[CentOS] new machine just turns off after some time.

Fri Apr 13 22:59:17 UTC 2007
Peter Gross <pag at nanosec.com>

Jerry Geis wrote:
> Hi all...
> 
> I have a new machine for centos 5. amd 6000+, 2 gig and 750GIG drives.
> Price is quite reasonable... Anyway...
> 
> centos 5 installs fine, I was running fine then the machine just turned 
> off.
> I tried to run a video for the last 8 hours on it waiting to happen 
> again and it
> worked just fine.
> 
> I then did a continues compile with a batch file and after a few minutes it
> just turned off... I saw the length of time to do the compiles was 
> increasing.
> At the end about 10 seconds extra than the time when I first started....
> 
> 
> I immediately jumped into the hardware monitor for CPU temp and it is 
> registering 45C.
> around 114 F. Seems OK at this point..
> 
> I have heard before RAM or power supply.
> 
> Do these symptoms still point to that?
> Does the power supply seem more likely than RAM? The RAM is DD2 Corsair.
> 
> I am doubtful that the kernel just died or something for froze as the 
> machine TURNS OFF.

1. Memory voltage. Did you set memory voltage in BIOS memory voltage to 
what is spec'd by Corsair for the DDR2 modules you have? Most BIOSs set 
the mem voltage via the SPD setting of the memory module unless you 
manually change it. I would run memtest86 overnight and see if it finds 
anything.

2. BIOS issue[s] -- you didn't say what motherboard you have (or even 
whether you put the system together yourself or bought it pre-built). 
Sometimes BIOS upgrades are needed to properly support newer hardware.

3. Power supply. You didn't mention what video card you have (if any) or 
the brand and wattage of your PSU. Is the ouput of your PSU aqequate for 
the power requirements of your hardware? Inadequate or cheap power 
supplies (even Antec TruPower) are notorious for causing problems like 
you are experiencing. Assuming your PSU is sized properly, the best way 
to diagnose this would be to measure the output of the rails and see if 
they are fluctuating.

I sympathize with you -- gotta be frustrating when your shiny new 
hardware, powerful though it may be, doesn't stay up for 12 hours.