Solved Pc turns and off every few secs, any ideas

[Monster212]

ok i have a computer and i built it so maybe i did something wrong. but as soon as i hit the power switch on the back of the power supply the pc turns on all fans and stuff start up then about 6 secs latter it turns off, then 6 secs latter back on and keeps doing this untill i plug the power supply.....

specs

Case= RAIDMAX SMILODON ATX-612WBP Black 1.0mm SECC Steel ATX Mid Tower Foldout MB Computer Case
mother board = Intel DP55KG Extreme Series Desktop Motherboard (P55 ATX Core i7 Core i5 LGA1156)
Graphics Card =EVGA nVidia GeForce GTS 250 1 GB DDR3 2DVI/HDTV PCI-Express Video Card 01G-P3-1158-TR
Memory = Samsung MV-3V2G4 2GB DDR3 SDRAM Desktop Memory Module (1333MHz PC3-10600) 6gb have 6 gb total
DVD DRIVE = Lite-On LightScribe 24X SATA DVD+/-RW Dual Layer Drive IHAS424-98 - Retail (Black)
MediaCard reader = Dynex Media Card Reader
Power Supply = ROCKETFISH GAMING CPU POWER SUPPLY 500W RF-500WPS2
CPU = Intel Core i3 Processor i3-540 3.06GHz 4MB LGA1156 CPU BX80616I3540
Hard Drive = 500gb 3.5" desktop sata hard drive wd5000aaks
cpu cooler = Genuine Intel COPPER Base Core i3 530 540 550 560 CPU Heatsink Fan socket 1156

 

[PooMan UK]

Sounds like your PSU (power supply unit) is knackered

 

[Monster212]

so i should go buy a new power supply and that should work???

 

[PooMan UK]

Well if you could borrow one from a friend, just to test would be a good start, but if you can't then save your pennies and look at buying a new one.
Try and go for a 650W or above just incase

 

[dsperber]

so i should go buy a new power supply and that should work???

Or maybe your fans aren't working (specifically the CPU cooler) and the machine is shutting down for thermal protection because the temperature is rising rapidly over some extreme point.

Of course that wouldn't really explain why it would spontaneously then power itself back on 6 seconds later. This is the curious part of the story. I would have thought "power off" (for whatever reason) is permanent.

Does the BIOS on your motherboard have some fan/noise settings, which because of where they're set (for reduced noise) possibly have the fans running at too low a speed to cool the machine? I wouldn't think this could cause the exceeding of a critical temperature limit within 6 seconds, but I'm just asking.

Certainly an interesting story.

 

[Monster212]

i cant even get into bios does not let me on log enough and nothing shows on my screen.... maybe a bad graphics card????

 

[jimpz]

If it's shutting off/turning on that quick & you just built it, I'd suspect a short, probably under the motherboard.
I'd check that all the standoffs are in the right position & there isn't one out of place making contact with the motherboard.

Jim

 

[dsperber]

No beep codes from the BIOS? Often the hardware tries to communicate to you if it is operational and can at least detect a recognizable hardware problem, with the beep pattern codes documented in the "troubleshooting" section of the manual, or on the manufacturer's web site or through their support phone. But if you're not even getting that, forget that idea.

Did you describe your memory as 3 sticks of identical 2GB = 6GB?

Can you disconnect all of the non-critical peripheral components (e.g. DVD drive and SATA hard drive and USB-internal (presumably) card reader, and even video card) and just have the CPU and memory installed. Then see what happens, Pull both power cables and data cables from them, and remove the video card. See if that makes any difference in what happens at boot time.

I'd certainly expect a beep code indicating no video, but the question is does the machine stay on long enough to communicate this beep code or does it still power itself off in 6 seconds.

 

[ignatzatsonic]

NVidia says that card uses a maximum of 150 watts. They recommend a 450 watt power supply, if you decide you need a new one. That Rocketfish you have may have gone south.

 

[Monster212]

i am going to try another power supply and see if thats it.... also i will unhook everything and just have the cpu and see what happens... and no beep code at all...

 

[Monster212]

i have tried with nothing hooked up but CPU heat sink fan and mother board.. no hard drives dvd drives graphics card still does it... i guess tomorrow i will go buy a new power supply and see if thats it...

if it was a bad mother board it would not start at all right, same for if bad CPU it would not start up... i am so upset with my self that my first build is giving me trouble...

 

[ignatzatsonic]

i have tried with nothing hooked up but CPU heat sink fan and mother board.. no hard drives dvd drives graphics card still does it... i guess tomorrow i will go buy a new power supply and see if thats it...

if it was a bad mother board it would not start at all right, same for if bad CPU it would not start up... i am so upset with my self that my first build is giving me trouble...

Try to find a decent brand: Antec, Corsair, Seasonic, XFX.

Get a 400 or 500 watt from one of those companies rather than a 600 or 700 watt unit from Rocketfish or some other unknown brand.

 

[DavidE]

Are you sure the Heatsink and all the fasteners are installed correctly?

If you used pre-applied thermal paste, you did remove the plastic covering it?

 

[Monster212]

i have tried with nothing hooked up but CPU heat sink fan and mother board.. no hard drives dvd drives graphics card still does it... i guess tomorrow i will go buy a new power supply and see if thats it...

if it was a bad mother board it would not start at all right, same for if bad CPU it would not start up... i am so upset with my self that my first build is giving me trouble...

Try to find a decent brand: Antec, Corsair, Seasonic, XFX.

Get a 400 or 500 watt from one of those companies rather than a 600 or 700 watt unit from Rocketfish or some other unknown brand.

ok i will do that then..

Are you sure the Heatsink and all the fasteners are installed correctly?

If you used pre-applied thermal paste, you did remove the plastic covering it?

yes heatsink is on nice and good and i added my own Thermal paste artic 5...

 

[Monster212]

ok well i tried another power supply i had from another computer does the same thing.. i then went and put a new heatsink on same thing.. i have unplugged everything but main power and cpu power same thing.... with or with out memory.. so have no clue..... for my first build this shore is turning into a pain in my butt... i keep telling my wife i bet its something stupid i am ding wrong.... anyone else have any ideas.... i am so ready to throw the dang thing in the trash i am so upset with my self..

 

[ignatzatsonic]

Here are member TVeblen's troubleshooting steps that you might want to work through and see how far you can get.

It sounds like bad hardware or bad connections of some type, but you need to eliminate each piece of hardware one at a time as best you can.

You can test RAM and hard drives, but without special tools you can't really test power supplies or motherboards.

TVeblen’s method for a no start PC

Strip it down and then add components back, one at a time, to try and isolate the offending component.

The test (power off, power cord unplugged):
• Disconnect everything externally connected except the mouse and keyboard (printers, USB devices). If you are not using a wired mouse and keyboard see if you can borrow one.
• Disconnect the power and data cables from all the drives inside the computer (Hard drives, DVD/CD drives).
• Remove all the cards installed in the PCI slots including the video card. (be careful handling them and place them on a non conductive surface while testing).
• Remove all the RAM sticks (same rules as above).
Now connect the power cord and turn the PC on.
• The motherboard should start beeping. You should get a beep code that tells you there is no memory. This is good, it means the processor is functioning and the motherboard is good so far.
• Now add one stick of memory in Slot A1 and power on. More beeping: "no video card" beep code. This is good.
• Then add the video card and connect it to the monitor. You should get no beeping and you should see the BIOS screens, ending with the message that there is no boot device.
If you get no video then switch the one memory stick installed for another one and test.

Continue adding components one at a time.

If at any point the PC fails the the last component added was the problem one.

If you removed everything and there is only the Motherboard (with integrated video), processor, and power supply to contend with and it does not POST or show anything on the screen, then the problem is one of those three.

If you have tested by using another power supply then you are down to two. CPUs rarely fail, so motherboard is the most likely guess.

Try performing a CLRTC or Clear CMOS as a last ditch effort, and check the 3v battery. Both long shots, but what do you have to lose at this point.

 

[Monster212]

i am going to try to take the cmos battery out for awhile then put it back in and see...

 

[DavidE]

Another possibility is a short, usually between the case and the MB.
To test this many home builders do "breadboarding" where the PC components are tested outside of the case.
The MB cardboard box is very often used as the breadboard.
Here is one link with a Pic and better explanation.

Breadboarding - General-Homebuilt - Homebuilt-Systems

 

[Monster212]

just want to say thanks to everyone who helped.. i have tried everything cant figure this out... grrrrrrrrrrrrrr ready to throw out in the street and never try to build a pc again...LOL

 

[dsperber]

just want to say thanks to everyone who helped.. i have tried everything cant figure this out... grrrrrrrrrrrrrr ready to throw out in the street and never try to build a pc again...LOL

Nah... don't give up just yet, and certainly don't give up on the idea of building a PC yourself.

Not that it's any consolation given your current situation, but believe me when I tell you there's probably no greater joy than when you finish three days of hard work putting all the parts together (when you are NOT an engineer) and finally do plug it in while it's still on the kitchen counter where you've been performing the whole surgery, and push the POWER button on the case and it DOES NOT EXPLODE but instead actually appears to be working properly!

Anyway, you've actually tried stripping it all apart, down to its bare bones of power supply, motherboard, and CPU? And it still shuts off after 6 seconds and then powers itself back on 6 seconds later?

Have you phoned Intel for support? It's their motherboard and their processor. the auto-shutdown could certainly be a protective response for thermal or voltage overload reasons. But what/how/why would it power itself back on again? That has to be BIOS (which is motherboard) controlling and causing it I would think, not the CPU or PSU.

It's possible you've not mounted the board to the case properly I suppose, if all the "standoffs" haven't been inserted right, especially in the area of the CPU itself. But I would expect rather different symptoms from a "short".

I'd ask Intel's advice at this point, to explain how the power-off/power-on symptom can conceivably occur. What might cause that?