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I just bought a new PC (a Zotac ID-80) and it has been performing quite poorly. I tried installing Ubuntu and Fedora, but it crashed constantly (even during setup). For a while I thought my Apple Keyboard might have been the issue...later I thought it was the USB 3.0 port that is supposedly unusable without the included Windows driver. Windows 7 performs better than any Linux OS I've tried running on it....but it still ends up crashing. I've run all kinds of diagnostic tools. I have the fan on "active" mode. I've reduced the CPU usage through the Windows power manager. But it keeps on crashing.

There was a whole ordeal just getting the damn thing shipped, I don't want to send it back unless I've exhausted every possibility. Does anyone have any other ideas? I entertain any idea, no matter how exotic.

EDIT: The computer crashes sometimes within minutes of turning it on (or up to 40 minutes after light web surfing)

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  • Which standard diagnostics have you tried (e.g. running memtest, trying a single memory module or swapping memory with another PC. Triying a different PSU, .... that kind of stuff to isolate potential HW problems down to components) ?
    – Hennes
    Nov 14, 2012 at 21:33
  • Test your memory with memtest and check your disks SMART stats for any sign of pre-failure. otherwise return it cause it is damaged.
    – Frank Thomas
    Nov 14, 2012 at 21:43
  • I ran a memtest for 40 mins and there were no errors. I checked the SMART status and it was "PERFECT". Curiously, while running the tests for an hour or so, it did not crash. I'm currently running a GPU test...sigh
    – Richard
    Nov 14, 2012 at 23:05

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It's your power adapter. I think it was rated for 19v @ 1.75A ~ 45 watts. Buy one rated at 19v @ 3.42A ~ 65 watts. I swapped out the 45 watt power adapter for the 65 watt power adapter and have had no issues. I spent over a month changing out known good ram and SSD's to solve the issue in vain. Just get the new power adapter. It worked for me.

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  • 19V @ 1.75A is 33.25 watts rather than 45W. It should be said for the sake of future visitors to this post that as long as the power adaptor has the same plug, polarity and voltage the current does not have to be precisely the same as you mentioned. Anything higher than the manufacturer supplier one is better but it might be larger or heavier as a result.
    – Mokubai ♦
    May 1, 2019 at 12:40

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