I recently replaced my video card to a 8800GTS 540MB and got a better power supply unit, and since then, mycomputer randomly freezes while I'm playing games. It never seems to do it during high stress times, like comabt and such, but rather when I'm looking through my inventory, or moving the mouse from one side of the screen to the other. It happens in both Eve-Online, and hellgate London, which are the only 2 games I am currently playing right now. I have all the updated drivers and patches for everything in my system, and I should probably say that this is the 1st system I put together, and I am not very well versed in computer technology (I had alot of help :P). I've cruised the forums for the past week looking for possible fixes, and every time I find someone with a similar problem, it seems it won't work for me or doesn't apply to me. Here's my system specs. Any help would be much appriciated.

Windows XP 2002 service pack 2
AMD athlon 64 4000+ 2.46ghz
Microstar MS-7125 V3.0 Motherboard
Maxtor Sata 100GB HD
3GB DDR1 RAM
8800 GTS 512MB
Integrated sound
Antec 430Watt PSU with 2x +12v rails with 17AMP max each

is this the new 8800 gts 512 with 128 pixel shader vs the older 112? when did you get this

Got it from Tigerdirect. It's 128. and made by XFX.

Oh when did I get it...2-3 weeks ago. misread when for where...

According to nVidia, the minimum PSU requirement for an 8800GTS is 400W with 26A on the +12v rail. Just so there's no confusion, that 26A recommendation is for the whole system, not just the card itself.

"Antec 430Watt PSU with 2x +12v rails with 17AMP max each"

The +12v1 rail is used solely by the CPU, so even if your CPU only requires a max of 10A, the other 7A is "wasted"...in other words, it can't be used by the rest of the system. That leaves the +12v2 rail for the rest of the hardware that requires it.

From the Antec 430W EarthWatts PSU page:

"Dual 12V outputs: 12V2 for Motherboard and peripherals; 12V1 for processor"

http://www.antec.com/us/productDeta...

Many hardware sites are now recommending a PSU with a single high amperage +12v rail rather than the split rail design...that way, ALL the +12v amperage is available for ALL the hardware that needs it.

If you look at this chart, the 8800GTS tested consumes 168W at idle & 250W under load. Other 8800GTS brand's power comsumption should be similar:

http://www.neoseeker.com/Articles/H...

What I'm getting at is it's quite possible that your PSU *may* not quite be up to snuff. But before running out & replacing any hardware, take the time to troubleshoot. Try running some load tests & see if you can duplicate the lockup. Also, monitor your system, CPU & GPU temps.

I really don't think that the game is freezing due to your PSU, but I could be wrong. Sounds like a configuration issue, and something that can be tweaked to avoid this. Mine was doing the same, (8800GTXs), and fixed the issue under Diagnotic Tool. It was actually an issue with my Sound Card...not the Video Card. Sound acceleration was at Full and I had to put it to Standard. However...games froze or shut down during HIGH stress times. EA games are the only games where this occured??? go figure & good luck.

Thanks for all you help guys. Took me a while to get back to you as I was out of town and couldn't reply. A few quick questions, as I'm new to the whole technical side to computers. How do I check my CPU and GPU temps? How do I run a Load test? And where do I get a diagnostic tool that would help me troubleshoot?