[mythtv-users] Getting OT: What size power supply for this backend...

[Chris Rouch]

On 12/14/06, David Whyte <david.whyte at gmail.com> wrote:
> On 12/14/06, David Brodbeck <gull at gull.us> wrote:
> >
> > I'd highly recommend running MEMTEST86 and checking for bad RAM, too.
> > I've seen some pretty bizarre problems that turned out to be defective RAM.
> > http://www.memtest86.com/
> >
>
> I have done all of that.  This hard-locking problem plagued me a while
> ago and I did everything to track it down.  Back then, I swapped the
> graphics card out for another, tested, removed, swapped and retested
> the memory and finally got much better stability with a different PSU,
> though it still locked up on the odd occasion.
>
> A couple of weeks ago, I bought a new HDD, and the PC wouldn't even
> startup.  The fans would start to spin but then it all died pretty
> instantly.  I swapped back to the older PSU, which meant I could
> start, but I have seen increased flakeyness again.
>

A while ago I also had random lock ups with no traces in the logs.
Some wise people on this list suggested I check the cooling, a
suggestion I ignored because I was convinced it wasn't the problem.
But after I'd run out of other ideas I got a spiffy zalman copper
mushroom shaped heatsink+fan, and some fresh thermal paste. Suddenly
the problem went away.

So I suggest getting some high quality thermal paste (cost < 10$) and
spend half an hour making sure the processor is thermally coupled to
the heatsink and fan. If it's not the problem at least it's not cost
you much in time and money.

Regards,

Chris