Help!! Hardware problem

[tanbetien]

Hi guys,
Please help me to deal with the problem which made me unslept for days.
Firstly, my computer restarted by itself after about 15 minutes logging on. During the 15 minutes' time, my network couldn't be connected, I couldn't connect to internet. The symptom kept repeating. Then, I opened the case and checked. It's quite scaring that my chip (AMD 1.6 GHz) was so hot. And there was only 1 LED of the network card on. I initially thought that the problem is on the network card. However, after several times checking, my computer couldn't be logged on. It then turned out that the RAM (256Mb) is burnt.
Do you guys think that other cards and the chip still work well? Is the power supply not steady? Or does the fan on chip work badly?
Your help is very appreciated. I am currently in the final exam's time. It's quite stressful to me.
Thanks very much in advance.

[linuxcomando]

How big is your power suply? If its less then 300 you may need a bigger one. Also AMD runs hot about 100-130F id say. My guess would be that the power suply is not big enough have you tried different network cards?

[ikazuchi]

Do you leave your computer on all day? I'm using a laptop, if I leave it on for a long time, it feels really hot. I'm not expert on computers but if you're worried about whether there are any other problems with your computer, you could always go to a shop for checkup.

Sorry to hear about your situation.

[aeonizm]

my friend had a similar dillema, the system would
reboot on it's own. the problem why the computer
kept shutting down seems to be because the power
supply malfunctioned and would shut the fan off.
which caused the computer to shut down; a backup
- safety precaution to keep the motherboard from frying.

[darkes]

Well, if your PC repeatedly shuts down after about 15 mins, this is usually a problem with your power supply and/or fan(s). I'm puzzled that you say that your memory chip is fried, as this would not normally happen in this situation. Modern motherboards include facilities to monitor the chip temperature & fan speeds to alert you if there is a problem. Most chips (especially AMD) run at a very high temperature, so it would feel extremely hot if you touched it!
I would think that the most likely explanation is that your network card and/or memory chip has failed, and if you can try replacing them, this will probably work.
You should also make sure that the fan on top of the CPU is securely attached, preferrably with a layer of thermal grease between the heatsink and the CPU.

[cwk9]

An AMD 1.6 GHz will suck up lots of power and generate lots of heat. If you power supply is less than 300w then that is most likely your problem. The second thing you should check is heat. Most modern mother boards have a temperature gage in them. On some mother boards if the temperature in-side the boxes gets to hot the computer will shut it’s self down.

[tyger_claw]

As for the other cards still working.... yes, they should... unless they suffered a short that spiked everything (most unlikely in this condition) your equipment is fine...

[draziw]

Originally posted here by cwk9
An AMD 1.6 GHz will suck up lots of power and generate lots of heat. If you power supply is less than 300w then that is most likely your problem. The second thing you should check is heat. Most modern mother boards have a temperature gage in them. On some mother boards if the temperature in-side the boxes gets to hot the computer will shut it’s self down.

Yeah, what he said...

Seriously though... I've personally seen a lot of machines with heat/ventilation problems. They could stem from a poorly placed or inefficient power supply fan or just a CPU sitting in a case where it doesn't get good ventilation. CPU fans, these days, are pretty much mandatory and running without one is pretty much a death sentence for the hardware, IMO. If the machine's tucked away in a corner, you might try popping off the case and setting it on a desk for a while and see if it shows similiar problems (though, depending on the case, some machines will ventilate better when they're all closed up instead of being completely wide open)

If in-doubt, however, take it to a qualified shop... at 1.6GHz, it might even still be under manafacturer's warranty (then again, maybe not - particularly if it was a "piece meal" sort of deal).