Old Dell is giving me trouble need help

[DarthTheta]

Hello. I've been experiencing an ongoing problem. My computer locks up all the time. There is no prediction to when it locks up but it usually happens when the cpu is under high use and when my computer is idle. The first time i got this problem was when I had another ongoing problem with my gpu where is would produce artifacts when i play my games. I got my gpu replaced 2 times because of that but that problem was still happening. So dell decided to replace my motherboard with a refurbished model of the one that was replaced. When they replaced to motherboard, they also replace my gpu. I was very satisfied because I thought that would fix the problem which it did fix the artifacts but now it just locks up. The OEM build was the XPS 630i (Dell XPS 630 Gaming Desktop System - HotHardware) CPU: Q9550 Intel Core 2 Quad. GPU: Nvidia GTX 280. Memory: 8GB DDR2 and then everything else was added by default the HDD, PSU etc. My initial thought was that the motherboard was defected. So I go through the trouble to call dell support and I'm just ****ed lol. We've done the stupid tests and then the guy said he'd call the next day but he did not. Soooo I'm just going to say, f$%k em. If you guys know what the problem is PLEASE I really want to solve this! On the other hand I was just going to buy a new motherboard and new cpu. Before I do that I need your opinions on this. When I run Battlefield 3, I have my EVGA overclocker program and the task manager loaded on my second monitor. I get an average 60 fps on the low option for the video settings. The thing I notice is that the cpu is bottle-necking the gpu. The task manager says the 100% of the cpu was being used or at least greater than 95% all the time. On EVGA's program it says about 60-80% of the gpu is being used. Why not 100%? I do have my v-sync turned off. This also happens in Farcry 3 but the cpu isn't completely used. I asked my self, what's going on? My answer to that is "I don't know". I was thinking of buying a new motherboard and cpu to solve the locking up problem but then my friend told me something. Battlefield 3 can be easily run on dual core pc's. This blows my mind because I supposedly think my cpu can barely run BF3. He said it could be my gpu which makes sense because of it's age but why is my cpu doing that then? Because of that with the cpu and mobo, I might as well buy another 280 on ebay for the sli configuration to get better performance in frames. I honestly dont know what to do but i definitely want to buy new things to get the lock-ups to stop and I want to get better performance in my games. Please Help!

 

[-RockMan-]

So the computer you have takes a btx motherboard style right ?
In all honesty, I think dell motherboard maybe your real issue.
For starters get your gpu tested on another machine, if its BS's you again thats one problem you need to get rid.
Check your cpu with a friend or a local store to see what maybe going on.
If both of them check out fine, your not going to like this idea, but replace the damn mobo. :/
Gateway does better with motherboards in btx format, let me know what happens so I can see what I can do for you.

 

[DarthTheta]

Yes it should be a btx motherboard. I was thinking about replacing my mobo not just to fix my problem but to have to ability to oc my cpu. The mobo I have only accepts DDR2 memory which is no good for ocing. I'd get an off market mobo that would accept DDR3 so I would be able to oc my cpu. This would be a cheaper option. I should first diagnose the problem before I spend money. I'm pretty sure it would be my mobo but what if it's my gpu doing a new thing that only freezes the screen and not create artifacts? Not sure. But forget all about that for now. My main question is should I replace my mobo so I can oc my cpu or buy a whole new cpu with a mobo which would be more expensive? It may seem obvious but im really not sure.

 

[-RockMan-]

Yes it should be a btx motherboard. I was thinking about replacing my mobo not just to fix my problem but to have to ability to oc my cpu. The mobo I have only accepts DDR2 memory which is no good for ocing. I'd get an off market mobo that would accept DDR3 so I would be able to oc my cpu. This would be a cheaper option. I should first diagnose the problem before I spend money. I'm pretty sure it would be my mobo but what if it's my gpu doing a new thing that only freezes the screen and not create artifacts? Not sure. But forget all about that for now. My main question is should I replace my mobo so I can oc my cpu or buy a whole new cpu with a mobo which would be more expensive? It may seem obvious but im really not sure.

Thats simple, you have a oldbie motherboard go ahead and see about getting it replaced..
I don't know if intel has continued to use sandybridge on btx motherboards but I'll look around a few shops and see whats optional and what not.
To bad the btx never really made it to be standard in all computers by now.
Just before I left college in 2006, they were steady pumpling them out.

I'll check back later on, if I find anything worthwhile.

 

[sPlAtOiD]

Have you checked what your CPU temps are. It almost sounds like heat to me. But i agree on the replacing the motherboard. If it was me I would get rid of the Dell completely.And just get a tower and another motherboard. You can get a pretty nice board for a good price now days..