PC Trouble - HELP what spec?

[karl54]

hi i built a computer for someone and it keeps crashing when they are using Cubase + VST's & sound forge etc.

I suspect its either the RAM or the MOTHERBOARD.
The CPU is fully working. I know that allmost for certain because they where PIB (prossesor in a box).

What i realy need to know from someone is what is a recomended Motherboard for music production?

at the momentthe PC's Spec is:

Athlon XP 2200+ (133x2 fsb =266)
512MB Infinion DDR 400 RAM
Giga-Byte GA-7VT600 - 1394 Motherboard
80 gig western digital ATA133
52x Lite On CD/RW

The computer works perfectly well untill you start doing serious work on it.

Should the RAM & CPU have the same FSB's?

Are giga-byte mobo's ok for making tunes on? What is everyone else using?

thanks
karl

[DJZeMig_L]

I would say it's a driver problem with the soundcard..!?

If u have a in-board soundcard u must get at the very least something like a Soundblaster ( )


Z

[karl54]

so an On board AC97 audio sound card will just crash the system?

basicaly what is happening is that the computer just restarts its slef it wont even lock up! It just restarts stright away.

occasionaly i get a Physical Memory Dump & BSD (blue screen of death)

??

[detfella]

write down the error from the blue screen dump and type it in google. That helped me when mine was doing the same thing. Mine turned out to be dodgy RAM.

[DJZeMig_L]

yep .. that could b it aswell....

the fact is on-board soundcards are the crapiest of craps!!

Z

[MARKEG]

yeah it's got to be the soundcard.

check some other posts on this forum for good recommendations ;)

[karl54]

well the lad is planning on getting an M-Audiophille blah blah somthing.

im still gonna check it tho.

thanks peeps.

[dan the acid man]

it could also be a hot cpu, alot of motherboards have an automatic shutdown when the temperature of the cpu gets to a certain level, it may be set too low in the bios.

are gigabyte boards any good? i along with many friends use one and it works great.

should the memory and cpu be running the same fsb? definetly, it will run much more stable if the fsb is running insink

[Barely Human]

it could also be a hot cpu, alot of motherboards have an automatic shutdown when the temperature of the cpu gets to a certain level, it may be set too low in the bios.

Thats exactly what i was gonna say! The problem with althlons is they get fcuking hot! And the box set, doesnt come with a decent enough fan for the job. Get a new heat sink and fan for the cpu and fit that.

[dan the acid man]

yes, as iq says its best to buy oem and buy your own heatsink and fan for amd's, i bought a coolermaster heatsink and fan for my xp2600 and i usually run around 38c when im doing anything intensive