Spontaneous Reboot

[Ray2047]

This is a continuation of my post on my main computer loosing the video signal or seeming to after a short time. First most obvious I switched from a video card to the on board video and that didn't help. Next based on pure guess I replaced the PSU thinking maybe the old one was unstable. Well I have it striped to the basics right now. New PSU, HD without an OS, memory, keyboard, mouse, and monitor. It is spontaneously rebooting after a couple of minutes. Amount of time to reboot decreases each time I try it.

I have put new thermal paste on the CPU and cooler but just touching the cooler with my hand no evidence of over heating. I can get it into bios but after about two minutes it just reboots or I loose video and it doesn't reboot. Which of those things happen seems to be random.

I don't have a spare memory stick, only one memory stick in computer, and the computer doesn't work long enough to run Memcheck.

Figure this may end up a replace parts till it works job. Should I next replace memory, CPU, or motherboard? I know you can only guess but I figure some of you out there have had a lot more experience. It is an ECS motherboard with an Athlon 64bit dual core CPU. I currently have a 1 gig stick of memory in it. My thought was to save money buy a 512 meg stick to swap out. If that is it I can buy a second stick. Seems memory is the next step but just am not sure. Any help or suggestions appreciated.

[T6]

you are describing problems with mainboard capacitors

is it old? time to replace sounds as the best option, i hate that brand, ecs, poorly done with cheap components, made to last 3 years and then to the dumpster

not sure if ram could be failing but you don't have more to test or mention another pc to try it

99.9% of the time i trust the cpu if is not older than 2003

my vote is to replace mainboard for a asus, gigabyte or msi

is it a 939 or am2 socket?

[Ray2047]

Thank you. AM2 socket. MB is more then 3 years old probably at least 5.

[T6]

i believe it can't be 5 if it can support a x2 cpu, 3 or 4 at best

5 years ago the only socket available was 939/940 and 754 and first models of am2 but not much x2, only for 940 and am2 but very expensive at that time

time to replace it, remove cpu and never buy another ecs

you have to test ram, is it ddr or ddr2?  i hope the second, for prices

[Ray2047]

i believe it can't be 5 if it can support a x2 cpu, 3 or 4 at best

Time flies when your memory has flown.