Possible PSU Failure?

Hi All,

I have been experiencing some issues with my computer recently and have a feeling it is my Power Supply. The main problem is that I have been getting random and sporadic crashes / shutdowns without any reason or warning. Weather I am browsing the internet for 5 minutes or playing a game for an hour, my computer will just crash to a black screen and restart or just shutoff completely. There are other times when I boot the computer and a black screen appears with white lettering informing me that there is no power going to my GPU. Also it seems that my boot time has gotten much longer. Typically my computer boots and is ready to go in about 25-30 seconds, now since I have been having these issues, there are times it can take up to a few minutes.

Again, all this is random with no rhyme or reason. There have been a few times when my computer will boot and run flawlessly until I turn it off, but most of them time not. I was wondering if anyone has ever experienced these problems before and if so, was there a way to fix it outside of buying a new PSU? Now I am not 100% positive that it is my Power Supply so if you have any other ideas please feel free to share. Any help or information to shed some light on my situation would be much appreciated.

Thanks in advance for all the help,
JackALope

The kind of issues you are experiencing sound like a power supply issue but that is one heck of a supply you have there. Do you have a voltmeter to check the 12 and 5volt supplies from the PSU? You could start by making sure the connections on the modular supply are fully home. I would get the SF diagnostic tool
Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) Posting Instructions
and get together a report for the BSOD team in case it is some hardware issue other than the PSU such as CPU or main board. A time like this is when you need a spare PSU to replace the suspect one with.

Is the PSU mounted fan side down drawing air in? If so when was the last time it was blown out from both sides?

This could be a good investment:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16899261023

Indianatone said:

The kind of issues you are experiencing sound like a power supply issue but that is one heck of a supply you have there. Do you have a voltmeter to check the 12 and 5volt supplies from the PSU? You could start by making sure the connections on the modular supply are fully home. I would get the SF diagnostic tool
https://www.sevenforums.com/bsod-help-support/96879-blue-screen-death-bsod-posting-instructions.html
and get together a report for the BSOD team in case it is some hardware issue other than the PSU such as CPU or main board. A time like this is when you need a spare PSU to replace the suspect one with.

Thanks for the quick reply. Yeah I actually bought this PSU new off of a friend for cheaper than it's 850W counter part, so I couldn't say no. Anyways, no I don't have a voltmeter. I was planning on getting one but I just wanted to see if I could diagnose the problem before I go out and buy one.

Also, can I get a BSOD error report even if the the computer is crashing to a black screen or even just shutting off? It hasn't blue screen yet which is why it never even crossed my mind.

linnemeyerhere said:

Is the PSU mounted fan side down drawing air in? If so when was the last time it was blown out from both sides?

This could be a good investment:

Rosewill RTK-PST Digital LCD Power Supply Tester - Newegg.com

Hey thanks for the reply linnemeyerhere. Yeah the PSU is mounted fan side down. I do have animals but I don't think dust or hair would be an issue because I clean out my computer every month or so just to avoid this issue.

Also thanks for the link. I am in the market for voltmeter and I had no idea where to start. That tester is just what I need.

JackALope52x said:

Also, can I get a BSOD error report even if the the computer is crashing to a black screen or even just shutting off? It hasn't blue screen yet which is why it never even crossed my mind.

Run the tool and it will gather together all the files (explained in the link) Windows will report something happened even it there is no blue screen. Post it here so as not to start a new thread and we can ask one of the BSOD guys to take a peek. Like I said "sounds like a PSU " but could be a MB or CPU issue where the data times out and the machine goes awol.

Awesome, thanks for the information Indianatone. I will run the test tonight when I get home and post my findings.

Oh I also went ahead and ordered a Power Supply Tester. Whether it is my PSU or not, I figured it would be a good tool to have around on hand.

So I was able to run the diagnostics tool and gathered all the dump files. I have attached the zip file for you to look at. How should we go about getting one of the BSOD guys over here to take a look at it? Let me know if any more information is needed.

Thanks,
JackALope

You can also read voltages in BIOS/Monitor. This sounds like a PSU or board issue as suggested by Tony. Have you unplugged and re-plugged the power cables to the GPU?

These may help to pin it down. Get Core Temp or Real Temp to monitor your temps. Just carefully read the installer windows so you don't install any bundled, unwanted software. One uses the InstallIQ download manager which can be uninstaller later.
http://www.alcpu.com/CoreTemp/
Real Temp - CPU temperature monitoring

Graphics card test:
Video Card Stress Test with Furmark

Hard drive(s)test(s):

Pick one for your HDD brand or use Seatools.
7 Free Hard Drive Testing Software Tools

RAM (memory) test:

This will require memtest on a bootable CD or USB stick.
RAM - Test with Memtest86+

Have asked the BSOD guys to run the files thru the grinder so to speak. Someone will post the results and if it is inconclusive I would suspect the PSU.

Britton30 said:

You can also read voltages in BIOS/Monitor. This sounds like a PSU or board issue as suggested by Tony. Have you unplugged and re-plugged the power cables to the GPU?

These may help to pin it down. Get Core Temp or Real Temp to monitor your temps. Just carefully read the installer windows so you don't install any bundled, unwanted software. One uses the InstallIQ download manager which can be uninstaller later.
Core Temp
Real Temp - CPU temperature monitoring

Graphics card test:
Video Card Stress Test with Furmark

Hard drive(s)test(s):

Pick one for your HDD brand or use Seatools.
7 Free Hard Drive Testing Software Tools

RAM (memory) test:

This will require memtest on a bootable CD or USB stick.

RAM - Test with Memtest86+

Thanks for the reply Gary. Yeah I unplugged an re-plugged in all the PSU cables last weekend, along with dusting out the whole tower. My temps have been normal and I don't have any major fluctuations in them which is what I expected.

I will try to run some of the stress tests that you posted but I am almost positive it will cause the PC to crash. It seems that anything that creates a power fluctuation will cause the system to crash. It also seems that it is getting progressively worse. I hope the Power Supply tester comes in soon because I don't want to damage any of my components with the excessive crashing.