possible PSU issue? (constant freezing)

DJBrowny · 06-08-2009, 08:55 AM

Hi again :P

So recently my computer has been freezing every single time i boot up, about 5 minutes after. it actually boots up in about 30 seconds, but I can read my email, listen to some music for a few minutes when every time it just freezes completely.

Now when it freezes, my monitor display is obviously frozen, but what is odd is the backlight on my USB mouse and keyboard both turn off. Im thinking they are simply losing power but i cant be sure.

recently i formatted the computer, installed all the mobo drivers etc. bought a new GPU, ram memtest86 for 8 hours and reported 100% working fine so i think ive narrowed it down to the PSU. I plan to take it to the shops tomorrow but would like to give them an idea what may be the cause. obviously if it is something else, maybe you guys could help me sort this out much quicker on by myself :)

I dont have any way of measuring the voltages from the PSU myself and have no idea how to replace with it a working one, ill leave that to the people at the shops. however If anyone thinks this could be another problem, please let me know :) thanks

dai · 06-08-2009, 09:02 AM

what are you running
video card
cpu
m/board
ram
power supply
brand
wattage

check the listings in the bios for voltages and temperatures and post them

DJBrowny · 06-08-2009, 07:59 PM

Nvidia GeForce 9400 GT
Gigabyte GA-EP31-DS31
Intel core duo (2.66Ghz) E8200
Thermal take PSU, 430W
2gig ram

I did the bios readings,
Vcor = 1.204V
DDR18V = 1.840V
+3.3V = 3.344V
+12V = 12.048V

system temps 23, 27 *C

but just as i expected, the computer froze during the bios menu. it only took about 1 minute as well. I get the feeling updating the BIOS is going to be impossible as it constantly freezes whether i have booted up the computer, enter BIOS menu or anything

dai · 06-08-2009, 09:46 PM

for pcie system you need to be up here

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...corsair%2b550w

DJBrowny · 06-08-2009, 10:00 PM

550W really?

The person at the computer shop said my 430W PSU is fine. And my computer has been running on that same PSU for a very long time.

Do you think the wattage of my PSU is really the problem? I was suspecting faulty wiring or something. Id just like to be a little more sure before i spend that amount of money on a brand new PSU.

Ive had people on this site tell me the problem is hardware conflicts, faulty RAM, mobo drivers and all sorts of reasons but no one has been as sure as how you are sounding. anyway are those voltages looking fine?

btw i pulled out all my peripherals and replaced them with a PS2 mouse + keyboard and it continued to freeze so i think that also rules them out...

dai · 06-08-2009, 10:16 PM

it's not the wattage but the available amps on the 12v line that are important

what model is the psu do you have a link to it

DJBrowny · 06-08-2009, 10:25 PM

Its a thermaltake 430W XP550 NP

i cant find any sites with very detailed specs, only ones like these
http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/332

dai · 06-08-2009, 11:00 PM

about as low quality as you can get when you look at their tests it could not supply even 18a on the 12v line
your supply needs to supply a min sustainable output of 26amps
so your looking at a quality supply with a gross output of 36 amp min
which is an efficiency rating of 80+

DJBrowny · 06-08-2009, 11:46 PM

Ive been talking to other people for tech support and some have suggested that i unplug the DVD drive completely to see if the psu can handle startup without it.

others say update BIOS, install new video drivers etc, which of course are not possible with it freezing every time i start it up.

and some still suggest a hardware conflict. I just find this hard to believe when it was working perfectly fine for a long period of time until these problems started occurring after i plugged in new headphones. since that time however i completely formatted everything and was sure to install all new peripherals properly and this problem persisted immediately after the format using ps2 peripherals...

Do you think any of these could have an effect on it freezing?

dai · 06-09-2009, 01:49 AM

most of the power is pulled by cpu video mb
removing a drive that only pulls a few watts will not make any difference usually

unless you have enough amps for a solid foundation running the computer your not going to get far

grimx133 · 06-09-2009, 02:23 AM

First time you mentioned the headphones. If they were plugged into the front jack, try taking off the connector from the front panel audio header on the motherboard.

DJBrowny · 06-09-2009, 06:13 AM

thanks for the help guys.

I dont have many spare components around the house so testing is kinda hard :/

Im gonna take it to the shops tomorrow, ill tell them that its very likely its a PSU and hopefully they can sub in a 500W or something with a gross output of 36 amps. if that doesnt work... i think my computer is pretty much completely screwed... have to rebuild it from the start :/