power supply going bad?

[lfsmarineguy]

I'm pretty sure my power supply is going bad. Under max load my comp has started to shut off, now with more frequency. Bad Company 2 is the only program doing it right now but it's also the biggest power hog and is the only program I have that utilizes multi core processors. It's a 650w (forget the manufacturer, I'll look tomorrow) and it's atleast 3 yrs old but gets a lot of use. I'm not feeling a lot of air coming out or into it, is there a way to tell if it's just the fan as opposed to the whole unit?

If I do need to replace it whats a good cheap unit about 650w I can use with enough plugs to run everything? I have some ideas but just figured someone in the business might have some better ideas. Thanks.

 

[cbrsorlo]

I am leaning towards the processor being over heated. Check the processor fan and clean off any dust.

 

[beerfish]

+1 on overheating. Power supplies usually go all or nothing, and often they go out in style... sometimes with a loud pop or some smoke.

 

[ming]

+2 on the overheating. Typically the system has a failsafe to automatically shut off if it gets too hot to avoid damaging components. Check to make sure the fans are all working inside the computer

 

[lfsmarineguy]

They're all working. It's in a brand new HAF 932 case but the fan on the proc is still stock. I've been planning on swapping it out for a better unit anyway, I guess I'll go see what I can get today since it's cheaper than going for a new PSU. Thanks for the good info guys.

 

[ming]

Also check for thick dust accumulation. Dust eventually slows down the heatsinks performance. If the air is hot in there, try leave the case open while playing your game. If it seems to be better, there's probably bad air flow within the case.

 

[Chiefmcfuz]

First things to check in this instance is the video card and the memory dimms. IIf one of the dimms are bad or the video card is bad it is an easy repair. Processors rarely overheat if they are not overclocked to super dangerously high speeds. If it happens during a game then it is probably the video card.

 

[NYreefNoob]

+1 on vid card, i try to take my comp apart every other month as it pulls in alot of dust, i

 

[lfsmarineguy]

The video card was just replaced by XFX since the last one went bad on me (awesome company btw I fully plan on using them again when I upgrade) a few months ago. I am diligent about blowing out the case since it pretty much is open with all the big fans, it just traps dust, better than my vaccum I think.

So after my last post I shut down and checked the processor even though I clean the whole thing regularly and the heatsink behind the fan was partially caked. I feel like such a noob even my GF laughed at me lol. I'll have log on now and destroy some people to make sure I fixed it :tongue1:.

 

[lfsmarineguy]

Problem solved, thanks for the help guys.

 

[Chiefmcfuz]

Some things to keep in mind when removing the heatsink from the cpu. All the old thermal grease must be removed and thoroughly cleaned. Then new thermal grease must be applied. If not done completely then problems can occur shortly down the road.

 

[lfsmarineguy]

I know thanks. I didn't have to remove the heatsink, I just threaded the tube for the air can through the fan box and blew it out. Going to look into building a small box filter for it so I don't have to worry about it again.

 

[pmui]

did you remove the heat sink and fan when you swapped cases? if you did you may not have seated the heat sink properly, and it's not dissipating the heat. You may need a cpu/heat monitoring program to check.

 

[lfsmarineguy]

I had an old Dell XPS so when I upgraded I had to scrap the mobo and ended up getting a sweet combo deal from microcenter for the quad core and mobo. The new build was from scratch minus the PSU and graphics card. The only problem I had was with my old HD and the new configuration. I had to get a new (read: it was a good excuse to get a terabyte drive) drive and use the old one as just a data drive so I wouldn't lose the files on it. My brother does computer stuff for NASA so he is my 24hr tech support lol.

 

[bizzarro]

Another thing to check is the capacitors on the motherboard. Usually leaking or blown can cause strange system issues. Most likely wouldn't happen on a new board issue unless they were defective but older mobos can be prone if they used cheap caps.

 

[Chiefmcfuz]

Any issues since the dusting?