PSU Voltage

N

Navarre

Geek Trainee
Hi all

I have recently built a new rig for a friend consisting of the following:

Kandalf LCS Case (the one with water cooling)
Thermaltake 520W Power Station PSU
XFX 786MB 8800GTX Graphics Card
2 x SATA DVD-RW's
1 x 400GB SATA HDD
2 x 320GB SATA HDD's
2GB Corsair Dominator 6400 DDR2 RAM (2 x 1GB)
Intel 6600 Dual Core Processor
ASUS P5N32-E Sli Motherboard

The problem is it shuts down without warning. I had a look in the Bios and the 12v is not running. I tried another PSU (Hiper 580W) and the 12v ran for a few minutes and then went back to 0.0. I tested both PSU's on another PC and the 12v is running fine on both.

Why would the new PC be stopping the PSU 12v running properly?

I appreciate any help or advice given
 
The fastest way would be to swap out a motherboard. The most thorough way would be to test the parts in another rig together.

Two power supplies in a row that are decent and you're still having trouble?
It *could* be a heat issue, so pay attention to that, but I don't believe this is a case of the power supply being an issue. We're either looking at heat, which can quickly addressed by keeping an eye on the temps, or a defective motherboard.
 
I've looked at the temps in the bios and thru Speedfan and no temp is above 35 degrees. I'm beginning to think it is the motherboard as the CPU is water cooled and the air flow through the case is very good. I also have Antec SpotCool fans on the other components of the motherboard. Is there a cast iron method of establishing it is the motherboard before I send it back for replacement?
 
Right, does it shut off, as if you pull out the plug from the mains? Because I have just taken care of this problem with my PC, 1st I replaced my power supply with an expensive thermaltake one, still had problems, then tried motherboard, and here I am using it to this day.

I am certain it is your board mate
 
Hi. Apologies for delay in reply, I have been getting the motherboard replaced. I have now installed the new motherboard and checked the voltages and the 12v is now running at 11.84.

However, started playing F.E.A.R and the machine shut down again at the same point. I checked the BIOS and the 12v is still running. Any ideas?
 
Hmmm...
What did you use the check the voltages?

I couldn't tell you where exactly, but there might be a shutdown temperature set in BIOS. If it's low enough that might trigger a shut down prematurely, even though the temps are within spec.

Do you see anything in event viewer?
 
Hi. I checked the voltages within the BIOS and with Speedfan and there is nothing in the event viewer. I have also found the shutdown temps within the BIOS and they are all set higher than the current temps.
 
Is it just FEAR that the system is shutting down in? If it's just this game, what specific point is it happening at?
 
Hi. It shuts down in other games such as Oblivion, Dark Messiah and Stalker. It is a certain point where the spirit appears on the screen near the start.

I have had the PC working with FEAR for a few hours then tried Dark Messiah. The machine shut down on Dark Messiah and is now shutting down on FEAR again.

I have unplugged everything so there is only the 2 x HDD's, 8800 Graphics Card and the water cooling running. I have also tried 2 different PSU's with the same results.
 
Have you checked your CPU/GPU temps? Try running FEAR in window mode while having a temp app like CPUZ or GPUZ running in the background while you play. Watch the temps. Sometimes my 8800GT gets to 90C while playing Crysis (Not good, I know...) and it partially locks up (probably GPU failing and restarting). Your problem really sounds like an overheat situation.
 
Sure "temperature" could be the issue,
. . . . . . . . . . . . . but I wonder two points:-
1) that there is an inherent short somewhere...check the `12v rail resitance to gnd with a DMM ...should be quite high with no power on (but let volts fade away before testing.....like overnight, unless you can apply a bleed resistor, say 1k with a modest wattage rating.
Watch what else is connected to +12v, like that new bargain fan...the lead/connector may be suspect...

2) Is 500+W sufficient for this set-up? Have you tried a running basic pc with just the core components? Fans, LEDs etc. all add to the Loading.

(Ideally you'd measure the 12v rail current, but it could get a bit messy....because DMMs put a high resistance in the current lead.....you need an "old-fashioned" moving-coil multi-meter for really low-resistance IMHO. Strange how things change with progress. Care! Select 10A range at switch-on.).

Good Luck.
 
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