Can running too many PCs in one room cause hard crashes?

Lanz said:
A kettle uses about 3000w, so that's about the equivalent of 15 PCs all on, playing games. So your friend is a bit clueless.
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:o that i didnt know lol, thats gunna be a good argument point for when i want more PC's :D
 
You can buy these plug passthrough things, it tells you the Watts of all your stuff. I tested loads of bits at home :) The kettle did like 2800-3000W, my media center PC did 150W, my main PC does about 270W under load. A LCD monitor does about 10W, a mobile phone charger does about 0.2W :)
 
Using a DFI RDX200, DFI recommends a minimum of 480watt psu. The thing is that's a real 480 watts. A generic 500 watt psu in all probability dose'nt put out 500w anyway and even if it did, it would'nt hold that output for any length of time. So i would say put in a good quality psu(OCZ, Seasonic, Corsair)of 500w or more and the problem will be gone. And yes you do need a 24pin connector on the psu, and you need to plug in any other power connectors to the mobo as well(like the NF4 molex and floppy power connectors).
 
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The computer has been running for several hours now without crash, currently downloading CS:S on steam so will leave it overnight and see if it stays up.

Using the cheap 500W PSU and my friends ram... we think the ram is the problem.
 
Sounds about right, almost every single pc error i have had is ram related (except for when i used q-tec PSU's :rolleyes: ) I have had ram run through memtest with no errors whatsoever for hours, but the random crashes were only fixed when i added different ram... aah well, hope all works out for you..

Also ordering one of those wattage pass throughs... bring on testing :D ( i can now finally prove to me dad that his 1 hour in the electric shower probably takes up more electricity than my pc's being on all day ;) )
 
lol but a q-tec isn't likely to be causing the crashing... then again...

I do actually have a q-tec PSU in this PC (old P4 not the conroe in my sig - old one died on a day when I needed it most (typical) and was the only brand I could find on the high street in an emergency) I've carried on using it as so far there has been no issues with it...

sounds like a serious screw up to me... random crashes/reboots are generally due to the ram - however check the CPU temps.
 
Its not q-tec, just a random one you'd get a local computer shop


its rebooting every few minutes now... its taken several attempts just to type this post.

I now think the motherboard is the problem :/



You know, i really wanted to buy one of those ready built PCs that you get at any old shop that are cheap and not very good... but at least they definatly work (im currently computerless because my laptop broke)... i let my friends convince me into building one... but i always knew this would happen (i've built one before... and that had teething problems with memory at the start too).
 
Bet you didn't use an anti-static wrist strap did you?

Seriously, take it all apart, and take your time reinstalling everything, something could be shorting.
 
No we didn't use one... i dont know why, built I kept quiet about it while they were building it (when i built one, i definatly used one... and definatly would again)

they've built a lot of PCs between them and never bother... but yeah i wasnt liking the way they were haphazardly leaving sticks of ram around and screwing the PSU in while the tower was upright etc



ffs what a hassle





BTW,

the computer was fine for about 4 hours, no reboots...earlier in the day
but since coming home its rebooted about 20 times... i cant understand why, i've installed a few bits of software like Winamp and mIRC and I'm sure those aren't to blame
 
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Sure it's not windows?

Try booting into safemode or something, that way hopefully you'll be able to tell if it's hardware or software related.
 
Check the DFI Street forums for a guide on what PSUs are recommended for their boards.

I know the nF4 boards are VERY prescriptive in their PSU needs, and there is a relatively limited list of PSUs which are recommended. Failure to use one of these PSUs can result in stability issues and boot failure.

Also, do you have all the necessary power cables plugged into the mobo? RTFM to check. My nF4 Ultra-D has 4 separate power inputs - the 24pin main mobo connector, the 4pin auxillary PSU power cable, a floppy type connector and a HDD type molex connector.
 
If it helps, I had a pc that used to restart itself when playing Halo PC. I was running an ati radeon 9600XT at the time, I upgraded to a 9800pro a month later and it stopped restarting. Dont know if that helps,

RoachycaL :)
 
benjo said:
Sure it's not windows?
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Doesn't sound like software if it crashed whilst in Memtest. :s
(Tiny program size, designed to run on systems with faulty memory)

The generic 500W PSU will only be the same as a 300W decent PSU. (Maybe 350W)
But should allow the PC to boot up and run OK.
You are not running that much kit on it.

You say it's still rebooting with different memory?
Then possible Mobo issue.

As has been suggested, removing it from case, ensuring there are no additional mobo stand-off's in the wrong place etc.

To orig Q - We've had 8 PC's in one room with no issues at all before.
26 PC's running off of 6 sockets in one room - No issues.
Exernal power will not be the issue.
 
thanks for your replies


We've decided that the motherboard is probably at fault. After reading several reviews of the mobo which seem to agree with my problems ive decided to get it exchanged for an Asus Mobo, which is actually cheaper due to not having firewire (not really essential, but would have been nice).
 
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