My pc is still freezing

[David_Paton]

Bruce’s suggestion appears to have worked. Thanks ???

[David_Paton]

Do you think that the other 2 sticks have failed or are they just uncompatible with the 2 sticks that appear to be working?

[David_Paton]

I am asking as the sticks in my pc at the moment are 2 gig each and the other 2 are 4 gig each.

[Bruce]

according to Speccy (and it does have a couple of known bugs) all your sticks are 2GB each.

maybe… the two you think are 4GB are actually only 2GB and they came as a kit of 2 x 2GB sticks and the sticker on the memory says 4GB, but if you keep reading, there will be something that says Kit 1 of 2.
I only mention this because I’ve made the same mistake.

as to failed - not sure, as to incompatible, slight more sure.

the Gigabyte website says the mobo can handle up to 16GB of DDR3 RAM, max speed 2200Mhz.
I couldn’t find the max capacity of each slot.
so maybe getting 2 new 4GB DDR3 sticks would be a start.
maybe 2 x 8GB would be even better as long as you could find out if the board would support it.

[David_Paton]

Thanks for your advice Bruce ???

[David_Paton]

If I was to upgrade the motherboard and CPU, would anyone have any suggestions on what to get?

[phillpower2]

The psu is an antec true power trio.

Model TP3-650

650 watt output

The BSOD error has only happened once or maybe 2 times, mostly the computer just freezes.

You have a PSU that was released way back in 2006 and what you describe happening is typical behaviour of a weak and failing PSU.

Replace the PSU before you replace anything else, depending on what your future plans are a Gold efficiency rated PSU would normally be advised but being that most of the hardware is old you may not wish to spend too much so if the case a 500W Bronze efficiency rated PSU from either EVGA or Seasonic will do, Corsair do not recommend that their Bronze efficiency rated PSUs be used with anything more than basic desktops so don`t go down that route.

[David_Paton]

Replace the PSU before you replace anything else, depending on what your future plans are a Gold efficiency rated PSU would normally be advised but being that most of the hardware is old you may not wish to spend too much so if the case a 500W Bronze efficiency rated PSU from either EVGA or Seasonic will do, Corsair do not recommend that their Bronze efficiency rated PSUs be used with anything more than basic desktops so don`t go down that route.

Thanks for the advice

[phillpower2]

You are welcome

[David_Paton]

I have never put a psu in a computer but I would love to learn to do it.

Do I need to get a specific psu to fit in it?

Will the psu then be compatible if I upgrade the CPU and motherboard at a later stage?

I think I am mostly concerned about connecting all the wires back up correctly to where they are meant to go.

[Bruce]

what you have, and the PSU you are after, is called an ATX power supply.
they are all the same, standardised dimension to fit in your case.

it will have a 24pin power cable that connects to your motherboard and has been standard for more than a decade, so unless your future motherboard changes how it gets power, the new PSU will do you for many years.

all those cables can be daunting, but take pictures of the current setup to aid you.
you simply take one cable at a time, the good news is, they are designed to only connect one way into the appropriate socket. as long as you don’t use heavy force, it is impossible to get it wrong.

the biggest task will be cable management - getting all the cables to snake around the insides to make it look tidy and not block airflow too much. some cable ties may help with this.

there is a new standard trying to get traction right now, the new 12VO (volt only) ATX models. it has a 10pin motherboard power connector rather than the current 24pin.

current PSU’s have 3.3, 5 and 12 volt rails.
ATX12VO, as name suggests, only has 12v, since few components in a PC these days use the older 3 and 5v rails off the PSU. so they are trying to reduce the size of the mobo power connector (for some reason).

however SATA devices still use 5v, so they have the power connectors for these appear on the mobo rather than needing a cable back to the PSU.

but with all PC standards of the past, it takes a generational shift before they even start appearing, let only being dominant.
ATX12VO standard was released in 2019.

good article here; https://www.overclock3d.net/reviews/...wer_supplies/1

[David_Paton]

Thanks for that Bruce

[David_Paton]

Now my second hard drive is sometimes not appearing in my computer. Would that confirm there is a problem with the PSU?

[Bruce]

can’t 100% say either way.
unlikely but hey, computers!
it’s one of those you won;t know until you replace it, and even if it doesn’t help, the PSU is a great starting point to build from.

[phillpower2]

Would that confirm there is a problem with the PSU?

As per my reply #22;

You have a PSU that was released way back in 2006 and what you describe happening is typical behaviour of a weak and failing PSU.

A PSU is like a human heart but instead of blood it pumps voltage, even if you were not having issues you would be wise to replace such an old PSU rather than waiting for it to go bang and you then needing a whole new PC.