should be able to run perfectly fine at 42'C. I have had mine as high as 55 or so and it was pretty good. To check wether or not its bootlegged or not, just look at the code on top of the proc. If it has a 1200 in the first line then its all good. What type of cooling are you using, and have you checked to make sure the hsf is seated correctly. If you aer not using thermal paste, definitely get some. The mobo sensors arent that great and can be off as much as 10'C sometimes. What is the idle temp on it also, the average i've seen is about 20-26'C, though it can be higher or lower and be aight. What kind of case cooling do you have? I don't think you need a fancy set up at all, just decent cooling.

[diehrd]

That temp you are stating can be very very wrong,for a few reasons.One did u make sure the temp sensor below the processor does in fact touch the processor.
And what program are you using to moniter the temps.

The other things like vid card could be the issue do you have all the latest VIA drivers and vid card drivers.
Are all your irq's ok,no sharing from irq 9 to 11.

Is this system one you assembled or purchessed ??

My personal feel on what you are saying is processor,like maby the front side bus is moded or the chip is getting hot.can you run sisoft sandra do you have that program ??

[Vern]

Thanks for the replys.

I have all the newest drivers etc, and games will run for a while, for instance 3dmark2001 will make it through any two of the fake game sections, but will crash every time if I try to run all the tests. Even old non-3d games, like total annihilation, do not work when I have the case on, but do seem to go on indefinately with the lid off and lots of airflow.

I am using ASUS Probe to get the supposed cpu temp, although I am well aware that any measurement returned doesnt' necessarily mean anything unless it was calibrated in some way. However, the idle temp seems to be about 38C with the lid off, in a 21C apartment. The heat sink is barely warm to the touch.

The video card temp monitor (Leadtek Geforce2Pro) reports 53C.

One more question: What is the most computationally intensive software that I can download, which doesn't involve any 3d video. I would like to try to crash the system without stressing the video card? Something like ray-tracing software.....

The computer is recently purchased, but I am having trouble with the vendor, who likes to tell me there is nothing wrong except for some incompatibility with the games, probably because they don't want to fix it unless I become a real pain in the ass.

[jordan]

doesnt matter what it came with, get a alpha or win-fop, your cpu will love you for it!

[Fiz]

If the heatsink isn't warm its not sitting on the cpu properly. Take it off and reseat it. To stress the cpu, download PRIME95 or SETI, No 3d video, its all cpu. First take care of the heatsink though. :)