Is my psu droping all power to my comp?

[funsta]

hey

this is the issue im having and hopefully someone can help.

So i have a custom built pc and has been runing without a hitch for about a year now since i built it. 2 weeks ago i went on holiday for 1 week. when i left i shutdown as normal and switched all power off at the wall.

when i came back i switched on the power at the wall and started up the comp as normal nothing was odd played just as i had left it, however about 3/4 hours into gaming the pc just cutout. assuming that maybe in the background it had shut its self down. i started it back up and went back to gaming. since then tho it powers off completly randomly i could be playing a game or just browsing the internet, it can also be fine for a day or more. or only a few hours. there is no telling when it will just cutout. (could go while i write this).

Sometimes it will not power back up so i have to switch it off at wall until its complety powered down or sometimes wiggle the 24? pin power cable where it fits into bored seems to power it back up. my inital thoughts was that maybe the 24? pin/socket was broken. but even if the comp is runing fine no one has been near it it still cutsout so it cant be that it was knocked a little and a dodey conection cut it out, and i dont see how it would have borke when its been fine for so long case is closed so the conection just sudenly breaking is odd. sometimes when it reboots it tells me the date/time in cmos is wrong and it defaults to 2001 or something odd like that. i set it to current date and time yet when it cuts out it resets back to the default 2001 settings

im runing

Mobo = asus III extreme

Cpu = I7 950

Gpu = gtx 480

Psu = Antec 1200

ram = 6gb triple chan

my cpu is water cooled and case has a ton of fans some im fairly sure its not a heat.

if you need more info if you can tell me exactly what you want and how to get it that is not a prob.

Ps sorry if this is in the wrong thread. thanks in advance for any help

[funsta]

a little update, since i worte this and went afk. i came back to find once again the comp has powered off. this time switching off at the wall and the silly wiggle of cable didnt allow it to start up in the end i had to hit the cmos reset button on the board so it would even boot. when it did boot i was presented with the date and time cmos fail error again having to hit f1 or f2 to continue. i just hit the f2 button that allowed it to run with the default settings. as with setting my own time ect didnt seem to help.

[Boomer]

If your having troubles with resetting time and date and CMOS errors fingers point to the CMOS battery.

[funsta]

would that have anything to do with the complete power down of the comp or just another issue im having ontop of the power cutting?

[Jelly Bean]

It could be a combination it could be seprate issues....

 

Reset the time and date in BIOS.....

 

Download and install and run:

 

http://www.almico.com/speedfan.php

 

I know you are saying its not a temp issue but sounds like it could be....

 

Please give the computer a few minutes to warm up then post me idle temps,temp of normal process such as web surfing then a set of temps while playing game please....

 

EDIT:I hope you are NOT wiggling internal hardware and cables while the computer is powered on?

[Boomer]

The computer failing to start and random power offs, combined with incorrect time and date settings are two common symptoms of CMOS battery failure. So i would start my diagnosis with the battery.

[Jelly Bean]

We are also taking about water cooling......

 

Have you tried to check all seals etc for the tinyest of leaks?

[funsta]

Thanks for the help and advise so far.

have set the date and time correctly in bios again.

havnt been wiggle of parts with power on

have checked for leaks with a little bit of tissue under each conection and no sign of any moisture.

Here are the temps you asked for

idle

[ATTACH=CONFIG]1221[/ATTACH]

some web browsing and a few vids streaming

[ATTACH=CONFIG]1222[/ATTACH]

and also gaming temps on this may of droped a little bit since i had to windows out to snip it.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]1223[/ATTACH]

i appricated the help.

Edit: forgot to mention im runing it stock settings

Edited August 20, 2011 by funsta

[Jelly Bean]

On the last picture oh and thankyou,the GPU is a little hotter than it should be,your CPU if it gets any hotter than its game temp then its going to crash the system.....

[funsta]

the gpu always seems to sit around that temp. i think the fan is just having a nap until like you say it gets hotter then it kicks inn if i run the fan for it on manual i can keep it under 70'c with very long peroids of gaming 12+ hours and from what i read also my cpu always seems run fairly hot.

plz note aswell the power cutting out is while at stock settings the temps obv go high when i run with higher overclock settings for about 6 months + and it never cut out like it is over this last week

Edited August 20, 2011 by funsta

[Boomer]

I've found a link stating the traits of your graphics card at idle and under load, according to this it seems to be running as expected.

http://www.legitreviews.com/article/1258/11/

[Jelly Bean]

So I asume at some point you overclocked your CPU>?

 

If this is the case did you fit a better cooler or stick with the stock cooler that was supplied with the CPU?

[funsta]

they cpu is the water cooled part of my comp. rest is just air cooled.

yeah boomer i think the heat isnt the cause off these random power cuts. but its nice to cover all bases at least i can clear whats not causing it from the many things it can be.

ill try to explain the power cuts a little better maybe it will ticks some box's with what some off you may have seen befor or have read about else where.

when the power cuts. the computer complety shuts off. screen and speakers stay with power so its not the mains or extension cord thats cutting it.

When the power gos. if you know about the rampage III extreme motherboard you will be aware of all the pretty lights on the board these remain however all fans water pump ect stop. except 1 case fan as this has direct power from the psu not the mobo.

Edited August 21, 2011 by funsta

[Jelly Bean]

Ok,can you borrow a PSU to test your system?

 

If your CPU is getting overly warm at stock I would hate to think what it gets to when it is over clocked....When over clocking the cooler needs to either be replaced for a better one,was the cooler built to allow for overclocking?

 

You cannot just OC your CPU without adjusting the cooler or replacing it regaurdless if its water cooled or not....

 

If it has been running hot when OCed then damage may of been done....

 

I wonder what your temps are when it is OCed?

 

The power connection may of been damaged for some time and has degraded over time OR the issue is not the power supply but the mainboard connection......Hence get a compatable PSU to test the system....

 

I would go with Boomer on the BIOS battery and get it replaced as soon as.....

 

A BIOS battery should be replaced every two years regaurdless,however if the computer was built a year ago and I asume the battery is one year old to.Power outages of some kind can cause the BIOS battery to loose power and die eventualy,this shows in the BIOS clock needing resetting....

 

If you replace the battery with a brand NEW one not one taken from another computer and still have issues then we would look at that to.....

[funsta]

thanks for the advice will order a battery 2mo.

the water cooling came as a kit made by EKWB all parts ect i just put it together like a exspensive jigsaw i just added a extra fan to the Reservoir so it had a push pull air flow, filled it up with correct liquid and coolant that came with it checked for leaks ect and let it run on stock for a about a month befor i touched overclocking. keep in mind the temps i gave you also are from auto vaulting ect as i the left bios complety default so i could try to work out the prob im having. so its likely that the mobo is given it more juice than it needs hence the higher temps. also the overclocking wasnt extreme was just a simple lvl up feature that comes with the mobo. i think i increased it to what ever the next cpu model up from mine is. so was runing at 3.3gz.

i will try borrow a psu 2day also.

[Jelly Bean]

Going back to the PSU,let me explain something....

 

I was tired last night and could not write another word...

 

When a PSU developes a fault of some kind it can still light up the mainboard.An example of this was a few months agao with my PSU,it lit my mainboard,however my monitor did not power on and my CD/DVD rom drives lit up but did not open....

 

A PSU wich is faulty or failing can still power parts of your computer.....

 

Have you tested other hardware?

 

Disconnect CD/DVD rom drives,card reader,floppy disk then run the computer for a while and see if you get a shut down....It could be a peice of faulty hardware or a cable from one of these itrems....Just discconecting and switching the computer on is not a test,run the computer for a while and see what happens....

 

You may of wiggled the main power cable BUT near this is the RAM slots,have you individualy tested the RAM?

 

http://extremetechsupport.com/threads/7172-Memtest86-How-to-Run.

 

I would not like to point the finger at one peice of hardware or another until you have checked everything fully.....

 

Again you wiggled the main power cable,this wiggle could of upset a fault somewere else inside the computer and the main power is not the issue.....The tinyest of faults can shut down a computer....

[funsta]

thanks jelly bean. i will start working through parts in the order you mention them to try and rule them out. will come back in a few days to let you know how i got on with trying things out.

[Jelly Bean]

Your very welcome....

 

A reapplication of thermal paste may help your CPU also...

 

I would rather tell you to test hardware rather than just to say this IS the problem....

 

Hopefully we will get to the root of the problem...

[funsta]

just a bit of a update. im still waiting on the cmos battery and new thermal paste to get here so havnt started to take things apart/ remove items to see if and what it could be. in a strange turn of events tho the computer has now been on 30+ hours with gaming ect and still hasnt cut out.

this is annoying me since if and when i do unlpug certain dvd drives, fans ect ect how long will i need to run the comp befor i can say that said fan or drive or wire isnt the cause of the problem. :S

[Jelly Bean]

Do not unplug the fans at the moment....

 

Its possible vibrations or movement inside the PC is upsetting some hardware or cable.....Hence shut down....

 

 

I would of sugested unplug the DVD/CD rom drive then play witha a game or surf the internet.....

 

If all appears well then replug it in and unplug the floppy..

 

Try didffrent cables on hardware that may rule in or out an issue....

 

As its not my computer I would not sugest wiggling any cables while the computer is powered on.....

 

Hopefully the thermal paste will bring the temps down.....

 

We cannot pin point what the issue is at the moment it is a process of elimination....

 

However heat appears to play a part....

 

Update hardware drivers,this may help to....

[funsta]

how would i be able to tell tho if it appears fine for the moment. i mean since for the last 30 hours or so ive not touched or unpluged a single thing yet no power cuts? ive even burnt/ watched dvd's and blue rays installed new games ect etc it seems to be runing perfect again.

my plan is 2mo once the paste and battery get here i will strip every thing out of the comp and check over the board inc the 24 pin socket to see if that maybe feels loose or there is anything else that looks out of place. and put it back together with new battery in and new paste applied. also the bios reseting seems to have stoped time/date is perfect. (maybe my comp was angry with me cos i left it for a week) :P

[Jelly Bean]

Well leave things alone for now,once you have replaced the battery and reapplied thermal paste we will look at the tempratures again and see if they have improved....

 

If after that no shut downs then your computer is possibly back to healthy....

 

You may just have a tempramental computer.....I had a Compaq PC that if you sneezed the HDD appeared to disconnect.Slight movement of the desk the computer did not boot....Yes something maybe loose or faulty in the Compaq PC but I never did find out what if anything was causing the none boots.....

 

Fiddling inside your computer may of inadvertantly fixed the error,it may of been a cable a little loose and now its ok.....

 

Ok,so leave the internals alone and lets just see if we can sort the battery and heat issues.....Once you have received them both and done the job at hand maybe the problems will be gone.....

[funsta]

ok took a while to get things sorted. reset the waterblock changed coolant (pretty much just gave every thing a damn good clean). changed cmos battery with a brand new one. problem is still there. something i did notice while striping everything out and putting it back together was that there is a couple of pins on both the mobo and the psu (24 pin) are darker in colour than the rest.

i am now certain that this is the cause of the problem now. as i have noticed that if the 24 pin is seated fully, the cpu fan does not get power. but if i have it almost seated the fan does get power and computer will boot. i need some advise on what to do next really, and also what could have caused this to happen?

[KenB]

if the 24 pin is seated fully, the cpu fan does not get power

 

I hope J-B doesn't mind me butting in ?

It sounds like there is a connection problem with the 20(4) way connection.

The darker pins are probably due to arching ( poor connection ).

 

What colour are the wires connecting to the problem pins?

(Not that it matters)

 

http://www.rctech.net/forum/attachments/radio-electronics/406268d1231926791-good-dc-ice-power-supply-atx-power-connector.jpg

With a small jeweller's screwdriver you should be able to open the offending pins on the m/board connection - just a little - but enough to make the connection positive again.

 

(Assuming that yours are split as per the ones in the picture)

[funsta]

thx for the response ken.

i would need to look closer at if there spilt as i have no idea and the block around them is black in colour so to see them isnt as easy as the pic you posted.

wire colour not sure my wires are sealed so can see what one gos where but from your picture its the 2nd+3rd one down the left colum and 1 on the psu wire that matchs (maybe 3rd one) also i think 1 on my 24 pin psu holes is completly empty is this normal?

i will be sure to try opening up the pins a tiny bit. if it saves me replacing the parts with new, ill try anything.

if it is arching. and i dont doubt that for one second it would explain the comple randomness of the power cuts.