PSU Problem?

solidMGSsnake

I'm not too sure if this is the correct place to post this but it is a PC i've built so I went with here.

I built a PC, it's more than 2 years old at this stage. Every now and then my PC abruptly shuts off. Occasionally it will restart itself and will be fine. But more often than not it will stay off. If i turn it back on, the fans get really loud, like a hair dryer or else won't turn on at all. If i take it apart, check everything is ok and then turn it on while the PC is still open, it will come on fine, no noticeable problems. I put it back together and it will be fine for couple of weeks or more.
I don't think it's an overheating problem, i monitor the temps all the time and they're fine. Also more often then not the error occurs while i'm just surfing the web, not playing any games or anything intensive. I think it might be my PSU, perhaps a surge or something? But visibly the PSU seems fine and the fan inside works and all.

I use Open Hardware Monitor to check temps and they're all fine. it also monitors voltages, but honestly I don't really have enough electric know-how to determine if the voltages are incorrect or not. I used to use Speedfan, but the last few weeks (around the same time this started) whenever I run it, it instantly crashing my PC.

Here's my build:

CPU -Intel Core i5-3570K
Mobo - ASRock Z75 Pro3
GPU - Nividia Geforce 770GTX
RAM - G.Skill 8GB (2x 4GB) Dual Channel Ares Series Memory Kit
PSU - Corsair Builder Series CXM 500W Modular
SSD - Samsung SSD 840 120GB
HDD - WD Caviar Blue 1TB
Case - Cooltek Antiphon Black
Optical Drive - LiteOn iHAS124-04
Net Card - ASUS PCE-N15
CPU Cooler - Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO
OS - MS Windows 8 64-Bit (SB)

Attached is a log of the PCs temperature and voltages at the time i'm writing this. I have no idea if it accurately depicts how the system is during the time it acts up, but that's impossible to capture since it shuts down the PC. I monitor the temps frequently and I never notice anything.

If anyone can help me let me know, i don't want my PC to catch fire or anything. Thanks.

solidMGSsnake

Ok for some reason the attachment didn't post, let's hope it works this time.

..Brian..

I have to admit my first thought was temps as I was reading that. What temps are you getting while idling and under load? Download and run memtest86 just to rule out RAM. Run Prime95 and monitor temps and see if you can replicate the problem. Can you get another PSU out of somewhere to test for a while?

solidMGSsnake

Temps while idle are around 30C, depending on what i'm running while gaming it could raise to late 70Cs. Though like i said the problem mostly occurs while i'm just surfing the web, nothing intensive. Read the log i have, it has all the temps and voltages. What's wrong with Open Hardware Monitor? Why do I need to use Prime95? I've never even heard of it. I'll try Memtest86 thanks. What sort of problems should i be looking for in the RAM? Also why do both these programs have a number at the end, they sound more like usernames XD

Unfortunately i don't have another PSU or any way to get one. Besides this problem only occurs every now and then. So unless i kept the PSU for a really long time, it wouldn't help me make any determinations.

Redfox25

Prime 95 works by stressing your system to check for stability.
While its running keep an eye on temps of board, cpu and gpu.

I had a similar issue which turned out to be a mobo issue

solidMGSsnake

Ok I'll download later and let you know.

..Brian..

Just run memtest and you'll see if anything fails. You don't have to decipher the results, just if it fails one of your ram sticks are malfunctioning and need to be replaced. If there is an error detected try running each stick separately and see if it's one or both. It's unlikely tbh but it's quick and easy to rule out the ram. Your not getting any blue screens or anything? The PC just shuts down without warning?

solidMGSsnake

I've been away from home the last 2 days so I couldn't do the tests yet, but I'll update ye the second I have results thanks so much for the advice.

No blue screens, it just instantly shuts offf like a power failure, which is why we all figured overheating straight away. It usually attempts to turn back on automatically. Sometimes it will and the system will run fine again like nothing happened. Other times it will turn on but sound very loud at which point I quickly shut it off. Other times it won't turn on at all unless I power cycle it at which point usually the hair dryer thing happens. When I take it apart and turn it on after checking everything it's fine. I don't know if it's just cause the process of opening it gave it a short rest to recover or I'm actually doing something to it. But I never actually see anything wrong on the interior.

Redfox25

Can you remove psu from case and plug it in. If the fan stays on it will give you a sign its working.

It might be shorting out in the case.

Fuzzy Clam

Had a similar problem.
Psu fan was clogged up.
Needed to remove PSU in order to open it to clean it out.

solidMGSsnake

Redfox25 wrote: »

Can you remove psu from case and plug it in. If the fan stays on it will give you a sign its working.

It might be shorting out in the case.

The fan inside the PSU is working while in the case, I put a flashlight to it when I opened up the case. It was moving fine. It was one of the things I checked first.

solidMGSsnake

Fuzzy Clam wrote: »

Had a similar problem.
Psu fan was clogged up.
Needed to remove PSU in order to open it to clean it out.

It's definitely not clogged up either. I put a flashlight to it, the interior looks fine. Also it's not really old enough to get that clogged up.

solidMGSsnake

Hey guys sorry for the delay I still haven't gotten back to me PC. As soon as I'm back and I try those programs I'll be back with an update. Please bare with me, I really need the help. Thanks.

solidMGSsnake

OK so I downloaded both of them. I don't really get it though. Memtest wants me to boot from USB or something but I don't fully know how to do all that, it wants me to download this image program which formats my flash drive. No thanks.

Prime95, I don't really get. I did the "torture test" but it shot up a few logs, but it didn't seem to be actually doing much after a few seconds. I thought it was going to do a sort of benchmark test or something. But it's just sits there, i don't know what to do with it.

Also today my Nvidia Windows Kernal Mode Driver stopped working twice. It caused the screen to go black and then eventually it fixed itself. Also twice later on the screen went brown and any playing sound would be maintained on the one note, after a few seconds the PC would restart. Is that a driver issue? I opened up my PC, my GPU and such seems fine.

Lu Tze

solidMGSsnake wrote: »

OK so I downloaded both of them. I don't really get it though. Memtest wants me to boot from USB or something but I don't fully know how to do all that, it wants me to download this image program which formats my flash drive. No thanks.

Some software for hardware diagnostics etc. cant be run within windows, in this case as windows will be using some of the RAM avaialble hence you have to create a bootable drive, and run the test outside of the windows environment.

Rufus is a good programme for creating bootable usb sticks.

The_Valeyard

Check the psu cables for your gpu. I thought the psu was fecked, but I mixed and matched towing different 6 pin and 6+2 pins. Fixed the probs, stopped the shutdowns

solidMGSsnake

The_Valeyard wrote: »

Check the psu cables for your gpu. I thought the psu was fecked, but I mixed and matched towing different 6 pin and 6+2 pins. Fixed the probs, stopped the shutdowns

Appreciate the help but my cables are fine.

Bongalongherb

I used to use Speedfan, but the last few weeks (around the same time this started) whenever I run it, it instantly crashing my PC.

I'd recommend you uninstall this utility software firstly...

Speedfan... Cons

Not for beginners: Most of the information this program presents will have little meaning to inexperienced users. There are good warnings about taking actions that could potentially harm your computer if you don't know what you're doing, so you're not likely to do any harm. But it won't do you much good either.

Uninstall it and then go into the bios and put all settings to default and restart the computer. You might need to activate or deactivate certain settings after doing this in the bios again.