Possible PSU issues, how to tell.

[Brendan M]

Hi there,
As per a previous post, my computer died and I ended up installing a new MB, CPU and 32 GB Ram.
http://www.sevenforums.com/performance-maintenance/358818-new-motherboard-ram.html

Anyway, now my computer is having startup and running issues.

By this I mean that my pc might run fine for hours and then suddenly shutdown and the cooling fan go ballistic,
OR it may just shutdown,
OR it might not start at all but give a few pathetic beeps and spin the fan a bit then go quiet and then repeat, OR upon hitting the power button the cooling fan might go Billy bananas and nothing else, just the crazy fan, OR it might run perfectly.

So, could this be a psu issue? My problem is I lack testing equipment or spare psu to check it out and as i live in Cairo/Egypt, I will be forced to bite the bullet and buy a new psu without really knowing if there is something wrong with my current psu.

Any hints/tips/ideas i should try first?

Cheers
B

 

[ignatzatsonic]

Do you think it's possible that your new motherboard might be defective? Did you have a similar problem when you had the old motherboard?

Normally, I'd suspect the PSU. But they are hard to test meaningfully and you have no known good spare to swap in. So the new motherboard can't be ruled out.

I don't think there is much you can do as a test unless you have sophisticated testing equipment. You can test PSUs to see if they will turn on and are not outright DOA, but that doesn't help you with an intermittent problem.

It's a tough call. I'd probably assume it is a PSU issue and buy a replacement. If that didn't fix it, then the motherboard becomes suspect.

I assume you've reseated all cables.

Have you run memtest86+ on the RAM?

Have you been monitoring CPU and motherboard temperatures and fan speeds with an application designed for that purpose?

What PSU brands and models do you have available at local dealers? There are a small handful (4 or 5) brands that are likely to be good to high quality, but the rest can be average to horrible.

 

[Brendan M]

Thank you for your reply ignatzarsonic.

If/when i do purchase a new PSU, what are the brands I should stick to?
Also how do i tell what power rating i should purchase? Stick to the same power rating as the current one, 850W?

 

[ignatzatsonic]

You don't need anywhere near an 850 watt PSU. Did someone tell you that you needed that much power? Did you have any choice when you bought the PC?

Some Corsairs are OK, some are average.

Look for a 500 to 550 watt standard ATX PSU from any of these brands:

Seasonic, XFX, EVGA, Super Flower, Corsair, or Antec.

Make a list of those you see and report back with prices and I'll try to give you specific advice.

 

[AddRAM]

With Corsair, from my experience, I would not go below an HX750.

Corsair HX and HXi Series

With EVGA, I would stay with 550 Watts or higher. Personally, I recommend EVGA

EVGA - Products - EVGA SuperNOVA 550 GS Power Supply - 220-GS-0550-V1

EVGA - Products - EVGA SuperNOVA 650 GS Power Supply - 220-GS-0650-V1

 

[ICIT2LOL]

Hello Brendan now mate this is what I always suggest folks use to try out the PSU now depending on the brand of motherboard the section for the PSU output be different to the one in the pic which is my Asus Ivy Bridge one - Nuvoton another common one is ITE but in any case (no pun) the reference to Vbatt is the give away so see my little ditty for doing the test run
Using HW Info
PART A:
You can test the volts on the PSU with HW Info HWiNFO, HWiNFO32/64 - Download < download the right bit version and close the right hand window select Sensors and scroll down to the power section where you will see what the volts are doing see my pic. In my pic the section (Nuvoton) with VBATT is a dead give away you are in the section for the rail voltages. There are other section titles and one that pops up often is ITE
Now the voltage on the different rails have to be within 5% =+/- of what is required or the machine will not work properly if at all.
See this for the rail voltage info
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/power-supply-specifications-atx-reference,3061.html (Section 2.)
The original right hand window shows the machine running and is handy for that but for looking at the components in some detail close it and use the main left hand side panel
FOR OTHER COMPONENTS
PART B:
Open each small square with + in it on the section the components are in and then click on the individual component/s (it will highlight in blue) - in the right hand side will appear all sorts of details including brands speeds and other essential info that particular device. See pic for example.
Use PART A: