Strange power-related behavior after system upgrade

I recently upgraded my CPU and memory, and here is my long story of woe...

My system prior to upgrade, built myself in May of 2003:

MSI Neo2 FIS2R (875P chipset) mobo
Skt478 Intel P4 2.4GHz 533MHz FSB (no oc) stock HSF
2x 256MB DDR400
WDC 30GB HD
WDC 60GB HD
Creative Labs DVD-ROM (on third IDE socket on mobo)
Samsung CD-RW
Zip-100/Floppy
PNY GeForce FX5500 AGP8x
400W "generic" PSU came with case
Windows XP Professional SP1

I put in two more sticks of 256MB DDR400 (though it is dual-bank [chips both sides] where the original RAM is single-bank). Latency ratings may be slightly different between the new/old RAM but I don't have them with me.

I powered up the system and everything was fine...Windows was bathing in the new RAM like a baby with new toys.

I also, at the same time, put in a Skt478 Intel P4 3.0GHz Prescott 800MHz (no oc) stock HSF.

The very first time I powered the system up after making the CPU change, I got lights and fans but nothing appeared on the screen (monitor stayed standby). I power-cycled and it came to life. No BIOS error-code beeps, Windows started just fine.

Life went back to normal for a few days. I did notice, however, that my "mainboard" temp reported by SiSoft Sandra was ~55degC which it complained "is too high!". My CPU temp was also around there. I thought I must have a temperature problem so I ordered a Thermalright XP-90. I continued to use the computer without issue (other than the "high temp") for a few more days waiting for my XP-90.

During those days, I upgraded to WinXP SP2. On the reboot after installing XP SP2 I was wandering through the new Security Center when my computer just died. It gave no indication of shutting down from within Windows...it just went dead as if it had been shut down. I thought perhaps it was an issue with SP2 or perhaps the mainboard Winbond thermal monitor had tripped. However, I noticed that I had to hit the power switch three or four times before it finally came back to life and booted into Windows. If the computer had been too hot, I figured it would have at least tried to power up but then been shut down again by the Winbond. But nothing happened...no lights, fans, etc.

I took the case cover off because at this time I was still thinking it could be thermal-related because of the high mainboard temp. Then, after a while of trying, I was able to get in to Windows and it seemed stable. However, still same temperatures.

The same thing happened again (computer shut down). This time I was unable to revive it with the power switch. I decided at that point that I must have a PSU issue since (after checking) I feared I was dangerously close to the max rating of the +12V rail (11A max?!!) with the new 3.0GHz Prescott core and everything else I have sucking +12V juice. So I went to local compy store and bought an Antec 430 TruePower PSU (rated at 26A on +12V rail). After installation, first power-up was good news. Computer seemed to be back and working just fine. During installation I had looked for burn marks or melted sockets or pins but found none.

While things now seemed "okay", I upgraded my mainboard BIOS to its latest version as I noticed that their website indicated an "incorrect temperature reporting problem" for the CPU from the BIOS! (hmm)

After that update, and fixing my BIOS settings as they were "corrupted" by the BIOS upgrade, I noticed my CPU temperature was reported as 33degC (much improved), but my mainboard temperature was still high (still ~55degC). I am not sure if SiSoft Sandra is correctly reporting the temperature as "mainboard". I can only imagine that it is actually my north-bridge temperature that could be soaring that high with the new 200Mhz FSB it has to deal with (133MHz on the old CPU). Case temps are reported at 16-19degC now.

Anyway, things went South almost immediately after upgrading my mainboard BIOS. The power started acting as it had before. I had to remove the AC mains from the power-supply to get it to reboot. But once I did that it stayed stable and alive for almost a day before I shut it down. I have not turned it back on yet...so I don't know if the shut-down was "okay".

I noticed on two different occasions, after "shutting down->turning off" my computer through Windows, when I would power it back up Windows would complain that my system time was set incorrectly. Once it was set for some time in the year 1601 and the other time it was set for some time in the year 1809! One time I could attribute to the BIOS update perhaps wiping the RTC information, but not twice. Both times I noticed that the shutdown noises my computer made were slightly different...it seemed that the HDs were spinning down before the fans and lights and everything else shut off. This never happened before...everything shut down together.

I found a Microsoft article about incorrect system time in Windows2000. Amazingly it mentioned the year 1601 in the article and that it could either mean that the CMOS battery is low or that my BIOS is not 100% ACPI compliant. I figure my mainboard is ACPI compliant...

So, my question...do I have a PSU problem with something shorting out that killed one PSU and is on its way to killing another? Do I have a dying CMOS battery (only two years old)? I know I've upgraded a lot in the past week...but I can't figure out why a CPU or memory upgrade would cause power problems (other than being underrated with my old PSU).

Any help figuring out where that high temperature reading is coming from would also be appreciated. I can't find adequate info in my mainboard documentation.

 

That system temp is way too high,I would think its a wrong reading though not the actual temp,try replacing the cmos batt it doesn't cost that much,I'm amazed you had that system running with that old psu,the protection in the psu turning off could have caused damage but I doubt it,have you got the p4 4 pin power plugged in next to the cpu?

 

Yes, the ATX12V connector (I assume that's what you mean) is and always has been plugged in. I checked it for physical damage and found none. I also checked the 20-pin connector and all other power connectors and found no damage.

I did notice that the Antec PSU is a lot beefier (and also has an intake fan right where my Thermalright XP-90 fins are!) than the old PSU. I am assuming that it is not directly a PSU issue since I have replaced the PSU and still have the same behavior.

I will replace the CMOS battery tonight...though I find it hard to imagine that it would start going bad right at the same time I decide to start upgrading other components.

 

Have you tried removing one stick of memory and are they the same brand?
Sorry you start off by sayin you put 2 more sticks in do you mean you removed the old ones?

 

I hadn't checked the brand...but I believe they are different. I went from two sticks of 256MB to four sticks of 256MB. The original sticks were single-bank [8-chips on single side] and the additional sticks are dual-bank [4-chips on each side]. So in Sandra I show banks 0, 2, and 3 populated with RAM.

I will try removing the old ones.

One other thing I just realized is that the BIOS that I updated to is apparently for a newer revision of my mainboard. I have downloaded the correct BIOS and will flash that tonight before trying anything else. Then I will power cycle a few times to see if I still have issues...

Perhaps that is my only issue...incorrect BIOS update.

 

Yuo have 4 sticks of memory and different brands Urgh!4 sticks is bad enough!