Bit of advice re computer specs please

[jps71]

Hi guys

My desktop computer is playing silly buggers so I am thinking of upgrading.
I have had this one for a few years now so I dont know what the latest specs are to look for in processors etc.
So any advice greatfully received before I go confusing myself seaching the web

Cheers

[lagerland]

Got 2 be dual or quad core mate i3 i5 i7 range are very good is for gaming or normal use what ever normal is.........

[oneman]

what are you planning on using it for.

What is your currently specification ?

[SouthernComfort]

Wouldn't spend my money just yet, have a look at the AMD llano 32nm chips.

[jps71]

Hi Guys thanks for the replies
My current spec is AMD Athlone 64X2 6000+
With 4gb memory.
I use it for general day to day tasks web documents a few games.
Nothing major .
Just my computer keeps playing up restarting itself every now and again which is annoying if I am doing paperwork etc.

[Canker_Canison]

When did you last run a full virus scan? Clear out unwanted files & programs?

IObit have a free piece of software to clean out unwanted fluff. It's not the best bit of software I've seen, but it's free.

Advanced System Care

Before you go rushing off to spend more money, try fixing the current pc.

[dik]

What kind of "silly buggers" is it doing as the spec of your mechine will do just fine, if not hdd or mobo faliure maybe save your data to new partition/ext hdd a format and put a fresh copy of win 7 ultimate and blow out the dust - good as new

[oneman]

Are you sure the PC is not overheating. How long since you last cleaned out the dust from all the fans and PSU ?

[jps71]

Hi Guys

I last did a complete windows 7 reinstalled about 6 weeks ago
I do a virus scan every week
I use spybot search and restore weekly.
I last cleaned the inside of the case about 2 weeks ago
So as you can see I have tried most things but sometimes once every few days and some times 2-3 times a day it just restarts its self for no apparent reason.

[SouthernComfort]

Possibly a faulty PSU or ram, heatsink loose, overheating?
There are any number of things that can cause a pc to reboot, afraid you will need to do some testing/investigation to narrow down the problem. Best advice is to work step by step and note everything you try.
Thats quite a decent spec for use but nothing wrong with upgrading your hardware if you wish.

[dik]

Had similar problems, 1 time I eventually traced it to a faulty hdd - one I stored data on not my windows drive, and happened randomly ie comp idle, just last week found pc crashing due to fan in psu jammed with dust - low voltage output?, cleaned and lubed it and now all good, also when you cleaned out the case did you manage to clear out all the dust that was in the fins of the cpu heatsink under the fan?

[jps71]

Thanks for the info guys.
I guess first thing to do will be to reclean the insdes then check everything is seated correctly.
THensee how it goes from there.
Thanks

[dik]

Thanks for the info guys.
I guess first thing to do will be to reclean the insdes then check everything is seated correctly.
THensee how it goes from there.
Thanks

compressed air is best and easiest, if you have a garage you use for car servicing take it there with the side off and get them to blow it out, or you can get aerosol can from maplins, failing that paintbrush and a hoover, don't forget to check the power supply fan is spinning.
If you go to your hard drive manufacturers website they should have a drive checking tool that can find and maybe fix disc errors

[SouthernComfort]

Boot into bios and check your temperatures, this will help rule out overheating. As has been mentioned, cleaning the fan isn't always enough, dust collects in the heatsink fins and blocks airflow.
How confident would you be disassembling a PC?
If possible I would remove the board from the case for closer inspection, there's not much to a pc but you can damage components easily.
There's plenty of software available to test hardware but without physical access hard to diagnose a problem.

[jps71]

I have just pulled it to bits and everything was pretty clean as I only cleaned it the other week.
I used the hoover and paint brush.
I did get a bit of dust from the heat sink fins but not a great deal.
Any way lets see how it goes now.

Cheers