Power supply problems.

Back in june I bought a new PC for gaming on and everything was running perfect until 2 weeks ago.

Playing an normal game of Call of Duty 4, the power supply suddenly failed and wouldn't work at all. So I took it back to the shop I bought the system from and they replaced it, they didn't give any reason to why it could have failed.

Got it back a couple of days later and tried again to play some games, but this time, after about 5-10 mins, a sort of noise like the bearings were going in the PSU fan were going started. Except the only time the noise ever happened was during gameplay. On the desktop and doing normal day to day things, its silent as it normally is.

This time though one of the capacators in the PSU had gone, and that was causing the noise.

Now im on my 3rd PSU, and yet again the noise has started again, and the PSU seems to be getting unusualy hot when it does. When I last took it back in they suggested it may be the power source in the house causing the last 2 to fail, but on this 3rd supply im at a friends house, using a brand new, bought today belkin surge protector and a new power cable.

The shop did some tests on this new supply when it was in, and the system is using less than 75% of its power when its under full load, so that shouldn't be a problem.

I'm just not sure what to do now as this is the 3rd PSU in 2 weeks the warranty at the shop wont cover it as its 'user caused'.

System specs:-
AMD Athalon 64 x2 6400+ CPU
Asus M2N-x plus M/B
3GB Pc2-5300 DDR2 667
2*250gb SATA Maxtor HDD in raid
Asus 768mb Geforce 8800GTX
Windows XP Home.
Origanal PSU - Colorsit ATI4X 650w
The current one say Atrix ATX12v v2.2 650w on it.

Should I just go out and pick up a 'well known' brand of PSU and try that?

Any help sorting this out will be most apreciated.

 

did you try playing Call of Duty 4 at the shop in front of the technicians?

just to have them available at the specific scenario, and then they can see for themselves and get involved...

 

My Google fu is weak today. Need coffee...:zzz Is this the PSU currently in your PC? http://www.overclockersclub.com/reviews/atrix_500t/

I could go with 'user caused' if you had been swapping out heatsinks or messing around with the innards of the box. Sounds like BS to me. Especially if you have tried it at a different house.

As wassimk said, try playing the game at the shop for a while. If it messes up there, it is definantly a defective product. If it does not, perhaps there is something to what the shop says.

 

I didn't have time when I took it in as I was on my lunch hour from work, but they were running the benchmarks on crysis which also cause the noises to start up a lot quicker than Call of duty does.

 

Hi Mark87! First off, you're damn lucky that when your PSU went South, twice, it didn't take anything with it, namely the MB, CPU, or other items. Personally, I think you found the solution to your problem...get your self a good, brand name PSU, like Antec, OCZ, or Rosewill BEFORE one of those 'cheapies' take out your system. Trust me, it CAN happen!! Those 2 that you had obviously had the power to run your system, but under 'stress' they couldn't handle the load. Granted, I am not a 'puter expert, but I do know what cheap PSU's can do to a system, and it ain't pretty. You 'dodged the bullet' twice, I wouldn't risk a 3rd time. Good luck, and let us know what happens True, I may be way off base and there could be something else wrong but, with me, a little caution goes a looooong way.

 

I agree with Stubby, EXCEPT for the fact this was bought from a shop. If the PSU is bad, which is what my money is on, the shop should replace it with one that works.

I guess it is up the the OP on whether they want to hassle a bit with the shop, or just buy a quality PSU. An inexpensive multi-meter might shed some light on the PSU.

 

Yep, thats the one.

And reading that review, the last page certainly does fit the symptoms ive been having :-

 

Perhaps if you show them that review, perhaps they will give you some credit towards a PSU of your choice, or 'buy' the 'quality PSU' they put in your computer from you. :-D

Depends on how much hassle you want to put up with, and how good the warranty is. With several PSU's dieing in a system, I would be afraid other parts could be slightly damaged. From that aspect, a warranty might be good to keep.

 

Most of today I've been checking out every other part in the system, and thankfully, everything is working fine.

Since this is the 3rd PSU in such a short time, I would be charged to get them to put another one in, as its down to 'user causes', and they tried to blame it on my old Surge protector/the wall socket it was plugged into before. So the warranty is pretty much useless against the PSU now.

Although now I probably wont be going back there except to buy random stuff like discs and printer refills, which is a shame really, as in the near future I am going to be getting a second GPU added, upgrading the RAM and changing the M/B for it all. Now its down to Ebay and google for working out how to do it all

 

I just read the review on your present PSU that Fred_G posted and I agree....get another PSU!! As Fred_G said, take it back to the shop and see if they'll give you credit on a GOOD one, if they have any good ones. If they offer you another name PSU that you're not too sure of, get the model number and name and come back here and post it and I know someone will help you determine what kind of unit you'd be getting. Or, like Fred_G said, if you don't want to hassle with it, go buy yourself a good unit.. If you choose the latter and, not knowing how well versed you are in PSU's, we'd be more than happy to help you find one suitable for your machine, and your budget!! In a nutshell, we just don't want to see you ruin your machine with a crappy PSU. Let us know how you do.

 

I'm definitly going to pick my own PSU up this time, I just don't know a whole lot about them really, as in the past I've either used laptops, or bought pre-built PCs from PC world (eww) so I could do with a little bit of advice on what to go for. Price isn't a big issue, as long as its nothing stupidly overpriced.

 

Hi again Mark! Below is some links to some decent PSUs. Personally, I use Antec for my builds and if I replace someone's unit. Since your last were 650W units, I figure that would be a good size to start with, plus if you do upgrade later you won't have to invest in another PSU. http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=2010320058 50001516 113142557&name=Antec

Then you have these http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...&N=2010320058 50001400 113142557&name=Enermax

And, to give you a further choice, there are these http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...010320058 50001379 113142557&name=Thermaltake

There are, of course, other choices, but these are the only ones I have ever dealt with (mainly Antec) and any of the above would give you great service. Granted, they are a little more expensive than some, but you get what you pay for. Good Luck, and let us know how it goes!!

 

Just in case, here's the link to all their PSUs so you can check them all out, like OCZ and Rosewill. http://www.newegg.com/Store/SubCategory.aspx?SubCategory=58&name=Power-Supplies

On the right side is a list of different units, price ranges and wattages so you can get a better idea of what's available.

 

Right now I am liking OCZ and NZXT PSU's. The ones linked above look good as well. I am not a big fan of Rosewill. Like Stubby said, a 650 to 700Watt should have you setup with room to expand.

If I were you, I would not buy anything from that computer 'store'. Course, I hold a grudge for a long time when someone messes with my money! :-D

When you get ready to upgrade or replace your box, we can help you out.

 

Only problem now is that newegg doesn't ship to the UK but looking around on various sites I did find http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CA-008-CS which isn't a bad price compared to a lot of places, and the reviews for it are pretty good as well.

 

Sorry Mark, I didn't realize that you lived in the UK However, you found a very good PSU. Corsair is a well-known and dependable brand and I think that one you posted a link to would do you just fine. It has plenty of power for now, and for future upgrades. Here is another review of that PSU. http://xtreview.com/addcomment-id-3586-view-Corsair-TX-650w-power-unit.html

One other thing, I have to agree with Fred_G and would not buy anything else from that shop!! IF they valued you as a customer, they would have at least tried to resolve your problem rather than blaming it on 'owner error!' They need to blame it on the crappy part they sold you!! You see, I too hold a grudge when it comes to someone playing with my money:-D

Good Luck, Mike!! Let us know how it goes, and don't worry about the time....we're open 24\7:-D

 

Received the new PSU today, and fitted it succesfully. ( not bad for a first try )

Only 2 complications, Untangling the wires straight out of the box, and sorting out all the un needed cable extensions on the old supply.

Rather impressed with the way the new one arrived, inside its own little cloth bag, and rather helpful instructions.

No strange noises or heat build-up after leaving the crysis benchmark running for 4 hours on near max settings.

Thanks both for the help sorting this out,could have cost a fortune if anything went wrong with the old PSU. And I know for sure i'll be recomending these forums to people I know who may need advice in future.

 

Hey Mark, that's GREAT!! I'm really glad that it worked out for you and you got the new PSU before one of those 'cheapies' took out your system!! That was my main concern. As for untangling the wires, well you're on your own there!!:-D Again, I'm glad it worked out for you, and if you need anymore help in the future, just give us a shout!!

 

Glad you got it working! I have wires all in my cases. I prefer solid case sides instead of windows.... I don't want to see all the dang wires!:-D