The double the watts is a sales gimmick, thats true.. however as to "X1650 and a P4, >500W remains overkill IMO" not necessarily, but i know what angle you look at it from hehe :) And as to the other things, I suggest to thoroughly test you PSU first, what indications do you get with speed fan.. under load?.. and yes the AMP's on the rails are alot more important then the WATT's, the reason why i have a 1KW PSU is also based on the amps i get on my rails, they are one of the most stable i've had, that and im future proof... Yup Jaap i do have a large case so heat isnt an issue ;)

Hello Jaap, DavisIf I had access to a psu that was rated 450 watts or higher I would have tested prior to purchase but there was none available to me.I am convinced,though, that the psu was the source of the problem all along. Even though it was rated at 450 watts when I bought it 3 or 4 years ago, it might not being generating that amount now, at least not on a regular basis.If I can solve my problem for $63, including delivery, believe me, I will be pleased.I'll let you know how it goes.I know that you might be skeptical but if it turns out that the psu was the source of the problem, I can thank you for pointing me in that direction. Even if it turns out otherwise, I still thank you.I don't understand much about "rails" but here is what I bought:http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/Se...4638&CatId=1483.Appreciatively yours,Robertp.s. What does "BoSta" mean?P IV 3.2 ghz, 2gb DDR ram,Intel D865GBF 800 FSB mobo, 512mg ATI Radeon x1650 Pro graphic card, 500gb & 160gb Seagate 7200 RPM Ultra ATA 100 hard drives, Win XP Home Edition, 19" ViewSonic E 90f+SB monitor, 450 ATX power supply, SoundBlaster sound card and Saitek 52 throttle/joystick

Hi Robert, I wish you good luck and I'm fairly positive it will help. And yes, please keep us posted how things went. What does BoSta mean? Don't the large B&S stand out? ;-) Well, it's Brazilian (or Portuguese) for more or less the same... :-) Cheers and kind regards Jaap

A belated thanks to everybody for their responses. A new system board cured the problem. Given that it all started only a couple of hours after installing new memory, I can't help but wonder if I pushed down too hard installing the sticks.Appreciatively yours,RobertP IV 3.2 ghz, 2gb DDR ram,Intel D865GBF 800 FSB mobo, 512mg ATI Radeon x1650 Pro graphic card, 500gb & 160gb Seagate 7200 RPM Ultra ATA 100 hard drives, Win XP Home Edition, 19" ViewSonic E 90f+SB monitor, 600 Untra Xfinity power supply and Saitek 52 throttle/joystick

Hi Robert,Glad its all fixed, you could well have pushed too hard.Anyway goes to show, some good info for any first-time assembler, ALWAYS use the correct amount of spacers required by your mobo, even if your case doesn't have holes left, use plastic feet ones they just plug into the remaining mobo-holes and keep the board of the case.And try to put everything on the mobo first before placing it into the case which needs a bit of force to plug, you can never be too careful ;) and the parts like mem never push too hard once inside the case, if it wont fit easily you either have the notch on the wrong side, or simply using the wrong type of DIMMS ;)

Those are good points you raise. Thanks again.RobertP IV 3.2 ghz, 2gb DDR ram,Intel D865GBF 800 FSB mobo, 512mg ATI Radeon x1650 Pro graphic card, 500gb & 160gb Seagate 7200 RPM Ultra ATA 100 hard drives, Win XP Home Edition, 19" ViewSonic E 90f+SB monitor, 600 Watt Ultra XFinity ATX power supply and Saitek 52 throttle/joystick