DDO causing computer reset

[LA_MIKE]

Yep, I'm on it. I'll be starting there, and swapping in/out devices until I find the fault.

It appears that Best Buy's return policy allows for me to buy components and give them back. Heck, they even allow for returning items purchased online to any retailer.

Now to determine which power supply BB sells which can replace this:

DYNEX
Model: DX400WPS
AC Input: 110/220V~, 60/50hz, 10/5A
Serial: 8C027697
Fan Controlled ATX 12V Power Supply
DC Output: +5V=28A (Red), +12V1=14A (Yellow), +3. 3V=30A (Orange), PG (Gray), +12V2 =15A (Yellow/Black), -12V=0. 3A (Blue), +5VSB=2 .5A (Purple)
Output Wats 400W, +5V, +3. 3V=120W

[Lord_Legolas]

Well, I had a whole bunch of stuff, but here it goes again...
Your Dell XPS 400 lists it's original power supply as 375W. That power supply you have in there now probably isn't the original. Your video wants to consume 100W's of power according to this site. The power supply you have in there now is purchasable from Best Buy but there's one that's better, same price and has 100 more Watts, and what I feel is a more reliable company.
Cooler Master - eXtreme Power Plus 500-Watt ATX CPU Power Supply

I have a feeling that is the cause of your woes

[LA_MIKE]

Wow, Lord (hehe - /bows)

That's great info! Here's what I was thinking about last night:

A while ago, I was having trouble with my computer. My memory isn't exact as to what the specific issue was, nor how long ago it occured. I asked my girlfriend to help put the pieces together, and we came up with something.

I know that we had gone to Geek Squad in our local Best Buy store. We took the whole computer and planned to have them diagnose the problem and fix it. It seems that I was having trouble with the computer randomly resetting! Apparently, the rig would stay on for 20 minutes, then shut down. My girlfriend mentioned that "this was a security feature, to prevent damage from occurring to the other components," which is adorable since there's no way she would have known that had I not explained that to her myself! So knowing that was something I might have said back then, I knew I was on the right track.

I know that I told the Geek that "I believe the fan on the power supply had gone out, causing an overheating and shutdown issue," to which he replied:

"There's no fan on the power supply."

My eyes went wide as I silently squeezed my gielfriend's hand, realizing that I knew more than the Geek Squad. And I barely know JACK.

Eventually, he came around to agree. "Oh, the fan on the power supply. Yes, yes that might be your problem."

So yes, Lord, I MUST have had this same problem before. My plan this morning was to verify what work I had done with the Geeks, but you've already done that for me, and then some! You found the original specs, so the supply I have is indeed a replacement.

I still want to know when I had that work done, because I'm concerned about the longevity of power supplies on the whole now. The issue from the past had shut down the computer regardless as to what I was doing at the time. This current issue only shuts me down while straining the graphics via gaming.

You discovered that my video wants to consume 100W's of power. Is the original 350W or my newer 400W just not enough? If so, why would a 350W come standard along with that video card? Is that just economics, them planning on my having to invest more money in the future when the supply eventually/inevitablly fails? Or should I be concerned that I've been doing "something wrong" all along, and should learn how to avoid this error "on my part"?

If I'm going to spend the money to replace the supply (hopefully curing the problem), should I jump even higher on wattage to plan ahead for unforseen needs?

Should I worry about putting a newer, more powerful supply into an older system? Maybe replacing with a similar or slightly improved supply would be wiser to keep my computer from freaking out?

Finally, should I plan on simply swapping in the replacement supply, or are there BIOS settings et al that lie ahead of me?

Really appreciate your assistance, and way to go out of your way with your own research. Thanks, bro.

[MsEricka]

Disconnect old power supply, connect new one, done.

It's that easy. Look for a 500w power supply, preferably not the cheapest you can find. You also don't need to go top dollar either.

Why would it come with that power supply? Because it was fine when first installed, but over time it's gotten hot, then cold then hot etc etc and that causes issues. Simply the act of heating and cooling can cause poor solder joints to fail. And as I stated already, capacitors do dry up over time.

A simple 5 minute replacement may very well solve all your issues.

[LA_MIKE]

Just a note to say thanks again for everyone's thoughts. It was, as suspected, the power supply.