Tech Support Forum banner
Status
Not open for further replies.

Power supply faulty??

2K views 4 replies 3 participants last post by  Masterchiefxx17 
#1 ·
Hi all,

First off I'll provide a background to my problems. 8 months ago, I upgraded a number of components in my existing HP HPE-575A desktop. Things added in were a Thermaltake 750 power supply, a Radeon R9-290 GPU, and an additional 8 gig of RAM. 1 month ago, I got nothing but black screen upon a startup. Long story short, the GPU crapped itself.

For two weeks now I've been running an ASUS ROG Matrix R9-290X without fault until a few days ago. The problem was first identified during a particular game (World of Tanks), where it would randomly (and without warning) hard restart my computer. Now up until this point the card was working perfectly and had been running the same game without fault. Additionally, as part of the fault finding, I stress tested the graphics card using Furmark. The second that you click on begin test, the computer hard restarts.

This sounds more and more like a power supply issue to me, even though from everything I've read the power supply should be more than enough to run it. I'm thinking more along the lines of the fact it may not be providing clean power or it's out of spec or can't provide the required amps to the card.

System Info:
Intel Core I7 2600
16 gig (4x4) DDR3 1333 RAM
ASUS ROG Matrix R9-290X
Thermaltake 750W Smart Bronze
2 TB Hard Drive (1 x 1.5 / 1 x 0.5)
1 x 120mm intake fan
2 x 80mm cooling fan (1 x CPU, 1 x exhaust)
CoolerMaster Silencio 550 Box

Cheers
 
See less See more
#3 ·
I disagree about the quality of the TT750W Smart Bronze. It is not top-tier, but not low quality either. Note it received a decent "Highly Recommended" review from TechPowerUp and other review sites noting good ripple suppression and regulation.

But even the best supplies can have bad samples, and all supplies will fail - eventually. And in any case, any 80 PLUS Bronze 750W will provide way more than enough horsepower to provide stable performance for your components - assuming it is working properly.

While I agree this sounds like a power supply problem, your symptoms could also suggest heat, or a memory problem too. Or even just a loose power connection somewhere.

So for sure, make sure the interior, including heatsinks and vents are clean of heat trapping dust and that all fans, including the GPU fan spin freely.

To properly and conclusively test a power supply unit (PSU), it must be tested under various realistic "loads" then analyzed for excessive ripple and other anomalies that affect computer stability. This is done by a qualified technician using an oscilloscope or power supply analyzer - sophisticated (and expensive) electronic test equipment requiring special training to operate, and a basic knowledge of electronics theory to understand the results. Therefore, conclusively testing a power supply is done in properly equipped electronics repair facilities.

For most "normal" users, the easier way to verify your PSU is good is to swap in another known good PSU to see what happens. And this is probably what I would do first (after cleaning) because everything else in your computer requires good, clean stable power for stable operation.

PSU Testers are good and I keep a PSU Tester in my tool bag in my truck. The advantage of this model is that it has an LCD readout of the voltage. With an actual voltage readout, you have a better chance of detecting a "failing" PSU, or one barely within the required tolerances as specified in the ATX Form Factor PSU Design Guide (see “Table 2. DC Output Voltage Regulation” below from Page 13). Lesser models use LEDs to indicate the voltage is just within some "range". These are less informative, considerably cheaper, but still useful for detecting PSUs that have already "failed". Newegg has several testers to choose from. However, none of these testers test for ripple and they only provide a little "dummy load", not a variety of "realistic" loads. So while not a certain test, these testers are better than nothing. They are also great when using a spare PSU for testing fans and drive motors as they signal the PSU to turn on when plugged in.

Note the required voltage tolerance ranges:


For your memory, Windows 7 and Windows 8 users can use the built in Windows Memory Diagnostics Tool. Or you can use the popular MemTest86. Note, however, that software based RAM diagnostic tools are good, but not conclusive. So you might try running with just a single RAM module to see if it fails. Repeat process with remaining modules, hopefully identifying the bad stick through a process of elimination. Just be sure to unplug the computer from the wall and touch bare metal of the case interior BEFORE reaching in to discharge any destructive static in your body.
 
#4 ·
Hi,

To answer Masterchief, BIOS Voltages are as follows,

CPU Core - 1.212
+1.05 - 1.068
+3.30 - 3.385
+5.00 - 5.027
+12.0 - 12.130
5VSB - 5.040
VBAT - 3.216

To me those figures seem to point towards failing to provide the required current under load as the static voltages seem ok.

Interestingly.... Here are the voltages from CPUID HW Monitor

CPU VCore - 2.232/2.232 (min/max)
VIN1 - 2.016/2.028
+3.3V - 2.916/2.928
+5V - 4.959/4.959
+12V - 2.784/4.800
-12V - -4.272/-4.272
-5V - -8.256/-8.208
+5V VCCH - 2.762/2.762
VBAT - 1.608/1.608
5VSB - 5.040
VBAT - 3.216

... and here's some voltages from ASUS GPU Tweak

GPU Voltage(mV) - 1031/837 (max/min)
Memory Voltage - 1495/1495
VDDCI Voltage - 992/979

Please note that these are all voltages after startup and idle only.

Now I'm no expert (aka please correct me), but there are a few numbers there which concern me. Whilst voltage may vary (fluctuate slightly under load) it should remain constant should it not? Lets take the +3.3V rail, between the BIOS data and CPUID is a difference of 400mV. The +12/-12/-5V data concerns me as well. I don't understand it really, but I was under the impression that +12V should be pretty close to +12V.

To answer Bill, the interior of the case is immaculate. So far as monitoring heating goes (for the CPU), I use either Prime95 or the load testing tool with CPUID. I use CPUID HW Monitor or the Intel Extreme Tuning utility to monitor the CPU. For the GPU I use ASUS GPU Tweak or GPUID. To stress test it, Furmark. As stated before as soon as you apply the stress test with Furmark it shuts the computer down.

Temperatures on the CPU have been getting up around the 85C mark. Yes I know that is hot when the CPU is rated to 75C max, yet it is stable. It's not ideal but I will turn my attention to that in due course. I do not believe that heat in the CPU is the reason for shutting down in this case as the computer is shutting down before allowing the heat to build-up to anywhere near those levels.

So far as the GPU goes what gaming I have completed on it has never taken it beyond 82C. So not an issue there.

I'll have access to a mates power supply shortly (Thermaltake 850W Gold) which I'll use to swap it out. I'll see how it goes.

Cheers
 
#5 ·
Now I'm no expert (aka please correct me), but there are a few numbers there which concern me. Whilst voltage may vary (fluctuate slightly under load) it should remain constant should it not? Lets take the +3.3V rail, between the BIOS data and CPUID is a difference of 400mV. The +12/-12/-5V data concerns me as well. I don't understand it really, but I was under the impression that +12V should be pretty close to +12V.
HWMonitor, or any other voltage reader almost never gets the voltages right. You need to go into the BIOS to get them. Those are correct.

I'll have access to a mates power supply shortly (Thermaltake 850W Gold) which I'll use to swap it out. I'll see how it goes.
Not the best PSU in the world, but worth testing with.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
You have insufficient privileges to reply here.
Top