PC flicks the power off when encoding

[toocanx]

When starting to encode video using either :

DVD2SVCD or TMPGEnc

my pc just flicks off ! its like the power cord has been pulled out.
the pc iin question is fairly modern Athlon 1.7ghz, 1 gig of ram, plenty of harddisk space

at first i thought it might be a bios setting using auto shutdown if the cpu got hot, but i turned it off and it still does this ...

does anyone have any suggestions why this is or how to get round it ?

help much appreciated

[jameshgross]

toocanx,

This really sounds like a thermal problem.

Make sure that all fans are running. (this means the power supply too)
Make sure that the CPU fan/heatsink is not blocked by cables.

There really is not any thing else that will cause your computer to shut off AC power.

[teegee420]

I agree with the above. You might even want to remove the side panel and place a small fan beside it to see if cooling everything helps.

[TeeeRex]

A couple of things to try...

Check the memory modules are in snugly (remove them and reseat them) - then do a full POST with memory check.

Are you overclocking the AthlonXP ? - if you are, then lower the overclock as TMPGenc (and DVD2SVCD uses TMPGENC I assume) use heavy CPU cycles that may be crashing your CPU - resulting usually in a cold reboot rather then a shutdown but this may be the problem....

[Josef K]

...auto shutdown if the cpu got hot, but i turned it off and it still does this ...

As the others have said, it may well still be overheating. You haven't entered your Computer Details so I don't know what system you have. Did your motherboard come with a software util to monitor temperature, voltages, fan speed, etc.? It might be worth your while to open up a util like that and manually monitor what your temperatures are while encoding - at least to rule it out.

EDIT:

I remembered about the memory when I read the post from TeeeRex. I know that overclocking also stresses memory but we don't know if you've OC'd. Make sure that your RAM isn't 'cabled-in'. It needs some cooling at least. Adjust all cables that might be resting against or near your RAM. As ever, the maximum airflow is best.

[Suntan]

It could also be an inadiquate power supply. If it occurs as soon as you start the encode (vs a few minutes into the encode) the PC would not have had enough time to increase in temperature. However the CPU will go to 100% as soon as you start the encode which will start drawing more power. This can cause the PC to blink off and go straight back to POSTing/bootup.

[toocanx]

i dont think its a heat problem although id like to eliminate this factor reason for this is there are 2 fans internally and the unit is well areated

its not overclocked and everything is running out at box speed

what software can i use to do a ram POST ? and monitor temperature ?

[Josef K]

what software can i use to do a ram POST ? and monitor temperature ?

HWiNFO32 is one of countless out there if you look for them. If you try HWiNFO32, click on the Sensors button on the toolbar to get info on your temperatures.

[thor300]

Cant really say if its a heat problem, need to know WHEN it crashes, when tmpgenc starts or after it encoded a little? If at once it is more likely to be a tmpgenc or driver problem. Am not sure if tmpgenc preview uses overlay, but if so it could also be a screencard driver problem. Your CPU is AMD so if its the screencard i would uninstall the driver and then add the (newest) VIA AGP driver and then reinstall screencard driver, if your chipset is VIA that is. tmpgenc is very neandertal, it uses RGB, so i would not be surprised if it made a screencard crash. Try to turn off the preview option.

[higgy]

definately a heat issue-buy a new heatsink and fan that is rated over the cpu-i had the same problem with my amd xp2000 and bought a new h/s and fan rated for a 2700+ with copper base-now running at a cool 30 deg c under load

[RabidDog]

Your heatsink/fan has probably come loose make sure it is securely seated on the cpu. Try other encoding softare that stresses the cpu/memory.. prime95

[mpiper]

While it could be a heat problem, I suspect it is the power supply.

AMD chips need at least a 300 Watt power supply. The newest video cards with mega RAM can use 150 watts by themselves!

I experienced similar problems for about 2 weeks before my power supply just gave up the ghost.

If you are running an AMD, dual cd/dvd drives, 1 or more hard drives, USB peripherals, and a video card with 128 MB or more; I would highly recommend at least a 400 Watt supply. The higher the better.

I lesser possibility may be the power quality being fed to your PC. If the durrent being supplied to your PC from the wall varies between 110 - 120 (which is normal) normal operations won't be affected. But, push the CPU to full utilization, and any loss of power could cause a memory fault and result in a reboot.

Some surge protectors and most UPS units have AVC(Active voltage control?) which acts to moderate the power and keep it at a consistent level.

Hope this helps!
Mike