Please help / Computer freezes up

[Mandingo]

My computer is getting on my nerves. I have had a problem with random freeze ups for a few months now and don't know what it is. I'll be doing something (web searching, opening a progrm like my documents.....) and all of a sudden my mouse dont move no more and my keyboard doesn't work. So I have to reset my computer manually. But..sometimes during the reboot (or just starting it up) It will get stuck at the Motherboard logo screen and I'll have to restart it again manually untill it follows thru to Windows login screen. And then repeat all over again.
I clean my computer every month, so it doesn't get all clogged up with dust. I updated my Norton, Spybot and Ad-Aware, turned off system restore, rebooted into Safe Mode and ran all my system scans. It found a few minor things and i took care of them. Then I restarted back into windows, turned system restore back on and recorded a new restore point. I went into Startup and closed out all my Startup items. I changed my keyboard and mouse. And disconnected my CD and DVD drives, my modem and my floppy. Nothing seems to have helped yet.
I have noticed that my CPU usage seems to jump up pretty high on simple procedures. Like....Opening Internet Explorer - 52%, Starting a song from my music - 82%, Clicking on my favorites - 65%. I don't know if that is normal or not, but I thought I'd bring it up.
Anyone have any ideas? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

System Specs....
Mobo - MSI K8N Neo 2 platinum
CPU - AMD Winny 3000+
GPU - eVGA 6600gt
H.D. Seagate barracuda 80 gb 7200. sata
RAM - Corsair VS 2 x 512mb (1gb)
PSU - Antec Truepower 430w
Drive - CD/RW
Drive - DVD
Drive - Floppy
Monitor - 19" HANNS-G

 

[Rundat]

whats the temp on your cpu?

 

[Mandingo]

I don't know. I don't know how to check the temperature. I looked in my Bios to see if there was something there but I did not see anything that had to do with temperatures. But on the other hand don't think it is a temperature problem because when I wake up in the mornings and its colder in the house and I start up my computer first thing it still sometimes doesn't even make it to the load up screen for DoS before it freezes up.

I have the mobo, ram, hard drive and gpu card in it right now. I disconnected all the drives and modem and it froze up as soon as I started it up. Didn't even make past the black screen and just sat there, so I restarted it and it did it again.

So it has got to be either the Mobo, Hard drive, the processoror the Ram. What would be the more obvious choice between the 4? Is there a way to check them?

 

[Rundat]

cant pass boot up its either ram or powersupply. You got a extra psu or memory stick laying around? if not get it from a friend and test it part by part

 

[Mandingo]

I do have an extra power supply, but not Ram. I will try the power supply right now. But like I said in the first post, It also makes it past boot up and freezes up when I'm logged into windows for 10 minutes. Sometimes it boots right up and I don't have any problems for a couple of hours and sometimes I have to reset my computer before it flashes bios and sometimes after it flashes bios. Its never the same. I actually went 2 days with no problems before, but most of the time it freezes up at random when ever it wants.

 

[Rundat]

I still think its the cpu temps. It should be under hardware monitor in bios

 

[Mandingo]

Ok, I don't know how I missed that in my bios, but I found the temp. They are as follows...
System Temp - 27c / 80f
CPU temp 37c / 100 f

That good or bad?

I found a couple older 256mb sticks and threw them in here. Havent run into any problems yet. Ill keep you updated.

 

[Mandingo]

The Ram that i had in my computer while i was having the problems was Corsair Value Select 2 x 512mb (1gb) DDR 400. That Ram that I replaced it with is Generic 2 x 256mb (512mb) DDR 266 PC 2100. My computer is running way better than it has in a long time and no more freeze ups. Why is it so much better with lower ram?

I also took the Ram I was having problems with and threw it into an older socket A computer I have and haven't had any problems yet. Does that make any sence?

 

[Rundat]

ah so temps are fine. u fixed it =)

 

[Mandingo]

I thought I did. But I just froze up again. That leaves the processor, motherboard or video card. I've replaced everything else and still froze up. So close. it must have been my imagination that made me think it was running better. Do processors and motherboards just go bad? If they do, what usually happens? What should I do now?