Bunch of Hardware Failures, centered around 7970/280X

[tweakboy]

DO it once, do it right. Get the nVidia board. As you can see AMD blows with their drivers. The hardware is good, the software blow Yank the interns out of there and what not.

 

[Cadarin]

Maybe it was a power surge. How stable is power at your place? Have you ever had other non PC related stuff unexpectedly fail?

This is the first thing I thought of as well. That's how you have multiple parts go bad on you at the same time.

It also doesn't sound like he's got a surge protector, and is plugging his computer straight into a wall socket.

 

[redsox0914]

This is the first thing I thought of as well. That's how you have multiple parts go bad on you at the same time.

It also doesn't sound like he's got a surge protector, and is plugging his computer straight into a wall socket.

Not enough sockets in my wall to do this. I'm not sure where it came out that I didn't have a surge protector.

Serious question though, people keep talking about surges and power spikes and parts going out at the same time, but is 2 weeks apart considered "same time"?

 

[tweakboy]

I warn people daily. Dont go Big Red. this isnt johnny bench. Its the red devil. gl

 

[Termie]

Not enough sockets in my wall to do this. I'm not sure where it came out that I didn't have a surge protector.

Serious question though, people keep talking about surges and power spikes and parts going out at the same time, but is 2 weeks apart considered "same time"?

Could a power surge or overheating event have loosened some solder on your card, which the broke loose two weeks later with continued use? Yes, it's possible. Probable? No, but possible.

Anyway, good luck with the GTX 770. I wouldn't plug it into the Intel motherboard, given the issue that board seems to have. Just test it on your AMD machine. I'd still give the 3870 a try in the Intel system - worst case is you lose the old card, best case is it actually boots up.

 

[tweakboy]

ATI invaded nVidia and all heck broke loose.

 

[tweakboy]

Put the whole rig in stock... and try.

 

[Cadarin]

Not enough sockets in my wall to do this. I'm not sure where it came out that I didn't have a surge protector.

Even though I have two power supplies, one thing I realized with people pointing at the power supply is that I'm not changing is the cord connecting the power supply to the wall.

I got the impression from that post, but I guess you meant the power cord was going to your surge protector, not the wall. And since nobody answered it before, yes you should try a different power cord, and a different surge protector too for that matter. Either one could be damaged.

Stop worrying about the probability of this or that happening, the fact is something went bad in your system, possibly multiple things. Rather than guessing at the cause, start eliminating possibilities.

 

[PhIlLy ChEeSe]

The rocket fish is junk as you stated you ran two 5850's for a few years, the Rosewill on a X79 board? You have your common thread right there, spend the extra money on a quality power supply.

 

[TeknoBug]

Yeah I'm not particularly fond of Rocketfish stuff, my father went and bought a Rocketfish 550W PSU one time maybe 4 years ago after his old PSU quit working and I went over to install it for him and it still works today in my mother's PC. But I personally wouldn't use it.

 

[redsox0914]

This was one of the reviews for the Rocketfish PSU in my system. There were a few others like it, but they all seemed to say that it was a decent PSU. It was a sort of desperation/emergency PSU at the time, as I needed a working power supply right away, and this was the best one I could get without driving far away or waiting a few days for shipping.

http://www.itocp.com/htmls/56/n-656.html

I'm waiting for the 770 to get here before testing out the 3870 in the Intel board, as I still do need to ensure one working video card for the time being.

 

[PhIlLy ChEeSe]

This was one of the reviews for the Rocketfish PSU in my system. There were a few others like it, but they all seemed to say that it was a decent PSU. It was a sort of desperation/emergency PSU at the time, as I needed a working power supply right away, and this was the best one I could get without driving far away or waiting a few days for shipping.

http://www.itocp.com/htmls/56/n-656.html

I'm waiting for the 770 to get here before testing out the 3870 in the Intel board, as I still do need to ensure one working video card for the time being.

If you got two dead PSU your not gonna verify much, have at it! You said you used the rocket fish for a couple years with 2 5850's its junk toss it out. The other PSU is cheap imho, the chance of killing stuff is greater than the chance of you lucky out and saving anything.............. My two cents

 

[redsox0914]

I need to have a working computer at the moment, trash PSU or otherwise. That and I have limited time this weekend to actually try a lot of new stuff.

http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/Huntkey-X7-900-W-Power-Supply-Review/1446/11

http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story5&reid=258

I'm also starting to think the dead/trash PSU bit is starting to become hyperbole. I'd agree they aren't anywhere near the best, but I made sure both were at least decent before buying them, and they have each served me for 2+ years. The brand loyalty/bashing is getting a bit extreme.

EDIT: It seems my last couple posts make it look like I'm lashing out, so let me clarify any potential misunderstandings. I really am appreciative of everyone's comments and assistance in this thread. It's been very helpful for the most part, both in helping me diagnose these issues and increasing my knowledge and awareness of computer issues.

I'll post an update when the 770 arrives.

 

[Termie]

...

I'm waiting for the 770 to get here before testing out the 3870 in the Intel board, as I still do need to ensure one working video card for the time being.

This is a prudent choice. Luckily you have the spare system. Who says you only need one computer?

Your power supplies are probably fine - at least one of them, at least. Would I buy either of those particular units? No, I wouldn't, because you only need them in triple-VGA systems, and if you have a system like that, you should be spending top dollar on your PSU. That being said, they are not trash, and there's no need to buy a new one unless either one fails to power on a system that is otherwise working (i.e., your AMD system).